Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake & New Years Battle Plan

2010 is coming to a close. I hope yours was filled with laughter, lessons, and love. Not every day is going to be filled with rainbows and sunshine, let's get serious. This is a chance to reflect, not dwell on the negative, and make a battle plan! So. What's your battle plan? Tell me one of your new year's 'resolutions.' And make it positive. I got a few things poppin in the lab.

Grad school in fall. I want a Masters. In what, still not 100% not sure. Idealism vs Reality.

Office moves in 5 months thus adding an additional 20 minutes to my commute. EFF THAT! Must find apartment and/or new job. Looking for work outside of VA, primarily San Francisco. I fear that I'll get an apartment, sign the papers and then bam! I get that job out of state. One step at a time grasshopper.

Take 6 week course and go for the PMP certificate. Attack!

Comptia Project Plus exam in January. The book is collecting dust thanks to the holidays, God bless it.

Have my left side checked. Every time I do windmills it feels like someone beat the sh*t out of me with a baseball bat. Most times, I take a deep breath and something pops in my shoulder blade region. It's starting to get too hard to ignore.

Finish my sketchbook and submit it.

Find a volunteer organization.

Travel.

'How would you know what it is to lose if you never had to choose? You can't appreciate color till you have the blues. And what is sacrifice if you never had a sad night? You can act the part yet you don't know what that's like. But when it really hurts that mean it's time to get to work.' Pursue them dreams people.

And eat chocolate chip cookie cake. It's essentially a giant cookie: soft, gooey, and fun to share with friends! The ganache is optional; I thought there was more than enough chocolate in the cake. We ate it straight out of the pan. Very easy to make and fresh out of the oven in under 20 minutes.

Have a safe, happy, and dopetastic New Years Eve!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

the Best of Fine Cooking Magazine No. 43

Ganache (optional)

3/4 cup of semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (58%-62% cacao), roughly chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

Cake

1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (58%-62% cacao), roughly chopped

4oz (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus 2 tablespoons for the cake pan

1 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powders

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 large egg

Make the Ganache (optional)

Put 3/4 cup of the chocolate in a small bowl. bring the cream to a boil over medium-high heat and pour it over the chocolate. cover with plastic and set aside for 3 minutes then whisk it from the center of the bowl out to the edges until smooth (don't vigorously whisk the chocolate mixture, you don't want to whip in the air bubbles). cover again with plastic and set aside at room temperature for 6 hours. To expedite, you can place bowl within a bowl of ice until it's the desired consistency.

Make the Cookie Cake

Position rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350. Grease a 10 inch cake pan with the butter, then press a round of parchment into the pan. Grease the top of the parchment with remaining butter.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using mixer, cream the remaining 4oz butter, brown sugar, and vanilla and almond extract on a medium speed until well combined. Increase the speed to high and beat for 15 seconds. Stop the mixer, scrape the bowl and add the egg. Blend on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and combine on low speed until just a few dry streaks remain. Add the remaining chopped chocolate and mix for a few seconds until combined. Scrap the batter into the prepared cake pan.

Bake until light gold and puffy around the edges (the center should still feel soft), 18-22 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and then run a paring knife around the edge of the pan to release cake. Cool for at least 4 hours before turning the cake out of the pan... if you're seriously that patient.

Fill a Ziploc or pastry bag with ganache. Pipe ganache to your heart's desire.

Monster 8 Texture Tiramisu and the Holidays

Happy post-holidays! Hope it was fantastic! This time of year is for everyone. The origins are religious but for the rest, it's turned into a strange hybrid of Valentine's Day and Thanksgiving. You're giving gifts to people you love because the calender tells you so and there's food. It's an excuse to gather, eat, appreciate one another, and feel loved. It is a positive message about love and doing good. I see no evil in that other than commercialism, but let's not start

In our culture, the focus is a Christmas Eve filled with food and stories. As usual, Olga went ALL OUT. When I cook to express love, it's cute cupcakes and a hug. Not this lady- she makes a huge spread of food and if you say in passing 'oh I love eating flamingo eggs' she will leave the house, FIND YOU that flamingo egg, plus the flamingo- and cook it for you in every way possible. Just because you said you liked it. I am not exaggerating.

