Kitchen god(dess)

I won't be shy and deny that I haven't been busy in the kitchen, whipping up concoction after concoction like some insane Asian Martha Stewart clone.   My bread baking skills are definitely improving (see upper left corner picture) and the boules are coming out with a burnished crust and the exact sponginess to the interior that they're supposed to have.  I love the word "boules" - est tres francais of me.  The bread cookbook has recipes for both bagels and pretzels, something I'm thinking of trying with my next batch of dough.

As for the homemade baked sweet potato fries, I've added a tablespoon of cornstarch, per suggestion of another food blogger, to make them crispier.  I whipped up a honey Dijon dipping sauce, substituting Greek yogurt instead of mayo (donning super hero of the kitchen cape right about now).  I haven't tried seasoning the fries with cinnamon, as suggested, but have thrown cayenne powder and cumin into the mix.  I bought more sweet potatoes / yams than necessary so I've been adding them to practically every dish I've cooked this week with success.  Their sweetness is not overpowering and they are surprisingly adaptable to Asian cooking.

The lovely new coffee shop I visited this week, per suggestion by Jess at Avant Garde Living, is not only a roaster but also a bakery of sorts and created a cookie that spells out the name of the shop - Boomtown.  I so wanted a bite but couldn't bear breaking up the entire cookie for one lonely letter.  Encouraged by many of y'all, I've been frequenting vegan restaurants more and more regularly and sharing this experience with others, who are really enjoying the vegan dining experience.  I've also been baking brownies and honey applesauce cake from scratch - take THAT Martha!

All this cooking and baking is why I've been doing two-a-days.  And now I'm exhausted.  If y'all want any recipes for anything I've mentioned, message me and I'll be glad to share.