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 :-).