I also know exactly how much teenagers eat food.  All the time.  Plus more.  They really like food, believe me.

Which is why I would rather forgo any performance or game and instead bring cookies to a hungry bunch of teenagers.  There is nothing better than opening a container of homemade treats and being temporarily mobbed.  Even the simplest of recipes will be met with rave reactions and you will most likely be thanked by everyone for as long as you live.

Most kids will be incredibly impressed by anything homemade.  But, I like to step it up sometimes to really knock their socks off.  The cake-doesn’t-always-come-from-a-box? teenagers will be completely blown away.  I am anxious to try this recipe and see how many people think they’re from a roll of pre-made dough.  Of course, I would never do that.  They should know better!

Another great thing about these cookies is that they provide so many options.  I got the recipe from a great cooking website, www.pipandebby.com, who made green spirals and rolled the dough in multi-colored sprinkles.  I decided not to use sprinkles, but I did flavor the pink swirl with a little lemon extract for a bright summer flavor.

These cookies are also very tasty.  I was worried they would be hard and crunchy, but they actually have a nice texture.  Thanks to the immense amount of butter, the cookies are dense and crumbly, similar to a shortbread.

You could do so many things with this recipe.  I can’t wait to make them again with different flavors.  Maybe a chocolate layer, or something fruity like raspberry or orange.  Experiment!  It’s the best thing about baking.

Find the printable recipe here.

After a full eight days on vacation, I dreaded eating out for another meal.  Without access to a full kitchen, or even a homemade sandwich, eating out for every meal gets a bit worn out after a couple days.  I didn’t realize how much I took advantage of cooking and baking until I was robbed of that privilege.

Now that I’m back at home, I headed straight for the kitchen to make up for lost time.  My goal was to make a bar or cookie that was the epitome of summer:  light and fresh.  The pretzel crust make a sturdy bottom with a hint of salt to offset the sweet top.  I used honey wheat pretzels but any type would probably work.

The top is a cross between cookie dough and cake batter, but bakes up with a perfect hint of almond hiding behind the juicy raspberries and peaches.  Once cut into bars, they have a layered look that shows off little peeps of sweet fruit.

To start off, mix up the crust and press into a baking pan.  I prefer the whack-it-with-a-rubber-spatula method.  It seems fairly efficient.  Then pre-bake the crust.

While the crust is baking, prepare the cake layer in a mixer.

Arrange the berries and diced peaches on the crust in a fairly even layer.

Pour on the cake layer and spread evenly.  Initially, this proves to be quite difficult and sticky.  I finally sprayed the back of a spatula with non-stick cooking spray and used that to spread the batter.

Some of the fruit moves around and won’t be covered, but that is perfectly fine.  A little imperfection makes it rustic and homemade, right?

Finally, bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let cool, cut into bars, and enjoy with a big glass of summer.

Find the printable recipe here.

Sweaters and leaves aren’t the only great things about fall.  It also comes with a new harvest of fruits and vegetables, and new culinary creations to fit the season.  I can’t wait to start pulling out soup recipes.  Recently there has been a lot of Saturday snack-making for football game munchies.

Rising in a warm place.

Yesterday, I decided to bake up some homemade pretzels.  I have never made pretzels before, but they seemed like the perfect thing for a chilly afternoon.  I found the recipe a few weeks ago, while perusing a cooking website, A Cozy Kitchen.  I fell in love with the simple and comforting recipes, complimented by magnificent photos that make me want to make every single recipe that very day.  Her recipe for Pretzel Tots seemed like a good beginner pretzel recipe without all the twisting.

Doubled in size!

The pretzels turned out amazingly well.  Dark on the outside with a pillowy-soft interior.  Plus, I discovered the secret for that salty-pretzel crust:  boiling the dough in a mixture of water and baking soda.

I had a little bit of trouble removing the tots from my sheet pan.  Although, it was mostly my fault because I used waxed paper rather than parchment, which the recipe called for.  It ended up being okay, we just had to cut them off of the pan.

I will definitely be making this recipe again.  Pretzels that were easy to make, delicious, and barely took any time at all.  I think next time I may experiment with baking them without salt and instead rolling them in a little cinnamon-sugar.  Happy fall, everyone!

Here is the recipe, ready for printing.

Summer is my time to experiment in the kitchen.  I can pull out those crazy recipes that, other times, you wouldn’t consider.  Not to mention the freshest and most delicious ingredients are in abundance, waiting to be baked into pie, or mixed into ice cream.

I know I will surely miss those long summer days.  Waking up when you please, with no regard to an alarm clock.  Reading at least three cook books before deciding what today’s adventure will be.  And digging into the kitchen, whisk in hand, ready to tackle another masterpiece.

