Schweet 'N Savory

I've had a lot of fun with the food blogging and have gotten to try out lot's of neat recipes because it. (I've found some pretty schweet food blogs through it too!) I'm going to give blogging a break for right now though, and put my concentration into other things until everything slows down. Thanks for reading my little blog and all your comments!!

-Melissa

♦DiggIt! ♦Add to del.icio.us ♦Add to Technorati Faves

Yesterday, for the first time ever, I made homemade brownies! Usually I make brownies as a last resort, and end up whipping them up from a box mix. Yesterday however, was different and not only did I make the brownies from scratch, but I also made them in mini cupcake pans and topped them with some bite size snickers. They were so cute, not to mention scrumptious!! I'll definitely be making them again, but next time, I'll probably cover them completely with snickers so they resemble mini cupcakes with a chewy snickers frosting. (These ones just had a square snicker in the center.) Also, I'll make sure to completely grease the pan so all of them come out whole, instead of just the snickery top. =) If you are wandering, the brownie mix made a great brownie and I would use it anytime over a box mix. You can always tell the finished product will be yummy if the batter is delish!!


Snicker Topped Brownies
(Makes about 36 mini muffin sized brownies.)
2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
18 Snickers Minis, halved

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Next, mix in the butter, vanilla, and eggs. Grease a mini sized muffin pan and fill each muffin cup with the brownie batter.

♦DiggIt! ♦Add to del.icio.us ♦Add to Technorati Faves

Without a doubt, Fall is definitely my favorite season, so I am super excited that it is just around the corner. I love the chilliness in the air, the colors, and the smells! There is something so comforting about the smell of a baking loaf of pumpkin bread, or a simmering stew on a chilly day. So what better way to welcome the arrival of Fall, than with some scrumptiously delicious, pumpkin muffins? This recipe is one of my families' favorites, and is actually intended for pumpkin cupcakes. We however, just skip the frosting and call them muffins. =)



Pumpkin Muffins
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
Yields: 24 muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

♦DiggIt! ♦Add to del.icio.us ♦Add to Technorati Faves

This past weekend we were up in Pennsylvania for a wedding, and decided to stop in Philly for some sightseeing and food. One of the places we stopped at, was the Dining Car & Market. It had been featured on Guy's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. They are known for their French Onion Soup, Chicken Croquettes, and of course, being open 24/7. One neat thing about the diner, is that it was actually constructed in New Jersey, where the original diner was. When it was finished, it was trucked to Philly, where it serves up all it's yummy dishes now.

When we stopped here, it was around 10:30 a.m.. I really wanted to get breakfast but since it was The Dining Car, I decided I needed to try the soup and chicken croquettes. So that's what I did! The French Onion Soup really was the best I had ever had. It came in a huge crock, piping hot with croutons and lots of melted cheese on top!

The chicken Croquettes were very interesting. I've never had anything quite like them and I'm not sure that I knew what I was getting when I ordered them. They have a breaded, fried outer shell and are filled with a pasty, creamy, chicken mixture, very old school. =) The croquettes were served on a bed of mashed potatoes, which by the way were delicious, and topped off with some gravy.
You can find the recipe for these chicken croquettes here: Chicken Croquettes Recipe

Another thing I wasn't prepared for was the huge amount of food that came with these. Besides the mashed potatoes and croquettes themselves, the dish came with two other sides, a side salad, and a roll. And the roll...it was very special. =) They don't just give you an ordinary roll, but one of their very own cinnamon rolls from their bakery!

Over all, I had a lot of fun trying out The Dining Car. Everything was very fresh, not something you always find at a local diner. If you are ever looking for a place to stop in Philly, and craving some delicious, inexpensive, comfort food, definitely give this place a try!

Here are a few of the many pictures we took in Philadelphia:




Did I mention I also got a 6 week old puppy this weekend? I didn't know it would be like having a new born baby (just what I need for the beginning of the school year), but he is still a lot of fun. =) His name is Corbin.

♦DiggIt! ♦Add to del.icio.us ♦Add to Technorati Faves