BAKE 52: WEEK 37

DEEP DISH PIZZA

How can carbs be the enemy when they taste this good?!  And how can homemade pizza taste this good?  I never, EVER thought I would love a homemade pizza crust--ever!  But I really did love this one; it was soft and crispy and tasted just like "real" pizza.  I'm still searching for a great pizza sauce, though.  I don't love the one used in this recipe, but I'm happy to keep making this pizza in search of the right sauce.  It was really simple to make also.  Amanda was our host this week and you can get the recipe at her blog HERE.

Bake 52: WEEK 36

TUNNEL OF FUDGE CAKE

Doesn't the name Tunnel of Fudge make you think of Tunnel of Love?  And really, that's what this cake is; a tunnel of everything you love about chocolate.  It has a rich, gooey core surrounded by moist chocolate-y cake and drizzled with a semi-sweet chocolate glaze.  A love affair waiting to happen.  

Except, I totally messed up the recipe by mixing ingredients the wrong way.  I mixed the melted chocolate mixture right into the powdered sugar mixture.  Immediately, I realized something was wrong.  It was all dry and clumpy.  I reread the directions and, sure enough, I had done it wrong!  I should have taken a picture of the final batter; it was a lumpy mess.  I guess that's what happens when you're having fun baking (and talking too much) with a friend!  Somehow (I really, REALLY don't know how) it still turned out, maybe not as runny as some others, but still really gooey and delicious!  It made me love this cake all the more.  So if you want a super fabulous cake that looks fancy and tastes incredible and one you can't screw up, this is it!  Janet was our host and you can get the recipe HERE.

P.S.  I'm not even going to admit how much of this cake I ate myself!

BAKE 52: WEEK 35

CRUNCHY GRANOLA BARS

 First, don't hate me because of the picture.  I tried to be artistic, I even threw a pencil in a picture or two (trying to capture the back-to-school feeling these bars conveyed, I was feeling it, man!).  It didn't work, I don't know why I'm balancing cookies on top of a glass.  Maybe I'm still a little giddy about the kids being back in school and feeling like "good mom" today for having these crunchy granola bar on the table when they walked through the door.  Or maybe it was the sugar rush from eating the rest of the bag of M&M's. Regardless,  the pictures suck, but the bars didn't, much.  Here's what I have to say about them:

They taste exactly like their name!  I wasn't overly impressed with them, but they were easy and kinda healthy and I have lots of ideas for making them better.  I think I'll number them.

1.  Next time I will not cook for full recommended time, I felt like they were a little overdone.  I thought I was making them better with the M&M's, but the chocolate actually burnt and gave the bars that slightly burnt chocolate taste. Blah.

2.  Instead of cutting them into bars, I'd break them into chunks,

3.  And add M&M's, raisins, something salty like peanuts or cashews, and maybe another dried fruit.

4.  The end result:  a slightly glorified trail mix.

5.  Okay, this numbering thing is not working for me, I should keep my creativity to baking.  Do you' feel like y-our "reaDing a sequel to Flowers for Algernon?!.

Try this recipe, if for nothing else but to say you've made granola bars. Crunchy granola bars!  Emily was our host this week and you can get the recipe at her blog HERE.

BAKE 52: WEEK 34

GLAZED LEMON COOKIES

   I love lemons, I love cookies.  So why have I never made these before?  Just another one of the reasons I love this baking group!  And this one is simple and easy.  You can get the recipe at Michelle's blog, HERE.

BAKE 52: WEEK 32

RASPBERRY STREUSEL BARS

Another great summer recipe and one of those that I can't believe I haven't made before!  I really can't get enough of the summer fruit! It was simple to make and smelled delish baking.  Jennifer was our host this week and you can the recipe at her blog HERE.

BAKE 52: WEEK 31

CHEDDAR CHEESE BREAD

This was simply a great cheese bread that I will make again.  I loved the Parmesan cheese on top and bottom, it really did give it a blast of flavor.  The only thing I would have to disagree with the recipe is it said to resist the urge to slice the bread while it is piping hot.  Supposedly the texture of the bread improves while it cools. But, since I strongly believe that the only way to eat bread is piping hot out of the oven, that's exactly what I did.  And with no regrets.  Because it was really, really good! Period.
Betsy was our host this week and you can get the recipe at her blog HERE. 

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BAKE 52: WEEK 30

MONKEY BREAD

I have been wanting to make monkey bread forever, but, (much like my Pinterest boards) it's a good idea that I've never got around to.  Until now, and man!  I've been missing out!  This was so, so, SO good!  It was like the best part of a cinnamon roll--that middle part that's soft and gooey with all the right stuff.  My husband, who can control himself with any kind of dessert, couldn't stop eating these.  And even the pickiest of my picky eaters (i have a few) loved this.  It was a great recipe to have the kids help with as well.  They were excited to make a treat with "monkey" in the name, plus it involved making balls out of dough and playing in butter and sugar.  This just may become a staple at my house.
The top (which was the bottom) was really, just something special.  A glazed crown of caramelized sugar, sticky and sweet.  Heavenly.

This is what happens when I bake with my monkeys:)

And while the pieces under it were wonderful too, I think next time I will make extra cinnamon sugar and pour a little more butter and sugar mixture in between layers.  Ooh, and under.  And over and around.  Try and get some more of that beautiful caramelization going.  Also, I want to make my super yummy cinnamon roll cream cheese frosting and really slather that stuff on top before I turn the pan over.  That way the bottom is special too.   

Ahh...I could go on and on about how great these were, how much more I like making these than cinnamon rolls, how much the kids loved pulling them apart and eating them, how much I really want to make another batch today because we ate it all yesterday...
Thank you, Jenn, for hosting this week!  You can get this fabulous recipe from Jenn's blog, HERE.