The traditional meal includes boiled codfish, potatoes, eggs, and grilhos (I don't know the English name) served with olive oil and vinegar. We also had shrimp pockets, octopus, and paella. There is no red meat on Christmas Eve, sorry ocean.

Dessert is oldies but goodies. There was Bolo Rei (King's Cake- I think the French got this too), felhozes (squash), cheese, wine, pastries, and so forth. The uncle from Jersey brought nom noms from my favorite bakery, Riviera. Rejoice!

My contribution was a Monster Tiramisu my younger brother sent in passing from Almost Bourdain. I took it as a challenge. It has 8 delicious textures. I kept using different spoons as an excuse to sneak licks along the way. My favorite is the combination filling of vanilla pasty cream, zabaglione, marscapone cheese, and whipped cream. The super cool thing about this is the middle is hollow and pour warm ganache to reveal the magic! I filled the center with ferrero rocher candies.

Yes. This is time consuming if you don't plan a night ahead. Several components can be made the day before. If you value your time, do that or you'll be waiting hours for it to chill. This includes: the Zabaglione, vanilla pastry filling, hot chocolate ganache, and the chocolate disc (see note on chocolate disc vs ganache bellow). The most time consuming part should be putting the lady fingers together- SUPER EASY!
Honestly, this is not a difficult cake to make. I made some modifications for the sake of time and resources. I had to change the Hazelnut paste because my food processor was not big enough. I also bought my marscapone cheese. Follow the original recipe if you're that hardcore- I had to wrap presents damn it.


Note: The only problem I found in this recipe is the chocolate disc as the top. If you don't serve this at room temperature- good effing luck cutting it much less serving it. MAKE THE DISC AS THIN AS POSSIBLE. The ganache just chills on top and I had to poke it with a tooth pick to commence the magic. This is what initially happened:

My suggestion is to level the top and use this ganache instead. You can make your first layer- let it set, then smooth it over beautifully with the second layer. To keep the hollow effect in tact- make a thin, small chocolate disc just for that area and hide it with the ganache. Best of all worlds, you're just gonna melt the thing anyways!

It's a warm, delicious mess. Serve with coffee. Enjoy!

Eight Texture Tiramisu 
Modified from the Almost Bourdain 

The 8 Elements 

1. At least 36 Savoiardi Sponge fingers/lady fingers (outer layer) 
2. Rum and espresso soaked sponge fingers (inner layers) 
3. Mascarpone cream (Zabaglione, Vanilla Cream, Marscopone Cheese, and Whipping Cream combined) 
4. Finely grated chocolate 
5. Hazelnuts and Caramel 
6. Center yumminess (I used candy, the recipe recommends caramel coated hazelnuts) 
7. Chocolate disc 
8. Hot chocolate ganache for pouring 

Assembly 

Make the above listed 8 elements (see recipes below). Line spring form pan with lady fingers, tips cut off to make flat.
Line bottom with the rum/espresso soaked lady fingers. Only soak them for a moment- you don't want them soggy.
Place food ring in the center. Add half of the the finely grated chocolate, half of the hazelnuts, and thinly drizzle on half of the caramel. Top with half of the Marscapone Cream and line with a few more rum/espresso soaked lady fingers.

Repeat! Add the rest of the chocolate, hazelnuts, and caramel top with the rest of the Marscapone Cream recipe. Chill in the fridge to settle for a few hours or overnight then remove the cup/food ring.
I filled the center with some ferrero rocher candies. Place the disc carefully top.
When it is go time... pour that delicious ganache mess on top! If you did the disc, for the love of God make sure it's room temperature so it can cut properly.

Equipment 20cm springform pan 6.5cm food ring (I improvised with a straight cup) 18cm round shaped hard plastic for molding the chocolate disc or round baking pan lined with parchment paper (if you're making the chocolate disc over ganache) 

Chocolate Disc 

Melt 100g of dark chocolate and pour into 18cm round mold or parchment lined baking tin. Let harden in fridge/freezer. MAKE IT AS THIN AS POSSIBLE. 