Cream Puffs have always been one of those recipes I wanted to try, but never got around to.  And yet, I am so glad I decided to make them yesterday.  When they are completely done, they are simple, but with a flair of sophistication making them the perfect dessert.  And, I was surprised at how easy they were to make.

Cream puffs are one of those things that are just plain fun to eat.  One bite, and sweet creamy filling erupts into your mouth, complimented by the ideal puff with just enough crispiness.

Cream puffs seem like an impeccable summer dessert.  The puffs are dainty and light, and stuffed with feathery whipped cream.  After trying one, you just might eat the rest.

Here is the delectable printable recipe.

I am a sucker for cupcakes.  I love to make and decorate cupcakes, and I never miss an episode of DC Cupcakes on TLC.  So, when we happened to be passing through the area recently, I know we needed to stop at Georgetown Cupcake for a couple scrumptious cupcakes.  Which of course turned into a dozen….

We arrived at the store in mid evening, around 8pm.

It’s a very cute building, on a busy corner in Georgetown, Virginia.

Until, of course, you look down the street and notice the line just to get in.  You immediately wonder how badly you need these cupcakes.  And then you mentally answer.  Yes, I really need a Georgetown cupcake.

The line ended up not being too bad, only about 15 minutes.  And it was completely worth it once we stepped inside.

It was cupcake heaven.  We pretty much ordered one of everything.  It was the safest thing to do : )

My favorite cupcake was Chocolate³.  A delicious chocolate cupcake with rich chocolate frosting and yes, chocolate sprinkles.

I was sufficiently satisfied with our 12 Georgetown Cupcakes, but apparently it just quite wasn’t enough.

So, we headed over to Sprinkles, another cupcake shop, literally a block away from Georgetown Cupcake.  We decided to make it a little competition.

Which of course turned into another dozen cupcakes purchased.

And we again needed to buy one of each flavor!

My favorite from this batch was the Mocha cupcake.  It was super moist and dense, with just the right amount of mocha flavor and crunch of the sprinkles on top.

After returning home with our loot, we held a red velvet cupcake-off, to determine which bakery made a better version.  The verdict:  both were delicious, and it ended up being a personal preference.  I preferred the Sprinkles version, as it had more chocolate flavor and was very moist.  But, our other tasters enjoyed the Georgetown version for it’s very dense cake and less frosting.  Over all, I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. : )

If you find yourself in the DC area, here is my recommendation:  wait in line at Georgetown Cupcake–no matter how long it may be–and try a few different kinds.  Then, walk on down to Sprinkles Cupcakes and buy a few more.  Finally, sit back, relax, and enjoy your cupcakes!

Although I have always had a joy in cooking and baking, nothing measures up to digging into a good cook book.  I can read an entire cook book or magazine front to back with as much excitement in the final recipe as I had reading the index.  Now, this eventually becomes a problem.  The number of recipes contained in our cook book shelf most definitely outnumbers the time I have to create each masterpiece.

After having a year of French class, my interest in French cooking and culture is even greater.  Julia Child has always been an idol of mine,  and I find her Mastering the Art of French Cooking to be more fascinating now than ever.  I love flipping open to a page and reading the recipe titles in French, while trying to decipher what it actually entails.  Every recipe I have made from Julia’s book has turned out extraordinary, yet I am still a novice.

I was feeling ambitious, so I decided to attempt a French dessert:  La Tarte des Demoiselles Tatin.  This apple tart has layers of buttery apples with sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  It is topped with a piece of sweet pastry, baked, and flipped out for a caramelized and golden finish.  It is apple tart perfection.  The pastry turns golden and flaky, since it is baked on top.  The apples underneath slowly morph into a mass, rather than individual slices, held together by a thick syrup dotted with cinnamon.

First, we start out by making the pastry.

Normally, I would just scoop the flour into a measuring cup and pour it in.  But, Julia was very particular about her baking, so I measured the flour the right way.  First, by scooping it into the cup.

Then, using a knife to level off the top.

And finally, sifting the flour into white fluffiness.

Add in some granulated sugar and a pinch of salt.

Throw it in the food processor with the chilled butter.  Or as it says in the book, “5 1/2 tbsp fat.”

Pulse in the water until a thick dough forms around the blade.

Then wrap it up and chill the dough while you prepare the apples.

The recipe called for 4 pounds of golden delicious apples.  Well, I had 3 single apples.  Which of course, were green.  But, desperate times call for desperate measures.  And I really wanted some tart!

