Hand-dipped chocolates

I know I've been neglecting my blog lately. With temperatures rising, introduction of new social mediums (Google, please integrate blogger to G+), new toys at home (Google, please create a blogger iPad app), and feeling that my proverbial plate is overflowing and thus stressing me out, sometimes culinary therapy just doesn't cut it. I'd like you all to believe that I'm some sort of domestic diva, but sadly I have a life that extends far past the kitchen. Most of the time I'll gladly answer to anyone's "back to the kitchen, woman!" but lately I've preferred crawling back into bed.

Black bottom cupcake fail

Every now and then I'll dig through my baking books and look for something new to try. One book I brought back from France was David Lebovitz's The Great Book of Chocolate. Funny story about this book, actually. I went to one of David's book signing events out of a 'boite bouquiniste" along the Seine. For those of you who aren't familiar with Paris, these are the little book kiosks along the river where sometimes you can find some out-of-print special edition, and other times just random trinkets and souvenirs. I didn't have enough Euros on me at the moment to pay for the book, so he kindly let me pay the difference in metro tickets.

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.