Daring Bakers make Dobos!

The August 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful
of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos
Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers’ cookbook Kaffeehaus:  Exquisite
Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

This month’s Daring Bakers challenge was quite a hit in my house. Dobos is Graham’s #1 cake. Every birthday means a Dobos. He’s tried them from various bakeries in Toronto and Mississauga, each one slightly different. This summer, we were fortunate enough to try Dobos from Demel, the famous Austrian bakery with a branch in NYC. 

Graham and I really enjoyed making the cake. We did the buttercream on Friday night and put it in the fridge, then the cake and the caramel on Saturday night. A slice was enjoyed Sunday night, then the rest at our last dinner in Mississauga on Monday night, with Graham’s family. 

YUM!

Daring Bakers make Milan Cookies!

The July Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She choseChocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

 

My horse’s rear end

Food blog? What food blog? Today’s post is all about horses.

This past Saturday. Graham and I went trail riding. It was part of his birthday gift last year. Given that he’s about to have another birthday in about 3 weeks. we figured it was time to go! The stables were at a conservation area about a half an hour from our apartment. We went for 12, but that ride was full so we ate our lunch and walked around a little, waiting for the 1 o’clock ride. 

Hence the post title. This was an over-the-shoulder shot that didn’t really work.

Much better! 

While the scenery wasn’t all that picturesque, we did see about a dozen deer, not phased in the slightest when we rode* by.

* Disclaimer: these horses were slow. A toddler could walk faster. But I liked it anyway!

Regular food programming to resume shortly. Night y’all!

About me…

I’ve been seeing this on lots of blogs lately, so thought you might like to hear about me!

8 Things I’m Looking Forward to:

1. Beach vacation this summer.
2. Mississauga 10K in a few weeks.
3. My 26th birthday (yes, don’t mind getting older!).
4. Getting a KitchenAid ice cream attachment and making my own!
5. Catching up on the last two episodes of The Mentalist.
6. Having my own garden someday.
7. Traveling to tonnes of cool new places.
8. Being a mother.

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Went to work.
2. Had a lunch meeting where I turned down pizza in favour of my packed salad!
3. Run with Graham (7k).
4. Used my Garmin – love it!
5. Made a really tasty salad for dinner – spinach with pecans, apples and aged white cheddar, and a sweet balsamic dressing.
6. Ate my Daring Bakers cheesecake. yum.
7. Watched DWTS – loved the team dances!
8. Read Rachael Ray magazine in bed before bed.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do/Want to Do:

1. Find a job that I love and am passionate about.
2. Spend more time with my parents and sister on the weekends.
3. Go to Hawaii.
4. Go on DWTS. Or, just learn how to dance.
5. Skip work tomorrow, read all morning with coffee and banana bread.
6. Spend my days on the beach.
7. Convince Graham that we should run a marathon.
8. Cook on a gas stove.

8 Shows I Watch:

1. The Mentalist
2. DWTS
3. The Amazing Race
4. Sarah’s Cottage
5. CSI
6. Jeopardy
7. … that’s it
8. … all done!

No one to tag… try it if you like!

Do I dare indulge in another mini-cheesecake… maybe a piece of my Lindt dark chocolate bunny… I think I hear the kitchen calling my name.

twinkle twinkle little star

It’s a gorgeous evening in Toronto. Warm breeze, but still. Graham and I stood out on the balcony, letting our skin enjoy the air. After months of sweaters and jeans, shorts and a t-shirt feels amazing.

I’m going to update my running log tomorrow and start posting some photos again, too. We’ve had great meals lately – tasty, inexpensive and quick to prepare. My chef does an excellent job!

Off to bed for now. Night, all!

Random Things

Graham’s parents’ cat, Missy.

Chobani comes to Canada!

Graham eating Sunday night pizza.

See you tonight for a real food recap… we’ve been busy beavers in the kitchen!

saturday sunshine

Photo-less Weekend

Graham’s in Ottawa visiting his friends and took my camera. No photos from me this weekend! I’ve got a long to-do list, including visiting my sister, groceries, run, emails, Crate & Barrel, laundry. So far? Have had waffles for breakfast, watched an episode of CSI, mopped the kitchen floor and cleaned up, swept the living room & dining room and cleaned the bathroom. Now, I’m caught up on Reader.

Have a great weekend!

Blogging Update

Hi all,

Wanted to post quickly this morning. I’ve decided that posting daily has become too much for me. I don’t find that my weeknight dinners have been interesting lately and I’m not sure this is an engaging style for my (very) few readers. I haven’t been posting daily lately and this is why.

Instead, I’m going to aim to post three times a week – recipes that I’ve found online, ones I’ve made up, baking successes, running (of course). And we’ll see how that goes. 

Thank you and see you for my next post!

Times they are a-changin’ (again)

Big news ’round here: Graham’s coming home. Unfortunately, recession + automotive industry = bad times right now. We will figure it out. You’ll start seeing better weeknight meals now… less sandwiches and french toast!

See you later!