Peel, core, and slice the apples very thinly.  Toss with the cinnamon and sugar and begin to layer them in a baking dish.

Continue the apple-butter-sugar layers and top with the rolled-out pastry, cut into a circle that fits the top of your dish.

Then, just pop it in the preheated oven!  I have to say, the French did keep their tarts pretty simple.  After that, you can attack the pile of dishes that stacked up near your sink.  Yay!

Once it comes out of the oven, you have to immediately flip it over onto a serving dish.

I was worried that once flipped, the apples would fall out all over the place and make a complete disaster.  But, it was actually pretty easy.  The tart was thin enough that the apples stayed in place.

My tart was significantly smaller than what the recipe would usually make, since I had less apples.  So in the end, I only got about six slices, all of which were perfect little triangles.

Here is a link for the full recipe–where you can upload and print the full version, only slightly tweaked from Julia Child’s original recipe.  Enjoy, and bon appetit!

We were running out of leftovers. It was essential.

So I whipped up some meatballs! And some really delicious blueberry muffins.

And some killer peanut butter and chocolate fudge, which I have managed to inhale incredibly quickly.  I’m not ashamed. It gets me through my geometry homework : )

But those recipes are sure to come soon! I was running out of sunlight for meatball and muffin pictures.

But, seriously, these meatballs are really good.  After my family received a quarter of a cow, we started finding good ground beef recipes pretty quickly.  Now, I make these all the time and they make for endless possibilities. Meatball panini, meatballs on a hoagie, and, the ever famous spaghetti and meatballs.

Meatballs

2 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp minced onion
1/2 tsp basil
2 tbsp bread crumbs(I always use panko)

First, preheat your oven to 350°. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. And don’t be afraid to get your hands in there! Then, form the meat into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until there is no pink in the center. The time will change depending on the size of your meatballs. I only got about 20 out of my batch, as they were fairly big. Put your meatballs on a giant plate of pasta and enjoy!

There are soft cookie people and crispy cookie people. I happen to be a soft cookie gal all the way. I love the giant chewy cookies from the mall that fall apart as you walk through the shopping mayhem. But, in my past years of cookie-creating, I have always had a bit of a problem with soft cookies. Chocolate chip, oatmeal, they seemed to always turn out crispy.

That was until I found this beautiful recipe card! I had never made snickerdoodles until I made these snickerdoodles. And might I say, they were scrumptious.

They are perfectly soft on the inside with a bit of crisp on the edges. Cinnamon sugar contributes to a sweet crust on the bottom. I believe it is perfect for ALL cookie enthusiasts.

Snickerdoodles

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 375°. Beat together the butter, sugar, and eggs. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add in the milk and vanilla and continue mixing until the dough is fully incorporated. That’s it! Then, form the dough into balls(I use an ice cream scooper for an even size) and roll in a mixture of 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon sugar. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes.

You want this cookie. Trust me. They never last more than a couple days at our house. The savage animals I live with and tend to call family eat them up quite quickly.

And yes, I know it is extremely hot outside. The heat index is telling me it is 108° right now. Which means you could almost bake these suckers outside! Just kidding, don’t try that.

Just make sure to keep this recipe close and handy for when the weather cools off and you are actually prepared to turn on the oven and heat up the kitchen. Until then, stay in the air conditioning and eat popsicles!!

Bastille Day is among one of my many good excuses to make delicious French food. So, to get in the mood I made Croque Monsieur sandwiches the other night for dinner. Croque Monsieur means crunchy mister in French and is a very common sandwich in that area. It started out as an everyday ham and cheese sandwich but evolved into something a bit fancier. Made with slices of Gruyere cheese and ham with a bubbly top. If you don’t have Gruyere, swiss cheese would also work. This recipe makes only two sandwiches, but could easily be doubled.

Croque Monsieur

1 tbsp butter- plus more to butter the bread
4 slices sandwich bread
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
2 slices of Gruyere or Swiss cheese
6 slices deli ham

Preheat your oven to 425° and butter both sides of the bread.

Lay the bread out on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the flour and stir for about 1 minute. Pour in the milk and whisk until the sauce is thickened. Turn off the heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese until it is melted. Salt and pepper the sauce to taste.

To assemble the sandwiches, top two bread slices with the ham and sliced Gruyere.

Put the remaining two slices of bread on top. Pour the sauce evenly over the two sandwiches, letting some fall over the edges. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

Return the pan to the oven for about 7 minutes to toast the tops and melt the cheese.

The inside is smooth and cheesy next to the slightly salty ham, but the bread stays crisp and warm, making a sandwich masterpiece.