Finely Grated Chocolate

100g chocolate- finely grated and set to side 

Mascarpone Cream Recipe

This is 4 elements combined: 
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese 
Zabaglione (Recipe follows) 
Vanilla pastry cream (Recipe follows) 
Whipped cream (Recipe follows) 

In a large bowl, mix mascarpone cheese with the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside. 

Zabaglione Recipe

2 large egg yolks 
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms 
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee) 
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract 
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 

Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water. In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth. Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency. Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled. 

Vanilla Pastry Cream Recipe

1/4 cup/55gms sugar 
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour 
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract 
1 large egg yolk 
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk 

 Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth. Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling. Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.) Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled. 

Whipped Cream Recipe

1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream 
1/4 cup/55gms sugar 
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract

Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside. 

Hazelnuts & Caramel

1/2 cup (70 g) hazelnuts 
Tiny pinch of kosher salt 
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar 

 Spread out the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until they're warmed through and aromatic. Remove from the oven and let cool. Put the hazelnuts into a food processor or blender, add a pinch of salt. Blend till fine. Set aside. Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Leave it alone and let it start to caramelize around the edges of the pan before you begin to stir it with a heat proof spatula or wooden spoon. Patiently and attentively shepherd the sugar into a state of delicious caramelization: stir it slowly and constantly, until it's medium amber - like the color of Grade B maple syrup - and is very fluid. You will need to use this immediately! 

Rum and Espresso Mixture Recipe

2 cups/470ml brewed espresso or super strong coffee, warmed 
1 teaspoon/5ml rum (optional) 
1/2 cup/110gms sugar

Mix together the brewed warm espresso, rum and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool. 

Hot Chocolate Ganache Recipe
makes about 2/3 cups 

125 g good-quality dark chocolate, cut into small chunks 
65 g unsalted butter, cut into chunks 
25 ml water 

Put the chocolate, butter and water into a medium-sized, heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Let the chocolate and butter melt, stirring the mixture frequently, until the ganache is smooth. The most important thing to keep in mind when you're making ganache is that it mustn't get too hot and boil; if it does, it becomes oily and grainy and there's not much chance of salvaging it. Once it's silky smooth, take it off the heat. Let it cool until it's barely warn and of a thick pouring consistency before using it. Pour any leftover ganache into an airtight container, seal it tightly and store it in the fridge.When you're ready to use it, gently warm it over very low heat, then let it cool to the right consistency. Pour away!

NY & Chocolate Dipped-Pomegranate Pistachio Shortbread

The holiday season is rocking my life! Anyone else NOT nearly complete with their Christmas shopping? Yah, feel free to scream into a pillow alongside me. We just got back from visiting the family up in New York. Everyone stayed up North but our division of the tree. Always gotta live outside the box I guess. It makes seeing everyone all the sweeter though, there are some serious DeSousa characters.

Friday, I almost got arrested in New Jersey for taking pictures of graffiti. A bank worker accused me of taking pictures of their security camera. I guess walking around snapping pix at 8AM in your sweats and hoodie is a big no no in the ghetto. It was good lighting!! In typical fashion- I did not appreciate how this person addressed me and fired back. My brother could hear my angry chirps from inside the store and slowly came out of the building. He found me sitting in the car cheesing. My mother was shaking her head as the threats flew and I was accused of casing the building. Only my life...

If you are ever in the shithole that is Newark, NJ (I can say this- I've been making this trip since I was a baby) you must, absolutely must, go to the Riviera bakery. Americans don't know jack about making bread- the toast alone is a meal. Ask for a galao, mista, and a pastel de nata. They have the best chocolate croissants in the states I have yet to encounter. Feel free to prove me wrong.

Saturday was lazy because we were tired from the drive. Had a late lunch, ran errands, and then enjoyed a family dinner at my uncle's house. My mom of course out did herself in the kitchen. The cousins were adorable and hyper. They beat the crap out of me and Joey but it's so worth it.

