Some of my most vivid memories of childhood cannot be tied to one specific time, place, or event. These memories are of my childhood fixations, some idea or thing that I spent a brief but very poignant amount of time thinking about, and when I occupied my mind with such topics, for that brief period there was hardly room for anything else.
Last week I asked my friend Jeff what I should bring to the 30 birthday celebration that he was planning for our friend Devon. His response, “chocolate chip cookies”, came without hesitation.
Last night I baked a few too many sweet potatoes which I put away in the fridge with every intention of reheating for tonight’s dinner.
Three weeks ago, my friend Eric sent around an invite to a scotch tasting party. Then, the week of the party, he and Brian found themselves on a flight bound for an impromptu work week in Ireland and the party was postponed until this weekend. For obvious reasons, the party morphed into a scotch and Irish whiskey tasting party, but I didn’t hear anyone complaining.
There are a lot of really good things coming out of my kitchen this weekend, and I just can’t wait to tell you about each and every one. Some of them even prompted an after work trip in Soho to hit Broadway Panhandler (yeah, yeah, I know, that’s NOHO not Soho, but who can keep up?), Crate and Barrel, and Sur La Table for special equipment.
When facing life’s difficult choices, it’s always awesome when you are presented with the option of not having to decide. This week, as I went back and forth on which chocolate-y treat to bake as a thank you to some colleagues who went above and beyond and saved my butt, I couldn’t decide between fudge brownies or chocolate chip cookies.
I’ve been a little down in the dumps about my job lately because things are moving across my desk at a dizzying speed and I’m feeling sort of powerless about quality control, bound to each successive deadline. I’m not proud of my work and there have definitely been mistakes. In this situation, with no opportunity for do-overs, I’m feeling pretty blue.
No matter which way you lean politically, tomorrow is an important day for America, and despite that fact that I know Obama will not be the instant miracle pill that cures our ills overnight, I am going to sleep a bit better tonight knowing tomorrow that competent and level-headed leadership will be restored. I’ve had a hard time deciding how to celebrate this long-awaited event, and I resolved that chewy, creamy, salty/sweet caramel making was the answer.
I took some really beautiful pictures of this recipe that you will never see because my camera has EATEN them. To compensate (a little) I did take a few shots of the finished product, so let’s get right to that, because Jamie Oliver was not exaggerating when he named these the best in the World. This is ridiculously good, buttery, crumbly, addictive, flaky, tender, easy-to-make shortbread.
For the version of this recipe that worked, click here.
I will begin by saying that this post was doomed from the start. It was plagued by senior moments, camera issues, and kitchen disorganization. And even with all that, these coffee biscotti bars, as I have decided to call them, still came out pretty darn good – although one might beg the question, if you are combining espresso, dark chocolate, and roasted almonds, how can you really go wrong? Good point.
