December 2010

Balls to the Wall.

Exciting news! Mr. How Sweet cleaned my stand mixer today. Too bad I didn’t notice until after I started mixing up a batch of cookies. I certainly did a number on it tonight, so maybe he will clean it again for me tomorrow if I behave. I made a few more cookies tonight: Mother Lovett’s orange cookies (which look nothing like hers always did), oreo balls and red velvet cake balls. [the perk of red velvet batter... pink dish water] [I gave these sad oranges a second life when I juiced and zested them for the cookies] [Mr. How Sweet loves red velvet cake balls. He has been talking about them all year. So I decided to "let" him roll the balls.] [typical] [i want to swim in fresh orange juice glaze] I’ll show you the finished product tomorrow. I’m currently up to my elbows in chocolate.

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Believing.

As a child, I was petrified of Santa Claus. Absolutely scared out of my mind to the point that my brothers both had to sleep in my bed with me until I was about 13 years old. I was a long believer in Santa, perhaps because I was the oldest child in the family and had no one else telling me he wasn’t real. Even after I waddled downstairs while in the first grade at 3am because I was too scared to sleep and saw my mom stuffing a Barbie magazine into my stocking, I still believed. At age 12, I remember talking on the phone with my cousin on Christmas morning, going over the presents that we got, and saying “He has to be real. How can parents have enough money for all these presents?” [FYI: I'm still trying to figure that one out. And I'm not yet a parent.] On Christmas morning we’d always have a note from Santa. This was not a “Thanks for the cookies” note. This was a hand-written novel – pages and pages long. And we had to read it before opening our presents. It was torture! It would include details of our lives [...]

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Baked Mozzarella Balls.

I think we are all aware that there will never be a shortage of cheese in the How Sweet household. That’s why we must get creative and switch it up at times. Since Mr. How Sweet asks me to make “healthy” cookies, “healthy” cheesecake, “healthy” butter chicken and “healthy” Oreos, this was my attempt at making a healthier, crispy ball of melted cheese. Because he clearly needs something healthier… especially after he eats an entire pizza, a Primanti’s sandwich and 16 cookies. Then manages to lose 4 pounds. Then says he needs to go on a diet. Sometimes I sort of hate him. The good news? It worked. And these were extra crunchy! Good thing too. I like a little crunch with my fat. As delicious as these were, I would not recommend them for a large party. Sure – a small gathering or dinner for two is perfect, but if you make these for a crowd you will spend way too much time in the kitchen and not enough time near the wine. Who wants to do that? Moral of the story: make these for dinner. For yourself. And add some pinot. Just make sure to spray your wire [...]

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Nostalgic Night.

I started this afternoon by watching The Family Stone, which gets me every single time. I am not one to get emotional at movies whatsoever, but this one makes me lose it. I even saw it in the theater way back when and wasn’t very moved. I think it has happened as I grow older and realize how amazing my family is. And I am so sad that I don’t have any grandma’s left to be with on Christmas. Feeling like a tortured artist, I got to work on some therapy. And by “tortured” I mean hungry, and by “artist” I mean baker. There is no better therapy than cookies. And Barry Manilow Christmas music. I still have a few items to cross off my holiday baking list, and tonight I went with those of the Mother Lovett variety. I made her butterballs, pink and green thumbprints, and then ate made about 80 peanut butter blossoms. While in the process of baking, all I could think of was “there is no way I am cooking dinner.” Mr. How Sweet must have been on the same page, because the minute he walked through the door he said we were going on [...]

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What’s In Our Freezer Right Now.

I didn’t even attempt to clean out the freezer like I did with the fridge. But I did snap some photos! [frozen avocados for smoothies] [more frozen fruit that is probably a year... or two old] [leftover gelato... that magically has not been devoured] [a giant tub of buttercream frosting... with a chunk of frozen chicken on top] [ginger and tomato paste] [some weird smoked kielbasa that has been in here forever... and that I can now see is expired] [more peace of mind, with a bag of frozen, rotten bananas on top] [Mr. How Sweet's "snacks"] [an array of frozen foods, like salmon burgers and parmesan crusted tilapia] [a container of frozen chili] [the only vegetable we ever eat] [more chicken and a sad bag of freezer-burnt broccoli] [oh... and this] Now who wants to come clean it for me?

