Raspberry Lemon Grapefruit Soufflé Pudding

  I made this pud on a rain day.

  I zested lemons and beat egg whites while thunder rumbled and rain slapped against the panes.  I prayed that the power would be merciful so I had time to bake this in our electric oven.  And, yes, the power has gone out in the middle of me making something.  I try not to remember that.

Coffee Bacon

  This, my friends, is not for the faint of heart.

  First of all, you should know that I'm not a coffee person.  And while this bacon isn't totally coffee-ed up, I could definitely taste it.  It was enough to make me not really like it, but my dad loooooved it.

White Chocolate Honey Chamomile Cupcakes

  Macklemore, cupcakes, s'mores bars, How I Met Your Mother, piano, and friends.  That's the past two weeks, in a nutshell.  Between those events are attacks of senioritis, and when they happened I would literally watch 5 episodes of HIMYM in a row.  I don't know how I find that show soothing, but somehow it helped.  Please don't ask how many seasons I watched, I've already grounded myself from it for the time being.

Greek Drop Biscuits

  Welp, I've jinxed my Mondays.  I admit to having a crappy Monday once, and now, all of a sudden, they suck for no apparent reason.

  Blehhhhhhhhh.

  No happiness, zero energy, and motivation drops off the face of the earth.

  With that mood in mind, would one really want to go about and knead things?  Make a big, flour-y, butter-y mess on one's kitchen table just to have a few biscuits?  Is it too much work to line baking sheets with parchment?

  Well, today...yeah, yeah it is.

Hot Cross Carrot Cake Pancakes

  Did you think I'd forgotten about you, and the fact that you still don't know what to make for Easter brunch?  Never lose faith, friends, I'm here!

  But really, you have Sundays with Joy (And yes, I realize I'm a few days late for that.  Busy weekend!) to thank for these babies.

Brown Butter Coconut Dutch Baby with Bananas and Pineapple

  Dutch Babies.  When they first come out of the oven, they're a lovely, puffy mass of goodness.

Brown Butter Marshmallow Popcorn Bars

  We used to host annual Oscars parties, back when we had consistent company/friends that cared about such things.  I remember one occasion when my little sister and I decided to get all "dressed up" for the red carpet.  This consisted of a horrendous amount of cherry-red (and scented) lip gloss, sparkly blue dresses a couple sizes too big, and plastic heels.  The ladies who came lent us their feather-y boas.  We were a couple of very happy and doted upon girls.

Mini Red Velvet and Chocolate Layer Cake

  And here we go!  Let singles awareness week commence.

  Now, obviously I'm not totally against Valentine's.  But still, 99% of the reason I made this little beauty is because it's for Sundays with Joy.  I'll still take any excuse to buy chocolate and watch chick flicks, though!  Valentine's is special for me in some ways.  I wrote up last year about how we celebrate it in our family, and those homemade cards and little gifts are what make it lovely.

The Sad Tale of a Tart

***UPDATE: I finally got around to revamping this beauty, find the foolproof recipe here!  You're welcome.
 
  I know, I'm cruel.  Here I put in front of your faces these tantalizing pictures that look remarkably like a peanut butter chocolate concoction, and yet, no recipe accompanies them.

  That IS rather cruel, but I don't mean it to be.

  You see, Sundays with Joy came across a recipe to be reckoned with this week.  I still adore Joy's book, and if you think about it, one recipe in a hundred certainly isn't bad.  But still, almost all of us had trouble with her tart.

  The crust was notoriously dry for many, and this being my first time even making a tart, I wasn't sure what to look for.  That being said, I did quite a few things wrong.  This tart may look (and even semi-taste) gorgeous, but oh my.

  I considered not posting at all, I considered just letting it lie.  But I'd already taken pictures, and I think you guys know me well enough that I can share my failures as well as successes.  If you've ever harbored secret suspicions that I'm some magical kitchen whiz...I'm here to dash those to bits.

  After adding some milk, I finally got the crust to come together.  But at that point, I think I had it pretty overworked.  I see now that it should've rested in the freezer for longer than an hour, but an hour is what I gave it.  Thus, it went into the oven, puffing and creating holes.  It comes as no surprise then that, as I poured in my liquid-y ganache, it leaked through the crust; creating a mess in my pretty new pan.

  Even after all this, I kept on.  I swirled my peanut butter, I left it to pull itself together in the fridge overnight.

