Recent notes...

I was thinking that, getting into fall, I'd be wanting to make cookies soon. I don't know why, but fall just means cookies for me. I wanted to review this delicious recipe for brown sugar cookies. I could have sworn I had posted it before, but then I got into reading older blog entries unable to find the brown sugar cookies.

Blogs, tumblogs, livejournals, and, let's face it, Friendster pages, are definitely self-centered ventures. I've always said that I have mine for my own purposes; it's nice to catalogue my mistakes and happy accidents in baking and cooking (but mostly baking). I'm really happy with so much that I've put in here in terms of recipes. I've even forgotten some of the recipes I've posted! Basically, the whole experience made me want to write more regularly, even if I can't keep up with recipes for one reason or another.

Last week, for example, I made these AMAZING cream puffs. I saw the idea on "Unique Sweets" and had to try it. Basically, you just pipe pate choux pastry in the center of a square of puff pastry. Fold in the corners of the puff pastry and crease. It can be a little messy, but the magic happens in the oven: first the puff pastry goes to work expanding, and just as it finishes, the cream puff pastry starts expanding inside the puff pastry. You're left with this amazing, flaky, buttery pastry with a cavern in the middle. It's perfect filled with pastry cream and dusted with confectioner's sugar. It's rich and decadent, yes, but it's also airy and light. This definitely falls in the "happy accident" category and deserves a post of its own.

This weekend, I am making brunch for the students at the Phonathon. I've got fifteen students in the Sunday afternoon shift that starts at 1. What could be better than a brunch? So I'm going back to my standard quiche and cinnamon roll recipes. I'm adding a fruit salad to round out the meal. That's why there's nothing new this week: three quiche and a batch of cinnamon rolls certainly are a bit of work!

Next week, I'm not sure what to make. I do have some canned pumpkin still. Those brown sugar cookies could be nice as well if I can fin the original recipe. Oh, and I still want to try these "thin mint cupcakes" I saw on "Unique Sweets." Obviously, my creativity has to come from somewhere haha.

Daniel