Likely Story

Best. Cookie. Ever. and other assorted brilliance.

I present the best Oatmeal, Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookie.
They are crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle.  The cranberries present a lovely tang when balanced against the dark chocolate and the brown sugar dough.  Not too many chips or craisins and the oats aren't all up in your grill, either.  They are in a word, perfection.  Don't you want some?  You do?  Okay, here's the recipe:

Oat Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies by me.

2 sticks butter
1 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 c. castor sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp good vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1 - 1 1/2 c. chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips
3/4 c. craisins (dried, sweetened cranberries)

ovens at 350 f    please.
 cream butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix until just combined.
In theory, you should sift the dry, but I never do.  Mix in flour, salt and soda until a good dough forms.  Fold in oats, chips and craisins.

Bake 15-18 minutes, depending on your oven.  They tend to burn quickly, so watch the first tray or two.  Cool on a rack and eat!

But what to store these little treats in?  Oh, I know!!  An awesome cookie jar that I smuggled back from the UK in my suitcase. How could a cookie jar be awesome you may ask? Because its a retro, ceramic (not that cheap, plastic crap you see making the rounds), Dr. Who TARDIS cookie jar - hell yeah! And it was only a tenner!   Bask in it's glory, internets!

Back from London...

...with lots of swag!
So, first and foremost, our goal was the acquisition of an extreme quantity of dvds, and I think we accomplished that nicely thanks to the  HMV inside Harrods:
Then, I felt compelled to find a Lush store, but as they were everywhere, it wasn't very hard:

Finally, whilst wandering aimlessly through Selfridge's, I happened upon a Miller Harris counter, can you believe the luck?

Now, don't get me wrong, I saw a ton of history and bought books on Windsor Castle and on the Plague in Britain and all of that good stuff.  Big Ben, Parliment, etc.  I even got to see Shakespeare at the Globe Theater and it was PHENOMENAL!  But, I did forget to pack a camera, so the loot is all I can take pictures of.  Sadly, I had to leave London in England.  London was fantastic, though.  Seriously, even their Whole Foods kicked ass. 

But then, it was back to NJ where Josh's mom bought me lots of fabric:

and we happened upon this little treasure by the side of the road:

A new 72 pin and that baby will be back in business!

In Just Under 5 hours

2 Angel Food Cakes
2 dozen Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream frosting
1 large Vanilla Cake with Dark Chocolate Buttercream frosting
1 large Chocolate Éclair Cake
1 large Lemon Daffodil Cake
2 trays Double Chocolate Brownies: one w/ Butterfinger topping and one without
1 tray Lemon Squares
and finally
4 - 50 piece trays of assorted brownie/cheesecake/dessert "bites"

Now I'm sleepy.

Dear Knitting,

Oh, knitting.....what happened?  We were moving along at a good clip.  I felt like you really "got" me.  We spent our evenings caught in each other's embrace.  Our days were spent dreaming of when we would finally reunite.  Work spent plotting our next experience together.  It was good.  REALLY GOOD.  But now, disinterest has set in.  Ennui has prevailed.  I feel our relationship is but a shell of what it once was.  Sure, I still think..."maybe tonight will be different" but it never is.  It's just endless, soporific stockinette.   I even tried to spice things up by introducing a little lace into the mix, but, alas, even that proved fruitless.

Maybe I just need a summer fling.  Something different.  A break from the monotony.  Will you still love me in the fall if I have my summer flings?  Will you?  Will you Jemima?  And you Lace?  Sigh....I think it's just a risk I'll have to take.

Knitting, meet Quilting.  Quilting, Knitting.  I'm sorry Knitting, but Quilting is bringing Sock Monkeys to the table - SOCK MONKEYS!  This is what I'm talking about!

And velveteen, OH THE VELVETEEN!!  Quilting has the softest, velvet touch.

And Knitting, did I mention how low-maintenance Quilting is right now?  I mean sure, she has a temper and can be totally impossible at times, but most of the time there's no back and forth with gauge and winding, etc. etc.  Hell, I bought the velveteen pre-cut!

I don't know what the future has in store for us,  Knitting, but if you love something set it free, if it comes back it was truly yours to begin with.  Right, Sting?

Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap 4 Package Received!

Look what I got in the mail today!  Its my HSKS 4 Package!!  I just have to thank Capella Monoceros aka Alice for this awesome package!  She really outdid herself with this one.  Alice, this was totally worth the wait!!
First, here's an over all shot:

Impressive, no?  Now let's look at it, section by section.  First, the yarn:

Yes folks, that is enough for 2, yes 2 pairs of socks.  And that Baby Ull is crazy soft stuff, no joke! 
Now, on to the homemade bag and stitch markers:

What a perfect little project bag and yes people, 2 sets of stitch markers! Love it!  But wait, there's more:

A Fiber Trends pattern, these seriously excellent DP needle holders (how did you know my Dp's were in a state?) and.....wait for it.......the beautiful Harmony DP needles in size 3 (perfect size)!

But that's not all, then there were the extras!

We have peppermints, peppermint hand soap, a moleskine-esque journal, blue and silver pens (Go Ravenclaw), decadent chocolates, a tape measure where you pull a camel's tail and some of the most delicious smelling tea I have ever smelled (strawberry guava).

Thank you so very much Capella Monoceros aka Alice!  This was a phenomenal kit and you've done your bit to restore my faith in humanity!  This was just perfect.  I had had a very hard week and this made everything OK again.

Final Exam

This may be the last official pastry/culinary school post for some time as I will not be attending classes in the fall.  I have only one class left to take before I can graduate and it is a dreadfully boring class, so even then, no pretty pictures.  This last series will have to hold you for a while.

The Final Exam:  Mango Mousse Entrement

From the bottom to the top:
Coconut Pound Cake
Coconut Dacquoise
Raspberry Preserves
White Chocolate Mousse with bits of diced Mangoes
Mango Mousse
Mango Gelee
garnished with glazed raspberries and sliced mango.

    

Enjoy!  Mousse is good food!!

FO: Gruyere Bread and a High Class Fluffernutter

First, the Gruyere Bread.  Actually it's a Gruyere/Dubliner Bread.  The recipe can be found here and it is worth the trouble and completely delicious.  It also makes you feel like a baking ROCKSTAR being able to make something this pretty.  No, I'm not kidding and yes, I know I have problems.  But behold the beauty of Gruyere Bread:

Delicious looking, no?  Well hold on to your socks, people.  Here's the High Class Fluffernutter Torte!

So, here's what we've got.  From the bottom layer to the top it's a pate sucre crust, salted peanut caramel, banana cake, peanut butter and chocolate feullitine (think crispy), flambed banana chiboust (pastry cream lightened with meringue) and a homemade toasted marshmellow top garnished with milk chocolate placards, caramelized banana and peanut brittle.   Yes, it does taste good, but I totally agree with you if you're thinking that it all just seems a bit much.  This was our last project in Advanced Bakeshop and really the point of it was to make sure we could handle all of the individual components:  pastry, candy, cake, confection, custard, meringue, chocolate and fruit.  And what better way to do that then to make as throw all of those things into one dessert?  Unfortunately, I now have about 6 pounds of this sitting in my fridge.  So, you're welcome to come over and rescue all of this decadent goodness from the waiting trash because in 4 days that's where it's heading.  I'm home all weekend!  Bring a fork!