Sunday, April 22, 2012

How to use butter and sugar




Dear Reader,

All I can say is I'm sorry you weren't at my ward's potluck this afternoon, mainly because it means you didn't get to eat this:





"Oh! Tell me more about this creation!" you're saying. Well, OK.

It's a salted caramel chocolate shortbread bar. Uhh...yup. It's like I combined everything good in this world into one dessert. And it was amazing.





















So, because you missed out on eating it today, here's the recipe so you can make it on your own. I hope you're not afraid of butter and sugar...they're kind of key ingredients.





DIRECTIONS

  • To make the shortbread layer, preheat the oven to 325° F.  Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.  In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir with a fork to blend, and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended, about 1-2 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed blend in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Transfer the dough to the prepared baking pan and press in an even layer over the bottom of the pan.  Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden.  (If the crust puffs up a bit while baking, just gently press it down while it is cooling.)  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.
  • To make the caramel layer, combine the butter, sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted.  Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, stirring constantly.  Continue simmering and stirring until the mixture turns an amber color and thickens slightly.  Pour the mixture over the shortbread layer, smooth the top, and allow to cool completely and set.  (I chilled at this stage to ensure that the caramel layer would not melt when the warm chocolate was added.)
  • To make the chocolate glaze, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.  Pour evenly over the caramel layer and use an offset spatula to smooth the top.  Allow to cool for a minute or two and then sprinkle with fleur de sel.  Chill, covered, until ready to slice and serve.


    (I got the recipe from the blog Annie's Eats. It's like it was made for me!)

Monday, April 16, 2012

I could die happy.

Dear Reader,

Friend Lisa is back from London. Because of this my breakfast this morning was Cadbury hot chocolate and a digestive biscuit.

There was also a package of Marks and Spencer chocolate rounds (delicious cookies) on my desk, so...Yeah. Life is pretty good right now.

Oh British chocolately heaven, how I love you.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

London Fever

Dear Reader,

Friend Lisa is going to London tomorrow. This has caused me to come down with a severe case of:

London Fever.

It's pretty serious. It's all I can think about. And there's only one cure: Get back to London NOW.

Maybe I can sneak into her luggage? That works like 98% of the time.

Until then, you can experience a little bit of what it's like to be in my head.


This is the song that has been playing in my head ALL DAY:



And these are the images that have been playing a constant slideshow through my head ALL DAY:






























Oh, I'll get back there. Just you wait.


Sunday, April 1, 2012

One year!

Dear Reader,

I am currently sick. I hate being sick. I've been coughing non-stop today. I sound like an old woman. Which I suppose is better than how I sounded when I woke up this morning, which was a mixture between a 130-year-old zombie and a velociraptor. I think I looked like it too.

In other news, today is Bailey's birthday! My little boy is one year old! In honor of him making it this long, here are some cute kitten pictures for you to look at. Enjoy!



This is how small he was on the first day I got him. 



Look how huge his paws are!


He loves chasing the wrist strap on my camera.




I believe this is when his love affair with my carpet began.


Hahaha, crazy eye.


Then he got bigger!



He's so adorable.