How I Escape

I don't think you'll find a single (though I am not the authority on this) blog in which a cook or baker doesn't mention that the only downfall to cooking and baking is that you are subsequently left with a large amount of food. And, unless you have extreme will-power, you end up eating more of it than you'd have liked... followed by feeling gross and complaining about over-eating (as if it's someone else's fault!)... and then we vow off baking for a while... which, if you ask me, is just a bad idea in general!

So how to avoid this evil cycle? Bake for others! Though, an important, crucial really, caveat - only bake when you have a REASON to bake for others... if you make an extra 3 batches of cookies because "you're sure you'll be able to find someone to pawn them off on" - nope, never works... you end up stuck back in the "no will-power, eat more than you like and feel gross, etc" rotation.

This past weekend was an exercise in perfection in finding others to eat what I wanted to bake... Saturday night we celebrated one of our friend's birthdays (albeit early) so Peabody's (actually, Bon Appetit's, but Peabody pointed me in the right direction) Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting fit the bill. They were unbelievably easy to pull together and even better tasting - I might even use the brownie recipe on its own!

Two comments from the wannabe-baker: I will be sure and liberally add more whipping cream to the frosting next time, though since I did have to transport these, the thicker frosting (as is apparent from the picture) held up very well; and I would skip the cupcake liners and just grease or use cooking spray on your muffin pan so that you get a nice smooth edge on the brownies instead of the rippled edge of the liner.


And Sunday's family gathering was just the opportunity I needed to finally try a recipe I've been eyeing for a while... Pear Croustade with Lemon Pastry and Almonds. We were really pleasantly surprised (me for how easy it was to make and others for how much we loved eating it!); the recipe from Bon Appetit was pretty much right on, though having read some of the online reviews, I think it would be a great idea to substitute about 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour to give it a bit more rustic look and taste. I also think this could easily be made with apples, and I loved the hint of lemon in the crust, not to mention the smell that fills my kitchen after zesting lemon!

I knew my weekend of baking had been a success when I returned home with no cupcakes and a happy cousin asking to keep the last remaining sliver of pear croustade!