Tuesday's with Dorie: Chewy Chunky Blondies

These were really good. Unfortunately, they were so good that they were gone before I got a picture!  If you'd like to see what they look like or to get the recipe, please visit Nicole's blog Cookies On Friday.

Tuesday's with Dorie: Brrrrrrownies

I was really looking forward to making these brownies.  The recipe caught my eye several times before it was chosen and I thought it was a brilliant combination: York Peppermint Patties and brownies.  Soon after it was chosen, I bought the ingredients and made them right away.  Now, I should know from past experience that butter is like baking glue when it comes to cakey treats.  Brownies are cakey.  So of course they stuck to the aluminum foil that Dorie instructed us to cover the baking dish with.

This was not the only problem I encountered.  When I checked the brownies at 30 minutes they were far from done.  I baked them probably twice as long as the written recipe.  And then there was the taste.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as I thought it would be.  It was as if the Peppermint Pattie was not meant to be baked.

When I was at the store buying chocolate for the Tarte Noire,  I spotted a dark chocolate with peppermint oil.  That's kind of the same idea as a York Peppermint Pattie, I figured, so I  decided to make the brrrrownies again.  This time I baked them without aluminum foil, with a little flour in the pan, a little less chocolate, a little more sugar and the new peppermint-oil chocolate.  I also added walnuts because I like them in my brownies.

The result?  They baked up nicely in 30 minutes, they didn't stick to the pan and they tasted grrrrrrrreat!

Thanks to Karen of Our Crazy Blessed Life for choosing this recipe.  Hop on over and check out her blog.  You'll be able to find the recipe there too.

The "Campout"

Our upstairs a/c unit stopped cooling and it was about 85 degrees in our bedrooms last night.  We decided to pull out our air mattress and sleep downstairs.  The boys were really excited.  They love sleeping all together or even just with each other, but it rarely happens.

It was a little cramped and hard to sleep soundly.  So the question is what will we do tonight since the a/c people cannot come out until tomorrow?   Should we brave the heat or sleep all together on our air mattress again?  I know what the boys' vote will be: AIR MATTRESS!

I'm thinking brave the heat or sleep on the couch!

Tuesday's with Dorie: Tarte Noire

When we lived in Germany, we were friends with some self-proclaimed (American) food snobs.  I would always chuckle to myself at what they wouldn't eat: canned meat, rice and beans etc.  Not that they had never eaten those things, it's just that they had developed great cooking skills and dreamed of opening a restaurant.  Eating plain old rice and beans just doesn't cut it after you reach a certain skill level like they had.

Well, I think I am turning into a dessert snob although I am not all the way there yet.  After baking so many wonderful dessert recipes with the best ingredients with this baking group, it is actually becoming difficult for me to like or enjoy certain desserts as much as I would have in the past.

Take this weekend for example.  I took my tart to a pie party on the 4th.  I figured the tart is related to the pie and the French helped us gain our independence, so it would be fitting.  With great anticipation, I eyed the other pies trying to decide which of the twenty or so pies I would sample.  I tried four others besides my own and I only liked half of them!  Who doesn't like dessert?  DESSERT!  What is the matter with me?

(By the way, the ganache was perfectly smooth until it was time to transport it.  I put plastic wrap over it and it instantly stuck to the top.  Blast!  When will I ever get a picture of a good LOOKING dessert!?!)

Well, maybe some people didn't like mine as it was made out of dark chocolate (noire being French for "dark").  I know a lot of people do not like dark chocolate.  It is an acquired taste.  Once you love it, you are officially a dessert snob! :)  It's still not my favorite, and that is why say I am not a fully-developed dessert snob yet.  I sure did feel like one as I was eating my pies.  I almost felt ashamed.  Guilty.  After all, how much time and effort did someone put into making these pies, and (more importantly) how many not-so-great desserts have I made?  PLENTY!

Even though my food snobbery is not yet fully developed, I did like this tart despite its darkness.  I think two things made it "acceptable" to my taste buds.
1)  I used really good Belgium chocolate.
2)  Dorie's light, buttery, shortbread-like crust really balances the bitter taste of dark chocolate.

Would I make this again?  Yes, for someone who loves chocolate, or for some dessert snob I need to impress.  :)

So, all you dessert snobs and chocolate lovers, please visit Dharma Girl's blog: Bliss Towards A Delicious Life, to view the recipe for this tart.  Thanks, Dharma Girl, for choosing this week's recipe!

Independence Day

Go figure that the year I actually have coordinating shirts and flip-flops for the 4th of July, I don't even take any pictures!  We did have a good time celebrating our independence though.   The Saturday ward breakfast was cancelled due to rain from hurricane Alex, but Sunday was very nice, sunny day.  We went to a friend's house for a pie party (see the TWD post for more details).  Then we drove home just in time to get the boys ready for bed and to watch the fireworks from our family room window.  How convenient!

I think the best thing that Landon and I did this year to celebrate was reading the Declaration of Independence.  We also let the kids watch the episode "The First Fourth of July" from the Liberty Kids series.  The 4th has always been one of my favorite holidays.  Now Landon and I want to make it even more meaningful.  We want to teach our children the history and the importance of the day.

This year, Landon and I have resolved to read the eighty-five Federalist Papers, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.  How many of you have read those things?  I find it odd that it isn't required reading at every high school!

Building A Periscope

SMILE silly boy!