Egg Noodles

Ever since my first experience with homemade pasta, I've been completely fascinated with it. I've been making the same basic recipe for a while now, and I decided I was ready for something with a couple extra ingredients. This recipe for basic egg noodles caught my attention so I decided to give it a try.

Baking Powder

I try not to boss people around too often, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

PUT BAKING POWDER ON THE SHOPPING LIST.


I find myself utterly perplexed by the size of baking soda and baking powder boxes/cans which say right on the label that they should be replaced frequently for best results.

Allow me to explain:

My previous batches of these super duper unbelievably amazing pumpkin mini muffins did not look like this. They did have the distinct "muffin top" that forms when batter rises above the top of the little crevice in the pan, but they did not puff like these beauties. They were slightly more dense, slightly less smooth on top. These, my friends, are perfect.

The difference? Finishing up my 2-year-old can of baking powder in this morning's pancakes and peeling the seal off of a brand new can just for these.

Please consider the age of your baking powder and baking soda. If they're old, perhaps its time to make a $2 investment and get yourself some new leavening agents.

Lemon Cookies

When these came out of the oven, I ate eight of them.

Then I put the rest in a big rubbermaid container for my husband to guard with his life.

Then a friend came over and ate eight.

Then my husband actually ate a few (SCORE!).

Then they were gone.

Flour Tortillas

I'm a hard-shelled taco kind of person. Or taco fillings over tortilla chips, or even over rice. Anything but a soft flour tortilla. Until last week, that is. I made my first batch of absolutely stupendous flour tortillas! They were soft, rollable wrappings for what my husband insists were the best tacos he's had in a very long time. High praise indeed from the man who only enjoys Mexican food!

You may notice in the picture above that there are grated carrots next to the lettuce. Please forgive me. I'm not a die-hard Mexican food fan, and I happen to really enjoy grated carrots in my tacos. I also usually add black olives, but alas, my cupboard did not contain a single can!

But enough about my strange food choices, I want to show off my pretty little tortillas!

Cakey Brownies

These brownies are my go-to recipe when I have dessert emergencies. As in, when I hunt through the cupboards for twenty minutes knowing there's nothing I feel like eating and finally decide I need to make something ASAP. Or when people show up. Or if it's Friday.

Successful Bagels

My previous three attempts at bagels have been somewhat less than satisfying. The first was alright, but needed some tweaking. The second was much too dry and dense, and a little bit undercooked. The third was an absolute disaster due to overcompensating and adding way too much more water, then leaving them to rise for almost a week in the fridge because my oven was broken.

So I've finally returned to conquer them, and this time I succeeded!

Pizza

Do people really need pizza recipes? Probably not. However, I eat it a lot and sometimes think that I should publicly declare my love for it. Plus you might get inspired by the pictures and decide to go create your own slices of happiness! 

I have long ago stopped accurately measuring ingredients for pizza dough. What you're about to see is roughly 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp instant yeast, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 2 tsp sugar. Oh and a good splash of oil, because my husband likes it that way. Possibly. I can't be sure those are the ratios I used on this particular day. So be flexible, ok? There's no reason to be afraid of yeast.

Pizza Sauce

I make pizza quite a bit around here. I have a picky husband who happens to approve of it (as long as it meets certain criteria) and I'll eat anything covered in tomato sauce and heaps of cheese. I have zero qualms about opening a jar of Prego and dumping it on some pizza dough, but I've been getting into this whole Homemade EVERYTHING concept, so I thought I'd share the easiest tomato sauce recipe that I've ever found. It's cheap, it's quick, and it got my husband's approval! 

Marshmallows

Beautiful, aren't they?

I have officially entered the marshmallow club! It seems like I've been seeing bloggers talk about their homemade marshmallows for months now, and I've felt like a little bit of an outsider. Until last weekend, that is! I hereby present to you my humble offering of squishy, sugary pillows of happiness!

Chinese Food?

I have no idea what to even call this. When I discovered the recipe for this amazing sauce, it belonged to a recipe for something like General Tso Chicken. I've since used this sauce in so many different meals that there's no way I could refer to it as the General Tso Chicken Sauce. All I know is that it reminds me of American-Chinese food. So that's what I'm calling it. The question mark in the title is not a question, but a legitimate part of the title itself.

Whatever it is, it's one of my favorite things to eat.

Stocking the Freezer

This week I've been slowly stocking the freezer. I find I throw too many things away because they sit in the back of the fridge. Or I wimp out on making real dinners because I tell myself I have too much homework. So this week I've been working on these problems.

Please disregard the big dried leaf in front of the ice cube tray. It fell off the dying plant that I keep on top of the fridge. I don't exactly have a green thumb.

Mini Pumpkin Muffins

I've had every intention of making mini pumpkin muffins for almost two months now. But the 29c/lb bananas got the best of me three weeks in a row. And then there was the quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie that didn't include butter. That recipe doesn't exist, by the way. Perfect chocolate chip cookies must include real butter.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Confession: I usually like alfredo sauce made from a packet better than I like it made from scratch. This might be because I refuse to buy high-quality parmesan and I'm setting myself up for disappointment by using the grated stuff from the jar.

Whatever the reason, I've been craving alfredo lately.  Unfortunately, many years ago I was suddenly unable to locate my favorite mix and I've been trying to doctor up this plain version ever since.

Meatloaf and Potatoes

Ok, I know that this picture probably isn't that appetizing, but here's the thing: after a couple of weeks worth of recipes that didn't quite float my boat, I was ready for something to finally go right! I was also determined to win over my picky-eater husband even though he's not a huge fan of meatloaf or of potatoes (although he will eat mashed potatoes!). Thankfully, I even accomplished this lofty goal! This means that this is definitely a dinner to be passed on for others to enjoy!