Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pie

For the first time in a long time, I had a day off on Friday.  The last day off I had that wasn’t a stat holiday was back in MARCH.  WTH?  I had the day planned out:  Bob and I were going to take Mum out for crepes at Kawaii Crepe, go to Boonstra’s for strawberry picking, and then maybe go to Home Sense to check out some new wares.  But before all the shenanigans were to begin, I had to come up with a dessert to bring over to the ladies night dinner I was attending later that evening.

What to make?  What to make that’ll be quick and ready to go by the time I get back?  Out of our small group of awesome, foxy ladies, one has food allergies.  And the two things that she could not have were: citrus and nuts.  CRAP!  So, I’m online looking for “great!” “summer!” “desserts!”.  And what comes up?  Citrus something-or-other.  Lemony thing-she-can’t-eat.  Nuts’n-butts disaster.  I was totally boned.  Why did everything that was sounding SO amazing were the things I couldn’t make?  So, I emailed Ms. T and asked her specifically which citrus and which nuts (because it can be specific).  Turns out ALL citrus :(.  But, she was ok with peanuts.  Translation: peanut butter is an option.  HALLELUJAH!

On the opposite end of the spectrum…

In light of the zen and healthy state of mind I’ve been in lately, my stomach has put in a request for something different and quite opposite.  Actually not so much requested, but demanded unhealthy, fattening, horribly artery-clogging eats.  I don’t know if anyone else suffers from this affliction, but there’ll be periods where I’m eating healthy.  I’ve been a good girl.  Then from the depths of some place unseen, my body is really, REALLY wanting the bad stuff.  And this isn’t even when I’m PMS’ing!

What am I craving?  What exactly do I want dancing on my tongue?  Who do I turn to?

Nigella Lawson.

If I have to have any kind of girl crush besides Angelina Jolie (sorry Team Aniston fans), it’d be Nigella Lawson.  I love watching her on tee vee.  I love how she bashes things about; makes no apologies for her love of food; and makes raiding the kitchen in the middle of the night almost seem guilt-free.

Several months ago, I was watching one of her Nigella Bites episodes.  I watched rapt, still, and hungry while she made Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding.  I saw it, tried to find when it would air next and hit record on the PVR.  I wanted to make this and I wanted to make it quite badly.  But, as aforementioned, that was several months ago.  How could I go from such a state of sheer absolute need and NOW! to one of, I can wait several months??  I’m not entirely sure.  My parents came over for Sunday dinner and I needed to make a dessert.  Well, I didn’t need to but since mum had made dinner – it was the least I could do.  Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding it is!

Chocolate Pudding

When I'm busy making macarons and saving the world, Bob gets to feast on boxed pudding.

Hmmmm…. pudding.  It is so good, non?  Love it as a snack for work and sometimes as a sweet treat after dinner.   When I get a chance, I do make it from scratch with the milk, the cream, the chocolate and the corn starch.  But lately, I’ve been buying the Hunt’s Snack Packs for my Bob because i) he likes them and ii) I simply haven’t made much time or effort to make homemade pudding for him.  Horrible wife – YIKES!

I stumbled upon this Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding when I was looking for recipes with chia seeds.  I’ve tried making it twice because I actually wasn’t all that fond of the original.

Tarte au Citron

"One of these things just doesn't belong..."

I don’t know what’s up with me, but lately I’ve been wanting to express myself in French.  Sometimes, things just make more sense in French or maybe it’s just that it sounds better?  My once-mad skillz aren’t all that excellent enough to write fluently anymore.  And when I’ve been calling La Belle Province, they pick up right away that I’m Anglophone and they switch on to Language: Anglais.

Sigh.

Cherry Turnovers with Stella’s magic

This past weekend, the kitchen offerings were weak and burnt at best.  Melted gummi bears running amuck, melted, and rather bitter.  A mango madness that fizzled and left me in near tears.  What to do to get me back on my game?  Probably something simpler and more comfort-foody.

I had eyed Stella’s Quick Pastry Dough and decided with her magical abilities, I could make cherry turnovers.  Ideally, I would have loved to have gotten my hands on some guava jelly, but I was in comfy yoga pants and didn’t want to venture out into the real world.  I wanted to make something that I could consume while watching The Blindside.

Here’s how it went down: