Dark Chocolate S'mores Muffin

I have become somewhat obsessed with this little smores-like muffin invention. There are various imitators but Gotta Have S’more is the best maker/baker/evil-doer-who-wants-to-make-me-fat manufacturer of the treat I’ve found. My favorite flavor is the dark chocolate, of course, but I haven’t tasted a single one that is anything less than divine.

marshmellow, chocolate, graham cracker, oh my!

I had my first taste of this little bit of heaven at an arts fair a few months back. It literally stopped me in my tracks and I proceeded to accost every person who walked by for the next 5 minutes to insist they try a sample as I weakly gathered my bliss-shattered wits about me. Seriously, these things are that good.

Blackberry Peach Prumble

Holy shit, I baked again. I know, I’m truly as shocked and confused as you, knowing the infrequent and haphazard nature of this behavior.

I was hit by a rebellious streak today, frustrated that:

• fruit has become a corked grenade in my life, something that must be eaten with caution because my body has given up on regulating sugars as I would wish
• the days are observably shorter and the calendar has stubbornly abandoned its summer months
• i’m bone-weary and needing a nesting weekend

So, I baked.

deliciousness

And I ate.

And it was good… except that one bite of improperly mixed-in salt.

How has spontaneity revealed itself in your world lately?

smoothie in a coffee cup

The Entitled One, the Ego, the Victim, the Health Nut and the Sloth are currently in a bar fight of epic proportion over this whole diabetes diagnosis. Those on the side of silver linings are pointing out the deliciousness of veggie smoothies flavored with a pinch of fruit. Those weighted down by resentment and a five-year-old’s pouty fear of deprivation are focused on the seductive allure of loaves of bread and shit-loads of chocolate.

Guess which side is currently winning, notwithstanding the above photo of my banana-cucumber-peanut butter concoction?

bell peppers

I try to go to the Hollywood Farmers’ Market every Sunday. I don’t always make it. This weekend, I had a slew of errands to run but I really wanted to pick up some organic zucchini and fresh flowers. I rarely go with that clear of an agenda, preferring to poke around and see what strikes my fancy. My success on this trip, however, has made me wonder if a clear agenda might be a wave of the future. It’s very effective and keeps me from buying too much and then observing in dismay as it rots because of my poor planning.

These eggplant-shaded bell peppers, juxtaposed with the green, stopped me in my tracks. I have no idea what their flavor might be, as I proudly stuck to just purchasing my zucchini and sunflowers, but how could anything this gorgeous taste anything other than delicious?

What would you do with theses if they were in your kitchen?

cherry almond cobbler, with a few bites missing

Anyone who’s been around these parts for a while can attest that I’m not exactly a foodie, much less any sort of chef. I really like kitchen utensils and I love to eat but ovens intimidate me and I still have no idea why the Dutch are so frequently involved in their usage. That being said, I found myself compelled to bake something a few nights ago.

I went cherry picking last weekend, got a wee bit overzealous in my hunt for the perfect specimen and ended up with a gazillion fresh cherries in my house. This, I quickly discovered, became tantamount to torture because, since my diagnosis, I can no longer plop down on a couch and happily consume pounds of fruit in one sitting. I knew I had to do something, and fast.

By happenstance, I recently discovered a new blog Honey + Jam and, lo-and-behold, Hannah decided to post a recipe for Cherry Almond Crumble this week.

How’s that for karma or coincidence or… just dumb luck?

I GOT INSPIRED!

I also got kind of confused. If you take a look at Hannah’s recipe she mentions light brown sugar and dark brown sugar. I haven’t a clue what the difference is between the two so decided it couldn’t possibly matter that much. Also, the inclusion of almond extract in the ingredients list intimidated me a bit – what, exactly, is that and where the hell would one find it? Trader Joe’s does not carry it. So I concluded it couldn’t be that important. Also, I only had a partial stick of butter in the fridge. Maybe if I melted it really slowly and lovingly, I could stretch out its strength? I was even gonna skip the corn starch because, once again, the aisles of Trader Joe’s did not produce that particular item. Imagine my utter shock at discovering I actually had a tin of it on the top kitchen cabinet shelf – the one that requires I climb my drawers and balance precariously on my slippery tiled counter to reach. Yippee! I still don’t understand what corn starch is or what it does BUT I OWN IT.

So I gathered my hodge-podge ingredients and began to assemble my masterpiece at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday. Chaos ensued. And then, vindication.

THE DISH IS EDIBLE!

It’s actually entirely yummy.

A few concluding notes:

1. Cherry Almond Crumble probably tastes even better if you include all the listed ingredients.
2. A cherry pitter thingamajig might come in handy. I did all the pitting by hand and ended up looking like I’d massacred my cat.

What’s your latest kitchen feat or fiasco?

freshly picked cherries in blue glass bowl

I’m reminded of that board game,
the one I played as a
child –
except I think it involved
apples, not
cherries.

These specimen are
perfect
for plucking.

