mozzarella, basil, and roasted red pepper muffins

I think everyone has some sort of mental "rule" that all muffins must be sweet. Chocolate chips, blueberries, banana nut... the options are endless and encompass nearly all tastes. But savory? Nobody ever thinks about a savory muffin. But, if you just imagine with me for a second how good that sounds! Like... with bacon, cheddar and jalapenos? Or pizza muffins? I'm drooling just thinking about it. These easy peasy muffins are pretty close to "pizza" muffins, and they look like it too, but I kept the roasted red peppers in the original recipe because I imagined real chopped tomatoes would be much too soggy, and I didn't have any sundried tomatoes or anything on hand. This is a good basic recipe that I think could be adapted with any different combination of cheeses, herbs, vegetables or meats.

I discovered this recipe from the Art & Soul of Baking cookbook as well! Seriously, best library find ever. It's huge and has a gazillion excellent recipes, not to mention the beginning of each section explains how to do the trickiest part of the recipe, such as making bread dough, puff pastry, etc. that is used throughout that category. I love it, it's so helpful. :) Anyways, back to muffin talk... these are deliciously soft on the inside, with a nice crispy crunch on top, and although the mozzarella kinda melts off into nothing, I think it has something to do with how moist the muffins remain. The roasted red pepper is smoky and tangy, and the basil adds a little freshness, not to mention it makes anything smell out of this world. Yum! Make these to go alongside a simple soup, salad, or pasta dish, or even for a fancy brunch. :)

chocolate velvet bundt cake

You know you have no life when...
a) You're excited about summer ending because you will get to sleep more;
b) You're excited for school to start because you will be around people your own age (and not just your little nanny kids);
c) You let yourself do fun stuff on the computer only when you're done with all your first-day homework;
d) All of the above.


So, that would be... check, check, check, aaand check. But seriously, I am very glad that summer is over, as that means no more crazy 14 hour days, and not having to wake up at 7:00 every morning! And for all your poor souls that wake up at 6:00... 7:00 is early for me. Anyways, school starting also means I get off work at an early enough hour that I have time to bake! Yippee! And that is very exciting for me.

Anyways, I thought to celebrate the first day of school (and all the good things that come along with that... for me), I would make this criminally delicious and deceivingly easy chocolate velvet cake. I got this awesome recipe from one of my library finds and oh my goodness, it is so stinkin' good. It's unbelievable how moist and tender and perfect this chocolate cake is, even with no chocolate chips or anything inside. Now, of course I made chocolate ganache sauce to go on top, but even if it is life-changingly delicious, I wouldn't say it's essential to the success of this recipe. I will admit that the main reason I even made the chocolate sauce was to hide the ugly flour-and-butter-the-pan marks that were left on my cake... and I'm not even ashamed to say it. But, I am so glad I made that sauce! A fairly thin slice of this with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream is perfect. And if you think that looks good, just scroll down to the picture at the bottom of this post... :)

bittersweet chocolate truffles

Hi there! Told you I hadn't fallen off the face of the planet; I've just been to busy to even get on the computer, much less bake. But today is my day off from work... yeess! So, I want to share with you a seriously impressive treat that is seriously simple to make. A wee bit time consuming, but your friends won't even believe you when you say they're homemade. Okay, so here goes. Chocolate truffles. I will show you how to make homemade chocolate truffles. Can you even believe it? You will be surprised when I tell you that you need just 3 ingredients to make these show-stoppers, and you can cover them in anything you want for anybody's specific tastes. When I made them, I covered some in toasted coconut, some in crushed almonds, and some in the classic cocoa powder, but the choices are seriously endless! Sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, granulated sugar... yummy!

Oh, not to mention they taste absolutely amazing! Dense and rich and melt-in-your-mouth, and super chocolatey. They will punt kick even the most serious chocolate craving across the state line... no joke. :) I've made these at Christmastime, on birthdays, and (of course) Valentine's Day! People are so impressed when I tell them I made the treats myself. So, next time you're invited to a party and want to impress the pants off all the guests, make these! Little work = huge reward.

hot fudge sundae cupcakes & girls' night

Today, I will show you everything you need for a successful girls's night... and what you need to make the easiest version of hot fudge sundae cupcakes ever! Not to mention, the funnest (yes, that is a word. hush.). So, if you wish to have a fun night with your girls, you will need...

two beautiful best friends,

mad braiding skills,

Chipotle,