apple muffins.

one of my favorite things to do is search for new food blogs

with great recipes, great pictures, and good feedback.

i really love trying new recipes. sometimes they fail, but i like the challenge.

to kick off fall, i made apple muffins.

yes, with real chunks of apple

& even applesauce (instead of oil)

these were delicious.

very moist with a crunchy topping.

[recipe]

the key to a great muffin is not over-mixing the batter.

literally, only mix until the ingredients are barely combined.

also, you can substitute applesauce for oil.

if you're nervous, try 1/2 oil 1/2 applesauce

but really, 100% applesauce makes the muffin more hearty and natural.

yellow

butt(::)n

♥

turkey chili, corn bread, & cheddar scones.

hi!

so, a few weeks ago, mike & i decided to invite people over to watch football.

a sport i cheered for, for 9 years. a sport that mike barely knows...

but how fun it was to cook chili, cornbread& scones

for my friends to enjoy during the game one sunday night.

i think our love of cooking for our friends made this meal even better.

homemade turkey chili.

basic, hearty, and spicy.

little cornbread muffins.

because...well, they're much more cute.

jalapeno cheddar scones.

absolutely delightful and so flavorful.

[recipe]

we hope to have many more game nights,

but mainly to cook and feed our friends

because it's what we love.

yellow

butt(::)n

♥

100th.

stay tuned!

new recipes!

new adventures!

new pictures!

new helpful tips!

thanks for reading.

yellow

butt(::)n

♥

chicken soup.

since February, I have been making this basic soup
that I found in my taste of home cookbook
over the months, I have changed it, but still sticking to the same base.
soup is seriously an incredible thing.
Even on warmer days, I'm totally okay with eating a huge bowl of soup with crusty bread.

what to do.
I saute garlic, onions, carrots, & celery in a bit of oil.
Add seasonings, but don't go overboard on salt.
if I have homemade stock on hand, I use that,
but when I don't, I prefer bouillan cubes instead of buying a huge box of stock.
so at this point. I add the cubes & water [about 8 cubes, 8-10 cups water]
Let it boil.

In another pan, saute garlic in oil.
Add chicken, & brown [7-9 minutes]
Once cooked, transfer to a cutting board and let cool.

Add beans & pasta! I always use white cannenilli beans
and an entire bag/box of good, sturdy pasta [egg noodles work really well]
Let it boil, again.

Reduce heat.
Pull the chicken using 2 forks or your hand, then add to the soup.
If I have zucchini and squash, I add it now.
Cover the soup, and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Right before serving, I add handfuls [3 cups] of washed spinach [without the stems of course]
Stir & serve with your favorite bread or crackers.


I am a baker that loves to cook as much as I love to bake.

yellow

butt(::)n

♥

granola bars.

i've made granola quite a few times in the past,

but never in the form of a bar.

this was my first attempt at making granola bars..

unsuccessful, yes.

tasty, yep!

the problem?

i used too big of a baking dish so they couldn't set properly.

the next time i make these, i will use a shallow pan!

but anyways, here are a few pictures that i just love.

since they didn't set, i bagged it all up and just ate it as regular granola.

thank goodness for things that are versatile.

yellow

butt(::)n

♥

eggplant.

one of our favorite dinners is chicken parmesan.

but last weekend, we decided to make eggplant parmesan.

first, start with farm fresh eggplant.

slice it, coat it in a batter, and fry it!

make the sauce...

layer the eggplant, sauce, & cheese in a baking dish.

bake until the cheese is melted.

serve over pasta &enjoy!

yellow button is more than just baking!

i love cooking almost as much as i love to bake.

i try to make something basic, yet tasty every night for dinner

and i love cooking for other people. it really is a simple joy

yellow

butt(::)n

♥

farm stand adventures, 2

hello, again!

farm stand adventures is back for round 2.

this time, Quaker Lane Farm Stand in Quakertown, NJ.

The cutest little back road farm stand ever.

I met the cutest old man there.

He has this little handmade farm stand set up on his property,

 as well as a huge garden filled with flowers & veggies.

He thought I was from the newspaper because I was taking pictures [haha]

But I do admit that he had a huge tomato farm with gorgeous tomatoes!

I bought tomatoes, onions, & corn.

Totally forgot that I bought the corn, and used it a whole week later for my corn bread muffins

and the corn was still beautiful, perfect, and crunchy.

I can't wait to visit that stand again & bring a baked good!

yellow

butt(::)n

♥

bourbon peach cupcakes.

as always, smitten kitchen is perfect.

perfect little recipes for me to make & share with you.

...

labor day consisted of baking these cupcakes

& then sharing them, well at least trying to, with an entire picnic.

bad idea only bringing a dozen? yes.

good idea putting them inside during the party? no.

the usual labor day picnic with The Fudge Shoppe family

loaded with burgers and dogs,

salads, and sides

pulled pork drenched in beer

& the most perfect chili

....dessert to follow....

i went inside to grab the tupperware of peach cupcakes from the refrigerator

but they were already taken out.

there were 3 men staring at me with red faces.

guilty as charged.

5! not 4, not 3, not 2, not 1.

but 5 cupcakes were already gone!

i was happily pleased that the guests enjoyed them.

we spent the rest of the evening making jokes about the cupcakes

& about how badly they wanted me to buy more ingredients,

go inside, and just make them right there.

...taking my ordering forms from now on!

yellow

butt(::)n

a very happy birthday.

for my mom, my inspiration.

she prefers vanilla buttercream + vanilla cake

 but this year we changed it up a bit.

some chocolate cupcakes with $%#@ incredible chocolate buttercream

& a simple white cake frosted with that ^ same icing.

she.loved.it.

we all did.

happy birthday!

here's to another year.

♥ mom ♥

yellow

butt(::)n

pink & yellow wedding

a pink & yellow barn wedding.

absolutely adorable.

125 cupcakes; vanilla, chocolate, & lemon.

a barn fully lit by the sun & string lights.

shavings on the ground...

mason jars & sunflowers

galvanized buckets...

potted mums & hay bales in the distance

a perfect jersey barn wedding!

Congratulations to Elise & Lucas

yellow

butt(::)n

♥

farm stand adventures.

new new new new new new new.

im starting a new segment on my blog

called, 'farm stand adventures!'

i will be checking out little family operated stands until december

i figured this was a good idea since i take pictures of everything i bake/cook,

i might as well show you where it all comes from!

first on the list, Bonacorsi Family Farm

located in Flemington, NJ on RT 579.

i thoroughly enjoyed this little stand.

everything was priced accurately, and looked great.

they offer 'pick your own' seasonally, too.

everything is grown on their farm. they do not re-sell, and i love that!

[website]

i bought peaches, apples, & onions that will last us a week.

definitely a cute little stand that i will visit again.

those peaches were the best yet.

yellow

butt(::)n

let's have smore'!

chocolate cupcake.

marshmallow buttercream.

graham cracker crumbs.

deeee-lish!

[recipe]

always.

yellow butt(::)n

♥