Welcome to Clio's Test Kitchen!

One of the first cookbooks I bought as an adult is The Best Recipe, by America's Test Kitchen. You may know them as the folks behind Cook's Illustrated magazine or on a more personal level from the Chipole-Lime Dip that I make for parties. Their mission is to find the best version of popular dishes from both the past and present through trial-and-error and repeated testing. This ensures that their recipes are always tasty and virtually fool-proof for home cooks, even if they are not particularly adventurous.

The ATK folks really helped me master the basics and build a repertoire of solid crowd pleasers. As I became a more experienced home cook, I learned to trust my pallet and rarely stick to recipes anymore. However, I still always reach for The Best Recipe when I am contemplating a baking project or trying to figure out what to do with all the apples I just picked or when I have a dish in mind and want a reference for ingredients or amounts.

Anyway, the ATK folks recently launched a new PBS show called Cook's Country, a companion to that magazine, where they cook classic American dishes. Yesterday, I went to their website to get a recipe from the show and saw this ad:

If you're interested in joining a select group of volunteers who help test our recipes before they appear in print, please click here to find out more and register as a recipe tester for Cook's Country magazine.

If you need to even ask if I "clicked here", then you don't know me. I am a born hand-raiser. So, now I am officially registered as a volunteer recipe tester and will be sent my first recipe to test in about 1-2 weeks. After that, I will receive roughly one recipe a week and have 1-2 weeks to make it and give feedback. Since this is on a purely volunteer basis, there is no obligation; I can pick and choose and skip weeks.

I am extremely excited about this, if you can't tell. So, here is my mantra (repeat after me): I will stick to the recipe, I will stick to the recipe, I will...

Jacket: Progress Report

Sorry I haven't posted in some time. I've been simultaneously dealing with a cold and traveling for work. And, let me tell you, Chicago is not the place to be in January. And definitely not with a cold!


That said, last weekend I made really good progress on my jacket. I attached the ruffle border, which you can sort of see in this picture (above). I really need to stop crafting in black if I want better pictures for my blog.

After I took the photo, I actually went ahead and pinned the sleeves to both the jacket and the lining. So, now all that needs to be done is sewing them on and then attaching the lining and jacket together. With any luck I will finish on Saturday and be able to plow ahead with the diaper bag project.

Stash: Oh Baby!

Longtime friend and muse, KK, and her husband are expecting their first child in about two months time.

The parents-to-be at the holidays

On Saturday, I took advantage of a clearance sale at my local fabric shop to pick up material to make a shower gift for KK. She has decided not to learn the baby's gender in advance, so I don't know if I am crafting for a boy or girl. But I decided that a pretty and feminine diaper bag (or diaper bag) - rather than a cutesy one - would be up her alley, and mine too. Here is the fabric I chose for her - pretty and durable, I hope.

Sorry about the wrinkles, I washed it before photographing.
And haven't had time to iron yet.

I also could not resist this fabric, which is just too cute and funny. I love that it is gender-neutral, yet bright and fun.

Seriously, don't you just love the giraffe?

I am not sure what it will eventually become, but maybe a changing pad or something like that. We'll have to see!

Finished!!!!!!!!!!!

My pants are officially done! Yay! Over the weekend, I re-attached and finished the waistband, hemmed the legs and added a Five Muses tag.

In the end, I am pleased and proud of how well they fit and look, even though they are not without little flaws. For example, I have to work on my zipper skills. I tried an invisible zipper for these pants and it is not quite as invisible as it could be. Anyway, you will get a final photo once I have finished the matching jacket.

Jacket lining hanging over the pants.

I began work on the jacket on Saturday. I started with the lining, which is coming along just fine. The jacket does not have any kind of closure - zipper or buttons - which makes it somewhat easier. However, I have still not done any garments that call for lining. So, that will be a first.

Oh, and I've already purchase fabric for my next pants; a wool blend in a basic black pinstripe.

For some reason this looks brown, no? It is really black.

Fresh from the oven

Phineas continues his bread baking. He decided that too much water is to blame for the final texture of the bread being a bit denser than he would have liked. So, he has some playing around to do with it.

These loaves are from the same batch of dough as the mini baguettes. Over the week, the flavor definitely developed in the fridge, becoming a little sour dough-like. Mmmmmm...

Spain on the Brain

My next business trip to London is coming up in March. When I booked my airfare, it was so reasonable that Phineas has decided to join me for a few days in the UK, and then we will journey on to Spain for a week+ vacation.


I've never been to Spain, and Phineas has just passed through. So we're excited to go somewhere new to us both. Our itinerary is not fully set, but, due to our flights, we will definitely start out with a few days in Barcelona and end with a few days in Madrid, with a day trip to Toledo.

There are 3-4 days in the middle that we are trying to decide on. At this point I think we will head to Andalucía in the south of Spain to see the Alhambra (in Granada). We may also make stops in Seville or Córdoba.

Here are some miscellaneous facts about Spain:

Capital: Madrid

Population: nearly 45 million.

Government: Spain is a monarchy; the present king is Juan Carlos I, who inherited the position from General Franco, the dictator who ruled Spain from 1939 until 1975.

Where is Spain?: Spain can be found on the Iberian peninsula in Europe, a piece of land it shares with Portugal and Gibraltar. It also has a border to the north-east with France and Andorra.

Famous Buildings & Monuments: Spain is the home to La Sagrada Familia, the Alhambra, and the Prado and Reina Sofia museums in Madrid.

Famous Spaniards: Spain is the birthplace of artists Salvador, Dali Francisco Goya, Diego Velazquez, and Pablo Picasso, opera singers Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, architect Antoni Gaudi, Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso, pop singers Julio Iglesias and Enrique Iglesias, actors Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, flamenco-pop act The Gypsy Kings, film director Pedro Almodovar, rally driver Carlos Sainz, poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, author Miguel de Cervantes, historical leader El Cid, golfers Sergio Garcia and Seve Ballesteros, cyclist Miguel Indurain and tennis players Rafa Nadal, Carlos Moya, David Ferrer, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.

What else is Spain famous for? Spain invented paella and sangria. Christopher Columbus, though probably not Spanish (no-one's quite sure), was funded by the Spanish monarchy.

Has anyone been to Spain? Let me know if you have recommendations!

Bigger than a Bread Box?

Mini Baguettes a la Phineas

For Christmas, Phineas received the cookbook Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day as well as a baguette pan and some other baking paraphernalia. He is a bread lover and had wanted the book for some time.

So, I was thrilled last night when I arrived home to a very yeasty aroma in the kitchen. Bread dough rising. Then, midway thru the morning today, he sent me this photo of his mini baguettes. They are about 1/3 whole wheat flour and the rest white flour.

Phineas has already eaten one for lunch. I am getting hungry just looking at it...


Anyway, he reports that the crust and flavor was good, but that he needs to tinker with the cooking time. Since this is only about 1/4 of the dough, I am sure that there will be more loaves - and posts - to come.