I More Than Like You Brownies

Ever since I started working at Whole Foods I compulsively buy the Callebaut or Varlhona chocolate anytime there's a price reduction. Which means that I have several blocks of chocolate hanging out in my pantry at the moment.

Which leads us to another recent purchase. Shannon and I recently made a trip to Trident Booksellers and Cafe where I picked up (finally) I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris.

Chocolate+Amy=Aunt Joyce's Brownies

Foodageddon: The Bakining

This time, it's personal

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread (or something witty)

Despite the fact that the flowers are in bloom and my grass is now long enough to need mowing, I have been craving pumpkin bread. As a matter of fact, there is no time of year that I'm not craving pumpkin bread. I love the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. That married with the soft, almost creamy, texture of pumpkin kills me every time. Like pizza, even bad pumpkin bread is pretty good.

Monsters!

Ever wonder what happens when you combine all your favorite cookies into one? I personally adore monster cookies, mostly cause it takes all my favorite parts of cookies and combines them. 

This Charming Cookie

I spent my day off baking cookies and listening to the Smiths. Which, let's face it, might be the best way to spend a day off ever.(Though the bit where I was dancing around my kitchen and suddenly noticed one of the creepy turkeys in my yard staring at me was less fun). I started off not really knowing what I wanted to make but knowing that I had a TON of chocolate chips. And by that I mean a four and half pound bag from BJ's.

The matroyshkas beckon you in

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Food Related

My niece's 4th birthday is coming up in a few days and I'm a little strapped for cash. So I decided to try out my crafty skills by making her an apron (and by me making it I mean Shannon supervised while I sewed together the pieces she gave me).

Here's the finished product:

Some vacation acquisitions

While in Spokane, Wa., Shannon and I visited an adorable coffee/tea shop called Atticus. They kept all the tea in large glass jars along the wall in this one nook so it looked like an apothecary. We went in one day to warm up after ice skating and I had no choice but to drag Shannon and her mom back in the next day.

I picked up two kinds of loose leaf tea while I was there (plus a super cute water bottle):  Market Spice Green and Earl Grey with Lavender.

Apparently "market spice" is a west coast thing, but I had never heard of it. I haven't properly tried that yet. The earl grey is actually something we sell at the west coast stores but never get in the east coast shops so I was curious to try it out. It's nice. It smells pretty floral but mostly you just taste the black tea base. It's like drinking tea and your posh aunt's house.

This little guy was a world market purchase but he makes a damn fin cuppa