Happy Halloween!

Go make these now! Don't bother with the bat shape, just make them and devour. Don't know how to make dulce de leche? Get a can of sweetened condensed milk (take label off), boil it in the can in a big pot of water for three hours (keep it covered with boiling water), yes, three hours... your house will get nice and steamy and your neighbors may wonder what is going on in there??!!...your pores will open up beautifully too... but then you will have...the nectar of the gods (common sense caution: don't open the can until completely cool, okay?). These cookies really just serve as a vehicle to keep yourself from eating the stuff right out of the can. Happy Halloween!




image:marthastewart.com

Pumpkin Muffins

I think these are the best pumpkin muffins that I have tasted. A friend of mine in Kansas shared this recipe with me. I love that the recipe calls for buttermilk and molasses. I made them mini size and they were perfect. I used all whole wheat flour too and they are great. Chocolate chips wouldn't be a bad addition either. Here is the recipe from Elie Kreiger at Food Network.









image:marthastewart.com

Magic in the Middles

Try these. Soft, peanut butter center, chocolate cookie on the outside. It is almost like my favorite cookie, Peanut Butter Blossoms only inside out. The only change I made was to omit the peanut butter in the chocolate part. I wanted there to be more of a distinction between the chocolate and peanut butter. Delicious. Really serious cookie. They take a little time to make, so only make them for people you really love.






Image: kingarthurflour.com

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes

These are the best...pancakes...ever. My friend, Jaime makes these and like everything she makes, they are divine. I am completely obsessed with them. You will love them so much that you will want to eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...but don't do that, they are all oatmeal... plus you can make them with whole wheat flour without anyone knowing! So do not eat them as your three meals a day as you will be tempted to do, trust me...I've done it before, it's not pretty. But do make them right away with the Buttermilk Syrup...they go to together.


Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes
Combine in large bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight:
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups buttermilk

In the morning add to the bowl:
2 eggs
2 T. sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 t. salt
1/2 cup flour ( I use white wheat)
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon

Mix well in mixer or by hand and drop onto hot griddle. Serve with buttermilk syrup.

Buttermilk Syrup:

2 sticks of butter
2 c. sugar
1 c. buttermilk
1 t. baking soda
2 t. vanilla

Melt butter in LARGE pot, then add sugar and buttermilk. Boil 2 minutes, remove from heat and add baking soda and vanilla. Stir well, it will bubble up profusely at this point so make sure you have a big pot. Serve over Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes. This syrup keeps well in the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave. You could make half the recipe and it makes enough, then you won't feel so bad about using 2 whole sticks of butter, but it's really, really good.



photo: foodnetwork.com

Disgusting

Last night we were drawn to this segment of a program on the Travel Channel. We couldn't stop laughing at this restaurant from Taipei Taiwan called Modern Toilet. No joke, the food is served in plastic toilets etc. I am not even going to go on...you just have to read for yourself here, here, you get it, right?





image: spike.com

I scream

Have you tried this? I am not a huge ice cream lover, but this one does it for me. Vanilla ice cream with thin ribbons of chocolate throughout. It is kind of like a Klondike Bar, but SO much better, the quality of ice cream is waaay better, as is the chocolate, plus you get lots more chocolate in every bite. It's like that Magic Shell stuff without the partially hydrogenated junk. GO get yourself some and while you're there, pick up some little Keebler waffle bowls to go with...it's the perfect treat.

Chocolate

This is my favorite. I love milk chocolate, but most brands are too sweet for me. This one is a bit darker than most milk chocolates. It's really good on it's own, in a recipe, or for hot chocolate.