I know, I know. WORST. BLOGGER. EVER. But you have to understand, since my last post, I've been slowly going a bit insane. I finished renovating my house. I sold my house. I went to Cuba. I bought another house. I got a new job. and I'm having a GIRL! So yeah, it's been a little busy!  read more »

Yep, you read that correctly. Once printed, this recipe was 18 pages long! It had 13 steps and took 12 hours for me to produce the two lovely loaves you see above. At first, I thought our hostesses (hostessi?), Mary and Sara, had lost their minds. However, what's not to like about trying something challenging on for size - particularly if it's a Julia Child recipe!! I didn't join the Daring Bakers for nothin'!  read more »

Im as fussy about my coffee as I am aboutwell, everything. But you might be surprised at HOW Im fussy. Its actually not about the coffee itselfexactly. I have quite precise foaming requirements and if those are met, I can be quite happy. Plus I was pleased to read recently that coffee may protect us from certain diseases and can actually be good for us...at least until the next study completely disproves it. Its being reported in this new study that coffee drinkers have a smaller rate of early death and they appear to have an elevated protection from heart disease compared with those who dont drink it. Drinking caffeinated or decaf doesnt matter. This would seem to fly in the face of those who believe that coffee belongs on the list of substances which should be banned. H , who gave up coffee years ago, are you reading this?  read more »

When I chose the theme for the January edition of " Waiter, there's something in my... ", it was in the good effort to finally overcome my fear of making a proper (read: meat-based) terrine. I do enjoy eating them, especially when foie gras is involved, and these little earthenware pots of terrines are also pretty much the only way I tolerate liver. But it was not to be, I succumbed to the pressures of my own hectic schedule and ended up making something I was more familiar with: a vegetarian one. Who would have thought, though, that the majority of bloggers out there would go for a meat-free alternative?  read more »

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amoreee. Wouldn't this cake be perfect to make for your sweetie on Valentine's Day?  read more »

Again, I should REALLY be in bed. My preggo butt will be T-I-R-E-D tomorrow.

Especially considering I'm in a new job and should really be trying my utmost to impress all and sundry.

But I can't sleep without sharing this cake.

So here it is....from the Best of the Best of Bridge, this is what I craved. I was all set to make a much healthier dessert (a very good one!) from Self magazine. It's a lovely apple caramel strudel in phyllo, done with a creamy caramel sauce. As long as you eschew the cooking spray for butter, it's a GREAT dessert.

But then I saw this one. And it was like the helpless moth, fluttering blindly, yet oh so lovingly, toward the flame.  read more »

Franois Payard's Chocolate Meringue Tarts in miniature; photo courtesy of Deep Media. When I was little, I took piano lessons to little success. Even though I could manage to replicate notes on the page, I never had the 'sense' for the keys that makes one feel in ownership of the music. Nonetheless, I would spend the requisite time practicing on the keyboard at home, repeating the disjointed notes over and over until I hoped I had mastered them. It was during these practices that my father would sometimes wander into the room and take over the keys; though wholly self-taught, he had such an ear for music that he could easily reproduce my melodies in their entirety.  read more »

These are the most amazing, gluttonous chocolate brownies in the History of Ever. And I mean that. You know you are in trouble when you lick the spoon, and then use the spoon to lick the bowl, and you end up needing a tall glass of milk. Trouble that starts with T, that rhymes with B, and you get holy-crap, the best brownies ever! Di, of Di's Kitchen Notebook , chose for our TwD gustatory pleasure Dorie 's French Chocolate Brownies. I don't know what makes them French, but I don't care. These are that good that I don't care about anything other than eating them. Short-sighted, maybe. But make these yourself and you'll understand. I would almost suggest you NOT make these, they are that dangerous. That, and I don't really want to share the world's chocolate resources with you - I want them all to myself so I can make these every day. Well, not every day. My doctor would probably kick my ass. With 12 tablespoons of butter per pan, I would swiftly turn into a solid. My plan is ruined. I shall come up with another. World domination can come about another way: Dorie for President. You heard me right. When we go to the polls this November and are given the opportunity to write-in our candidates, rather than vote for Mickey Mouse or Ronald McDonald, we should all vote Dorie into office. She would sooth the leaders of the world, not just with her famous World Peace cookies, but with these brownies. She could fight to lower food prices around the world and lead us all into a Chocolate Age of Happiness. Who's with me?  read more »

What do the words "Saturday", "Days Off", and "Ward Picnic" have in common with each other??? One might well ask that, but . . . . since I noticed that it was drizzling and raining when I poked my nose out the door early this morning, that would be a HUGE clue! Why is it that it will be gloriously sunny and warm most of the week, but the minute you get a day off that you could enjoy it in and an outdoor activity planned, the clouds roll in and it decides to rain? haha I guess that's what they call Murphy's Law, or is it the Peter Principle?  read more »