Apple Muffins

I cannot begin to tell how how much Justin and I loved these apple muffins. I first saw the recipe over at smitten and really wanted to try it.

We always have King Arthur organic whole wheat flour, but rarely use it. I am really trying to get more fiber-rich whole grains into baking, but a lot of recipes just are not the same. Although muffins like these, some cookies and breads are perfect with it. I also used plain yogurt instead of buttermilk and they were so moist and fluffy.

Bargain

This lovely cake stand was only $5.00 at K-Mart. Can you believe it?

The best part is, it's a Martha Stewart!

Lemon Bars

Lately, I'm loving lemon anything. I came across this recipe on a search for lemon cake mix and cream cheese. The recipe called for 3/12 cups of sugar, but I only used 3 and added a teaspoon of vanilla for the topping. These have a chewy bottom crust with a sweet cream cheese layer on top.



Very very simple and really yummy!

Rosemount Grenache Shiraz

In my pursuit for a shiraz that Desiree would actually drink I picked up a bottle of Rosemount's Grenache Shiraz. Usually the oak flavors in a shiraz turn her off right away.

We were both taken back by this blend. The grenache grape subdues the typical oak-flavor of the shiraz and enables the fruits to take most of the stage. It seems like all the bite, which is not much, is in the front leaving the end smooth as all get out and very enjoyable. It's a perfect starter wine or starter shiraz for that matter - very mild, nice fruit-flavors, very smooth and very tasty.

According to their marketing it goes great with pasta (of course) barbecue and middle-eastern dishes. If you're hesitant about shiraz or wine in general I would serve it chilled; however, a enjoying all wine just below room temperature.

Leftover buttermilk

Usually when a recipe calls for buttermilk I end up with the rest of the container sitting in the refrigerator just to spoil. So today while cleaning out the fridge I discovered the little bit that I had leftover and thought it'd be a perfect excuse to bake something.

I've never made a simple lemon pound cake before and because the photo (from Everyday Food aka Martha Stewart) looks so much like Starbuck's Lemon Loaf, I had to try the recipe. It turned out pretty close, although I did make some slight changes because Justin and I do not like a real strong lemon flavor. If you love a stronger lemon taste then I would suggest follow the original recipe.

For the cake:
I added a teaspoon of vanilla and used 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
For the glaze:
I used 2 tablespoons lemon juice and added a dash of vanilla and some water to reach the desired consistency.

Spicy Orange Chicken Stir-Fry

Tonight I was in the mood to make stir-fry and had a quick recipe on hand in my March issue of Everyday Food magazine. It's a "for the freezer" recipe but I halved the recipe and we ate it instead!

It was served over Perfect White Rice which has been my go-to recipe because before my rice would always turns out mushy. But I haven't used it with brown rice and plan to try that next; not sure if it will be the same or not.

Unfortunately the recipe isn't available online so I'll be sure and update when it comes out.

Best chocolate chip cookies ever

Yes, ever. I said it. I've tried several recipes for the "ultimate" chocolate chip cookies and all but two have failed me. Behold ...



Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are the most requested baked-good I have. But I do add 1 teaspoon of salt (gotta bring out those flavors) and always leave out the walnuts because we're just not into them being in our cookies.

The runner-up for me was definitely Alton Brown's The Chewy over at the Food Network. Alton is a bit more on the technical side but he always gets it right.

Try them both and tell me what you like best!

My very first blog post

Hey, everyone! Over the past couple of years I've really started to enjoy cooking and baking. So now I've decided to blog it and share my experience with those who will kindly lend an eye.

Other than food I'll be posting about everyday treats, deals and my latest cup of coffee. Enjoy!