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Cookie Dough Dip Trio [3 New Flavors!]

I have this little flaw, and it’s called impatience. Okay, it’s a huge flaw. Massive. Enormous. I attribute this to growing up in the internet generation and getting everything likerightthisverysecond. Admitting you have a problem is the first step, right? So, last night when I decided to add different ingredients to the original cookie dough dip, I was planning on waiting until later in the week to share. A sweet Christmas present, if you wish. Plus, I have a handful of savory appetizers to share! Instead of cooking dinner, I belted “I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas” eight times until I got the perfect, whiny voice. I heard it once on Sunday and it hasn’t left my head since. Then I mixed up the three new flavors of cookie dough dip and ate 16 animal crackers and four spoonfuls of it for dinner. And grew more impatient by the second, so much so that my finger was pulsating over the publish button at 8:45. But all good things come to those who wait. Even if it’s only 12 hours. For instance… peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough dip. And double chocolate fudge cookie dough dip. Even creamy snickerdoodle cookie dough [...]

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What’s In Our Fridge Right Now.

Tonight I decided to (sort of) clean out the fridge, which is something I do about once a year month. I really need to do it more often. It is still somewhat filthy. I apologize. But I did document the process. Take a peek inside! [random condiments] [salad dressing for salads I don't eat and cranberry juice for Mr. How Sweet's manly fruity drinks] [pickles, yeast, olive oil mayo, homemade tomato cream sauce] [peace of mind] Now for our crisper drawers… aka where veggies go to die. [lemons, limes, pomegranates, apples] [spinach + miscellaneous veggies] [kale for kale chips] [pizza supplies. we have homemade pizza once a week] [leftover chili and BACON] [egggggs. say it like that] [bread, sandwich thins, english muffins] [leftover pot roast that looks disgusting but tastes like heaven, leftover general tsos chicken, sad leftover pasta] [sauce in a jar (Mr. How Sweet doesn't know the difference between homemade and what's on sale), chicken stock, basil, cheese, homemade blue cheese sauce, hummus] [my favorite tortillas] [chicken I bought at Trader Joe's that I didn't eat. I still hate deli meat.] [milk and parsley] [lean ground beef that is currently on the stovetop being transformed into tacos] [depressed [...]

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The Sign of a Good Day.

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A Tale of Two [more] Barks.

You could say that after the cake batter bark, I developed a bit of a bark obsession. Better yet – a full-fledged addiction. I can’t stop thinking about bark combinations, bark flavors, bark textures, bark colors… And before you ask, no, I don’t have a life. (FYI: have you seen this bark? I swear she is inside my head.) So instead of boring you with two different bark recipes in the same month (totaling the bark recipes to three!), I decided to share them both in one post. Bark overload. Bark insanity. Bark gluttony. Do you mind? Good. Let’s get started. The first bark is island coconut lime bark. Don’t feel like being in the snow for Christmas? Then make this! It will transport you to the tropics. Except after you eat it all you probably won’t want to see a bikini for at least six weeks. I have been eyeing this coconut Lindt for months, and it was the first thing that came to mind when I thought of this bark. It is not required – you can simply use white chocolate and add coconut. But I love the taste and texture it gave. And I know… I just [...]

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Chocolate Winner!

Wowza. I must tell you that when I left the giveaway entry option to be any comment you wanted, I never expected that you would say such wonderful things. I was and still am a little teary at some things you said. Thank you all so much! You guys are amazing and I wish there were a million ways I could show my appreciation. The winner of the Sarris chocolate and Williams Sonoma gift card is… Congrats Holly! Email me your contact info at merchant.jessica@gmail.com. Enjoy your goodies!

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