  I had a piece today, and honestly...it was just alright.  I tried to dream up a reason to share it with you, but then I didn't know how I'd begin to write out the recipe.  It needs some work, and just a bit of revision before it's worthy for your tastebuds and kitchen.  The crust was ok..but it's not what I'd pick for a chocolate peanut butter tart.  And that's my own fault.  The original recipe calls for ganache, whipped cream, and fresh berries.  But, well...it's January.  And..I wanted peanut butter and chocolate.

  I want to promise you all right here and now that I will indeed bring this back to life!  With a more appropriate base and a better crust-to-filling ratio, it will be heavenly.

  Life's too short to live with disappointments.

  I'll be back soon with a cupcake for you patient people, but in the meantime, check out Carrie's lovely tart adaptation!  You'll also find the other members' tart posts at the bottom.  This proves that you can indeed make something beautiful out of a mess.  Everyone did so well!

Raspberry Lemon Bars

  So, you remember that discussion about how I didn't like chocolate crinkle cookies for the longest time?  How I thought they were all the same?

  Well, let's just throw lemon bars into that category.  Aaannd then let me remove those as well.  And perhaps let me further confess that I was, again, wrong.  Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.

Chocolate Brandy-Spiked Pistachio Walnut Banana Bread

  Many a mood swing, a care-free summer, starting my senior year of high school, saying goodbye to a farm I made fudge at for three years, getting some really good friends, touring colleges, having sweet people buy me my birthday dinner, reaching the big 18, keeping up with this space, joining Sundays with Joy...

  2012, it's been crazy.

Hot Chocolate

  Hot chocolate.

  Runny noses, Spongebob, sledding, snow angels, licking icicles, hogging marshmallows, shooting whipped cream directly into one's mouth (I'm sure there's some sort of term for this, but I'm not cool enough to know it.), and cookies.

Orange Gingerbread Squares with Cream Cheese Frosting

  It's December.  And despite the fact that you can still comfortably wear a t-shirt outside (in Wisconsin...what the heck??), I'm feelin' the holidays.

  Last year I got major Christmas stress.  I was planning Christmas dinner and the gift boxes for neighbors, while trying to successfully shop for the perfect present for everyone.  I got sort of absorbed.

Sweet Potato Pie with Walnut Streusel and No-Roll Pie Crust

  Every year, pumpkin pie makes its way to the table.

  And every year, I've turned up my nose. 

Maple Rum Walnut Pralines

  There used to be a little candy/nut shop in our local mall, and it wasn't there nearly long enough.  No matter what time of year it was, I went by that place and felt fall.  Something about the aroma of roasting pecans does that.

  I loved walking through there, just enjoying the smells.  It was a trip usually done with my papa, who always got me just a little something.  Lollipops, jelly beans, chocolates, caramels...and don't forget the salt water taffy.  Never forget salt water taffy.

Chocolate Walnut Pumpkin Streusel Bread

  So, my Sundays with Joy are going to become Thursdays with Joy for a couple weeks.  My weekends have not been my own, and this coming one is no exception!

  But really, who wants to hear about busy weekends?  No one.  Well, not me, anyway.

  I want to talk about fireplaces, tea, books, and good friends.  Oh, and pumpkin bread.  Let's go with that one.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cake

  I have a father, and I call him papa.

  My papa had a birthday recently, and I made sure that the Sundays with Joy schedule had this cake going the weekend of it.

Caramel Pumpkin Black and White Cookies

  I've got the crunch of leaves stuck in my head.  And if there was some way to combine the aromas of cinnamon and damp earth into a cookie without being totally gross...I'd do it.

  Dear autumn, I'm stuck on you.

Fall-Spiced Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

  There are eaters who will eat the best part first and save their least favorite part for last, and there are others who will only eat the best part or who will save the best for last.  And I guess there are also those who really don't care, food is food.

  Sorry, was that confusing?

  Okay, example.  Most everyone likes the tops of muffins best, it's just a thing.  Some will eat the top right away, then will begrudgingly eat the bottom.  Others will only eat the top, and others still will save the top for last.  And some will just down the whole muffin in one bite.

  Most of the time, I save the best for last.  What kind of eater are you?

Spicy Honey Roasted Cashews

  So!  As it's my first day off in a week, I thought I'd take advantage of it and catch up on my missed Sundays with Joy post.

  Do forgive me.  I work seasonally, and until October ends my life is not my own.