Regarding what this blog really is, and a recipe to make up for your loss.

I'm sorry I have ruthlessly deserted you, dear blog, and know that
though it probably WILL happen again, I will do my best to make this
humble blog a place to divulge my behind-the-scenes-self to the internet,
and those who choose to read it. I hope I may benefit someone in some
way.

For today, I contribute a delightful recipe which I found utterly wonderful,
and could be a great addition for a July 4rth picnic. Please excuse my messy
house - I had not the time to clean it. Sorry.

Blueberry Lemon Bars - A recipe from the paper

For the crust:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c. flour

For the filling:
1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 tbsp. flour
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/8 tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 c. fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries


























When juicing and zesting the lemon, what worked for
me was to juice first, by cutting the lemon in half and
then pummeling the poor thing till it was only a haggard
remnant of its previous juicy self. After finishing giving
its other half similar treatment, you should have about
2-3 tbsp. of juice.

















To zest, I used a cheese grater - it took a long time though, and
I'm sure there is a better way. By the end of the tedious process,
I'd say I had about little more than a tbsp of zest.


Now. Finally starting the recipe... We'll start with the crust.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Coat a 8 or 9 inch square pan/baking dish with cooking spray.
In a 'medium' bowl (this is just what the recipe says...) use an electric mixer on low
( far left)
to beat together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Looks a bit like marshmallows in there...

Then add the 2 cups of flour (left) and beat just until the mixture forms small crumbs.










Press about two-thirds of the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Set the remaining mixture aside. Be careful not to use more than two-thirds!





Bake the prepared baking dish for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Then reduce the oven temp. to 350 degrees.











While your bars are cooking, prepare the filling. In another medium bowl, mix the granulated sugar (this is regular, sugar, by the way), 3 tbsp. flour, lemon zest and salt. Add the eggs and lemon juice, and then mix/whisk until smooth.

When your bars come out, spread the 2 cups of blueberries in an even layer over the crust, and then pour the filling over the blueberries - last, sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture evenly over the top.



Then set your delicacy in the oven - now comes the wait.







Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden, and filling puffed. I found about 34 minutes did the trick, but various ovens may alter results.
When you remove the finished product from the oven. There is one last thing you must do before you set it down to cool.

Smell. Deeply. And very much enjoy that smell...

Anyway, wait for it to cool for maybe 10-15 minutes before serving - the recipe says transfer it to a wire rack, but I'm not sure how that's possible, so I skipped this part and it worked fine. Finally, you may cut into squares and dig in!

(Left) Waiting for it to cool

(Left) Ready to serve!

Chocolate… Espresso… Fudge… Cake!

Some time ago, I became aware of the amazing (and now infamous in my household) Marcel Desaulniers.
Mr. Desaulniers is pretty much the most amazing gourmet chocolate chef ever to write chocolate cookbooks and own a restaurant called the Trellis. And have a French people mustache. Perhaps the only, too.
Anyway, I checked out two of his insanely wonderful books, the two being Celebrate with Chocolate, and the other being Death By Chocolate. Did you know that Marcel enjoys chocolate?
However, my attempts at being a gourmet chocolatier were foiled by two things: Schnapps, and Salmonella. In Celebrate With Chocolate, I was not able to create ‘Dancing Gingerbread Men with Spicy Peppermint Fudge Cake’, because it called for a small amount of Schnapps, but this is a particularly expensive sort of alcohol… so my plans were ruined by that one ingredient. But from the cookbook Death By Chocolate, I successfully got my mother to make with me…
CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO FUDGE CAKE!!!
It was an experience that will never happen again, and that I will never forget, and that’s for sure. Mother and I toiled for two and a half hours attempting to create a perfect cake. We sort of failed in the looks department, but in the taste section, well, no one will be able to stop this cake from coming back in particularly wonderful dreams. It’s just that good.
However, making it was not that simple. I learned, Monday night, that my mother is not a gourmet chef like Marcel Desaulniers. She did not enjoy making buttercream (which even our fancy friend explained ‘is buttercream from somewhere else to make, but buttercream from heaven when you eat it’) that required a pound of butter, 8 oz of semisweet chocolate, a cup of heavy whipping cream, and uncooked egg whites. At the latter mentioned, Colleen realized that uncooked egg whites can result in salmonella. She almost considered ditching our intense efforts and giving up, but we persevered, and so far, everyone has kept their cake down.
It seems that I won’t be making that ‘White and Dark Chocolate Dacquoise Meringue’ any time soon.

