brownies

Well, here it is, most likely the last post of the year for this particular blog. I can't believe it. The days are long but the years are short. I know that doesn't make any sense, but there you are.
Last week I bought 4 dozen eggs, bringing the total amount of eggs in my fridge to approximately 52. Today I have _3_ eggs in my house. So I must have been busy baking.

I actually didn't make anything special for Christmas. I know, hard to believe. But I was exhausted from work and running around trying to get things together. I feel like I woke up 2 weeks ago and I need to do everything right now.

Christmas dinner went well, except my younger son complained about the Swedish meatballs;) He always says they are terrible and he has to eat them all to save us from them. I did notice he took the leftovers home;)

This week's brownies were fairly straightforward. I "bloomed" the cocoa in the melted butter and added a few Ghiradelli chocolate chips to the melting butter. It gave the brownies a more complex taste, deeper chocolate. SO you know that's good by me.

That's it for me this week. I probably will be cooking chicken and noodles for New Year's Eve dinner. I think my brother and sister-in-law are coming over. I even think my sons might stop by. I might even feel froggy and bring a few rum cakes to work on Thursday....maybe. We'll see.

twas the week before Christmas

and all thru the house, Robin could be heard muttering "it can't be the week before Christmas yet, can it?"
well, it is. And I did bake brownies this week. The only change up this time was I substituted part of the butter for vegetable oil. Seems to have worked out well so far;) The peanut butter chip brownies did not seem to be the hit I thought they should be, or maybe I thought they would be better received by my sons. Oh, well, can't win them all.
I did make 3 fruitcakes this weekend. Don't worry, I'm not giving them to you. Some people like fruitcake, my beloved is one of them. And not I didn't use the Maida Heatter fruitcake recipe. I am always tempted, but somehow the amount of work put into it puts me off of it.


I use this recipe http://pillsburybaking.com/Recipes
/Details.aspx?recipeID=2294&mealtype=
because it easier for me. I use dried fruit (soaked in orange juice) in place of the nuts and I don't put a glaze on it. But you can figure out what you would want to put in it as long as you keep the amount you put in the same.

I still want to bake cookies. Whether I find the time or not, I don't know. I was in the house because of the snow most of the day Saturday but didn't quite get to making cookies. Fruitcakes take a lot of oven time that isn't compatible with cookie making.

I'm sure you're just as busy if not busier than I am, so I'll stop rambling now.
Have a very Merry Christmas!

really slacking

sorry, folks, life got more busy or something. I did bake brownies this week, the "secret ingredient" was peanut butter chips. Interesting taste, good texture but I'm not sure I am that big a fan of peanut butter (yeah, I know, hard to believe)
So I baked a chocolate cheesecake (that didn't crack) and a "Cheeto" cake for Thanksgiving. I also made raspberry junket for my beloved. It comes in a box, it's sort of a cross between pudding and jello.
Than then was a Toys for Tots bake sale. I made a milky way cake and a pound cake. Actually, for some insane reason, I baked the first milky way cake at 450 degrees. The outside of the cake was as black as the bottom of my shoes. The inside was fine and devoured by my beloved. So I made a second milky way cake to take to the bake sale.
If there is another bake sale like this one, I will just donate the money to the cause. I felt everything was underpriced (cookies and cupcakes for a quarter, a slice of cake for a dollar). I think if you want to make money for a charity, you got to sell the stuff like you want to make money. I'm not saying charge a fortune, but seriously, a decorated cupcake for 25 cents?! That's not worth the effort, in my not so humble opinion.
But enough whining. I am trying toplan what I am baking for Christmas. Last year, because I burned up the oven, I baked only a few things. This year, I already have fruitcake (don't cry, I'm not giving you any) and a milky way cake. I am debating whether I want to take a cake into work, I guess it depends on how I feel at the moment. I also want to make some sugar cookies. I have always wanted to try to make a cookie tree, but haven't found the time or the nerve to do so. I have the ingredients, it's just making the time and the effort to do it. It would be cool.
That's it for now, nothing earth shaking, just been really busy at work...