Almost 40 people celebrated happiness, freedom, and the new year with me on Saturday. Between the prepping and the cleaning, I was very busy this weekend. The party was a success, with lots of great food and friends.
This week’s Sweet Melissa Sundays selection is Black Bottom Brownies and is hosted by Cynthia of Bakingtherapist’s Blog. It’s brownie layer topped with a cheesecake layer sprinkled with chocolate chips.
I’m getting used to writing new blog posts using my iPhone. I can actually multi-task ( or at least pretend to multi-task) while I start a post.
On Saturday, my sister hosted a bachelorette party. She wanted me to make a dessert in the shape of a certain male body part. After I stopped laughing, I told her my decorating skills are on the rustic side and wouldn’t she prefer chocolate oatmeal bars? Yes, not only do I try to multi-task with my iPhone; I also try to multi-task with my baking.
This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars, for most people though, they were pretty much candy bars. Very sweet. And very tasty. Or so I’m told. I’m still eating vegan, but I did save a couple for when my kickstart program ends this week.
Thanks to Lillian of Confectiona’s Realm for hosting this week. If you would like the recipe, visit her blog or buy the book.
Busy, busy, busy. I thought once the holidays were over I would have more free time. Nope.
I made this week’s Sweet Melissa Sundays recipe right before I left for an out of town trip on Friday.
I took the picture with my iPhone and I’m writing this with my iPhone, because I haven’t had time to sit down at my computer.
Thank you to Raeann of Basically, Baby Boots for hosting this week. The pound cake was a hit with the family.
(now let’s see if I can post via iPhone….)
Need I write more? Who doesn’t love the combination of chocolate & peanut butter? Hannah of BitterSweet had the genius of making scones with them. Scones! Yes, scones. A treat you can call breakfast.
Chocolate-Glazed Peanut Butter Scones was the second recipe I tried from Hannah’s book, My Sweet Vegan. Not only is there peanut butter (chunky!) in the scones, there is peanut butter (smooth!) in the chocolate drizzle.
Like all scones, the dough quickly came together. Instead of making four large scones as directed in the recipe, I made 12 mini-scones. The texture was very scone-like–a little dry, crumbly, and with just a hint of sweet. I’ve made vegan scones that were more cake-like in texture. When I make a scone, I want it to taste like a scone and they did.
I baked them for a meeting and they were enjoyed by all. The problem with making minis is that people can’t just eat one and they were gone quicker than it took to bake them–12 minutes.
If you would like the recipe, buy the book.
I’ve gone diving with sharks, traveled alone to other countries, and presented at major scientific conferences–yet I was scared of deep-frying. I even considered baking this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie selection, Mrs. Vogel’s Scherben, to avoid heating gobs of oil to dangerously high temperatures.
I bit the bullet and jumped into the frying pan(ha!) because of doughnuts. Yes, doughnuts. I’ve been wanting to make traditional, yeasted doughnuts for awhile now but because of the frying-thing put them off. In the screwy logic base that is my head, I figured these scherben things are small and would be good practice for doughnuts which are big (it’s all relative).
Scherben means shards in German and it’s what the mother (Mrs. Vogel) of one of Dorie Greenspan’s friends called them. They are dough rolled paper-thin, cut into strips, fried, and then covered with cinnamon-sugar. I call them little snackie things. Because that’s way more understandable to the co-workers. 😛
Whatever you call them, they’re delicious (0r so I’ve been told. I’m eating vegan this week). Who doesn’t like fried dough covered in sugar?
Thank you so much to Teanna of Spork or Foon? for hosting this week’s selection. She is an awesome blogger, storyteller, and a very creative baker. Because of her I am now ready to tackle doughnuts! If you would like the recipe for the Sherben, visit her blog or buy the book.
Pink Stripes 