Yesterday I was meeting up with a friend and wanted to bake something special. My friend is a fan of lemon desserts and chocolate, so I thought I would be all fancy and make lemon bars with an Oreo cookie crust. And, of course, since I am a domestic goddess, I would just create this new recipe a few hours before we were supposed to get together. (Does this sound familiar to anyone?)
Well, the thought was nice. Thankfully, my friends are not just in it for the baked goods.
My crust did not quite come together (not enough butter?), so the lemon bar and crust merged and became choco-lemon pudding sludge. We tasted them last night. My husband took a bite and then very gently said, “what do you think about them?”
I think next time we’ll make chocolate chip cookies. That’s what I think. In the meantime, there is a fat stack of Oreo cookies to cheer me up.
Tomorrow I have a free give-away and Friday, I’m trying another new recipe for my husband’s birthday. This time I will be entering the kitchen with great humility. I’ll let you know how it goes — either way.
Filed under In the Kitchen.
Tagged with failed recipes, kitchen.
Yesterday, a delivery man showed up with a surprise package from my sister. She sent me this package of cloud-shaped marshmallows! Aren’t they adorable? They even come in chocolate. Apparently, you can get these at Cost Plus World Market.
I keep hearing tales of extreme weather, so maybe you could use a little pick me up. The nice thing about these clouds is that they melt away eventually.
Surprise mail is such a nice thing. It makes me want to try harder to send out special notes and treats in the mail this year. My sister and her husband are masters at this. I aspire to be that thoughtful. Thanks guys! You made my day.
Filed under Friends & Family, In the Kitchen.
Tagged with mail, marshmallow clouds.
By Kelly
February 3, 2011
Happy Friday, everyone!
Well, I had high hopes of sharing a yummy recipe to head into the weekend. I decided to try that chocolate cake with peanut butter glaze I had posted about here. I know I’m probably not the only one going through major holiday sweets withdrawal. I’m a firm believer in having some kind of dessert on hand — preferably something on the healthier, low-calorie side.
This chocolate cake (made with oat flour, natural sugars, etc.) seemed to fit the bill. An added bonus? My husband doesn’t like peanut butter so I wouldn’t even have to share! Well, the cake is great. (Not so enthusiastic about the glaze, but maybe I just need to try again. The raw sugar really does not mix very well.) However, my cake was not very photogenic. I don’t know about you, but when I start playing around with stuff like oat flour, I’m just happy it’s edible. This is a cake I recommend eating straight out of the pan with a fork. (Yes, I do that. It’s ok. I lean really far over the counter so as not to get crumbs on the floor.)
I am still working on that sewing project from yesterday. I had a little seam allowance mishap, but it should be fixable. Thank you, thank you for all of your hilarious comments about my decorating dilemma. You all made me feel so much better!
[These pictures are from one of the pathways at the LA Arboretum. Just another little bright spot in my week... Hope you have a wonderful weekend!]
Filed under In the Kitchen.
Tagged with chocolate cake, cooking, peanut butter glaze.
About a billion years ago, I purchased this tea towel (above) from Cost Plus with the idea of turning it into an apron. The other day I found it in my cabinet and thought I should finally sew that! So today, I snuck away from my desk for a minute to fold the towel in half and stitch a simple tie. Of course, I had about 50 ideas for how to make this project fancier or more complicated (ruffles! pockets! trim! interfacing! patchwork!). In the end, I looked at the clock and decided to go the low-tech route. Thank goodness I did. My brain is mush today!
I measured twice and cut — well, about 4 times actually. I kept forgetting my measurements and making these sort of sad, bizarre errors. Clearly my mind is rebelling against the thought of any more work! Anyone else out there with Friday mush-brain?
Anyway, I’m sharing all this just so you know that it does not always go perfectly the first time. But the apron is pretty cute! I might actually look forward to doing the dishes tonight. Um, on second thought, no. No, that was a terrible lie. Well, at least I’ll look cheerful doing it.
I hope you have a great weekend! I’m going to try relax a bit. Rest the mind, you know… See you next week!
Filed under Fabric & Sewing, In the Kitchen.
Tagged with tea towel apron.
It’s Friday (yay!) and I’m celebrating the end of the week by baking an apple pie. It’s part celebration – part necessity, since I have a lot of apples from our trip last weekend. As much as I’m looking forward to the smell of cinnamon and sugar, I am not looking forward to washing and peeling all of these little guys. I think I may have to make myself some hot apple cider first to get in the mood.
I have an apple pie recipe that I like, but I’m thinking about branching out and trying this one instead. You heat the sugar, butter, and some water in a pan and then pour it over the top of your lattice crust. Yum. Ok, I’m feeling better about the peeling the more we talk about this. I wish I could invite some of you over for a taste test!
I am so ready for fall. The mornings have been a little cooler and foggy, but it’s still not quite time for sweaters yet. Yesterday, I drove by the lot where they were starting to set up tents and awnings for the pumpkin patch. Last year, I was so busy prepping for Fall Quilt Market that I missed getting a pumpkin altogether. This time, I’m dragging my husband there early so we can be their first customers. (Don’t feel too bad for him. They do have petting zoo animals for him to photograph.)
Any signs of fall where you are? Hope you have a lovely weekend.
Filed under In the Kitchen.
Tagged with apple pie, fall.
By Kelly
September 17, 2010