Cakes, cakes, cakes!!

So, there's a few things happening right now that I'm pretty excited about. Even if one or all of them disappear/fall apart, I do feel a change in the winds. And this is something that I'm welcoming with open arms. Not to say that my life is in any way on the down and out, but I do get anxious about wanting to incorporate baking and food into my everyday life. I'm obsessed with learning new techniques and bettering myself with every single thing that I make. 

Anytime I'm asked to bake something, I try to use the opportunity to incorporate something new. The uncharted territory is daunting but so far it's paid off in spades. Is that a real saying or did I just make that up? Essentially I'm trying to say, bring it on - I love a good challenge and I'll make it work. No regrets. Not even when I watch cakes crack and then collapse into 4 different pieces, like at midnight this past Saturday. Daylight savings, you have such impeccable timing with your extra hour!

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Julia Child's Perfect Chocolate Mousse

I don't think I'm alone when I say that I find everything Julia Child makes to be nearly close to perfect, even though she doesn't include that word in the title of every one of her recipes. So when I stumbled upon this gem on David Lebovitz's blog, I... a) drooled, b) cleared my schedule and c) cried until it was in front of me topped with homemade whipped cream. "What whipped cream?" You might be saying. I'm sorry it was gone too fast. Just picture it in your head... a dollop of cloudy deliciousness. Also, turns out, all you have to do to make whipped cream is put whipping cream in your stand mixer. And then turn it in. Genius.

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Dear Blog

I am so sorry that I have neglected you for (almost, but not quite) a month. My gut tells me to list all the excuses that I have, and hope that somehow they'll convince you that it really wasn't anything personal. I do have a plethora of reasons... mainly the move. I mean, I just got around to unpacking my spices last night! It was officially the last box (not counting all those DVDs of course) and now I'm ready to get back together again. Shhhh... please just let me finish.

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The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie(s) I Have Ever Had

I don't mean that in a "I'm the best and I bake the best cookies" kind of way...it's more of a "This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I've ever used and I'll never use another one ever again and you should definitely try this" kind of way. Of all the places, this is on the nytimes website, featuring the one and only Jacques Torres and his delightful chocolate discs. I've mentioned these once before here when I made 8 pounds of cookie dough, froze it, and flew it to California for a wedding. I've made them umpteen zillion times since and they sell like hotcakes. Or, get eaten for free like hotcakes. 

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2 Weeks From Tomorrow

Say hello to my little friend. My little kitchen that is. And yes... my little OVEN! dun Dun DUN... I do believe it will be okay though, as long as I don't host any major Thanksgiving dinners in the near future. Measurements have been taken and every pan should (this word is extremely emphasized) fit except for one that I know will not. Poor oven hasn't even been used I don't think. When the current tenant sent original pictures, there were books in the oven, a la storage bin. Don't worry little friend, you're no longer neglected.

The move is 2 weeks from tomorrow and I haven't packed one box. I have, however, arranged to have a stoop/bake sale on Saturday (more on this later) to purge the unnecessary things in my life and apartment. Hooray for cleansing!

In the meantime, I like to peruse the internets and daydream of all the plans I have in store for the new place, especially the kitchen! Some inspiring kitchen pictures I stumbled upon...

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