not so fun size.

What's better than a candy bar? How about a "giant" candy bar? This delicious cake definitely fits the latter. Okay, I haven't actually tried this one recipe yet, but it's from "Food Network" so it's probably divine. But then, isn't anything that involves chocolate? 

 

Candy Bar Cake:

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 12-ounce frozen pound cake
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 1-pound box confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup salted roasted peanuts
• 2 cups dulce de leche

For the coating:

• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions

Assemble the cake: Trim 1/2 inch off the short ends of the pound cake, then trim the domed top to make it flat. Stand the cake on its side and slice in half horizontally to make two equal-size rectangles.

Microwave the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring until melted. Beat the butter, 3 tablespoons milk and the confectioners' sugar with a mixer. Beat in the melted chocolate. Add more milk, if needed, to make the frosting spreadable.

Lay the cake rectangles on a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread some of the frosting on one short end of each cake and press together to form a long rectangle. (You can slide a thin piece of cardboard under the cake for moving to a platter later.)

Spread the remaining frosting on the cake in a 1-inch-thick layer, making the edges slightly higher than the center. Smooth the top and sides with an offset spatula. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Mix the peanuts and dulce de leche in a bowl.

Remove the cake from the freezer. Spread the peanut mixture on the frosting in a flat, even layer. Freeze until the dulce de leche is firm, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate coating: Microwave the chocolate and butter in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted and smooth.

Pour the chocolate on the cake and spread it evenly over the top and sides with an offset spatula. Freeze until the chocolate cools slightly, 6 to 8 minutes.

Starting at a short end of the cake, dip the edge of an offset spatula into the chocolate at an angle and gently pull up, repeating along the top of the cake to create a wave pattern. Chill 10 minutes before serving. 

(via:)

I ran across this recipe in "The Chocolate Issue" from Food Network Magazine and had to share it. Oh, and I might mention, "The Chocolate Issue"? It's even more amazing than it sounds!

when life gives you lemons. . .

When life gives you lemons...make Lemon Meringue Pie! Or is it lemonade? Uh...anyway, this fantabulous dessert is my absolute favorite. It has been such an amazing day, but hot enough that the thought of chilled-to-perfection Lemon Meringue Pie is ever so appealing. (Pun intended there:)

This is the recipe I've always used because it is so quick/easy/good! If you're going for made from scratch classic pie, then I'd recommend >this< recipe. However, my technique is a little trickier. It involves unrolling an instant pie crust... :] Don't tell anyone that, ok?

~Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie~

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 lemons, juiced and zested
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 4 egg whites
• 6 tablespoons white sugar
• 
  
• Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.
3. To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

       (via)

Fun Fact: To really enjoy this dessert, you'll need to brew a fresh pot of coffee... :]

ah, paris.

I guess it's time I owned up. I've always dreamed of going to Paris, France. Sadly, I can sit somewhere and find myself hopelessly lost in progressive imaginings of what it would be like to actually visit/live for a few months/permanently move there : ]

What better place for daydreaming and fantasizing? 

I'd grab my camera, and go all the way to the top. Taking a picture from the Eiffel Tower? It's on my mental bucket list.

And sit with a friend at a quite and remote cafe, far from the madding crowd.

I would strap on a pair of skates, hoping for the best. : ]

And go treasure hunting in ancient whimsical antique shops.

I would take many an enchanting stroll through France's alluring countryside. 

 I would eat. : )

And I might even rent a moped. Maybe. But the idea of my blonde brain trying to drive one of those right now? Scary.

Any other Paris fans reading this? I'm with you all the way. 

Yup, this crazy dream is just that, a crazy dream. . .  But who knows? Maybe someday, that'll change. 

life is too short to...

 To drink cheap coffee

       

To be anything but happy

           

To read inferior books

     

To stay on topic

     

To be serious all the time

To dislike chocolate

(All photos via Pinterest)

be happy in it.

Hello! I know haven't been getting up to much posting lately. I am trying to be better about that, but so far it's been a lose, lose. :P

Anyway,

These are just a few things I wanted to share with you that made me smile this week. . .

Lucy is always up to some sort adorably crazy mischief.  