Turtle Mocha

The turtle mocha from Caribou was, as usual, a delectable, sweet sensation
that I wouldn't mind more of. The caramel drizzle and chocolate disappeared pretty fast, leaving the peanut candy bits to float about awkwardly, but the overall taste was very satisfying. However, this drink was not too exciting, and I have tasted better.

Very Raspberry Frappes

I made one of the most yummy things I have ever had on Thursday. It was a
Raspberry Frappe, and nothing but perhaps an icecrema could compare.
It was SO GOOD! Made of ice cream, raspberries, and lots of milk, it's perfect
with Andes Mints.

Herbed Chicken, Orzo and Zucchini

Thursday night (my cooking night), I chose to make a nice recipe I
found on Better Homes and Gardens (who I pretty much live for.) The result was not quite as good as a meal could be, but it still was much classier than mac and cheese. The chicken was doused in basil, ground pepper, and salt - but it was a little tough, which I never appreciate. Still, it was perfectly seasoned, and I thought it was pretty simple to make - though my parents did help me out a bit with the chicken. The zucchinis, which I have never had a zucchini before, were actually pretty good. I enjoyed cutting them up... I don't know why. (-: The zucchini were simply cooked in the same skillet as the chicken.
And then there was the Orzo. Orzo are little noodles that take on the appearance of rice, but they taste very good and noodle-ish. This recipe, however, called for Red Wine Vinegar, which we would use to douse on the Orzo. We had none, so we used Red Wine and cooking Vinegar. Bad idea. The Orzo was already boiled, so the Red Wine left its interesting taste their... not to mention the Vinegar. I was the only one who liked it, and that's because I like weird tasting foods like that. Well, Uncle Matt ate it too, but he can eat just about anything - "If you mix it together, you can't even taste it!" That's what he says.

It was an enjoyable meal!

Plaza Resteraunt in Magic Kingdom

For our last night at Disney World, we chose to eat at the Plaza Restaurant in Magic
Kingdom. It was absolutely beautiful! The place really did look victorian, and the club
sandwich I ordered tasted excellent. Also, I really liked our server, Li Ting. She was
very beautiful, and very nice. Though the Plaza was a little expensive, it wasn't very
much so. It was a perfect experience to end the week.

T.G.I. Friday's

Well, we ate at T.G.I. Friday's on Sunday night. Yummy!
I go the Dragonfire Chicken, which turned out to be absolutely
incredible..
Doesn't it look delicious? Apparently its low fat, too, so that's a bonus, I guess.
Friday's describes this filling meal as so:
A fire–grilled chicken breast glazed with Chinese Kung Pao sauce, served over stir–fried brown rice with pineapple pico de gallo, Mandarin oranges and broccoli.
I would highly reccomend it.

Curry

Yummy... tonight we had my family's favorite meal: curry.
Oooooh, curry is SO GOOD! It's chicken, potatoes, carrots,
onions, rice, and this thick sauce that is so delicious. It's a very
complex meal to make, so I haven't attempted it yet. Also,
I chose not to include the recipe on this one, because there
are about a bazillion various recipes, and I wouldn't want you
guys to make a gross tasting curry. (-:

Taco Bell

Fast Food
Think Outside the Bun

Me and mom had Taco Bell today... it was very delicious!
I always get the Soft Chicken Ranchero, and it's great.
One thing I really appreciate about Taco Bell is that it is
so fantastically cheap! It is definitely worth it to come
here often, for the simple prices and tasty food.

COFFEE

Caramel Macchiato
Starbucks, hot drink

It was pretty good. At first it was a little strong, but after I stirred the whipped cream and caramel in, it was great! I think I would prefer it cold though. Starbucks says: "A signature Starbucks® beverage. A creamy mix of vanilla and freshly steamed milk marked with intense Starbucks® espresso, topped with velvety foam and our own proprietary buttery caramel sauce." A little over the top, but it's good.