Aisle Twelve

This is a lesson in simplicity.  As in, some things are just so simple, they seem overwhelming.  One thing I have always thought to be decadent, fancy, over-the-top gourmet is profiteroles.  Maybe it's because you usually get them at a fancy restaurant or they are such a rarity that they seem out of reach.  Had I known just how fast and easy this dessert is, I would have made them a long time ago.  If I knew that I have most of the ingredients in the fridge on a regular basis, then I might be making these every week.  If I knew that I could make a batch and them freeze them and take them out whenever I needed them, then I'd probably eat them everyday.  The beautiful thing about profiteroles is how versatile they are.  Not only are they a blank canvas as a dessert, but they could be made into a savory appetizer.  It's just as easy to fill them with pistachio gelato and top with chocolate sauce as it is to fill them with goat cheese an...

Let me introduce you to your new favorite dessert.  Not only will this be your favorite because it tastes so delicious, but its so easy to make and you probably already have all, if not most, of the ingredients in your pantry.  Am I the only one who does this?  Before I recycle a magazine, I go through it and tear out the pages I think I'll want to keep.  This helps in getting tons of magazines out of the house, but then I end up with a binder of pages that I will go through and eventually throw away.  However, I found this gem of a recipe in that pile.  It is from an issue of Kraft Food and Family years ago.  The magazine uses this recipe as a perfect compliment to coffee, and oh please don't torture me, I'm sure it is absolutely divine with coffee.  I have been accompanying these bars with a good old glass of milk and it is a delight.  I'm sure a glass of red wine wouldn't be a bad partner either... These are best when they are warme...

(Sorry for the crappy picture.  It was night when I took it and couldn't get good light!) I do not profess to be a baker. I do love baked goods, but baking to me seems like a lot of work; lots of measuring and you have to be exactly precise. Then it seems since no two ovens are the same, it really is a crap shoot if the food will come out underdone in the middle and burned on the edges or just one big, black crisp. As you can tell, I’ve had some baking mishaps. It seems though that you get a much bigger reception when you bake something rather than make (a.k.a. cook) something. Even in this blog I find the biggest reactions to the things I make seem to be to the baked goods. I also sort of subscribe to the school of thought that if it is not made of chocolate, it is just not worth the calories. I do enjoy an apple crisp or strawberry pie from time to time but when I am craving something sweet, more often than not it is chocolate. I tossed that chocolate philosophy out the wind...