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