Once things calmed down, off to Brooklyn to meet up with cousin Michael. He shares an apartment with his girlfriend and they were hosting a 90's dance party. Saw some NY friends, danced, met new people, lil drinky poo, and if it wasn't for the damn frigid breeze I never would have left the roof. His girl still has a Polaroid camera... this made me way too happy.

Sunday was the return and I got some time with my wifey whose in town from Cali. Overall, not too shabby.

Know what else isn't too shabby? These Chocolate Dipped-Pomegranate Pistachio Shortbread. The shortbread by itself is addicting. I kept eating pieces before they were even baked.

There's pomegranate juice mixed in with the chocolate and arils embedded in the dough. I thought the ground pistachio added so much flavor! It wasn't overpowering but livened things up. The only criticism I received was take out the juice from the chocolate- but that's from a non-Pom lover. These shortbread cookies are delicious! Plus, think how nice they'll look on the table? They're soooo easy to make!

Makes about 40 pieces, depending on the shape!

Chocolate Dipped-Pomegranate Pistachio Shortbread
by Visions of Sugar Plums

1 cup Wonderful pistachios, toasted
1/2 cup quick oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
1 cup POM Wonderful pomegranate arils
2/3 cup POM Wonderful pomegranate juice
2 cups dark chocolate chips

Process the pistachios in a food processor until finely ground, and add to a medium bowl. Process oats until finely ground, and add to bowl. Whisk in flour and baking powder until combined.

In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in milk and flour mixture until combined, about 1-2 minutes. Form dough into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for forty minutes or until cold.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat cookie sheets with cooking spray.

On a lightly floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll each disc into a 11x8-inch rectangle. Slice rectangles into rows 5x4, and transfer squares to cookie sheets. Bake for 5 minutes and remove from oven; press an even amount of pomegranate arils into cookies. Continue to bake an additional 10-12 minutes or until cookie edges are golden brown. Cool for 1 minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Bring pomegranate juice to a simmer, in a small saucepan, over medium low heat; turn heat off and whisk in chocolate until melted and smooth. Dip shortbread into chocolate, and place on wire racks to dry.

Sweet Potato Bars with Chocolate

Thanksgiving has passed. It was a warm occasion in our house with lots of family. Thanks to my New Yorkers for making the trip! We jokingly called our set up a commune because my generation crashed at my brother's (the dorm) and then would head over to my mom's (the cafeteria) when things were ready. There were too many of us. That's my family- go big or go home! I picked up a few cool recipes along the weekend, one of which was these sweet potato bars which I've been dying to make.

These suckers are intense. I cannot imagine someone eating an entire helping because the chocolate is thick. This is my fault; I should have used less chocolate than the recipe called for because I got gipped with an 8x8 pan; the recipe calls for 9x9. This doesn't make it bad! You just need a smaller helping- or maybe I just need a bigger tummy.

The part I liked best was the sweet potato, so much so, that I would spoon it off the top. Shame on me! I know! It's very soft and smooth; the flavor is delicious. For some reason, sweet potato tastes a lot like pumpkin to me when served this way. Use one or the other; I don't think it would dramatically change the flavor profile.

What had me smitten about the crust was the use of ginger with the graham crackers. That's a new one for me! A little savory with the sweet. I think it was needed though with the chocolate on top. Helped unify the flavors across the layers- there's a little ginger in the sweet potato too! These bars cut beautifully!

This recipe requires sweet potato puree. Now I didn't look for the canned junx if such things exists. But heads up, you really should prepare this part first. I baked my potatoes the night prior and it worked beautifully. Pick your battles - there's no shame in boiling them if you're short on time. I promise no one will make a fuss. If they do- send them my way and I'll take care of it.

Tip from White on Rice: to make sweet potato puree, you can either bake skin on sweet potatoes for about 1.5 hrs (until soft) @ 375 °F, then peel & press through fine mesh sieve, or you can peel, boil for @ 20-30 min or until soft then press through fine mesh sieve. Baking is slightly more flavorful, boiling is much quicker. Makes about 12 bars.

