Snacksville

Oh, the options were endless, which fantastic muffin recipe shall I try?  Leaning towards chocolate chip automatically, but shall I add the extra three-quarter cup of cocoa, subtract the same amount of flour, and make them mocha? Eyeing 3 medium ripening bananas, I wonder, do I go healthy and go banana bran?

For the most basic of muffin recipes, just whisk together 3 cups of flour, 1 T baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Cream 10 T softened butter with 1 cup (minus 1 T) sugar on med-high until light and fluffy (2 min).  Add one egg, beat well, add a second egg, beat well.

Alternately beat in dry ingredients and 1-1/2 cups plain yogurt, until incorporated.  Pour this into a buttered 12-cup muffin tin, pop into a preheated 375 degree oven and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Serve warmed and slathered in butter.

Sunday Summertime mornings

Not pancakes again, not on a free-to do-as we please Sunday morning.  Yes, school's out officially, we can finally relax...kids back in my nest are the good times I live for.  All the more baking I'll do to justify my existence, to soothe knots in my soul, and provide nourishment to my loved ones.

I'm on a bar hunt lately, having received killer feedback on Mel's Killer Crunch brownies, layers of   chocolate/peanut butter rice crispies, upon marshmallow fluff, atop brownie.  Oh so insanely delicious, you have to refrigerate them and try them.  And so frosted brownies make me reminisce about the seventies and school days, her Congo Bars, blessing the marriage between a walnut blondie and chocolate brownie.  Which shall I definitely both choose?

Luxury

When I go to Target and return with life's essentials, ten pounds each of unbleached flour and sugar, I'm sure I've gone insane.  Straight off the deep end with 3 cans of tomato paste, evaporated milk, a can of cherry pie filling..., in love with that "just in case" filled-pantry feeling.

Too many bags of semisweet chocolate chips, okay three, Hershey's milk chocolate Nuggets, and some bittersweet Ghirardelli, who's gonna commit me?  A week's worth of sloppy joe leftovers, creamy skillet Mac and cheese, plus a 9 x 13 of blueberry dessert to please me.

I spent over 8 dollars on almost 3 pounds of grapes today, gulp, for the love of my family.

Refrigerate, make ahead...

Thursday's here, announcing just seven days left of the school year.  Only laundry calls today, a couple of mountains awaiting drawers, a shower that's yet to be taken.  Having the whole entire day ahead leaves me many options: do I attend another lunchtime with my kindergartener, shall toddler storytime become our new weekly enrichment, or do I just cut up a watermelon and then make Killer Crunch Brownies to spoil my kids and those at the office.  You know how I enjoy all things kitchen.

A layer of peanut butter/chocolate rice crispies, then marshmallow fluff, all atop a perfectly spectacular fudge brownie.  Don't want to even ponder the enchilada casserole I'll whip up once I get a hold of my poblano pepper, sometime after school pickups.  All this sunshine heading towards a rainy weekend, cabin-bound.

Walnut pie crust

Having bought a two pound bag of Sam's Club's walnut halves and duly roasted a few cups for consumption, I knew I had to figure their way into a pie crust. So luckily allrecipes.com provided the following: 1-1/2 cup ground walnuts (pre-toasted at 350 for 10 minutes), and 2 tablespoons sugar, with 3 tablespoons butter softened or melted. Bake at 325 for a recommended ten minutes, or with me, for a solid twenty-five. So it's cheesecake in lieu of some chocolate silk pie. Blend two eggs, one half cup of sugar, 1 pkg softened cream cheese (neufchatel's perfect), and a half teaspoon vanilla. Blend and pour on cooled pie crust. Cook for another thirty-five. Cool.

Cover in cherry pie filling and chill.

Appetize

Entire fridge is filled with grilled-for-success chicken, steak bites, and brown gravy whipped up for mashed potatoes. The star in my opinion being homemade french bread rolls which are amazing toasted into chicken and mayo sandwiches, or simply spread with jam and butter. Gonna make these again, and again, and again...only requires 10 whole minutes of kneading. But double the batch and stick some in your freezer, and then remake only monthly. Think Italian meatball subs, or if you can bear to hollow them out (fresh breadcrumbs for the freezer) make bread bowls and that Broccoli Cheese soup they're requesting. Oh but leftover chicken brings straight to mind a favorite, Balsamic Chicken Noodle bowl, made with basil, feta, mozz, and yum, linguini!

That guac

Mince 2 Tablespoons onion and one medium garlic clove..., 1 small jalepeno (seeded) and 1/4 cup cilantro. Combine with 3 mashed medium avocados, adding 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp cumin, plus 2 Tablespoons lime juice. Always welcome to add warmed black beans, a staple frequently requested a la Q'doba.