tales from my convection oven.

i love to bake.  this is not news.  it is probably the single most logical reason for my recent weight gain and the reason that, despite working out a lot and redefining my shape a bit, the weight really isn't coming off.

being domestic makes me want to bake things. the fact that my husband likes the desserts doesn't help with that. 

but lately, i have been experimenting.  and by experimenting i mean i am taking recipes or mixes and doing other stuff with them. the first successful execution of this "by gosh and by golly" attitude was valentine's day, when i made a sour cream devil's food cake just by sort of winging it. 

it was delicious.

also for valentine's day, i made musicboy chocolate chocolate chunk cookies which are his favorite.  then we started watching gilmore girls and saw this:



right before they start singing the best song ever, lorelei asks rory why she's carrying a bag of rocky road cookies, since she hates them.  behold, the seed was planted.  the next time i made cookies, i decided to give it a whirl.

i really just took this recipe and tossed in some mini marshmallows that i had in my cabinet.  funny things happened. number one, they were AWESOME.  but the marshmallows didn't stay intact as i thought they would.  they melted and got hard and at first i was like NOOOOO but then i ate them and was like YESSSS.  word to the wise: use a VERY non-stick pan or grease that bad boy up.  the marshmallows will cause megastickage if you don't.  the way i make them, this recipe usually makes about 48-50 cookies (making them about 100 calories each).  they're worth it. 

also, i realized the following:

• jiffy apple cinnamon muffins are MUCH better if you use applesauce instead of the egg, a splash of milk, and toss in some extra cinnamon and nutmeg. when they're baking, they smell like apple fritters.  seriously.
• baked apples--the easiest treat ever and not at all unhealthy.  granny smith apples.  a bit of transfat free margarine and cinnamon sugar (you can use splenda if you'd like, but sugar isn't that calorically dense if you use it wisely).  i throw nutmeg in there and it is YUMMY.
• 100 calorie brownies: i'm sure most of you have heard of these (devil's food cake mix and pumpkin) but did you know that a) you can split the cake mix into two and it makes a loaf-size cake? and b) you can use 1/2 cup of pureed sweet potato as a substitute? i was dying to make these, as they are sometimes the only things that keep me from diving face first into musicboy's cookies, but the Great Pumpkin Shortage of 2009-2010 continues.  the grocery store had NONE.  i was sad, but then remembered that i had some purees left.  it worked as well, if not better, and i think it might be healthier anyway.  sweet potatoes to the rescue!

i'm very excited about my newly discovered ability to make junk up and have it not taste like yuck.  that was always what i aspired to be.  when i have more time, in some distant unrecognizable future, i may start trying it with more adventurous things.  like side dishes.  and vegetables.  but for now, baking will do.