Original Recipe: http://gracessweetlife.com/2012/01/chocolate-hazelnut-pots-de-creme-pots-de-creme-al-cioccolato/ Well we tried to make creme brulee, but the recipe we used didn’t set up properly. Once we find the one that works, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, we decided to make these pots de creme (which are...
Original Recipe: http://gracessweetlife.com/2011/08/bomboloni-alla-crema-krapfen-italian-cream-filled-donuts/ Bomboloni are a traditional Italian pastry. This recipe worked great, and the resulting doughnuts were delicious! They were just so light and full of air. The orange zest added a little freshness and of course...
Original recipe: http://gracessweetlife.com/2010/09/chocolate-cheesecake-with-chocolate-sauce-butter-caramel-sauce-and-hazelnuts/ I really don’t like cheesecake, so I’m sorry my reviews can’t be more detailed. Adele and Ellen tell me it’s a very good cheesecake. I didn’t make the chocolate sauce as I had some leftover...
When I started my Adventures in Baking , Homemade Oreos was one of the first things I made. The girls had a bake sale today, so we made more of these cookies last night. We tripled the dough recipe and doubled the filling recipe. I use 1 tablespoon of dough for each cookie and 1 tablespoon of filling. The recipe...
Original recipe: http://gracessweetlife.com/2010/07/donna-hays-double-chocolate-brownie-semifreddo/ This worked out really nice. It’s super rich, just like the chocolate mousse, but it doesn’t have the same structure. At room temperature, it does start to “melt.” What’s wonderful is how easy it is to stir in whatever...
Original recipe: http://gracessweetlife.com/2010/05/dark-chocolate-almond-crackles-chocolate-thumbprints/ Made two different kinds of cookies today: Dark Chocolate Almond Crackles and Chocolate Thumbprints. Almond Crackles: This is a straightforward recipe except for the blanched almonds. What a pain! It took 30+...
Original recipe: http://gracessweetlife.com/2011/06/crostata-di-fragole-con-crema-pasticcera-e-chantilly-strawberry-tart/ This recipe turned out beautifully! The pastry was delicious, it didn’t break when transferring, the pastry cream worked the very first time, and all together it was just gorgeous! I didn’t have...
Rating: 4/5 Linda R. Monk, The Words We Live By (New York: Hyperion, 2003). This book is the entire text of the US Constitution and its 27 amendments, annotated line by line with explanations, historical motivations, and ramifications thereof. If you’re a US citizen, or just interested in politics, then understanding...
Original recipe: http://gracessweetlife.com/2011/05/torta-caprese-flourless-chocolate-torte-graces-sweet-life-goes-to-print/ I’ve made a few flour-less chocolate cakes, but none of them turned out as excellent as this one! This recipe used more eggs than others that I’ve tried, and the addition of the nut meal is...
Rating: 3/5 Nassir Ghaemi, A First-Rate Madness (New York: Penguin, 2011). The thesis of the book is that in times of peace and plenty, the best leader is a mentally normative (or “homoclite”) one. In crisis, however, you need an exceptional leader. Ghaemi asserts that the best such leaders are mentally abnormal. He...