I keep forgetting to photograph my baking and cooking, which is… not that great of a loss, probably.  There are plenty of other bloggers with better setups and greater enthusiasm for food photography and, in case you need visual reference points, the internets are awash with artsy photographs of onions being chopped.  That said, it’s gotten to the point where I won’t bake anything from a magazine before looking online for reviews.  The internet is my test kitchen; I will try things without corroborating praise, but it sure helps to know, before measuring out the flour, that a certain delicious-sounding brownie recipe comes out bitter, excessively crumbly, and overdone every time.  So, to add a few drops to the vast pool of recipe knowledge floating around out there, here are some things I’ve made during the past few weeks that have been hits:

• Brownie Peanut Butter Cups.  I botched these the first time I made them by overbaking the brownie part to the point of complete crunchiness, yet they still went over well in Pete’s lab.  Made following the directions for baking time, they’re even better.  I have a Whole Lot of recipes involving the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, but… yum.  There is no “but.”
• Macaroons.  Really should’ve photographed this process, but you’ll have to use your imagination: the results were adorable and tasty.  The recipe is not online (and is in metric, to boot), but I think it was somewhat similar to Martha‘s; instead of using cream of tartar, though, mine had you first heat a sugar solution in a saucepan to a specified temperature.  Here’s the thing: macaroons have this reputation for being difficult and fussy, but the consensus was that they really aren’t.  It did take a full afternoon, three people, a kitchen with abundant counter space, and almost three full cartons of eggs, but with proper preparation and equipment?  Immensely satisfying.  (And did I mention tasty?)
• Black Beans and Rice with Cheese.  I’m surprised I’ve never publicly declared my love for this beans and rice recipe, because it is my holy grail: delicious, cheap, and filling.  I think that abundant spices are the key, and I usually substitute cayenne in for the pepper to give it extra kick.  And Pete likes to add abundant cheddar.  But, dang: I love this recipe.
• Coming down firmly on the “cheap and trashy” side of the fence: Cake Balls.  They are everywhere these days, and one of those delightful items that’s even better when made with cake mix from a box and frosting from a can.  To be honest, they’re not the best dessert that I’ve ever had, but they are easy, sweet, and comforting.  I like to keep a Tupperware full of them somewhere in the back of the freezer, because they’re particularly satisfying to munch on while frozen.

How many hours until lunch, now?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 at 8:41 am and is filed under bits. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.