We’re told not to
pull the branches but,
of course,
we do.

The stems, also, are
supposed to stay
on the tree.
Just the cherries,
naked,
fill the red buckets
to the brim.

One, two, three
at a time they
drop
gently
into my grip.
Even, occasionally, they
pop
into
my mouth.

That ancient snake
could have gained
so much more –
these ruby globes,
with their staining nectar,
illicit
sin
far more than
Granny Smith
ever could.

I bring home
two pounds of fruit.
I know not what for.
The art of bounty,
perhaps?
Placed on the table
just so.
Or the fantasy of baking
for my man,
if I had one?

Far more likely,
it’s a vain attempt to
capture
summer in the
pit
of my stomach
and
never
let it
go.

On behalf of One Shot Wednesday.

• A sinfully delicious bonbon boutique – Madame Chocolat. I don’t normally frequent the absurdly over-hyped streets of Beverly Hills but a Groupon for half off a box of chocolates cannot be ignored. One recent weekend afternoon, I found myself stepping into a Parisian-styled shop and almost face-planting into my own pile of drool. Handmade chocolates called to me. Loudly. So I ate them. My favorite was the dark chocolate Mediant – a tiny square of decadence garnished with roasted almond, pistachio and dried apricot. Seriously… I am open to receiving free gifts from anonymous readers during the Valentine season.
• I’ve been on a mini-mission to do more structured activities recently, and step out of my comfort zone – emotionally and physically. While the emotional adventures will have to wait for another day to get their due, I want to share with you one of my recent physical wanderings off the reservation… I signed up for Six Taste, which is a culinary tour program that was created by two LA-based recent grads who wanted to shake up the malaise that overwhelms Angelenos and prevents us from taking full advantage of the diversity found in this sprawling metropolis. If you don’t live in L.A. and can’t find a similar program in your urban jungle, duplicate this stroke of genius immediately! A friend and I took the DOWNTOWN TOUR – we wandered downtown L.A. for five hours with an eclectic group of misfits like us, ate lots of food from funky mom-and-pops, learned random yet fascinating bits of social and architectural history, and even had Blade Runner flashbacks after stopping at the Bradbury Building. My favorite new food discoveries were a hole-in-the-wall cafe tucked into an alley, Harlem Place Cafe, and a bi-level dessert haven, Syrup Desserts, which recalled for me the best parts of my college days and 20-something metabolism.

by wehardy / flickr

• I have a jewelry shop on Etsy so perhaps that is why I’m so partial to the other artists I discover there. But really, I think one would have to be an idiot to not feel an abundance of delight suffuse even the coldest of hearts when confronted with Melissa Moss. I’ve been obsessed with her creatures for a while, and I bought her 2011 calendar this year so as not to have to remove all the art currently hanging on my walls in favor of hers. Her work just makes me smile.

Melissa Moss 2011 Calendar

What have you been stumbling across lately that brings you pleasure?

by LensENVY / flickr

I have a sweet tooth. I’ve given up trying to deny it. I like dessert. Dark chocolate is, indeed, better than much of the sex I’ve had. The French have every right to their perceived snobbery when one considers their pastry offerings. So, it is to be expected that I pause at the sight of sugary delights and I feel compelled to try any new confection about which I hear. Particularly if I am not required to make it myself.

This is why I found myself with four packages of artisan peanut brittle on my desk the other day. I’d stumbled across Morning Glory Confections a while back and filed the info away to be investigated at a later date. The later date arrived just before Halloween as sugar mania took over the world. I went online and purchased four out of the six flavors of peanut brittle offered by this Los Angeles-based company – Chai Tea & Cashew; Cocoa Nib, Coffee Bean & Pecan; New Mexico Chili & Pumpkin Seed; and Fleur de Sel & Peanut. Don’t the unusual ingredients themselves catch your imagination?

I still get giddy at the idea of these flavors.

Unfortunately, the potential grandeur of these combinations was not fulfilled in reality.

I roped two co-workers into a little taste-testing game. They both happen to be huge peanut brittle fans, and we had great fun escaping our offices for a moment of foodie experimentation.

I really wanted the brittles to blow me away, the way fresh dark chocolate or perfectly balanced strawberry-rhubarb pie does. They didn’t.

They weren’t BAD. But at 5 bucks for 2 oz., I want stupendousness. My co-workers agreed.

my order

The packaging was nice – simple, clean – but a bit wasteful. I wished that the labeling had been put on the inside ziplock bag instead of on a secondary clear box into which the ziplock bag was placed. Clearly, Annie Leonard is having an effect.

Chai Tea & Cashew Brittle (via Morning Glory Confections)

My lab rats and I each had a different favorite flavor, when push came to shove. I went with the Chai Tea and Cashew, thinking it would pair well with a strong espresso. The Cocoa Nib, Coffee Bean & Pecan brittle had too much coffee bean and not enough cocoa nib, and the coffee bean tasted burnt, but it ended up being LR#1′s preference. The New Mexico Chili & Pumpkin Seed was too savory; as LR#2 put it, it tasted like taco seasoning. And the Fleur de Sel & Peanut just wasn’t special enough to warrant the hoopla, in my opinion, but LR#2 rated it the best of the bunch. None of us would purchase any of the flavors again, however.