Sweet Potato Bars with Chocolate
by White On Rice Couple

Graham Cracker Crust
8 oz (225g) Graham Crackers, finely ground
3 oz (85g) finely ground Almonds (optional)
1 t fresh Ginger, finely grated
1 t ground Cinnamon
1/2 c (120g) unsalted Butter, melted

Chocolate Layer
1/2 lb Dark Chocolate, cut in small pieces
1/2 c (120ml) Milk

Sweet Potato Layer
2 c (455g) Sweet Potato Puree-- make ahead of time!
3 lrg Eggs, slightly beaten
1 t Sea Salt
1 1/2 t ground Cinnamon
1/4 t ground Cloves
1 t fresh Ginger, finely grated
1 c (135g) Sugar
1 1/2 c (360ml) Milk
1/2 c (120ml) Heavy Cream
Pecans for garnish (optional)

Whipped Cream (optional)
1 c (240ml) Heavy Cream
1 t Powdered Sugar
1/2 t Vanilla Extract

Combine graham cracker crust ingredients in a bowl & mix until well combined. Spread into an even layer in a 9″x9″ baking dish.

Gently heat milk in small sauce pan; pour over chocolate in a heat proof bowl and mix until completely combined. Pour over graham cracker crust (spread & gently shake to even out) and set aside to cool at least 15 min before layering in the following sweet potato mix.

Preheat oven to 350°F

Combine sweet potato ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined. Gently pour over chocolate layer and put baking dish in middle rack of oven. Bake for 40-50 min, or until outer 1″ appears set (inner will still have a little wiggle when gently shook.) Set aside to cool, then put in the refrigerator until fully chilled.

Slice with a clean knife into even squares, wiping knife clean between each cut. Garnish with whipped cream and/or pecans. Oooooo layers!

Chocolate Hazelnut Pot de Crème

Je ne veux pas travailler, je ne veux pas dejeuner, je veux seulement l'oublier et puis je fume. A simple song covered by Pink Martini. The sound is light and playful, but the words not so much. Love the simplicity, even a weak French speaker like myself gets the gist. I can see myself at a lil corner cafe, sipping espresso, eating a pot de crème, and trying to let the stress melt.

Pot de crème is just what it sounds like- a pot of cream. It's a lot like mousse- thick and rich, but not heavy. You can make a pot de creme with just about anything. They're easy, use some imagination!

I went with chocolate and hazelnut, inspired by Cannelle et Vanille. Not very crazy but hey- I likes what I like. Instead of regular milk, I went with coconut milk cuz it makes everything taste better! Add some vanilla bean to the mix and you're in for a happy day. Next round will be this version by Pioneer Woman or even this by La Tartine Gourmande.

Key: make sure the eggs are at room temperature, the chocolate completely melts, and the mix is super well blended. You want it smooth. The hazelnut butter sneaks in there a little bit so don't fret. They taste good even when they're not perfect!

Make sure you set the sheet pan IN the oven with the ramekins, THEN pour the boiling water for the water bath. If you don't... you're looking at a very precarious moving job. Please, don't burn yourself.

Don't have ramekins? ME NEITHER! I used some sturdy, thick bowls I had laying around the cupboard. This will effect the cooking time. I cannot give you a time, every ramekin is different! Just keep an eye on it. Don't stress. They wont catch on fire.

Ha... that reminds me of my cousin Stefanie. She once said, 'i can't cook! i could burn water!' So please never doubt yourself... just think of her burning water and take comfort.

Chocolate Hazelnut Pot de Crème

225 grams coconut milk
225 grams heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
40 grams sugar
85 grams room temperature egg yolks
160 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
*60 grams hazelnut butter (store bought or home-made) or hazelnut extract
dollop of nutella and hazelnuts to garnish (optional)

*home made hazelnut butter: toast 1/2 cup hazelnuts, cool, and blend until very fine in a food processor. Add a teaspoon veggie oil to help smooth. If you can find hazelnuts without the skin- use them! The skin makes the nutty flavor bold- which is fine if you like that

*want to keep it silky smooth? don't use the hazelnuts, a teaspoon or 2 of extract can fix that

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium sauce pan, bring the coconut milk, cream, vanilla bean, hazelnut butter, and half of the sugar to a boil. Pour this over the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks (about 2.5 yolks) and the other half of the sugar. Temper the hot chocolate mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly. Strain the custard through a fine sieve.

