another one bites the dust

since this is the current state of affairs in my kitchen...
i'll just tell you about some of the yummy things i ate this w-end! the hubby and i decided to take a little drive down to princeton...they have the cutest little town! it reminds me a lot of wellesley...quaint square filled with pretty things catering to the not-college crowd. the town also happens to have a fairly decent number of good eats though - something wellesley sorely lacked. i mourned the loss of alden merrell after my first year (while it wasn't great eats, they definitely satisfied my sweet tooth!)

i tried to convince the hubby that we needed to leave the city by 8AM...sadly it wasn't happening. by the time we made it to the little chef, it was almost 5PM and they were sold out of practically everything!! a couple of sad napoleons stared at us from behind the glass...we managed to score a tiny treat - a cassis something or other.


this is what it looked like after surviving a two hour trip back to the city...(we made a few stops along the way.) thank goodness it tasted WAY better than it looked!! the cassis was tart but not overpowering and the chocolate mousse on the bottom was silky, soft and heavenly. the hubby and i were sharing the dessert after dinner but i think at one point i told him to stop eating...=D

the little chef
8 south tulane street
princeton, nj 08540
note: try to get there early enough to try the croissants!

a second chance

i looooooove peanut butter...i mean love.
back in the good ol' days when it was just me and the pups, we'd regularly sit on the futon in front of the tv licking peanut butter off the spoon straight out of the jar. and the crunchier the better!

the first time i made these i was terrified of overbaking them...especially since the instructions specifically said "do not overbake." so of course...i totally underbaked them. they ended up in the trash can.
s i g h...but they smelled SO good that i had to try again. and the second time was lovely washed down with a cold glass of milk. yum!

peanut butter cookies
a couple of changes from the magnolia bakery cookbook

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup chunky-style peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (they used peanut butter chips.)
sanding sugar

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. in a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. set aside.
3. in a large bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter together until fluffy. add the sugars and beat until smooth. add the egg and mix well. add the milk and vanilla extract. add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. stir in the chocolate chips. chill the dough for 30 minutes.
   
4. drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets. (you can make the crisscross patterns with a fork if you like - but mine did not turn out as pretty.) lightly sprinkle with sanding sugar.
5. bake for 14 minutes (they said 10-12 minutes.). cool the cookies for 1 minute on the sheets and then tranfer to a rack to cool completely.

for adults only...

like many immigrants to america, my parents have quite a few interesting stories to tell and when they first arrived, my mom was a nurse who was studying to pass the exam here in the states. well the first week they were here, they happened across a bookstore...


they went in looking for nursing books for my mom to study. the guy in the bookstore was kind enough to let them know when they entered that they didn't carry what they were looking for...and it wasn't until several years later that they learned what "adult" bookstore actually meant.


these cupcakes are just as sinfully delicious and will ruin whatever innocent preconceived notions you may have about them. =)

black bottom cupcakes

by david lebovitz

cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

5 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

filling

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 ounces bittersweet / semisweet chocolate, chopped

1. beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar and egg until smooth. stir in the chopped chocolate pieces. set aside.
2. adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. line a muffin tin with cups.
3. in a medium bowl, sift together flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. in a separate bowl, combine the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla.
4. make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring until smooth. (be careful not to overstir! it will make the cupcakes tough...)
5. fill the muffin cups until 2/3 full and top with a tablespoon of filling into the center of each cupcake.
6. bake for 25 minutes (until the cupcakes feel springy when pressed).

NOTE: the original recipe says it makes 12 muffins...but i got more than that out of the batter.