Theres always time for blondies....

Could it be? Am I really posting twice in a day? Really now, I shouldn't set such high expectations for myself but I couldn't resist sharing photos of the delicious treat I whipped up this morning for one of my most favorite faculty members birthdays.

Dark, milk and peanut butter chip blondies

After a brief online search for the perfect recipe, I decided to adapt a recipe I found several times and it was not only easy but fast, my favorite way to bake!

In fact, I would say it's 2 easy. And here's why: if you have 2 cups of brown sugar, 2 sticks of butter, 2 eggs, , 2 teaspoons of vanilla, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 2 cups of flour, and 2 cups (for a gluttonous result, use at your discretion!) of assorted chips (peanut butter, milk/dark chocolate) you are in business.

Add ingredients in order (first blending sugar and butter then add other ingredients) until you get to the flour. Stir flour in by hand and then add accoutrement's (chips) and you are in business. Pop it the bakers edge or a buttered/sprayed 9x13 pan in the oven at 350 for about 25-30 minutes and enjoy.

And just in case you beat me home, they are on the top shelf in the aluminum foil honey!

Candy Corn Inspired

Candy-Corn-a-Brownie

When I stopped into the local Walgreens a few weeks ago I was greeted with an onslaught of Halloween treats. Whereas usually I would seize this excuse to stock up on mini-snickers and three musketeers to freeze and eat slovenly over the next month--the stockpile in my freezer reminded me that there really was no vacancy!

Alas! What's a girl to do? Improvise I suppose.

And so as I payed for my greeting card or toilet paper, or whatever it was that I was buying, those little devilish candy corn winked at me and I knew what I must do.

(Caveat: I actually don't like candy corn. I think it's like eating sweetened lipstick. And no, I have never tried eating lipstick, much less the sweetened variety!)

And so here you have it. Another recipe for my beloved bakers edge pan and a great seasonal treat. It's a pumpkin tart like bottom with a chewy brownie like middle and gooey toasted marshmallows on top. Sounds terrible, right? Well as good as it was the first day, it was even better the next.

Stay tuned for the recipe. In the mean time go enjoy this lovely day for me please...the weather is be-au-ti-ful and the farmer's market is bustling with all kinds of goodness!

Bakers edge, bakers edge, bake me a dish!

The days of fall are officially upon us. Instead of waking up and tossing on sandals, it is boots and closed toe shoes for us here in NYC. And with this, my favorite season, come all sorts of good things. Football games take over lazy Saturday afternoons. Leaves begin their magical transformation, turning central park into a jewel toned shop window for all her visitors. The lights for the holidays are not yet out, but there is something magical lurking in the air....

The smell of hot cider simmering with cinnamon and nutmeg wafts through the farmers markets. Vendors put away their vibrant greens and introduce to us their deep yellows, oranges, and reds.

And so I came to invent a new fall treat, the apple identity crisis. Appropriately named due to my inability to decide whether it would be part tart or part crumble. Et voila! It is both:

Apple Identity Crisis

A chewy yet crisp tart bottom, then a layer of fresh sliced opalescent apples tossed in brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, then topped with a crumble of oats, brown sugar, flour and a bit of cold butter.

Mmmmm.....
Who's having seconds?

Nothing but Noodular Perfection

If you've been riding along with us on our little culinary journey you might recall a certain obsession that was recently quenched with the acquisition of some new kitchen gear. You know the one...the culprit of the worlds most delicious brownies?

Well my friends, I'm here to share more success from our tiny kitchen and the result of this new acquisition. Behold! The perfect piece of lasagna:

No sunken center or too gummy edges, just plain noodle-y goodness all around. And straight from the pan this bad boy was perfectly browned on top and along all the edges (from the gobs of cheese of course!) and maintained its shape like a pro to boot!

So there you have it, yet another reason to invest in your kitchen. Besides, the results are more than worth the investment!

p.s. we're coming up on our 100th post and are so excited to celebrate. stay tuned for a fun contest to celebrate this milestone and the realization that i can, in fact, blabber for 100 days!

Apple Identity Crisis

Ahh...the comforting days of fall and the catalyst to the super yummy, really easy, and just plain ole' fun to say, Apple Identity Crisis.

For the tart/crust (pre-identity crisis):

1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced
2 large egg yolks

For the apple identity:

2 medium sized apples sliced (i like the opalescent variety, they are sweet, crisp, with ever the slightest bit of tart)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
.5 tbsp nutmeg
.5 tbsp ginger
1 tsp corn syrup

For the crumble crisis:

1 cup flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp nutmeg
2 tbsp. oats
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 stick cold butter diced

Preheat oven to 325/350.

Start with tart crust ingredients. Sift all dry ingredients, add yolks then butter until it sticks together. Don't be afraid to get dirty, your hands are your most prized tool for this. Form it into a crumbly ball, wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. (you can cheat like I did and keep it in the freezer for 20 minutes too :)!!)

Slice apple and toss to coat with ingredients in the 'identity' section.

Make the crumbly topping in a separate bowl sifting dry ingredients first and then adding in the vanilla and cold butter. Your hands work best for this, too!

If you are fancy, roll out the tart crust and place it on the bottom of your greased/sprayed pan of choice. Otherwise, use your hands to rustically lay it along the bottom of said pan.

Place apples on top of crust, sprinkle with crumble (the crisis part).

Place in oven and await heaven!