Something next to normal, that's the thing I'd like to try

Some of you may recall that my first-ever Cooking with Eowyn post involved my friend Kelly (aka per_aspera_ad_astra) and a mug cake made in the microwave. It was... not a smashing success. HOWEVER. Not to be defeated, I have returned to my roots with three mug + microwave recipes.

Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cup: This was not bad for a first effort. A little dry and more cake-like than cookie, really, but I think if you are going to be a microwave-baking aficionado, you just have to do some trial and error to get the timing right. These suckers go from too gooey to dry and crumbly in about five seconds. I might actually try this one again to see if I can get a better result. Also, of the three, it was the only one that seemed to be a good portion size for snacking.

Nutella Mug Cake: Whoa. I did not think I'd ever say this, but that is too much cake. If I make this again, I'd be sure to cut the recipe in half at least. I used a giant mug, which was completely filled when the cake was done. But it tasted good, although it mostly just tasted fudgy and not very Nutella-y. Also felt like it was lacking in texture - maybe needed some nuts?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake: Alas, I did not have any cream cheese to make the peanut butter mousse, but the cake by itself was pretty good. Nicely balanced, chocolatey and peanut buttery. And I used a regular-sized mug this time, but it still felt like too much cake. By the time I'd eaten 2/3 or so, I kind of didn't want any more cake? This is not a feeling I am familiar with!

Four new recipes, two of which I tried out during the hurricane, and two from a looooong time ago that I never posted. Whoops. Quick and dirty version:

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese - My never-ending quest for the perfect mac & cheese rears its ugly head again (I've got something like six more recipes, lol. I try to space them out so that I am not eating mac & cheese for weeks on end). I liked the addition of the squash. It might not quite satisfy if you have a craving for "traditional" M&C, but I'd make it again.

Gnocchi with Shrimp, Asparagus, and Pesto - This one only sort of counts, because I was lazy and used pre-made pesto. I don't think I'd ever be not-lazy enough to make my own pesto, but feel free to try it either way!

Creamy Scallop & Pea Fettuccine - YUM. I've developed a new addiction to lemon in creamy pasta dishes. Also, this recipe allows me to show off my awesome scallop-searing skills.

Pork Loin with Apple Cider Glaze - While I question the use of the term "glaze" (the marinade never really reduced enough, even after more than 20 minutes), it tasted pretty good. I served it over rice, which helped soak up all the liquid.

How about you? Made anything good lately?

In which the Internet proceeds to be hilarious.

Bravo, food.com users. Bravo.

I clearly suck at posting recipes soon after I've made them. I generally forget about it until I go to make the shopping list for my next batch of experiments, which is precisely what I was doing tonight, lol.

( Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Farfalle )

( Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken )

( Banana and Peanut Butter Flaxseed Cookies )

Good lord, we haven't had a cooking post in a long time, have we? That explains why I have ton of recipes to post. Fortunately, they're all pretty good ones this go-round!

( Balsamic Honey Chicken )

( Lemon Fettuccine with Bacon and Chives )

( Shrimp Newburg )

( Thai Pork and Peanut Stir-Fry )

Well, so far I am on target with my New Year's resolution... four weeks, four recipes!

( Tortellini-Alfredo Casserole )

( Chicken Thighs Pan-Seared in Maple Syrup Mustard Sauce )

Heh, I am not good at posting around holidays. Posting has already gotten scarce as I've been sucked into shopping and parties and such. Christmas kind of snuck up on me this year? I felt like I had all this time, and then all of a sudden, it's a week away and I'm only half finished my Christmas shopping and hadn't even put my tree up yet. (It's up now, don't worry.) One thing I made sure to get done, though, was my Christmas baking. :)

As I've probably mentioned before, my parents have the market cornered on Christmas butter cookies, so I like to try out new recipes to provide some variety. Here are this year's experiments, all delicious!

( Flourless Chocolate Brownies )

( Peanut Butter Caramel Chocolate Cake Bars )

( Lemon Berry Crumble Bars )

YOU GUYS! I made an apple pie! With apples I picked myself! And it is delicious!

Saturday was a trip to the farm for apple and pumpkin picking and a hayride. I came home with a dozen hand-picked apples, five potatoes (two of which have already become baked potatoes), an onion, two pumpkins (for decorative purposes, although I am totally craving pumpkin pie...), and half a gallon of apple cider. Mmmmmmm.

Now I have 8 apples left! What should I do with them?

Well, the housewarming party ended up rather nice. Only people from my building came, due to the nasty weather, but it was good to get to know my new neighbors better. And I'm planning to try again with the party thing in couple weeks, barring any further natural disasters. I do have two recipes for you, one of which is an old favorite from many parties of my youth, the other a new recipe I tried for the first time.

( Corned Beef Dip )

( Tortellini Bites )

Wow, I haven't had a cooking post in a looooong time. I'm such a slacker. Well, to catch you folks up, for my birthday (yes, two weeks ago) I decided to make this Goat-Cheese Macaroni recipe, which I'd been looking for an excuse to try.

First things first: this is way too much cheese for half a pound of pasta. WAY too much. Like, it was almost macaroni soup. I recommend either cutting the amount of cheese or adding a lot of extra meat and veggies to it. (I threw in some leftover chicken, which helped.) Otherwise, it's pretty tasty, but I definitely was craving some sort of texture. When I reheated the leftovers, I added some breadcrumbs on top.

I did not bother with the straining step, because I'm lazy and don't have a mesh strainer, but I don't think it affected it at all. Still, even without that, it's kind of a lot of work for mac & cheese, which is why I waited for a special occasion to try it. :)