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Chocolate fix-easier than cookies

I love a good muffin recipe. All the satisfaction of a cookie or cake, but with only 1 bowl to mess up. Here's a good one; I've made it so many times in the last couple weeks, that I set myself up with a few "mixes" of just the dry ingredients. Even easier! Just dump in a bowl, add milk, oil and egg and some vanilla, and in less than 20 minutes, you can be stuffing your face with muffins...as long as your oven is already hot. If I'd been on the ball enough, I'd have included a picture of my son with chocolate all over his face, as he likes to eat muffins top to bottom, holding them by the cup.
Chocolate Chip Muffins
From Penzey's (Rachelle Chong)

1 3/4 C AP flour
2tsp b. powder
2tsp b. soda
3/4 C sugar
1 C milk
1/3 C+2tsp veg. oil
1 egg
1tsp vanilla extract
1 C semisweet mini chips (or what you have)

400 degree oven. Line muffin tins. Mix dry ingredients (I whisk) in large bowl. Add wet ingredients and stir just until combine. Fold in 3/4 C of chips-do not overmix. Pour batter into paper cups, about 2/3 full. (I use an ice cream scoop) Sprinkle muffins with remaining chips. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Cool on rack and eat warm.

Back to School with a Petal Pouf

I wish. Anthropologie, feel free to send me this bag as a gift for the mention. ;) Also, got my September Vogue. Now, to find some time to sit with it uninterrupted.

1st crack at quick cinnamon buns

So, I'm hoping to work my way through Cook's Illustrated The New Best Recipe (over 1,000 of them) but can't seem to get away from all the baking sections. I realized I often prefer baking, since I usually don't have to go out and get anything to make something yummy. These rolls fit the bill. Start to finish-40 minutes, and would have been faster if I'd moved faster. Comment or email me if you want me to post the recipe-feeling lazy.

Love Buttah bars

When making baked goods, first comes love.
Then add butter.
Success.
My husband declared after I made these, "When I say I want some cookies, I now mean these."

Blondies makes 36 (or 6, depending on the cutter)
adapted from Cook's Illustrated The New Best Recipe

1.5C unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp salt
12 tbl (1.5 sticks) unsalted, butter, melted and cooled
1.5 packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
.5C semisweet chocolate chips
.5C white chocolate chips
1 C pecans, toasted and chopped coarse

Notes: I toasted and only used .5C pecan pieces. I'm not a fan of nuts in baked goods, but the butterscotchy-ness that pecans add seemed like a good idea, so I risked it and it paid off. Feel free to leave the nuts out, too. I also love this, as I don't have to hoist out and clean the standing mixer, and I didn't have to wait for butter to soften. (Or risk messing it up by spacing out when I try to soften it in the microwave) I also spread the batter into 3 small pans, and refrigerate or freeze two of them for later fresh from the oven treats.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees, rack in middle position.
Spray 13x9 in pan with cooking spray (I skip this) Fold two 16 in pieces of foil lengthwise so one measures 13 in wide and the other measures 9 in wide. Place foil in pan perpedicular to one another (in a cross) to line the pan. This is so you can pull out the bars and cut them neatly. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. (I sometimes mix my dry ingredients a couple days before I'm going to make these to save time, especially when doubling the recipe.)

3) Whisk melted butter and brown sugar in med. bowl until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in semisweet and white chips and nuts, if using, and turn batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula.

4) Bake until top is shiny and cracked and feels firm to the touch (this was hard to guage, so I determined it was done after it stopped being shaky in the middle)22-25 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. (or no rack and eat in about 10 minutes if you can't stand it) Remove bars from pan using the foil handles and transfer to cutting board. Cut into 1.5x2 in bars and serve.

Proud mother moment

So, after what seems like weeks of burgers and fries, I am finally getting my act back together. This morning we made zucchini bread from a huge find in the garden, busted out cousin Lisa's black bean salad, and threw together some caprese pasta from some more garden booty. Wish the lunch tray looked like this every day.

Summer's first bounty

For a beginning vegetable gardener, (besides tomatoes) this is really exciting! This is the first year I've planted heirloom varieties of both tomato and peppers. And the raspberries rarely make it back into the house.