Thank you, Real Simple magazine

For this DELICIOUS recipe for pot roast made in the slow cooker.

This recipe featured a tomato based (as opposed to a broth based) gravy and practically melted in my mouth as I ate it.

This will be my go-to slow cooker pot roast recipe from now on.

Just looking at this makes me want to lick my computer screen.

Time for makin' whoopie!

Pies that is! I had always wanted to try to make these and I happened to find a recipe for mini whoopie pies in a magazine.

These were labor intensive to make as the batter was stiff and wanted to stick to the parchment paper when I flattened them a bit per recipe instructions. However, all my worries were laid to rest after I made the icing, put these little cuties together and took my first bite. DELICIOUS and worth every minute.

Three mini whoopie pies on a dessert plate

Close up shot. Look at that yummy icing!

Mini whoopie pies on a cooling rack

Like Project Runway for bakers

....because I had to, as Tim Gunn would say, make it work.

This recipe for cinnamon roll cookies did not come together easily. I had a terrible time rolling out the vanilla cookie dough and then when it was time to roll it up, it crumpled.

I had already expended a lot of time on this recipe as it had to chill for awhile and there was NO way I was throwing it into the trash.  I floured my hands a little bit, shaped it into a log, sliced it into little cookies with a sharp knife and stuck it in the oven.

The final result? A delicious, buttery, sweet and savory cookie. I am going to try this recipe again sometime. Hopefully, next time I will get it 100% right. In the meantime, I am really enjoying these.

Cinnamon roll cookies fresh out of the oven on parchment paper

...with a spiced icing, on a little dessert plate

This would be a hell of an ice cream flavor

This recipe for double chocolate chunk mint cookies was amazing. It was the perfect mixture of sweet from the chocolate and the mint extract offered a refreshing bite.

My friend Caralyn who is not that into sweets pronounced this creation, "Orgasmic," To which I say.....enough said!

Heading into the oven

Cooling on a rack.....

Several dozen (you cannot see them all) cooling on a rack.

Out of all the peanut butter and chocolate cookies I've done

This recipe for peanut butter cup cookies was my favorite. This creation called for making peanut butter cookies. Then, when they came out of the oven, I pressed a mini peanut butter cup into the middle.

These were a wonderful mixture of sweet and salty and went great with a tall glass of (soy) milk.

This batch made about 55 cookies so there were plenty to go around. Everyone loved these.

Peanut butter cookies on a cooling rack. I am drooling just looking at these!

It's a good thing this recipe came out well!

.........Because it was such a pain in the neck to get the meat for this.  Chuck roast was supposed to be on sale that week but when I went to the Safeway the first time to get it, there was none. They told me to come back in 1-2 days when they got shipment and there should be some. So I went back, STILL no chuck roast. What kind of mess was this? I expect this kind of thing in a Third World country, not in the USA! I've been a Safeway customer since 1996 and that was the first time anything like that had ever happened to me.

As I was  already there and had a whole list of things I needed and did not feel like wasting gas and time to go to a store across town, I sucked it up and bought the pre-cut stew meat (thank heavens it was on sale). That evening, I set to work making country dijon beef stew. This was a bit labor intensive as it is done on the stove not in the slow cooker. As it simmered to perfection, it filled my home with a savory earthy aroma.

I served it over wide egg noodles so I could enjoy all the delicious sauce. This recipe is perfect for cold winter nights and definitely a keeper :-).

Delicious, savory earthy perfection served over wide egg noodles

My mom told me I was ready for Cupcake Wars!

....When I made this beautiful creation: marble cupcakes with marble icing. These were a bit tricky to create and ice to get the marbled effect, but I was able to do it.

Not only were these delicious, they looked beautiful AND received great feedback from everyone who tried them.

10 marble cupcakes heading into the oven.....

Half dozen marble cupcakes without icing on a cooling rack

Half dozen marble cupcakes with marble icing....

Marble cupcake on plate....

Side view of marble cupcake....

Marble cupcake cut in half to show beautiful marble detail. Then it went my mouth. It was yummy :-).

A hit at any potluck

I had always wanted to bake peanut butter cookies and this was my contribution to my department's Thanksgiving potluck.

This recipe comes together easily, just be sure to plan carefully as the dough needs to chill for at least three hours.


I am glad I put a few of these aside for myself because by the time I got to the potluck, most of the spread was gone because the kids had gotten to it first!

Peanut butter cookies heading into the oven....

