baby rambutan

hummus on feta cheese and kalamata olive bread

i don’t know why it is. the crocuses are peeking out, the lily of the valley shoots are all over, and even the old hundred year old maples’ leaf buds are shyly unfolding. i should be leaping for joy now that we’re finally crawling out of the winter that seems to have lasted six months.

instead i don’t have any appetite, and have no desire to cook. cookbooks are “falling” from the sky into my lap. my food magazines still get delivered. lucky for me i have a husband who likes to experiment in the kitchen/lab and who has taken this week off to hang out with our kids on their spring break.

lucky for me too i have the bread machine to play with, it is just about the only thing drawing me in to the kitchen.
i’ve made five loaves so far: white bread, sweet bread, whole wheat, feta cheese and olive, and brioche. yes! brioche! i’ve labored over that dough–it usually takes me 2 days for each attempt (gooey sticky buns; ensaymada). it is my favorite one so far, and it is all i can do to stop myself hugging my R2D2–for that it what the Dak auto bakery looks like.

we have just a small loaf each time, but it’s just right for sampling and because of the ease of use, i am contemplating the possibilities, of all the fresh hot loaves i can make. daily?!

it’s almost enough to shake off these springtime blues.

“…the stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
for nothing now can ever come to any good.”

— W.H. Auden
(more…)

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I’m all for shopping on the internet!

Yes, at first I was really wary of it, and heeding all the warnings made me shy away from ordering anything. At first.

Now I am its number one FAN, and would willingly endorse ONLINE shopping for all the presents this Christmas season. I just don’t like going to the mall, and it’s truly dreadful when it’s crowded and everyone’s jostling for space, eyes glazed and shoulders stooped from all the heavy bags.

And one of my favorite shopping sites is overstock.com. I bought a really warm wool comforter for my #2son who has asthma…well before his pediatric allergist recommended getting rid of his down comforter I already switched, and got myself a fine-quality wool comforter at half the price of the big box linen stores. Then of course I “checked it out” (my son needed me to fall asleep with him at the time, he was only two or three?), and had to get one for our bed too! So on and on it went, and I have never been disappointed by the bargains and low-cost shipping over at overstock.com. You’ll find just about everything you can think of….I even found a costume for next year’s Halloween that my youngest has been looking for ever since he started playing with playmobil British soldiers!

Then what do you know, they are having a great contest, All I want for Christmas Giveaway for the holidays!

Check out the cool video, take in the rules, and start that wishlist! and enter to win prizes for yourself and five of your beloveds–values of up to $1,000 each. You can enter once a day and must submit 5 friends’ email addresses to “spread the love.” This is what I’m wishing for…to replace the wedding ring that disappeared into the black hole of our house and the engagement ring that broke in my finger while doing Cinderella work…

I was so surprised that thess my favorite “tagger” had already “tagged” me to be one of her nearest and dearest! thanks thess! Though I can’t elect you to be my taggee (only United States residents, sorry!) I would love to win one for you! among my N.A.-based blogger friends i’d nominate sardonic nell, Jmom, Manang Kusinera and fish fish. (not to mention my siblings and cousins and aunts….!)

Hurry, you’ve got until December 7 and then there’s that $5,000 Grand Prize!

to Holiday stressing.
a slice for you! (photo added 3 December).
i refuse to get caught up in it! last weekend we saw lots of vehicles with holiday trees tied to their roof racks.
wha? isn’t it a tad too early for that? i’ve just washed up the last platter and bowl from the Thanksgiving feast!
so here’s my antidote.

Rosie’s Bakery-style chocolate sour cream layers with fudge filling and whipped cream frosting and chocolate curls..

fudge filling to magnify the chocolate flavor (as if it needed more oomph…) it is so easy to make in the blender.

friends! i have been pressed for time lately, so to make it easier on myself i’ve resolved to just supply recipes upon request. at least for now. if i can, i will always supply the link if it’s up online.

4 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup strong brewed coffee (or 5 tsp Instant coffee powder dissolved in 1 cup hot water)
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a fork, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 345 degrees F. Lightly grease two 8″ layer cake pans with vegetable oil or butter, or line them with parchment circles or inserts.
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler placed over simmering water, then turn off the heat (or use the microwave, watching carefully!).
Sift the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt together into a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, blend the hot coffee, sour cream, and vegetable oil with a whisk.
With the mixer on low, add the coffee mixture in a stream to the dry ingredients and mix until blended, about 35 seconds. Stop the mixer to scrape the bowl several times with a rubber spatula.
Add the eggs one at a time and mix on medium-low speed after each addition until smooth, about 15 seconds. Scrape the bowl each time. Add the chocolate and mix until the batter is uniform in color, about 10 seconds more.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared plans and place them on the center rack of the oven.
Bake until the cake springs back to the touch and a tester inserted in the center comes out dry (do not wait for a crust to form), 35 to 38 minutes.
Cool the layers in the pans on a rack before frosting.

