Check out my recipe for sautéed spinach with mozzarella at Fit Fare. It’s a delicious variation on the usual sautéed spinach (or boiled or steamed). I love the cheese with the nutrient-packed spinach. Total YUM!!!

I think Will might love my Kitchen Aid almost as much as I do. He’s always checking it out, rattling the bowl (which is off for cleaning in this photo), and generally poking around it. Did I mention that he is officially a walker now?

I thought this was a fitting food-oriented baby photo for Weekend Baby Blogging, hosted by Gabrielle at My Life As A Reluctant Housewife. Check out her site on Monday for a round up of all the cute babies. (She has twins!!)

I’ve been trying to get onto blogger to post all day, but kept getting errors. As a result this is going to be a very brief post after a long day with a few good links.

If all goes well tomorrow though, I will be posting a few delightful new recipes. And I have been asked to create more cupcakes. As it turns out, my son inherited my sweet tooth.

There’s a strange, somewhat new occupation for college aged-girls that blurs the lines of underage women, sex and alcohol a bit much for my tastes. Check out my report on it at Paper Palate here. (NOTE: Paper Palate is no longer)

On a lighter note, no pun intended, check out my step by step pictorial on microwaved potato chips at Fit Fare (NOTE: Fit Fare is no longer). These chips are crispy, tasty and virtually fat free. How cool is that? You can also read a recent post I wrote about them here at Cucina Bella.

Finally, a public service announcement. If you happen to be near Newtown, Conn., on July 1-5, it would be worth your while to drop by the 31st Annual Friends of the Library Book Sale, held at Reed Middle School. Last year I picked up dozens of great older cookbooks very inexpensively.

2/3 cup heavy cream
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan on a burner over medium heat. Cook until just shy of boiling.

Remove the pan from the burner and stir in chocolate. Continue stirring until chocolate is fully melted. Let sit for a few minutes before using to allow chocolate to firm slightly.

I am on the hunt for fantastic, perfect, pretty frostings. So far I have tried two from my Betty Crocker Cookbook: chocolate ganache and vanilla buttercream.

I really like the ganache, particularly with the bittersweet chocolate I used to create it. It wasn’t too sweet and just lightly coated the cupcake. I really appreciated how it complemented the moist chocolate cake and cream filling. Check here for a picture of that creation.

But I wanted more than just a ganache. I wanted a rich, melt-in-your-mouth, mmmm-ing buttercream. Unfortunately, the recipe didn’t quite do that for me. Sure, it came out pretty. And sure, it tasted okay. But it was too sweet for my tastes and too much like a grocery store sheet cake. As it turns out, buttercream usually involves some sort of eggs and there are a wide variety of versions like French and Danish.

Of course, my husband and son loved the one I made.

Nonetheless, I am not satisfied. I need a better buttercream and I will find it.

(Look for the recipes here tomorrow for both the ganache and the buttercream – I am too tired to transcribe right now).

Once in a while we all need a day to ourselves without blogging. Today was that day for me, though I still cooked. Check into tomorrow for some unusual recipes (from me). Until then, have a lovely night.

Scrappy (left) and Snoopy (right) were down for their early afternoon nap when I snapped this photo earlier. Who would’ve thought a dog could sleep in a position like Scrappy, who was half sitting up while resting again the pillow.

Apparently, he needed this siesta before running off to take a trip around the neighborhood this afternoon. I think he’s outsmarted the electric fence.

Check out Sweetnicks later to see more cut doggie pics as part of the weekly Weekend Dog Blogging event!

The Hartford Courant had some unfamiliar recipes this week that featured (gulp) rabbit. Sorry, but I am just not that adventurous. Let the little hopping fur balls be pets, not dinner. Check out my write up on Paper Palate (now defunct) for more details, and a link to the article in case that happens to be your fancy.

It’s strawberries time – they are ripe for pickin’ and at their sweetest now. I cannot wait to get out into the fields and get some for myself. I can already picture all the delights I will make with them – strawberry shortcakes, roulades, etc.