Pour the custard into ramekins. If you want, sprinkle in a few chocolate chips or hazelnuts. Place the ramekins on a sheetpan and place in preheated oven. Pour hot water in the sheetpan. Bake the pot de creme in the water bath until center is set. Refrigerate until completely cooled.

Ideas for Christmas Presents... Oh Hell.

Profanity comes to mind when I look at the date. Christmas is not that far off and I have done zero shopping. Unless I know exactly what I'm looking for- I will not set foot in the mall. Swimming through the sea of people and dealing with parking... yah my shoulders tense just thinking about it. I'm going to try to accomplish everything via internet this year. Wish me luck! Here are a couple of vendors I like... maybe you will too! It's simple, cute stuff.

One Delightful Button is a girlfriend from college's site. It only made sense she would have something like this. I can't explain- just matches her sweet personality. She sells really cool buttons, rings, bookmarks, and hair accessories. She has more stuff than what's shown on the site! It's awesome.

Glue and Glitter were at Crafty Bastards this past year and I got a super cool apron. I almost want to turn it into a dress, the material is so soft and pretty. The lil cupcake pocket rocks- it's perfect for stashing my cell phone and camera.

Also at Crafty this year was Mary Ink, a trendy t-shirt spot. I got their blue llama shirt and it fits really well. I love getting t-shirts from actual artists and not a machine- it's unique and you know it got some soul to it!
Another buddy rocking the art scene is my girl Christina. She tried pottery... painting... and found her niche in wood working. She makes beautiful ornaments, wine toppers, and crazy hand mirrors that remind me of Beauty and the Beast. I never would have guessed till I saw her table at a local craft show. She's vicious. I couldn't do this stuff... I'd get splinters.

Okay, and to shake it up a little bit- I gotta give some love to all the bboy/bgirl artist brands. These include: Rogue Squirrel, Cypha Bullies, and Aireal Apparel. Got a soft spot for the Rogue brand- for obvious reasons...

Support an artist and give something unique! And hey, if you got any great links- send them this way! Always looking for inspiration!

Chai Pancakes Please!

It's a magical moment when you find a recipe that combines two things you love. I don't know how to describe it. The angels whisper hallelujah and you look around the room- 'did that just happen!?' If you don't like chai, and you don't like pancakes- you need to sit down and assess your life.

Chai means tea. When people say, "can I get a chai tea?" I have to fight the urge to kick them. That translates to, 'can i get some tea tea?' I know it's silly to care, but the word is very similiar to the Portuguese version and my language filter sparks. Ahem.

I am a sucker for chai thanks to my girlfriend Sulava. She made some for us one night in her home and I have not been able to look at it the same way since. It put that Starbucks stuff to shame (hey- I worked there for a year so I can say that). Chai essentially is a combination of spices. I don't know the exact break down and there are many versions, but the basic one involves cardamon, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.

If you combine this spicy, flavorful drink with some good ol' buttermilk pancakes- there's magic. It is not a super strong flavor. Once you taste the chai though you cannot help but smile. I was immediately smitten for these pancakes and I hope you dig them.

Note: I prepared the chai the night before just to make sure the flavor was at its fullest.

Chai Spiced Buttermilk Pancakes
by Joy the Baker

2 eggs
2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
healthy pinch of ground cloves
scant 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns (or a dash of freshly ground black pepper)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup brewed black chai tea
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
oil or cooking spray (for cooking)

In a large bowl beat eggs. Add buttermilk, chai tea, butter and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Let batter set for a few minutes.

Heat griddle or pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or spray with cooking spray. You can test to see if the pan is hot enough by adding a few drops of water, when the drops start to dance its hot enough.

Pour 2 Tablespoons of batter onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat! Let cooked pancakes rest on a heat proof plate in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.