Daring Bakers January Challenge - Tuiles

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

As I am suffering from a post-Christmas sugar high, I elected to prepare "Savory Tuiles" from Thomas Keller's "The French Laundry Cookbook."  I served the tuiles with Roasted Baby Beet Salad with Mint Dressing (and replaced the raisins this recipe called for with dried cherries).  I've decided that Tulies aren't quiet my cup of tea, but I think that their buttery crunch went well with the zippy mint and garlic dressing in this salad.

Roasted Baby Beet Salad with Mint Dressing and Savory Tuiles.

Thank you to Baking Soda and Zorra for hosting this challenge.

Sweet Jesse Babycakes

These are some cupcakes I made for a recent baby shower.  They are vanilla cupcakes with blue tinted vanilla icing and I used Martha Stewart Mix-and-Match Cupcakes for both recipies.  My swirly icing didn't turn out quite as expected, but it is hard to go too wrong with cupcakes!

Christmas Cookies - Week 3!

I didn't get around to baking quite as many types of cookies as I would have liked to this year, but I had to make sure to get in my favourites - Martha Stewart's Outrageous Chocolate Cookies.  These cookies are absolutely divine and always a big hit.  I made one batch with semi-sweet chocolate chunks (as the recipe calls for) and another with white chocolate chunks.  Both are amazing!

Christmas Cookies - Week 2!

This week was sugar cookie week.  Sugar cookies are one of my favourite things to bake.  I love the artistic aspect of them - the colours, the shapes and the sprinkles.  I did go a bit overboard this year though.  Between making some for a cookie exchange, some for my family and some for gifts, I think I made at least 12 dozen.  I am now ready for a sugar cookie break until Christmas 2009!

Sugar Cookies!

"Flooding" the cookies.

And done, yay!

Christmas Cookies - Week 1!

I'm not a Christian, but I grew up in a Christian home and I love Christmas.  For me, Christmas is more about the preparation and the  general sense of celebration than the actual day.  I love the rituals - the baking, the Christmas tree hunt, the decorating, the gift wrapping . . . all of it!  

I start my Christmas off by baking a different kind of cookies each week for the 5-6 weeks prior to Christmas.  My mom gives me a list of her selections (she tends to like spicy and simple cookies), I add in a few of my favorites (I like anything with chocolate or sprinkles) and I always try something new as well.   

This weekend I started off with shortbread.  I made two versions - traditional (mom's favorite) and peppermint (my favourite).  Mmmmm.

Traditional Shortbread

Peppermint Shortbread Stars

Lyrics to Live By

In your two ton death trap I finally saw.  A piece of love in your face that bathed me in regret.

~ Ingrid Michaelson (Breakable)

I don't know if it is the lyrics themselves that make me love this song or if it is the way Ingrid Michaelson sings them, but my heart aches every time I hear this line.  The combination of love and regret she sings of is so poignant to me.  It draws to mind all those moments where love (of any kind) exists, but for some reason the connection doesn't quite happen.  You want more, they want more, timing gets in the way, other people get in the way, you get in your own way . . . .  Whatever the case may be, you are left with the knowledge that the affection that you see (or feel) will never be more than a moment of awareness of what could be.  The only consolation is the memory of those "pieces of love" and the hope that the future will bring more love, regardless of the form that it takes.  

Quote of the Week

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art . . . it has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. 

~ C.S. Lewis

True friends are one of the most magical things in life.  You never know where and when they will appear but, when they do, it is hard to know how you ever lived without them.  When I start forgetting who I am or wonder if I will ever "really" connect with anyone again, it only takes a phone call or lunch date with an old friend to make everything better.  After a good chat, I am always left knowing that if I love my friends and they love me, I must lovable.  And then, everything is OK again.  Magic.