Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes

Everyone in New York knows that the Magnolia Bakery cupcakes are the best. I've been obsessed with those cupcakes for years. They are worth all the hype. So you can imagine my joy when I found out that there is a Magnolia Bakery cook book with a recipe for these cupcakes. Of course I had to try to see if I could recreate the yummy treats at home. And I can. The recipe comes out totally delicious and the cupcakes are almost the exact replica of the cupcakes from the actual bakery. The only difference is that mine don't look quite as pretty. But pretty enough...and now I can recreate these whenever I fancy a good cupcake. 

Up-side Down Pear Cake

Here's a cake that came out so good I had to bake it twice in a row. My husband brought home a huge box of pears and I was trying to think of ways to use them before going bad. So I decided to bake something with pears, and for some reason settled on an up-side down cake. Turns out the pears were perfect for it, and the cake was so easy to make, and so delicious, that I am sure to make it again at some point. Here's the recipe:

• 1 and 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 pears, peeled, halted and seeds removed

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9 inch springform cake pan.

Peel pears, cut in half and remove seeds.

In the prepared pan, combine 3 tablespoon butter (cut up and dropped on the bottom of the pan), and the brown sugar. Place the pan in the oven until the butter melts and the brown sugar caramelizes a little. Then take out and set aside.

Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and milk, alternating both, until combined. No need to mix all that much.

Arrange the pears in the pan, with the flat side down, narrow side pointing to the center. Pour the cake batter on top.

Bake for 50 mins to an hour, allow to cool 15 mins before serving.

Enjoy.

Quiche

Last weekend I made a quiche for the first time, and I have to brag a bit, because it came out great. The kids loved it, and even though "real men don't eat quiche", my husband loved it too. Making it felt like quite a bit of work though, maybe because I am a cook that prefers to make quick things, and don't like to follow recipes too close. For the quiche though, I was not brave enough to stray from the recipe, which I found from the New York Times. I think it's from Mark Bittman, one of my favorite chefs ever. (Mark's book, How to Cook Everything, is amazing, truly amazing, and has helped me learn to cook over the years.) But back to the quiche. Once I got the dough right, the quiche was not that difficult to make. I used some nice tomatoes (the recipe called for heirloom, but I used plum tomatoes), goat cheese and basil (from my own backyard where I have plenty of it), and of course eggs. I would be happy to share the recipe if anyone wants it. I am going to keep it until I can find one that calls for a dough that doesn't have to be rolled out...that step to me is cumbersome and time consuming. If I could find a dough that could just be pressed into the pie plate, I could make quiche every weekend. But until then, this will be a rare treat.

Here are some pics of the deliciousness.