Why you wish I was YOUR mommy

I've been in a really good mood lately. Maybe it's the return of the Vampire Diaries? Maybe the imminent start of post season baseball sans red sox? Maybe the turning of the leaves? Maybe the discovery of an IKEA less than an hour away? Whatever it is love is in the air in the Behr house and that love has inspired me to bake!

In the last week my baking addiction has been fed my lots of awesome new recipes and the organization that came with my new Ikea shelves (30 dollars!). I'll be putting up pictures of the donut maker soon but this is the story of my adventures in food in the last 24 hours.

First, to prove we don't just eat baked good and bon bons all day I took a picture of Kyle's favorite chicken. The recipe is secret. Mostly because I made it up and don't really follow a recipe when I make it. But it is YUMS.


Last night I made Sam Adam's Octoberfest Beer Bread. Here is a picture of a Sam Adams Octoberfest beer with it's love child, beer bread.

Here is a close up of the beer bread in a pretty serving dish. Kyle was very thrilled and so were his coworkers today. There was probably two times this amount when it first cam out of the oven but that all went in Kyle's belly. Allegedly he shared with his coworkers but I'm not sure I believe him.

When it comes to cookies, I'll be honest... I just usually follow the Nestle Toll House recipe. I ascribe to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" method of thinking when it comes to these delishious bits of heaven. I've NOMed on these my whole life and have never been disappointed. Notice the finger marks in the bowl. They are totally not because I at the cookie dough raw. I'm not currently in a sick good cookie dough food coma either.

In the oven. Almost done. I'm jonesing.

At laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaast, my looooove has come along! I'm bad at making them into tiny little perfect circles of happy so I'm going to say that in honor of the feast day of Saint Michael the Arch Angel, I made this angelic sweetness into the shape of angel wings! See? Totally works.

The real test lies with the two year old. Even Juliette is waiting excitedly for the review.

The reviews are in! Mommy is awesome at cookies!

And Kyle is just really happy to be doing the dishes for SUCH an awesome wife. Actually, he had a very cranky face on in the first two shots but I coaxed a smile out of him. And I am submitting it as proof that he enjoys cleaning.


For those of you interested this is the super not so secret Love of the Lamb Beer Bread recipe. You'll want to kiss me.

Ingredients:

* 3 cups bread flour
* 3 tsp Baking powder
* 3/4 tsp Salt
* 3/4 tsp Baking soda
* 1/4 cup Sugar (or honey)
* 12 fl oz Beer; any kind
* 1/2 c Butter; melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 8 X 5 inch loaf pan. Line with a strip of wax paper and grease the paper. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. With an electric mixer, beat in the beer (or stir in with a wooden spoon, but not so much that you stir out all the bubbles and the bread won't rise!) Mix until smooth. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with melted butter. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

You. Are. Welcome.