Got Beef?

For my final sandwich, I plucked up the courage to face a really big fear: cooking steak. My man absolutely adores steak and orders it every chance he gets when dining out. Too scared of failing to measure up to those dishes, I refused to buy beef—let alone make it for dinner—and always chose chicken instead.

But.

How could I learn unless I actually tried? I’m pretty sure the sky wouldn’t fall if I under seasoned it, or the world wouldn’t end if I turned it into leather. So. Deep breath. March into the store, meander to the back, and… Continue reading for recipe.

October 12, 2012. Tags: beef, cooking, fears, food, low fat, recipe, recipes, sandwiches, steak, thoughts. Midweek Meals. 6 comments.

Feelings About Fillings

Pies bring out my inner neat-freak. Not from the flour spilling all over the counter when rolling out the crust or from the dough tearing and sticking to the rolling pin. Not from the fruit unevenly poured into the shell or from the juices haphazardly bubbling up through the slits in the crust.

It’s from slicing the pie into pieces to serve. After the host removes the triangles, the remaining fruit oozes out from the pie into the base of the tin, creating a sticky gooey mess. My hand twitches involuntarily, and I try to resist the urge to scoop up the offending fruit with a spoon and eat it just to clean up the pie plate. Continue reading for recipe.

July 19, 2012. Tags: baking, dessert, food, fruit, low fat, recipe, recipes, summer, thoughts. Baked Bliss. 6 comments.

When You Give a Girl Some Cupcakes, She’s Going to Ask for a Fork to Go With Them…

Last Friday night, my phone buzzed and a text message from my neighbor flashed across the screen:

Hey i wanted 2 thank u for all the treats this year. If ur ever bk in town or so cal give me a ring. Hope u enjoy the cupcakes

Wow, they baked me cupcakes, how sweet! I thought. And how did they know I was craving cake?? Not five minutes earlier, I had decided to walk to Safeway for a slice of chocolate cake with thick fudgy frosting!

When I unlocked the front door, a plain white plastic grocery bag hung swinging from the door handle. I would’ve thought they’d just put them on a paper plate… I peered inside and gasped.