BAKING THERAPY!!!

i had quite the day today, so i knew that i needed to cook/bake. unfortunately i wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone tonite. so the only communicating i wanted to do was with my kitchen aid mixer. sorry baby for being in such a mood but dinner was good ;)

for dinner i made a recipe that i found while going through a stack of recipes i have laying around. i got it from martha stewart.

tomato and olive penne

Serves 4; Prep time: 25 minutes; Total time: 25 minutes
The cherry tomatoes cook just long enough to bring out their juice, which blends with the garlic-flavored olive oil to make one of the best-tasting pasta sauces. If you’re cooking for children who don’t like black olives, toss the olives in for the adults after you’ve served the kids.


Salt and pepper

1 pound penne or other short pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2/3 pound cherry tomatoes (2 cups), halved or quartered

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook penne according to package instructions until al dente, about 13 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, until just golden, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring, until tomato juices run, about 3 minutes.

3. Add penne, olives, parsley, and 1/4 cup Parmesan to the skillet and toss to combine. Serve with more cheese if desired.



Note: The easiest way to pit an olive is to lay a wide chef¿s knife over it and smack the blade with your fist or the palm of your hand. The olive should split open, and the pit will pop right out.



this was very, very good! i would like to try it next time with maybe some red or green peppers.

then on to the baking therapy. gosh how i love how baking makes me feel. must be the same way someone feels after they see their shrink.



i made these peanutbutter cookies except this time instead of reeses pieces, i added cashews. these turned out very well. i was worried b/c the cashews were salted and i thought that maybe i shoulda then not have added the salt that the recipe called for. but they turned out very good.



next, i made some coconut bars out of the new martha stewart "holiday cookies" magazine. i am not sure how these are going to turn out. i then added hershey kisses with almonds to the center of each bar.

coconut bars

using condensed and evaporated milk keeps these bars chewy

vegetable oil cooking spray
1 lb. grated fresh or unsweetened shredded coconut
2 3/4 cups of sugar
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1. coat a 13 by 18 inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. stir together coconut, sugar, condensed moik, and evaporated milk in a large saucepan. cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 30 minutes.

2. pour coconut mixture onto prepared sheet. spread to 1/2 inch thick using an offset spatula; shape into a 12 by 13 inch rectangle. let cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. cut into 1 1/2 by 2 inch bars. store between layers of parchment paper in airtight containers at room temperature up to one week.



note: i only had sweetened coconut, so i eliminated the sugar the recipe called for. i also used a fat free sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. my coconut mixture was still a lil bit runny when i put it in the pan. i hope they turn out okay. i would hate to think that i wasted all that stuff. i'll let ya'll know how they turn out.

hope everyone had a good day :)