If you visit the Zottola home at any hour, there’s probably something in the oven, on the stove, fermenting on top of our refrigerator, or cooling on the counter. Here’s the latest!
I’ve been baking up a storm (a flour storm?!) and enjoying every moment of it. Since creating my sourdough starter, I’ve been baking a loaf almost every day. Ob-sessed. I’ve done a few loaves of rye and pumpernickel, too. Love those strong flavors.
I became the proud owner of this cookbook devoted to cookies and dove right in. Molasses cookies were first on the docket and they were divine!
There’s nothing like a good ol’ cookie to end the day… every day 🙂
I had an order for a birthday cake and cupcakes and it went well (you can see the cupcakes in this post)! The cake turned out well and the customer was happy. Whoop whoop!
When I was making the birthday cake, Jimmy and I were getting ready to go to my in-laws for dinner and whipped up this cake (below) with the extra buttercream.
It was fun to “play” with a cake and not have any certain design or decoration I had to do. I didn’t end up going to my in-laws because I started to come down with mastitis (ughhh), but Jimmy said the cake was great!
Other adventures in the Zottola kitchen have included making vanilla extract (which I mentioned in this post and is finally ready!), mozzarella cheese, and brewing kombucha.
My brother-in-law knows how much I like to play in the kitchen, so he got me a cheese making kit and a kombucha brewing kit for Christmas, which have been a lot of fun. The kombucha has been fermenting for like eight days now, so I think it’s just about ready? Nevermind the fact I’ve never actually had kombucha before, haha.
My first ball of mozzarella cheese! We ended up grating it and putting it on sourdough pizza crusts and sandwiches 🙂
Living My Full Life 
I’ve been boring in the kitchen but I think that’s because of traveling with the holidays. I want to get back into baking bread though since I loved doing that last year.
Traveling always throws me for a loop, too! I hope you get to bake some bread soon 🙂
It is so cool how much you make from scratch, like vanilla extract and mozzarella! And the cakes look amazing.
Aww, thanks Jamie! I love making stuff from scratch and just goofing around in the kitchen!
I’m not personally a huge fan of kombucha, but it’s supposed to be very healthy. And my sister is OBSESSED! I didn’t realize that you could get starter kits for that… I probably should remember this for her birthday in the fall, because she’d have a blast making her own!! How fun!
I love how creative you are in the kitchen, and it’s really inspiring. I’ve had the bug to start baking and cooking a whole lot more, so I’m eager to get on board. Ha, ha. 🙂
Also those cakes are WAY too cute! Confession, I cannot stack a layered cake to save my life. Every time I try, I fail miserably. Ha, ha. I need to research how to properly stack and frost them, because I’d love to do the occasional cake (even though cupcakes are my first love). Any tips for me?!?
Happy New Year, my friend!! Long-distance hugs to you and your beautiful family. 🙂
Thank you for sharing Allie!
Love you Dad!
Bill
🙂
Tell me about making your own mozzarella cheese! I want to try that. That sounds like so much fun! Also, I’m so sorry to hear that you had mastitis! That’s awful! I hope you are feeling much better now.
Ah, it’s so much fun and way easier than I thought it would be!! You take a gallon of milk and add rennet and calcium chloride and then mix it all together and get it to 104 degrees and then stir a bit and soon enough you have your very own ball of mozzarella cheese! The kit my brother-in-law got me in this one: https://www.amazon.com/Standing-Stone-Farms-Beginner-Cheese/dp/B00E9NHWBY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=2Y250OTLR67MJ&keywords=standing+stone+farms+basic+beginner+cheese+making+kit&qid=1578759117&sprefix=standing+stone+farm,aps,141&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=alliezottola-20&linkId=aa7c33faa3e2c10875b71e5c0eb47162&language=en_US
I’m feeling totally better now since the mastitis incident!! 🙂
Oh yum, Allie, rye bread is my absolute favorite! Both of the cakes you made are just gorgeous– sorry you weren’t able to enjoy the one with your inlaws. Hope you’re feeling better now?! & oh my gosh, how cool you made your own mozzarella. It looks perfect!