All done....cooling

A sad reason to try a new recipe

About two weeks ago, I was getting ready to leave for Zumba when my phone rang. It was my friend and workout buddy, calling me in tears. I was able to calm her down enough for her to tell me her nephew had died suddenly and unexpectedly as a result of pneumonia. I was floored and told her if her family needed anything at all, to call me.

She called me again on Wednesday and asked me if my offer still stood and of course I said yes. She asked me if I could prepare something for the bereaved family, they had no food in the house.

I prepared a baked macaroni and cheese and a batch of cocoa cookies. These cookies were delicious, an understated chocolate flavor complemented by toasted walnuts.

Even thought the reason for trying a new recipe was a sad one, I enjoyed creating all this.  My friend couldn't thank me enough and she told me her family loved my my food.

Cocoa cookies heading into the oven

One dozen cocoa cookies

This can't happen

A few months ago, one of my friends told me she bought some cupcakes at a local bakery and the icing was awful. She said it was pure cream cheese and there was too much of it, that it overpowered the cupcake.

I told her this can't happen and that I was going to make her some cupcakes with a new recipe I had for banana cupcakes with chocolate icing.

I added 1/2 chocolate chips to this recipe (I had a bag I wanted to use up)  and crowned it with a delicious chocolate buttercream icing and proudly gave my friend a dozen when I saw her during a morning Zumba class.

She followed up quickly and told me they were the best cupcakes EVER, that her daughter loved them and that my icing was the perfect complement to the cupcake.

These cupcakes were moist, delicious, great way to use up ripe bananas and a leftover chocolate chips and best of all, received GREAT feedback from all who tried them.

Banana chocolate chip cupcake on plate

Banana chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate buttercream icing

(F00d P0rn's note: For some reason even though I have it at the correct angle on my hard drive, this photo keeps coming out the wrong way when I upload it and I have no idea how to change it in blogspot)

Much more economical than a plane ticket to Bali

Bored with plain ol' pot roast? Want to get a little exotic with your Crock Pot creations? Then bring out the recipe for Indonesian beef curry. This creation is slow cooked to perfection in a delicious sauce of coconut milk seasoned with curry powder, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and slightest pinch of cayenne pepper for a little bite.

Be sure to have plenty of Thai jasmine rice  (you can get a huge bag at Trader Joes or in the Asian section of your grocer) to serve with this as you will want it to catch every drop of the delicious sauce.

Indonesian beef curry served over Thai jasmine rice.

Stew with mini meatballs and white beans

This dish was adapted from a recipe I found for sausage and white bean stew. As I didn't have any turkey sausage on hand, I decided to adapt it and make mini meatballs. This took awhile as I hand rolled the meatballs then baked them, then allowed them to simmer to deliciousness in the stew but was well worth the result. This produces an delicious aroma as it simmers and as an added bonus it freezes and re-heats very well.

Now, if I could just find the card this recipe came on so I can re-visit it and see what else I can do with it.

Stew with mini meatballs and white beans

Bringing the party to my friend

Hello, loyal followers! I am sorry I haven't blogged in awhile, things have been crazy. I was looking at the photos on my camera the other day and realized how behind I had gotten, so here goes.

The following is from the evening of October 1st. You may remember a post I did back in July about the friend who was 45 minutes late for my dinner party and didn't even call. Well, this same friend's birthday came around and I told her I would make her a birthday dinner. I called the party for 5:00, my place but figured I would have the food ready at 6.

However, imagine my dismay when it was cold and rainy that day and I KNEW my friend would probably be an hour and 15 minutes late. The irony of this is she lives about six miles away from me and I can get to her in about 10-15 minutes but it can literally take her an hour to get to me (yes I've timed this before). So, rather than wind up frustrated, I called my friend and offered to bring her birthday party to her. She loved this idea and I obliged.

Dinner was my house specialty, baked pasta served with salad and garlic bread, topped by the piece de resistance, a yellow layer cake with chocolate sour cream icing. Everything was yummy, my friend loved it and I didn't become riled up because everyone who knows me can tell you I am a stickler for punctuality.

Here is a picture of the cake. I am sorry I forgot to get a photo of a slice!

Yellow layer cake with chocolate sour cream icing

Staying home when you're feeling under the weather can be FUN if you create f00d p0rn

I was stung by a bee at about 2:30 EST on Tuesday. For those of you who don't know me, I am severally allergic. My dominant left hand looked like a red football and it hurt like no one's business. I was able to last for about 30 hours without taking any medication, but eventually I folded and took half a Benadryl. I've been doing this since Wednesday and while it's giving me relief, it also makes me incredibly groggy. I'm recovering slowly but surely, my hand looks a lot better today.