Johnny Depp is in another Tim Burton movie!

When we heard that he would be starring as Sweeney Todd coming out in theaters this December we were really excited.
They have worked together before, in Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; he voiced the character of Victor the groom in the stop-action animation film, Corpse Bride.

He has been an A-list actor capable of selling tickets just by lending his name to a project; but he also is a gifted actor who gives his all to his craft. I saw him in “The Libertine,” a movie from 2004 where he portrays the Second Earl of Rochester, John Wilmot, a poet who fell in and out of the graces of the King. Heavily made up and in prostheses and crutches and a nose piece (the Earl died from the ravages of syphilis and was an unabashed druggie and alcoholic …a rock star in other words), Johnny Depp’s portrayal was a revelation. He looked disgusting yet you could totally understand why his abused and long suffering wife took him back and cuddled with him on his deathbed.

It was not much of a stretch for him to portray my son’s favorite movie character, the conniving drunken Captain Jack Sparrow in The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy–once again the parallels to rock star come to mind. Though the character is sort of a tongue-in-cheek homage to Keith Richards (the Rolling Stone who made a cameo appearance as his father in the third installment) Jack Sparrow may be forever the pirate standard against which all pirate captains will be forever judged.

Once again Johnny Depp dons an English accent and gets to explore the goodness descending/alternating into evil that resides in all human beings as the first fictionalized and most notorious serial killer, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace to find out more about this latest collaboration between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton.
Click here tovisit the official Sweeney Todd movie site.

my friend told me about the wonderful “white chocolate bread” recipe she finagled from a Club Med chef…and since that time i’ve been dreaming about a Club Med vacation.
so when the first flurries arrived today…
yep, unbelievable! i thought it was just raining but then it was very cold today. naturally i started thinking about warmer climes, what i wouldn’t do for a treat like a Club Med vacation!
talk about the all-inclusive package, you won’t even need your wallet after you’ve booked everything.
they have packages for families, couples, singles….the only difficulty will be choosing where to go!
i’ve got my heart set on Bora Bora! take the virtual tour…
This is a sponsored post.

for years now i’ve used my heavy duty stand mixer and been pretty happy with it. in addition to being a stalwart workhorse it looks quite sleek and elegant on the counter.

but, what counter? i’ve had the misfortune, the last three homes husband and i have lived in, of having limited counterspace. i have to stow away the mixer in a shelf, and lug it out whenever i need it.

the heavy duty mixer is crucial to any mommy who wants to bake cookies for her family, with its dough-hook attachment and muscle power to knead cookie dough that’s laden with dark chocolate chips or nuts or, in our case, oatmeal.

the new Eclectrics® Mixer is so pretty on the counter you would never be inclined to hide it away in the cabinets and you’d be more likely to whip up some treats for your kids. it’s chic and elegant, with various color choices. i mean, pineapple, apple, sterling, licorice, sugar, or ultramarine… you can match it to your kitchen design.

having a stand mixer frees up both hands for thorough mixing, and! this machine is quiet.

i wouldn’t have too much hesitations to whip up a batch of our favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookies using a machine with muscle power to mix heavy cookie dough laden with chocolate chips, oatmeal, and nuts, without fear of overheating.

this is our favorite recipe from Judy Rosenberg…owner of the famed Rosie’s bakery of Cambridge and Newton.

chocolate oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

3 & 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted in a double boiler over simmering water, cooled

1 cup plus 6 tbsps. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks butter, at room temperature

1 & 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

6 tbsps. milk

2 & 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350F. line cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil, and lightly grease w/ butter.

whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. set aside. in the mixer bowl, medium speed, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until blended. add the eggs and milk. (scrape down the sides and beaters well during the mixing process). carefully pour in the flour mixture over low speed. when well-incorporated add the melted chocolate, mix well, then add the oats and chocolate chips.

drop by rounded spoonfulls into cookie sheets about 3 inches apart and bake for 17 minutes. let cool in pans over racks then transfer to air-tight containers.

so if you’re shopping around for a new stand mixer consider the many special features of the Eclectrics® Mixer. shipping is even free for the month of November!

well, why not, right?
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“what are you going to do with all that money?”

notice: why is le froggy looking zo zmug et whimzical? zomething to do with hiz dinner…..(French accent from Quebec city, spectaculaire!!!! edited 11 Juillet)

city kids, meet country frog…and newts and pollywogs and fireflies and hummingbirds and cows and horses..now enough of the rain and thunder and lightning!