My Kitchen
As part of a challenge by Ilva at Lucullian Delights, Kristen over at Dine and Dish posted a picture of her huge kitchen. Naturally, I decided to do the same.
However, being as I live in Hollywood, in a rent controlled one-bedroom apartment built in the 70s, my kitchen is not pretty, or clutter-free, or huge like Kristin’s. And while it’s going through a bit of an identity crisis, the brown tile floor, Formica counter tops, brightly colored knobs, and my KitchenAid mixer are somehow living together in harmony.
So yes, this is where, lately, the magic has been happening.
Toll House Crumbcake
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Flipping through my cookbooks, I decided to try this recipe based on the awesome looking picture and the crumb topping. Well, I’m sad to say that a) my finished cake looks ugly and absolutely nothing like the picture; b) I somehow messed up the crumb topping; and c) I didn’t read the recipe thoroughly and used regular sized chocolate chips instead of minis (all the while thinking, wow, mini chips would probably be better here).
Regarding the crumb topping–it well, didn’t, “crumb.” It sort of mushed instead. Then after it was baked, it sort of got soggy. Yeah I know, sounds delicious. And since that wasn’t enough of a disaster, my non-crumb crumb barely covered half the baking dish (perhaps because I omitted the nuts?) so I ended up making more topping with the same non-crumb result.
While the cake is really ugly, it’s also quite moist. I can’t really comment on the taste as I have some temporary taste bud loss due to the tonsillectomy and anything sweet tastes metallic-y to me at the moment. Would I make it again? That depends on how well it goes over at the office tomorrow.
Ingredients
Topping
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels
Cake
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 taspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 13 x 9 inch pan.
- For topping: combine brown sugar, flour and butter in small bowl with pastry blender or two knives until crumbly. Stir in nuts and 1/2 cup morsels.
- For cake: combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat granulated sugar, butter and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture alternately with sour cream. Fold in remaining morsels. Spread into prepared baking pan; sprinkle with topping.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.
Recipe from The Baking Bible.
Oatmeal Toffee Bars
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I’m back! The tonsillectomy went well, recovery is going well, and I’m heading back to LA tomorrow to get back to my normal life (sans Strep!). Thanks for the kind comments, and now back to regular yummy blogging…
While recovering from my tonsillectomy, my sister and I visited Barnes and Noble where I found this cookbook, The Baking Bible, on the clearance rack. The recipes are all very simple, and look oh-so-good.
While these are very good and were a huge hit with the girls at my dad’s office, they look nothing like the picture. I think they added toffee bits to the top after the pan came out of the oven instead of before. I may try it that way next time.
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups (8-ounce package) Heath Bits ‘O Brickle Toffee Bits, divided
3 cups quick-cooking or regular rolled oats
Preparation
- Heat oven to 350 F. Grease 13X9X2-inch baking pan.
- Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Set aside 1/4 cup toffee bits. Stir remaining toffee bits and oats into batter (batter will be stiff). Spread batter into prepared pan, sprinkle reserved 1/4 cup toffee bits over surface.
- Bake 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cook completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.
Makes about 36 bars.
Recipe from The Baking Bible.
Mmm, Popsicles
There won’t be any new posts until the new year as I’m finally getting my tonsils out on Tuesday. It’s been six months of chronic Strep, and I am beyond excited to start the new year sans infection.
In the meantime, please tell me any of the following:
- How did you find your way to my blog?
- Have you tried any of the recipes I’ve posted, and if so, which did you like or not like?
- Do you have a favorite recipe you think I’d like, and if so, please share it.
Happy Holidays!
Snickerdoodles
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Because my tonsillectomy is Tuesday and I’m not allowed to get sick before the surgery, I’m stuck home most of the weekend, not allowed to attend any of the parties I was invited to. Yeah, it sucks. Since I already did four loads of laundry and scrubbed my shower, and still had much of the day left, I decided to try yet another new recipe.
These are good. Really, really good. And also, really, really big. You could easily make them half the size and get a few dozen cookies out of the recipe.
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup shortening
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.
With a handheld or standing mixer, beat together the shortening and butter. Add the 1 1/2 cups sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture and blend until smooth.
Mix the 3 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the dough, by hand, into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar. Flatten the balls into 1/2-inch thick disks, spacing them evenly on unlined cookie sheets. Bake until light brown, but still moist in the center, about 12 minutes. Cool on a rack.
Yields 20 cookies.
Recipe from the Food Network.
Notes: I used regular salt. And I had a ton of the cinnamon-sugar mixture leftover.
