easy as pie

here comes another confession...I don't enjoy cooking/baking. I feel like it's a sin for a woman to say that...or at least a turn off to the average man, but I'm definitely learning that I can't keep eating sandwiches and pasta for the rest of my life.

For this reason, real simple, pintrest, and food gawker have been my best friends in the kitchen. I never knew how many delicious things you could make with 3 ingredients in 10 minutes. Little by little I've stepped it up and tried the more complicated recipes that require you to do things like "sprinkle with the zest", "whisk vigorously", and "flute edges attractively"...but it's the amature friendly recipes that I'm having fun with.

Here are a few (and my "what not to do next time" tips):

Parmesan Hash Brown Cups

Mix together with 2 tbsp of olive oil
Spoon mixture evenly into 12 muffin cups
With the back of a spoon, gently pack mixture into each cup
Bake for 60-75 minutes at 350 degrees

Unfortunately I rushed out the door to a "breakfast for dinner" party, so there is no finished product picture...but next time:
*use less salt
*I estimated 20 ounces from a 30 ounce bag..should have used more (I think 4 cups)
*In my opinion they were overcooked. I would try 50 mins.

This one is SUPER easy, fun, and will be gone in 5 mins
1. Prepare bundt pan by spraying it with cooking spray
2. Pop 2 bags of popcorn (remove kernals that didn't pop)
3. Mix in 2 cups of m&ms (I used peanut butter m&ms)
4. Mix in 1-1/2 broken pretzel sticks
5. Melt 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter over low in a large saucepan
6. Add 16oz. bag of marshmallows (8cups)
7. Stir until smooth
8. Pour over popcorn mix
9. Stir until all the ingredients are combined and then press into the bundt pan
10. Cover with foil and let set for at least an hour to cool

I've made this twice now and it's a big hit.
I'm not sure I would do anything differently!

Apple Pie (in an apple)

Use a pre-made pie crust to top it off
(cut flowers with a cookie cutter and make some holes to release vapor while baking)
Bake at 370°F for about 40 minutes

There are quite a few things I would do differently...but it was definitely tasty enough to try again...so, for next time:
*get bigger apples (and the granny apple was a little too tart)
*carve out less (make sure the apple will hold up when cooking)
*coat the pie crust with some melted butter and sugar
*I'm not sure how, but I would cook them differently..maybe broil them?
The apple "shell" didn't hold up very well :(

And if you're really going for *special* you should try and add some SPECULOUS

Next up on the menu: Three Cheese Pasta Bake (hey--it's a step up from my classic noodles with butter and parmesan).