Saturday, June 13, 2015

Saturday Food

I know it's a Saturday.  What's up with this?  This is the time I didn't have yesterday, as I spent it doing a lot of cooking.  Monday's and Friday's seem to be the day I do some major food prep - baking bread for the week, mixing up snacks, etc.  Yesterday it was granola bars, cookies, mock apple pie, a smaller batch of chicken stock, along with the usual Friday night In-Law Dinner.

So, as food was the theme, I'm carrying that over to today's post (that should have been yesterday's) with my weekly Pinterest finds.  Trying out recipes that are quick to pull together, but tasty (usually), too.

Given that I've pinned more to Pinterest, lately, than I've been cooking, I see next week's menu planning being Pinterest heavy.


I love a good cakey brownie; I'm not much for the gooey versions.  The photo for these Irresistible Fudgy Brownies caught my eye - they looked cakey and rich.  And they were.  Rich, dark chocolate and cakey enough to make again.


Indiana's state pie seems to be some sugar cream concoction.  I've made this one a couple times, and it's good.  Really good actually.  I came across this Sugar Cream Pie recipe and it was different from the first, so naturally I have to try it.  Holy moly, as much as I loved the first one, I love this one, too.  It's creamier, custardier, thicker, caramelier.  It's just more.  Caution, because you blind bake the crust on this recipe, cover the edges on the blind bake and during the second baking or they can get over dark - over dark can be bitter.  This pie will definitely make the rounds again!


With the exception of this Mug Cake recipe (because it is two boxed mixes mixed together, along with water), mug cakes aren't exactly cost effective.  But if you're making a mug dessert, you're not interested in cost, you're interested in satisfying a craving.  I have a couple in my repertoire, the Mug Cake above and these brownies, which actually serves two.  I have several mug desserts pinned, and decided to try a couple this week.  Up first, Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Mug.  If more than one person is wanting chocolate chip cookies - make a batch of cookies, because each mug takes one egg yolk, whereas a full batch takes two eggs - see cost effectiveness.  I also had these chocolate chip mug cookie recipes pinned: this one and this one and outside of the photos, all three recipes are identical, so I deleted the superfluous ones.  They were a little more cake and a little less of that chocolate chip cookie dough taste I like; but good, and if you're only making one, I say go for it.  I would used mini chips, instead of regular sized.  I also didn't cook them in a mug, I used ramekins.


I love my morning coffee.  I love it full of creamer.  Flavored non-dairy creamer.  And I'm well aware how full of chemicals they are, but I can't seem to wean myself from them.  I've tried.  I have a more than a couple creamer recipes pinned; I've tried this one and this one and they are okay.  For me, with making my own pantry staples, I have to weigh the cost of making it, versus is it better for me/my family versus flavor factors.  This Cinnamon Bun Coffee Creamer, compared against the two I've tried, uses cream and milk and flavorings versus sweetened condensed milk and flavorings.  The Cinnamon Bun creamer seemed a little thicker and creamier than my other recipes.  I almost always have cream on hand, so I think it could be cost effective, compared to store bought versions, and maybe even versus the older pins, sweetened condensed milk being the cost-variable ingredient.  I liked the flavor and the texture enough to try to not only make again, but to adapt my older pins to cream/milk bases.


This Dark Chocolate Mug Cake was all about satisfing a craving.  The link has links to three other flavors, which sound good.  The chocolate was rich and the cake moist.  I used a ramekin and had to cook it 20 seconds longer than suggested.  I was expecting it to take less time than a mug, I'm not sure how a mug would have cooked in 40 seconds.  Nonetheless, it was good and will be a go-to for single serve cravings.

Happy Saturday,

No comments: