I’m having some picture trouble these days because I hate Apple Photos. Guess I’m getting old and it’s harder for my brain to adapt to new things. It’s not doing what I want!!!
More and more I gravitate toward the easy and delicious recipes, no time for too much complexity. Simplicity was especially important for the cake made for Mark’s recent birthday, because it happened while we were traveling. In someone else’s kitchen I was using supplies and ingredients from my mom’s pantry.
I made this amazing chocolate cake from Smitten Kitchen, and though I’ve also made her loaf version (years ago!), I liked the cake version better. I think the frosting made the difference.
Moist, rich, chocolaty (chocolatey?), pretty perfect. I did add sprinkles but next time I won’t (and there WILL be a next time, I almost made this two weeks later for my own b-day). The sprinkles were hard and I felt like they disturbed the perfect creamy texture of the frosting.
So as I’ve mentioned before, we’re on a budget these days and one of the things I’m trying not to buy is bread. (Sorry to mention the budget so much but I think talking about it helps us stay on budget.)
Again, no pictures. But if the title entices you, read on about the veggies we’ve been eating lately…
Mushroom rice casserole. Craving mushrooms lately. Subbed dried sage for fresh tarragon, and added in the casserole instead of on top. Added a splash of dry sherry with the creamy ingredients. Topped with shredded “Italian mix” cheese along with parmesan. Casserole came out a little dry. I think next time I will add some milk and maybe mix some cheese in the casserole instead of just sprinkling on top.
Roasted potatoes with green sauce. I used frozen parsley instead of fresh cilantro. Great sauce. Kids weren’t that into it but the adults loved it.
Garlic butter roasted mushrooms. What did I say about mushroom cravings? Again, kids didn’t like it but what do they know.
Bean casserole. I did not use the red pepper flakes so it wouldn’t be too spicy for the kids. Didn’t make cilantro pesto, due to no cilantro in the house. Topped with pepper jack, no bread crumbs. This was another strike for the kids. I’ve had the leftovers mixed with the mushroom rice and plan to stuff both the beans and rice in pupusas tomorrow.
Made this farro to the letter. It was amazing!
I’ve continued to play with this recipe, and continued to forget to take pictures.
C is turning 3! For his birthday he requested blueberry cupcakes. I doubled this recipe to make 30.
This is one of those recipes that is totally mom-blog material. But that’s because it’s easy and good and kids (and adults) like it. There’s no shame in being a mom-blog cook.