This morning, I worked out and came right home. As I am still not feeling 100%, I decided to lie low today and try out a new take on a brownie recipe I have used several times with great results.

Instead of making this moist fudgy creation in a 9-inch pan, I baked it in muffin tins and swirled on a delicious chocolate buttercream icing. I couldn't resist trying one and it's delicious!

Fresh out of the oven......

Iced with chocolate buttercream, setting on a baking rack

Nom, nom, nom......

Giving corn muffins that delicious, crunchy crust

Corn muffins are so versatile and complement chili, stews, roasts and soups. The thing that makes them truly delicious is getting that delicious, crunchy crust and there is a very simple way to do this.

As the oven pre-heats, use a pastry brush to spread vegetable oil in each muffin cup. Then, once the oven is ready, put the pan in and allow to heat for five minutes. Carefully remove from the oven, distribute batter in pan and bake as instructed. You'll love the results!

You can also get this result by baking in a well seasoned cast iron skillet.

Mini corn muffins cooling....look at that beautiful brown crust....

On a tray waiting to be enjoyed

There's just something about food created in a CrockPot

I receive a lot of questions about my creations and I would say the one I get asked the most is, "What is the BEST thing to have in my kitchen?" My answer is always, "A CrockPot! In fact, get two! A round one and an oval one."

CrockPots are amazing for several reasons. Firstly, you can set it, forget it and come home to a delicious meal that fills your home with an amazing aroma. Secondly, there is very little prep and mess. Finally, it allows even the most inexperienced cook to create a delicious meal. I'm a very experienced cook and I am known to use mine when entertaining; that's how much I love it.

Even though we aren't having fall weather just yet, I couldn't resist trying out a new recipe for white chicken chili. This is the perfect chili for those of you who are wary of spicy foods as this is savory, flavorful and delicious without being spicy.

I served this over rice with a homemade corn muffin on the side, garnished with a little low fat sour cream and cheddar cheese. All I can say is YUM! I cannot wait for cooler weather to come so I can officially make the first chili of the season.

A feast for a Zumba babe. White chicken chili served with a homemade corn muffin.....

A new take on a classic combination

Everyone loves chocolate and peanut butter. Armed with a recipe for chocolate cookies stuffed with peanut butter, I decided to try a new take on the recipe and create mini chocolate peanut butter brownie cups. These were created in mini muffins tins and very labor intensive, as each little cup has to be shaped just so, then filled. These looked beautiful before they went into the oven, but the real proof would come after they came out of of oven and I passed them onto my loyal taste testers. Everyone loved these and I cannot wait to bring this out again. You'll never want a Reeses again after you eat these yummy bite-sized treats.

All ready for the oven.....

Cooling on baking rack.....

Who cares if it wasn't my prettiest creation?

I love pizza and wanted to make it at home. Armed with my new pizza pan and an easy recipe for crust, I set to work. At first I was skeptical and convinced I was going to have to do an emergency run to Trader Joe's for ready-made pizza crust. However, I was so excited when I took the crust out of the oven and discovered that even though it was funky looking, the recipe worked.

I topped this honey-whole wheat crust with a little pizza sauce, , fresh tomatoes, wilted spinach, a little mozerella cheese and sweet Italian turkey sausage.

I enjoyed it and gave a slice to one of my friends. She loved it.

I cannot wait to try this again. Who needs the local pizza place when you can make it yourself?

Yes, I realize this is strange looking...

Heading into the oven......

All done....!

Slices on my new pizza pan....

Slice on a plate.....

An earthquake hit Maryland while I was creating these

I do not like to waste anything and was combing the Internet looking for recipes for using about a cup of coconut milk. After a lot of searching, I found a recipe for brownies made with coconut milk AND coconut milk icing.

I has just taken these out of the oven on a Tuesday afternoon when I heard banging and felt my home start to shake. As I have lived in Japan and Turkey and have been through about 15 earthquakes in my lifetime, I simply said, Oh, earthquake, set the brownies on a cooling rack and began tapping them to test for doneness.

I do not buy coconut milk often, but now I am considering keeping it around so I can always create these delicious brownies. They were delicious very moist with a taste like a Mounds bar but in brownie form.

Coconut brownies in a 9-inch pan

On a plate....

My contribution to the Hurricane Irene Facebook Cooking Throwdown

Two weeks ago, the weather channel scared the daylights out of us and made it sounds like Hurricane Irene was going to be a crisis. We Marylanders were stuck at home for what basically amounted to heavy rains and high winds. However, it became a fun event I have since dubbed the Hurricane Irene Facebook Kitchen Throwdown. A lot of us took advantage of being stuck at home to create. One of my friends made a pineapple upside cake. Another did chicken marsala. Cookies, brownies and cupcakes oh my.

