For the l o v e of baking!

Chocolate. Nuts. Cookies. All together makes yummy pecan turtle bars!

Rummaging through my cookie countdown emails, I came across this recipe. Simple and basic. My kind of recipe! With many things to do and bake, I could use an easy dessert to bring for Christmas dinner. And basic it is, but that doesn’t take away from it. I put a few elves to work on making the crust and caramel. The crust is such a fine powder it is very easy to press it into the pan. The pecan halves should have been chopped up - it will make the cutting easier later.  While pouring the molten caramel onto the bar, I quickly realized I needed to double that. My elf whipped up another batch and all was okay! Once baked, I poured on an entire bag of chocolate chips (also doubled that amount). It didn’t take long for it to melt. Next time I want to swirl in some white chocolate chips!

By this time, it was late, and I let the bar cool over night. I am not sure if that was a great idea because the bar were not easy to cut in the morning. Althouth, the entire slab of chocolately goodness slid right out of the pan! It was so nice haha

Armed with a butcher knife, I sawed and whacked to get the bars cut out. Yes, it was messy as it sounds. Chocolate slivers, bars flying off the cutting board, and pecans running away. Sadly, the layers didn’t stay glued together with the caramel. I tried pressing them with the side of the knife, but the pressure only lasted so long holding the layers. Even as we ate them, the bar would separate at the chocolate layer and crust. I suppose I should read the recipe reviews, because despite that minor nuisance, the bars were very yummy! My son said they were the best ones there at the dessert table and that was enough motivation for me to try this recipe once more  … at least! :)

I will attempt to bake them again, and I will do more research to perfect it.

Knock Knock
Who’s there!
Pecan!
Pecan who?
Pecan somebody your own size!

PoP! PoP!

I love to add new side dishes to traditional meals. If it doesn’t come out right, we still have the food we love! This year, I left it up to my son to choose a dish to bring for our Thanksgiving dinner. Jalepeno poppers! The two of us followed the recipe and the end result was actually good! I, however, forgot the warning of wearing gloves while seeding the peppers. I ended up with swollen lips!! I still don’t know what I did … but this appetizer was a hit at the dinner table!

Comfort food.
Nothing like a favorite family meal to bring back fond memories with every bite. I was craving some tomatoes and veggies and what better than stuffed peppers! It had been years since I made this simple recipe, and after browsing online, talking with a friend and my mom, I combined it all, and this is what I came up with. I wanted flavorful and hearty peppers and blanched them. I had lil idea of what I was doing to them, but oh my did they taste good with a yummy consistency!
As I cooked, I had the rice going, sautéing the onions, making the meat mixture, making the sauce, and blanching the peppers. Felt like I was on tv counting down for me to finish my dish in time! The stuffed peppers and sauce were the best I’ve ever made them :)

Thanks mom for the help remembering our family’s version of this classic meal.

Friends. They can be an extension of a family. A resource to call on when the times are tough. A smile to count on when needed most. I have a dear friend I’ve grown close to the past year. Unexpectedly. Beautifully. We had a few bumps but it led to a bond and realization of how much we value our friendship and one another. Tomorrow is a special day for us, and it calls for some special lemon bars!

My mom wanted dessert, but what could top our homemade triple berry sorbet … Mega Chocolate chip cookie ftw!

Working on my cheesecake! Days of planning and Mom’s guidance now baking in the oven, and I’m staring thru a oven glass window in awe!

“Monica, what should we make for dinner?”

I was prepared for this answer. I pulled out my phone and showed my mom the link to a delicious recipe I found and had it all ready to go with dessert in mind.  After a shopping spree at weenco, we headed to the kitchen!

“Dredge? What’s dredge,” I asked my mom thinking I read a typo. New word for my culinary vocabulary along with reducing and zest. I let her do the dredging and I moved onto the sauce. I squeezed some lemon juice and popped open the jar of capers - woooo are they smelly!

Mom hammered down the chicken and I worked lighting fast to make the side dishes and reduce the lemon caper sauce. What a team! :) The chicken got plated and garnished with fresh parsley, and we had a feast! Luscious lemon bars followed!

You should try the chicken piccata recipe!

Piccata me crazy!

I enjoy traditional recipes handed down to other bakers. The kind that doesn’t have you search all around town for ingredients. The kind I don’t have to research how to find. Or the kind that skimp on richness and flavor. I’ve always wanted to try making lemons bar. I assumed they had to be easy since I see baking kits at the stores. Well, I wanted to try it from scratch, of course. Much more fun! I was lucky enough to get a family recipe from a friend at work. I was very eager to try it!

Very, very basic ingredients I needed and picked up while on a family grocery run for snacks. With the kitchen all to myself, I attempted the new recipe. All was going well, and then came the lemon zest … The very sound of it intimidates me. I never used it before or even seen what it looks like. I made some pulpy lemon stuff from the rind and figured that was some zest, which ended up tasting good! Before I knew it, the lemon bars were done and now I had to wait an eternity for them to cool … I kept going back to check them and making sure it was cooling fast enough. I couldn’t wait! The end result was delicioso!

There are many sayings on what to do when life gives you lemons: throw them back, squeeze them in someone’s eyes, or just make lemonade. I choose to take those lemons and make every kind of use out of it: squeeze out all the lemon juice, eat the pulp, and make some lemon zest from the rind!

The Many Faces of a Sugar Cookie

Mom! Do we have cookies?

Typical question I ask besides what’s for dinner … lol This time there was only one cookie left. It was after dinner and we needed something for dessert. I quickly made some sugar cookies and asked for requests from my family. Chocolate dipped cookies! Crushed almonds! Crushed candy! Black & white! Don’t forget the snicker doodles! And peanut butter morsels! Oh this was turning out to be fun!!

My son helped me with the toppings and we had a great time eating them during our family game night :)

Perfect ending to a good day at home.