I'm keeping track (more or less) of what we're eating this meatless month over here, and you can find recipes and links and notes there, too, but in addition to all the meatless meals I'm eating, I'm also doing quite a bit of baking lately.
Basically, it's like this: those who can't do, teach and those who can't eat, bake. Or at least that's how it's been for me. I'm baking for anyone who will let me while I'm dieting. Kyle's been my tester, and so far he seems to think I'm an excellent baker. He eats everything I give him or at least waits until I turn around to feed it to Molly.
Mike thinks I'm doing all this baking to prove to him the mega-investment of a KitchenAid mixer would be worth it. He's not exactly wrong, I desperately want one (this one, preferably), but I try to comfort him by telling him of all the KitchenAid mixer giveaways I enter. I'm sure I'll win one any day now. If only I could convince the other 50,000 bakers on the blogosphere to stop entering them, too. (Or, feel free to win one and then give it to me. That works too.)
Anyway, I thought I'd share with you some recipes I've been drooling over lately. The plan is to make them all at some point over the next few months, but life gets crazy, don't we all know. At least a couple of these are likely to go unmade in our house, and it'd be a shame if they lived and died in my inbox alone.
So, here you go:
Apple fritters -- I think it's been proven that anything with fruit in it is healthy. Can't argue with science.
Chocolate filled cupcakes -- I'm late to the Martha Stewart parade, but I'm finally here. I could spend hours getting lost in her site, looking at the holiday craft ideas and cupcake galleries. She knows her stuff, that crazy, uptight hard-ass.
Magic peanut butter middles -- I have almost all the ingredients to these cookie already in my pantry. It's as if I can't NOT make them.
Ricotta orange poundcake with strawberries -- I polled Twitter (more helpful than Google!) and it was unanimous that I could bake with alcohol while not drinking alcohol. So, no judgment allowed lovelies!
Chocolate whiskey and beer cupcakes -- these seem complicated but I'd love to brighten someone's St. Patrick's day with these.
Marble chiffon cake -- I have a soft spot for marbled desserts, and I have absolutely no idea why. That's an odd thing to cause nostalgia, but do you know me? Odd ain't off-base.
Blueberry lemon pound cake -- I like pound cake. It gives the illusion of fewer calories even though that's ridiculous, I know.
Mocha silk pie -- The Pioneer Woman so very rarely fails me. I know a food blogger has staying power in my house, when a recipe gets Mike-approved. He's asked for a few of her recipes to "go in the rotation." That's as good as it gets for him.
And, finally...
Rocky road cupcakes -- That picture is worth a thousand "mmms," isn't it?
Which would you make first?