Via Facebook, we kept a running commentary and posted pictures of our creations. I decided to go labor intensive and retro and created Black and White cookies, a delicious treat usually found in New York style delis.

These are buttery, cakey and go GREAT with milk. The dough is hard to handle as is the frosting and they need to set for at least an hour before you  enjoy them but one bite makes it worth every minute.

The best part of this was the day after when I wrapped these treats up and went around handing them out. Thank you to everyone who tasted and loved this creation. Your feedback means a lot to me.

Four black and white cookies (they're HUGE)

Half dozen black and whites setting at room temperature

My friend got her own batch of these yummy treats

A few weeks ago, I went to a friend's house for lunch, took over their kitchen and made a delicious meal. A few days before, I came across a recipe for raspberry blondies and I knew I had to try it for our lunch date. This is delicious,  with a wonderful contrast between the sweet crust and the tart berries.

My friends loved it.  However, one of my other friends was bummed she didn't get any. However, she was in for a surprise because this recipe is so easy that I was able to come home from from my lunch date, fire up the oven, make a new batch and show up at my friends that evening with her very own tray of treats. The look on her face: priceless!

When I try this recipe again, I would like to experiment and try it with different fruits and maybe add some chocolate chips to the crust. Anyway you create it, these are YUMMY!

Raspberry blondies fresh out of the oven, cooling on foil

My reaction to my favorite Indian place closing

I have been patronizing the Bethesda, MD location of  Delhi Dhaba since I was a senior in college. Imagine my devastation when I walked by sometime over the summer and discovered they had gone out of business. Even though I saw that one coming, I still miss it. After licking my wounds for a bit, I decided to teach myself how to make Indian food at home. It's amazing what you can do with tumeric, curry, cardamon, Patak's curry paste and a big bag of basmati rice from Trader Joe's.

It's not quite the same as my favorite restaurant and nothing ever will be, but it's pretty damn close and I get the satisfaction of knowing I created these dishes myself.

Chicken biryani

Chicken curry with spinach

Chicken tikka masala

I learned how to make caramel icing

As a result of working with my stash of zucchini! Who knew there could be a connection?

I found a recipe for zucchini cupcakes with caramel icing and made these on Tuesday afternoon. I wasn't feeling the cupcake part but the caramel icing was delicious. That recipe is definitely a keeper. I think it will be amazing on yellow, pumpkin or applesauce cupcakes.

I handed these out to several taste testers and as proof that food is such a personal and subjective matter, one of my friends LOVED everything about this creation; cupcake and all.

I still have four zucchini left and the wheels in my head are turning as to what to create next.

F00d P0rnographer's note (9-11-2011):  these cupcakes were a commentary to how subjective food can be. I've never experienced this before but this creation received really mixed reviews. I loved the icing, but was kind of meh on the cupcake. One of my friend's loved the cake but felt the icing was too sweet. Yet another friend disliked it. Period. Yet another loved everything about it.

On another note, here is a great use for zucchini: put it in pasta sauce. One Sunday afternoon, I was working a batch of pasta sauce and was dicing zucchini when a brilliant idea struck me: why not puree it? Using a grater, I pureed the remainder of the zucchini I was dicing and added it to my sauce. This received RAVE reviews when I served it to friends later in the day.

One dozen zucchini cupcakes with caramel icing

....cut in half on dessert plate

Fun with zucchini

One of my co-workers gave me several pounds of zucchini and yellow squash fresh from her garden. Of course, I had to think of creative ways to use it.

On Sunday morning, I had some time in the morning before Zumba so I decided to bake zucchini muffins. These filled my home with the aroma of nutmeg and cinnamon as they baked and were done just on time for me to enjoy one as a pre-Zumba snack.

As the recipe made eighteen, I handed a lot out to friends and co workers and so far the feedback has been very positive.

Today, I decided to take advantage of the break in the relentless heatwave we've been having in MD and spend a rainy afternoon creating zucchini brownies.

These are moist have a more cakey than brownie texture and are delicious. I brought some to my friend about an hour ago and plan to bring some to my co workers tomorrow. I cannot wait to receive their feeback about my new, different creation.

I have six more of these beautiful zucchinis and am trying to figure out what to create next. Until then, stay cool and keep creating.

Zucchini muffin.....

Iced zucchini brownies.....