Too hot to bake

With the highs in the 90's today, it definitely made for a sweltering first day of summer. On a technical note, it isn't quite the first day of summer... but rather mid-summer i.e. summer solstice. I don't mean to get all nit-picky about it, but it just really irks me that people seem to think it's the FIRST day of the summer, rather than the day that we're actually the closest to the sun, which should technically be the middle of summer, no? I guess my collegiate astronomy classes paid off.

Peanut butter cup cookies

The problem with being a transient (well okay technically I'm  not), or rather living out of a suitcase is that you can never find anything. My problem is that I know everything is in storage somewhere, but I just don't know exactly where to go digging.

Pretty pastries

The other day someone asked me if I'd rather make pastries that looked good versus pastries that tasted good. I was a bit baffled. Why do you have to choose? I don't think having desserts that taste and look good are mutually exclusive. Can't you have your pretty cakes and eat them too?

Cadbury creme egg chocolate cupcakes

Now folks, do not try this at home. I'm serious. Well okay, if you must, you can try it... but don't come running to me when you go into some sort of sugar-induced anaphylactic shock. This is the stuff that your mother warned you about; this is the stuff that diabetes dreams are made of.

Millionaire's shortbread

What do you get when you combine shortbread, caramel, and chocolate? Super yummy goodness. Millionaire's shortbread comes from Scottish origins and is also known as caramel shortcake, caramel slice, millionaires slice, and wellington squares. Quite frankly, I don't care what it's called, but it's damn good. If you're a fan of Twix candies, you should definitely give these a try. But be warned, if you eat too many you'll need a millionaire to pay for your lipo or bypass.

Post bake sale... post

So after all that baking, baking...and more baking, and spending the better part of the day in San Francisco, what were the results of the bake sale? We were able to raise a whopping $2400 for the Share Our Strength charity. Well, that's at least one less kid going hungry for today. And what about childhood obesity and diabetes, you ask? I'll have to save those causes for another day.

SF food blogger bake sale!

Yes party people, the SF Food Blogger's Bake Sale is tomorrow! Yours truly will be there.. hocking my wares of course. I'll be at the Guerrero Street location from 12-1 manning the booth if you want to come and say hello. Plus remember, its for a good reason too! Do something good, and score some tasty bites.

Culinary Therapy & Bake Sale info

Whenever I'm stressed, down, or just feeling out of it, I always turn to my kitchen for solace. Now I'm not talking about foraging in the fridge for leftover Chinese, or trying to Iron-Chef a meal together where the secret ingredient is ice cream. I find therapy in baking, creating, and, of course, feeding other people. By the frequency and nature of my blog posts, you would assume that by now I'd be ready to be committed to the loony bin. Perhaps so, but I also bake on my good days, which pretty much means I'm baking all the time. Right. However, I think it's the accuracy and skill required that distracts me and pulls me out of my reverie of doom, stress, or whatever I might need therapy from. Plus the smiles on the happy faces of the recipients of my treats is sure to brighten anyone's day.