The M&M Story

I'm a bad mom. I mean, I would never intentionally do anything to harm my children, unless, maybe, it had to do with Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses. I blame my friend Susie for introducing me to these fabulous flavor explosions. Early fall has arrived. A slight chill is in the air (at least at midnight there is), the trees are beginning to show their true colors, and pumpkin spice lattes (or martinis, if you prefer) have made their grande entrance. This year, I have Pinterest.  Oh, my. I'm a little ridiculous. My board aptly named, autumnal pleasures (notice the lower case on both--not grammatically correct by any means, but has an essence of coolness to it--I'm attempting--now that I'm, well, not young anymore) shouts of pumpkin breads, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin sauces, and plenty of pumpkin sweets, mixed and matched with the various spices of the season. So what does one do when the evening storm dances in the sky, Daddy is working late, and I'm exhausted from s...

When I moved to KC this summer, I inherited a garden full of tomato plants. In their gorgeous state of rosy red, I picked them straight from the vine, sliced them for sandwiches, diced them for salsa and roasted them for marinara. But...the days of rosy red have gone to rest, and now I have vines teeming with firm green tomatoes. Okay, so....now what? I did not grow up on a farm nor am I that great at tending a garden, so at first glance, I thought, "Bummer. All those tomatoes going to waste." Yeah, well, I was wrong. After a few clicks and searches, I soon learned that September is not only famous for apples and colorful leaves, but it celebrates the approach of autumn with lots of green tomatoes. I had no interest in frying them, as that is the only thing I knew to do with them. And that was solely based on the fact that I watched the movie many, many years ago. But I love, love, love salsa verde. Like really love. Like if it came in a can, I might just pop it ope...

Chocolate Chip Cookies. Redefined. Remade.  Feel free to Recreate. (And she wonders why her thighs just won't shrink...) Ingredients 2 sticks unsalted butter (to room temp) 2 cups bread flour (add ¼ more if you like cak-i-er cookies) 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 cup sugar (prefer raw--just because) 1 ¼ cups brown sugar 1 egg 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons milk (preferably raw whole or cream) 1 ½ teaspoons + a splash of vanilla extract or vanilla liquor or amaretto (so good!) or combination thereof. 1 tsp espresso powder 2 cups (or more) semisweet chocolate chips or combination of white and chocolate (preference) Hardware: Parchment paper (preference) Baking sheets Mixer Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (I wish I was good at preheating....) Soften butter to room temperature--this is important!  I mean, you *can* melt, but soften is better. I’m sure I can come up with a thesis and support, but trust me, it’s for a smooth cookie. Sift ...

Okay, so I know I posted a few days ago my base quick bread recipe.  Well, I tried something else, but this is only for banana bread.  I like banana bread, but I'm always looking for ways to make it more interesting--and less fattening.  So this is adapted from The Canyon Ranch Cooks: Preheat oven to 350.  See below for pan prep. 3 small, ripe bananas, mashed--about 1 cup 1/4 cup brewed coffee 1/2 cup brown sugar (could sub regular sugar--i just like how the molasses flavor mixes with the coffee) 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (i usually blend an apple with a little water--it's easier than stocking applesauce) 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups spelt flour (you can use regular whole wheat, but sub a little bread flour for the rise) 1/4 cup coconut flour (can skip if you don't have it--but use one less egg) 3/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp (or more) of allspice 1/2 tsp (or more) of cinnamon splash of almond extract ( if you prefer vanilla, that works, t...

I thought that might get your attention.  I love to bake.  I sometimes follow a recipe but more often than not, I improvise--mostly because a. I don't necessarily have all ingredients on hand or b. I need to raise the nutritional content or c. I'm not a rule follower.   And then there is my love affair with spelt flour.  I love spelt.  It can be substituted 1:1 for wheat flour, but it is nuttier, sweeter and higher in protein.  It is also easier on the digestive system.  My new base recipe for pumpkin and banana bread. 1.5 cups spelt flour .5 cup coconut flour 2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup sugar--I use the "healthy" kind--evaporated cane juice.  But really it's just sugar.  1/2 tsp maca powder (Optional.  You can add more if you like, but be careful, this stuff is STRONG) 2 eggs  1/2 cup  (or a dribble more) of buttermilk 1/8 cup unsweetened applesauce--I usually just put my...