March 24, 2010
Peanut Butter Fudge Krispies
I don’t know what possessed me to make these evil, evil things. Rice krispy treats laced with peanut butter and studded with salted peanuts? A layer of creamy peanut butter fudge? And a slathering of dark chocolate fudgy frosting to top them off? Am I really that batty! Clearly these are not yo’ mama’s rice krispy treats. My hips are a bit perturbed. My jeans refuse to speak to me. Fortunately a certain someone doesn’t find these too rich and will be forced to help me eat them. As will anyone I happen to run into this week.
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March 2, 2010
Brown Butter Lace Cookies
I recently paid $8 for a dozen small Florentine Lace cookies (albeit a dozen little gourmet beauties dipped in bittersweet chocolate, but $8 nonetheless). I vividly remember the screaming voices of guilt in my head as I approached the clerk. Oh, Carolyn, seriously? No, really, you can’t be serious. They’re cookies for goodness sake! Go buy another bottle of wine instead. You clearly need a drink. We expected company and my calves ached from standing in the kitchen for the previous two days in preparation. I couldn’t bring myself to bake one more thing, but feared our dessert selection was lacking. I fear not serving a dessert everyone likes almost as much as I fear running out of food. As my mother-in-law-entertainer-extraordinaire might say, people need options! Thus, I rationalized the cookie purchase. Just to be safe, I reasoned. And they were worth it. Worth every penny. Delicious.
I committed to memory their buttery aroma, irresistible crunch and toffee-esque flavor, determined to one day recreate them in my own kitchen, and thus avoid the temptation to shell out nearly ten bucks for a dozen. I was so excited when, this past weekend, these lovelies emerged from the oven. And, dare I say it? I liked them better than the bakery’s.
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February 22, 2010
Chocolate Banana Bread
Saturday was one productive day. I awoke with an abounding desire to brighten up this home. It’s been too dark, cluttered and wintery these past few weeks and we’ve been craving some positive energy. The spring cleaning momentum was in full swing and I had every intention of taking advantage. I swept, dusted and fluffed. He scrubbed, wiped down and polished. I washed, folded and put away. We rearranged, reorganized and repurposed. The sun was shining and as long as I looked out and up (at the clear blue sunny sky) instead of out and down (at the snow piles), I could practically taste April. The kitchen underwent a nice spring cleaning, as well. The cabinets were wiped out, the pantry tidied, the fridge cleared of old forgotten food. And how could I neglect the black hole that is our freezer. Some real gems emerged this month, including soup (I think) with an illegible name and date along with an old, old, old nut roll from last Christmas (as in 2008). On the flip side, a few brown bananas showed their speckled faces. I decided the only thing better than a house filled with the aromas of Lysol and fabric softener is a house filled with the aroma of freshly baked banana bread. Especially one that included cocoa and chocolate chips.
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January 25, 2010
Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars
Someone I know happens to be turning a year older today. I can’t tell you who he is or how old he’s turning. But what I can tell you is he’s a pretty darn special guy. I’ll spare you the sappy details, but not before mentioning that it takes a pretty darn special guy to put up with this here blogger. Because this here blogger sweats the small stuff, insists he eats vegetables daily, pouts when she’s cold and gets a bit lot pissy when she’s hot, dons not-so-sexy flannel to bed too often, is driven by guilt, wakes him up in the middle of the night when she hears scary noises, makes them late on occasion when she forces him to turn around because she thinks she forgot to turn off the iron…
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January 8, 2010
Chunky Bars
It’s Friday! We’ve made it through the first week of 2010 with flying colors! This calls for a celebration. And what’s a party without a little chocolate? Besides, I thought it was high time for an indulgence, so I give you my take on Chunky bars, all grown up. As a kid I loved Nestle’s Chunky bars, even though I was usually a solid-chocolate-with-no-added-frills kinda girl. But the combo of milk chocolate, peanuts and raisins pretty much rocked. This version is a bit more mature, and richer. A small square satisfies even the most unrelenting sweet tooth (aka mine).
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