Sorry:  been baking up a storm! This is the standard “I haven’t forgotten about this blog… just too busy with my LIFE to update it as frequently as my other one .” The good news, however, is that with the nice mild weather, and lack of Jewish holidays, the coming week seems like a good one to jump back into the sourdough fray!!! Meanwhile, scenes from Shavuos cooking/baking: Layers for my grandmother’s Neapolitan Cake (see completed photo below): Gulab Jamun – fried and soaking in sugar syrup:     Samosas – not really a cake OR bread, but they are pastry-based, and baked, not fried like traditionally: Roasted beets and carrots – not a cake, bread, dessert OR pastry-based in any way.  But super-yummy nonetheless.     Neapolitan cake, fully assembled and topped with sliced almonds: And here’s the whole spread… Mmm…. everything was SO delicious!   Here’s the full menu , in case you’re interested!

          Double the challah, double the cake! In case you were thinking I was not a total tzadekes, a friend who’s expecting baby #2 had a cold this week and I offered to send in Shabbos food. A cold is not a major ailment, as these things go… I wouldn’t want her to be terribly sick!  But I do remember feeling less than pampered, particularly during pregnancy #2, particularly after how much fuss everybody makes over you during your first pregnancy. As far as I’m concerned, every mama deserves to be pampered during every pregnancy, whether it’s her first or her tenth.  However, somebody has to look after the other nine kids, so that doesn’t usually happen. Still; this is the kind of thing I wished people would have done for me, rather than waiting ‘till the baby comes and I’m in real pain before sending in the food.  If you’re in too much discomfort, you don’t really appreciate the food, right? This was the regular Breadsmith challah that I’ve been baking th

This was the post I was GOING to post to 6WS, but I couldn’t resist doing a “braids” theme when I noticed the connection. Scrumptious buns I forgot to blog!   (from the Crusty Potato Bread Recipe here )

  Speaking of braids … mine are improving! Yes, we WERE speaking of braids!  Both my 6WS posts today are BRAID-related.  Click here to see beautiful little-boy braids at my regular blog . (the braids pictured here are Maggie Glezer’s six-strand braid technique which I have been trying to master for several weeks… and I’m actually getting there!  Previous attempts #1 here and #2 here .)