Last weekend, my friends and I threw a super fun ocean themed baby shower for my friend Kim (and Dan)! Even though I helped to coordinate the event, I actually had to miss it because I came down with the flu :*(. SO SAD. But I am still so proud of how things turned out, and wanted to share some of my favorite ideas from the party!
This is a celebration cake to make for somebody you really love.
For me, that was my friend Lily, though I will say I made it for her pre-baby. Two days pre-baby, to be exact. I was on maternity leave and had just a litttttle more time left on my hands before our little bundle of joy came along (and completely changed the meaning of “free time” (and how I spent it)).
I think it made her happy, so that made me happy. I was also happy to eat it. Yum. It was so good. Several people remarked that it seemed like bakery quality, and even Eric told me he liked it, and he normally doesn’t even like chocolate cake. (But don’t worry. I love chocolate cake and I looooved it, too.)
That night, as our huge group celebrated at the restaurant, who did we run into but my dear brother and sister-in-law! Naturally I wanted to share my chocolate creation with them. They liked it so much that they later requested it for my niece’s 1st birthday party several months later. So I made the cake once more, again for somebody I really loved. And this time, it was with my own baby in tow… so methinks that’s somehow even more love than Lily got. Because spending all day making a cake pre-baby is not the same as spending all day making a cake post-baby. It was a hit, and even though my niece never got to try a bite, I know the guests enjoyed it! She’ll have to wait a little longer before she’s allowed processed sugar, but if she’s anything like her aunt, I think she’ll take to it pretty quickly :).
I got on the Nutella bandwagon in high school, when my German teacher served it to us on slices of sourdough baguette. Is it just me, or does food taste about 100x better when your teacher hands it to you in class? Doesn’t matter if it’s goldfish in third grade or chocolate spread on bread in high school– it’s such a treat! As odd as the combination might have seemed in any other context, it was like magic that chilly morning in third period. Chocolate spread on bread?! That’s allowed?! I thought. That seriously might be the most lasting thing I took from that class (my teacher was great, but honestly, I’ve never used my German since).
Since then, loads of people have fallen in love with the stuff, and for good reason. Here is one of my favorite applications of Nutella: Banana Nutella Croissants. Guys, these are SO GOOD. I want them ALL THE TIME.
I have a confession to make.
I use box mix for brownies. It’s true.
…BUT IT IS SO GOOD!!!!!
Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix
I’ve made a lottttt of batches of brownies from scratch, but once I gave Ghirardelli’s Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix
The brownies are moist and chewy and chocolatey with that thin crackly layer on the top. There are big chunks of chocolate, and the edges are satisfyingly edgy, for you edge-lovers out there. They’re pretty much perfect, and at $10/6-pack from Costco… you can’t really ask for more from boxed goods…
Golden Coin Almond Jello Mix
…Unless if you’re making almond jello, in which case Golden Coin’s almond jello
cake jello.
We haven’t set up too many traditions in our family yet, but here’s one that has been going eight years strong: COOKIES ON RAINY DAYS. I am strong believer in fresh-baked cookies on rainy days, and have had plenty of opportunities to continue the tradition here in rainy California the last couple of weeks. Speaking of rain, I just want to say: California teachers, I felt for you on those wet days. I really did. I do not miss those rainy weeks of cabin-fevered children and indoor recesses. I wish you many cookies and hot baths when you get home!
Back to cookies. So a few months ago, one of my favorite people in the world sent me this request: “Would you be willing to post your recipe for your coffee toffee chocolate chip cookies? [Someone] made your lemon bars last week so I remembered my absolute favorite of your desserts…” How could I say no to that? So I emailed her the recipe, and have been waiting for rainy days to come so it would be juuust the right time to share it with you all, too!
These are also my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookies of all time. If I were a recipe hoarder, this is one I would hoard. I’ve tried maybe 15-20 different chocolate chip cookie recipes in my lifetime (including these and these and these and these), but the one I am about to share continues to be my all-time favorite. Hands-down. As a matter of fact, it’s probably one of my all-time favorite recipes of all time, chocolate or not. Yeah. Really. 
Ben and I thought we’d hit upon a great idea when we decided to serve Earl Grey Panna Cotta in 2 oz. shot glasses
Well apparently I have an awful memory, because turns out my friend Wendy has been serving panna cotta in shot glasses for a long time! I have a vague memory of this from years ago, but it’s so hazy that if she hadn’t mentioned it, I would not have remembered :(. Sorry to idea-steal, friend. Or, thank you for the idea-share? =P
I started with plain panna cotta, but I decided to jazz it up by steeping some earl grey in the cream, first. It looked nice, but plain, and I think dark chocolate compliments earl grey well, so I decided to layer that in. Finally, hubs decided the whole thing could do with a little crunchy texture, and I happened to have a package of milk chocolate toffee bits
My baby girl just turned one! I still can’t believe the first year has passed! I was inspired to make the outfit above when I saw this cute outfit on Etsy. For the party, I didn’t have a clear theme, but just picked out things I liked as I perused Pinterest
When I was in high school, I was hanging out with some friends at a summer camp when someone said something about “special brownies.”
My ears perked up and I instantly chimed in, “I make special brownies!”
Everyone stopped talking and looked at me. (This was a Christian camp, mind you.)
Wow, they’re really interested! So I offered, “…I can make you some!”
CARAMEL APPLES!!!! I remember ALWAYS wanting one whenever we passed a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, but they were always so expensive. I finally tasted one during my senior trip in college, and there was no going back. Shortly after, I spied them at Safeway and decided it was time to try making them myself. It was a delicious but messy affair, and I had to call Ben in to help me out.
It wasn’t very pretty that first year. The caramel gooped on the bottom so there was an uneven ratio of sweets:apple, but you know what? They were SO GOOD! We made four apples that year, and it was such a treat every time we sliced one open. Thus began an autumn tradition in our home. We’ve made it every year since, and our methods have gotten a little better each time.
We’ve experimented with different apples, tried disposable chopsticks instead of popsicle sticks, used various toppings (chopped almonds > sliced almonds, IMHO), and used different methods to keep the caramel from pooling at the bottom. Our method is still not perfect, but we’ve come a long way!
I feel it is my duty to introduce you to my latest pastry fav: The Kouign Amann (queen ah-MAHN “queen-yah-manh”). Imagine a croissant, but instead of thin sheets of dough layered with butter, it’s layered with butter and sugar. Together, they bake up into a delightful pastry with golden layers of caramelized goodness crisping and flaking in your mouth. MmmmmMmm!
My favorite is the chocolate kouign amann. Just imagine the one above with some chocolate in the middle. I have no good pictures because I keep polishing them off before remembering that I wanted to snap a picture for you. Oops =P.
I tried my first kouign amann two years ago after one of my BFFs (and fellow dessert-lover) emailed me: i want to take you to get a kouign amman (have you had one yet??) from a neighborhood store!
Truth be told, I wasn’t all that excited about it. I couldn’t figure out how to pronounce the words in my head or out loud, which somehow made it less exciting to me. But do you see those two question marks? That was her subtle way of saying “Have you had one yet? Because if you haven’t YOU REALLY SHOULD! YOU WOULD LOVE IT!!!” I know this because we’ve been BFF-ing it for over 15 years. Yup.
And she was totally right. She took me to get one the next day, and I LOVED IT:
yummmmmmmmmmmm the toasted chocolate kouign amman was SO yummy! we toasted it and ben devoured almost the whole thing. he loves it. you’re right, it develops such a nice crunchy crust! i told him i’d ask you to bring one down with you next weekend… and he asked me to ask for two haha :).
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