I am bummed. I had hoped, when ordering my batch, that I would be able to rave about this handmade sweet and perhaps introduce you guys to something extra special we could all add to our holiday buffets. Alas, my conclusion is that it’s just not worth the expense.

That being said, however, check out Morning Glory Confections and be your own judge if you wish. I still think the CONCEPT is fantastic.

Oh, well.

One of these days, my sweet tooth will land in something truly remarkable and I’ll tell you all about it…

pile of pumpkins

It’s the first day of November and autumn is fully upon us. Halloween is over, though the trail of candy wrappers may linger. The pumpkins have been discarded. The sweaters have been pulled out. I invested in a new pair of boots. I even made a pumpkin pie. Sorta.

I try to avoid dairy as much as possible – that whole lactose aversion thing plus honest-to-goodness allergies. But pumpkin pie, for me, is integral to this season and the impending holidays. When I was in Trader Joe’s on Saturday, I walked by the pyramid of canned pumpkin pie filling and pumpkin pie spices.

I FELT INSPIRED.

I’ve never made a pie before in my life, but that did not stop me from tossing a can of the pumpkin filling into my basket. A jar of the pumpkin pie spices followed the same trajectory. Then, I realized I had no idea what came next. Luckily, the can had a recipe on it and the Trader Joe’s folks kindly made a sign that mentioned they sold pie crust. I went on a hunt for the crust while contemplating how to get around the necessary ingredients listed on the back of the can.

Ingredient #1: Heavy Cream… Heavy cream is dairy.

Ingredient #2: Milk… Milk is dairy.

DILEMMA.

Lo and behold, I had a EUREKA MOMENT!!

Heavy cream is kinda like cream cheese… Cream cheese is kinda like Tofutti imitation non-dairy cream cheese… What if I just mixed the pumpkin pie filling with some Tofutti. Wouldn’t that make a pie?

I purchased my four ingredients – canned pumpkin pie filling, pumpkin pie spices, frozen pie crust and Tofutti.

I arrived home WITH AN AGENDA.

I turned on the stove, set out my ingredients and… realized I DID NOT OWN A PIE COOKING PAN, or whatever they’re called – pie tin? pie plate? pie glass circular thingamajig?

My Martha Stewart baking moment came to a screeching HALT.

I spent an anxious Saturday night, waiting for Halloween day to arrive so I could… purchase a pie baking container!

I dashed out to Target first thing on Sunday morning, tried to avoid the hoards of zombie shoppers as much as possible and acquired my first glass pie  - OH MY GOD, DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THIS THING HAS A PROPER NAME?!? – thing.

And I made a pie. I was a little nervous about whether Tofutti can actually be heated or not, since I’m not exactly sure what it is, but my oven did not explode. It was very easy to stir the canned pumpkin filling and the container of Tofutti together. I may have put too much pumpkin pie spice in the bowl because the teaspoon would not fit into the jar so I had to dump the spice onto the spoon and – WHOOPS! I ignored the recipe’s call for eggs, since I didn’t know what eggs do in a recipe and maybe the Tofutti was already doing that. I also ignored the call for sugar because my sugar is on a very high shelf which would require pulling out the step ladder and that just seemed like unnecessary exertion.

I let the pie bake for 50 minutes. It looked very pretty. Then I let it cool. You’d never know it wasn’t exactly like the pumpkin pie your grandma made.

I even ate a slice.

It. Wasn’t. Bad.

More importantly, I’ve lived to tell the tale.

"Petite Cake" by Maggie Austin

A friend of mine got married last week. I wasn’t able to attend, due to this entirely inconvenient thing called a job, but I did find myself thinking a lot about weddings in honor of her big day. I’ve never been married myself, not even close. But I love the hope, promise and commitment that the ceremony promises. I also love the pomp of it all. And every once in a while, I’m struck by the sheer beauty of something that is usually reserved for this (ideally) once-in-a-lifetime event and rebel at the idea that it should be reserved solely for nuptials.

Kate over at Wit & Delight highlighted a collection of cakes a few days ago. One of them made me gasp out loud in glee.

"Rose Frill" by Maggie Austin

It was made by Maggie Austin, who is based out of D.C.

"Painted Bas-Relief"

I dropped over to her website and… OH LORDY BE!

"Cake Petals" by Maggie Austin

She is an artist of the highest order.

"Tiffany Pond Lily" by Maggie Austin

She even makes cookies!

Molded and Hand-painted Cookies. Seriously!

And now I must decide when I’m next throwing a party.

"Hydrangea" One of my favorite flowers!

In Washington.

"Bees"

Almost too beautiful to consume, no?