The past three weeks have been gorgeous here on the west coast, and anyone begging to differ, they can shut their mouths, because it's better then nothing, winers! 

David likes to cook...I love to eat what he cooks.  I just want to share this little salad that we enjoyed last week at some point.  Heirloom tomatos and Burrata cheese are fantastic lovers, throw in some croutons and WAM BAM! Awesome salad. 

Thanks to all my million followers.  Goodnight!

<3

-Jen

Brownies!!

I'm sorry! This past week had been a little bit of a distraction.  Let me share some good news with you....I finally acquired a baker's job....albeit, I make and bake cupcakes all day, it's a start and I am really happy with it.   If you are in the Vancouver/Commercial Drive vicinity, please...come visit me!  Cassia Cupcakery!

I had two interviews as of late, one obviously worked out, but the other one is still looking for the one that wasn't me! I made them a little bribe though...brownies!  Everyone loves them, right?!  I hope so, cause they are one of the satisfying tasty-ness, if done excellent.  Chewy, Chocolate, Cracky! 

Sour Cream Ice Cream with Brownie 

I modified a Jamie Oliver recipe that David had made previously, but it was too moist to cut.  I added oven dried cherries and toasted walnuts to these....most excellent!  Just remember, if you are using fresh fruit in your baking, it's easier to dry them out to bake with them, because the moisture in the fruit will leech out into the baking and change the hydration, thus making them impossible to cut.    I know you want to eat these right away, like us...but you have to wait!  If anything, let them rest overnight and the next day they will be  perfect to portion!   

Thank you for reading!  It's dinner time!

-Jen

Breakfast....how I love you!

Chocolate Bundt and A Boston Terrier

Lately, I'm not sure why, but everything I bake turns out as a turd.  I feel like I need to regain my baking mojo soon, or else it might be lost forever!  Kidding, I'm kidding!  But it better make an appearance soon!


Anyway, this past weekend David and I were dog sitting for his sister.  She has this CRAZY little Boston named Kaiser.  He's adorable, yes, but can you say.....ENERGY!  He's non stop!  My favorite part of the weekend was him sleeping, because he is a cuddle monster and it's pretty freaking cute.  And he is pretty camera friendly:

KAISER!

On the time off I've had in the past two weeks, food blogs have been a daily read.  I came across a very popular one called Joy the Baker.  She has tons of recipes and I was really craving chocolate cake.  I rifled through her index and found a great recipe for a chocolate bundt.  Very easy, very simple, and very tasty!  

Everything was going smoothly, David was making the glaze.  The original recipe: here, calls for a chocolate glaze, but guava is in season right now, and we picked up a couple packs the other day.  So he decided to make a guava caramel and use that as the glaze.  (by the way, fantastic!)

It was slightly underbaked....and came apart in the pan :(

But!  I put it back together and the glaze held it in place!

Even though the cake came out as a slightly crumbly mess, in the end, it was a moist, underbaked, guava-y, chocolate cake. That's what we were craving anyway!  Needless to say, I think this cake is one step in getting my baking mojo back.  (even if it looks turd like)


<3
-Jen

Coconut Cupcakes ala Pineapple Cream Cheese Icing

Ok, I'm going to admit....Martha Stewart has some great cake recipes.   She slightly terrifies me, her show is void of happiness and sunshine, it's scary.  BUT,  I will give that wonderful lady a high five for the creation of her coconut cupcake recipe.  

There's one component to cake making that I have yet to master or have patience to master, and that is frosting.  I can't count the number of cakes or cookies I have made that needed to be frosted and the times that it didn't work out,  but I can  tell you that this is one of those times.   Non pipe-able, super sugary icing that just didn't want to be nice.  

In the end of my cupcake frustration, I reinforced that it doesn't hurt to try again next time. 

-Jen