I have put off this next recipe long enough. No longer. I'm definitely hearing The Little Engine That Could today. Lots of I think I can, I think I can, I think I can going on in my head. 7 layers. SEVEN. Gulp. Wish me luck!
No, these were not one of Maida's recipes. The next one in her book is a doozy so I've been putting it off. Today I made these muffins. Nice, simple muffins. Did I follow the recipe to a t? I did not. Did I use maple syrup? Yes. Yes, I did. Did I substitute a few other things? Again, yes. And guess what? They turned out so good. How is it when I follow recipes very closely, they don't turn out, yet when…
I really must get in tune with my oven. Apparently it bakes at a much faster rate than dear Maida’s. Yet another baking experiment overdone. Aye, yai, yai. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t look a thing like the original picture, but that's okay. I don't care what it looks like, I made a linzer torte. It was actually pretty tasty. Had it been a bit less done and had a side of ice cream (my husband’s 2 cents), it would have been even better. If…
That went….well. I’m just glad they’re done and in the oven. Phew! Let’s just say that if there was any doubt as to my baking expertise, this just sealed the deal. I was rushing to cut the strips of lattice and get them on before they melted all over my hands. The maple syrup made it extra soft, so I was movin'. There was a tiny glimmer of hope that mine might resemble the picture. The glimmer is gone. Regardless of what it…
Is one supposed to laugh hysterically before baking? That’s what I’m doing as I try not only to picture myself making it, but what the finished product will look like. A Linzer Torte. Nothing like starting off with something simple. Yeah, I think rolling on the floor is more like it! If brownies proved challenging, how on earth am I going to handle this? You know what? I’m going to do it. I’m going to go make that beautiful (I hope) and delicious…
I can't help but feel I let Maida down with these. Are they terrible? No. My husband and kids actually like them quite a lot. I just know they're not Maida's gooiest, chewiest, mostest-of-the most I was hoping to duplicate. I know it's me, I just don't know where I went wrong. Was it not adding the extra 1 3/4 cup maple syrup? Could it possibly be because I baked them a tad long? Why are they more cakey than chewy? They may…
I finally got around to starting the first recipe. After reading and drooling over it, it was quite the wait. One that will prove worth it (I hope!). Everything started off well enough. Like I mentioned before, I'm not a baker. When I make something, I rarely measure ingredients. A little of this and a little of that has worked for me so far. Not for this project. Nope. It's going to be by the book (mostly). Measuring cups/spoons? Check! One thing, actually…
We shall see. The baking cookbook is in! Now for the fun part. First up? Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate-covered mints. Um, yum. Maida's introduction about these brownies: "The biggest, thickest, gooiest, chewiest, darkest, sweetest, mostest-of-the-most...with an almost wet middle and a crisp-crunchy top." After wiping up my drool, two thoughts instantly come to mind. First, I need these now. Second, I sure hope I don't mess them up, because I need them to taste exactly as she described. Maple syrup, don't let…