Think she looks cute? Try sticking your fingers in the basket. I dare you. 

Um...how?

Happy 17th to Katherine!

I am going to have to post this recipe I tried. It was...extremely satisfyingly good! 

Purple flats, anyone? Especially when you find them at a flea market, and they fit to perfection! Yay! :)

You'll always find the best things at Target. And you can take that to the bank.

I just really hope this isn't the closest I ever get to taking a picture in person of the Eiffel Tower! :)

Happy Valentine's Day! (A little early, but still. :) You know what I really could use this Valentine's Day? 

A personal bag of Hershey's Raspberry Bliss. Word's fail me here. 

A word of advice? DON'T! Once you start, you will NOT be able to stop eating these velvety truffle like chocolates. 

I am in love. 

  Jason Wu for Target.  It's so perfectly vintage! 

And this? This is nice. :)

Hope I brought a smile once or twice to your face :) I just can't stop when I see those chocolates...

...They look so good in all of their high calorie glory. I really should stop talking (and staring, and salivating, and dreaming) about chocolate and get on with some more important things in life. Sigh...

...And they have a "meltaway" center...does that mean the raspberry melts away, or the lucky individual who happens to be eating it? 

I should stop. I might break down (or break my piggy bank) and immediately buy some. Wait, I don't have a piggy bank.  

What am I doing without a piggy bank?!? 

You know what? I should go before I start scaring you. 

Too late for that. 

: )  

quote it.

“In my view you cannot claim to have seen something until you have photographed it.” ~  Emile Zola

Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still. ~ Anonymous

. . .skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase. - percy w. harris

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place. . .

. . .I've found it has little to do with the things you see, and everything to do with the way you see them" ~ Elliot Erwitt

“ Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photography" ~ Matt Hardy

“ I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good." ~ Anonymous

“It can be a trap of the photographer to think that his or her best pictures were the ones that were hardest to get. – Timothy Allen 

"If I saw something in my viewfinder that looked familiar to me, I would do something to shake it up." – Garry Winogrand

       "You don't take a photograph. You ask, quietly, to borrow it."~Author Unknown

"a good snapshot stops a moment from running away."  ~eudora welty

Please note: You might notice "Reflections Photography" on some of my pics. That's just because it was my old photography name and I kinda saved them permanently that way when I was young and innocent to the ways of Picasa 3. ;D 

life. and anything else.

Life? It's crazy. There just really isn't another way to put it. I could try to say it's been beautiful or maybe peaceful, but I suppose when you're in the kitchen at 8:30 trying to get the day started, and the pot of oatmeal on the stove is boiling over, and your little brother is standing in the background inhaling hot dogs, while the actual dogs happily stand in the middle of the floor waiting for breakfast, handouts, or anything else unfortunate enough to drop off the counter...well those aren't the first words that come to mind. Oh, and did I mention the same little boy who was eating hot dogs at 8:30 found the "Official Super Mario Galaxy Soundtrack" and had it playing as relaxing background music while I wiped oatmeal off the back of the stove and knocked an unfortunate piece of burnt toast off the counter with my elbow?

And then there's our incorrigible kitten, whose favorite pastime is waiting behind curtains or under the bed for innocent humans to walk by. A very painful pastime, that.     

And since my dear cat has now caused me to ramble on and get sidetracked with the picture I wanted to share...I might as well post a new favorite recipe (hence the title of this post).

• Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies (America's Test Kitchen)

•  3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces)
•  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•  14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
•  1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
•  3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
•  1 teaspoon salt
•  2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•  1 large egg
•  1 large egg yolk
•  1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli recommended)
•  3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional) or 3/4 cup walnuts, toasted   (optional)

Directions:

1. 1
   Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12- inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. 2
   Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3. 3
   Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
4. 4
   Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.).
5. 5
   Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking seet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving. 
   
   
   
   
   I tried these. They were good. I'm trying to use very short nondescript sentences so that I don't bolt straight for the kitchen right now and whip up a batch. I don't need the calories, I don't...I don't ...
   
   
   ....
   (Caroline leaves this post partially unfinished because she is now in the kitchen making cookies.)