Cake of the Week: More is More Bars

A truely wise person once said, “Less is more.” And for the most part, I agree.

[Fun fact: that wise person was Robert Browning in his poem, "Andrea del Sarto” (aka the "Faultless Painter"), published in 1855.]

Less is more when Tim Gunn is mentoring a designer with “vision” on Project Runway.

Less is more when your enthusiastic karaoke-singing friend can’t hold a pitch.

Less is more in most decorating contexts (picture the interior of Versailles – and agree with me that Rococo is a bad idea for contemporary home decorating).

Less is more when we’re talking media-whores like Tiger Woods (literally), and Sarah Palin (figuratively).

 But sometimes, just sometimes, more is more. You know I’m referring to desserts here.

I see the argument for simple, basic, classic treats. And I enjoy those, I really do. But I often can’t resist adding more and more stuff to my baking adventures. (Remember my Caramel Apple Eggnog Cheesecake? Or my Maple Walnut Cranberry Cupcakes?)

I like to start with a base recipe, and then think…hmmm…what would make this better?

So this week, as I prepared for a few holiday parties, I started with a good-looking Snickerdoodle Blondie Bar recipe from Beantown Baker (Sidenote, in my mind, snickerdoodle = cream of tarter, which these bars don’t have, fyi).

And so I asked myself, what would make these more exciting?

The cranberries in my freezer. Yes.

And what goes well with cranberries?

Dark chocolate.

What else do I have in my fridge?

Cream Cheese. Egg.

A cheesecake layer on top?

Yes. Done. Genius.

(I'm not even kidding, that's how most of my interior dialogues actually go.)

 So here they are, Sinckerdoodle Cranberry Chocolate Cheesecake Blondie Bars (for simplicity's sake, let's just call them More is More Bars).

Here is the recipe for exactly what I did. But if you're going to make them, I think you should double the cheesecake topping.

Blondies:

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh/frozen cranberries

1 3.5-4 oz bar dark chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Add the chopped cranberries. Spread evenly in prepared pan (mixture will be somewhat cookiebatter-ish.)  Sprinkle dark chocolate over the top.

Cheesecake Topping:

1 package cream cheese

1 egg

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons milk

Beat with a mixer until smooth. Pour over unbaked blondies.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until cheesecake looks solid. Cool and then cut into bars. 

Enjoy!

Weekend Report: Potluck Fatstorm

The predominant theme of my weekend was holiday potluck. Now don’t get me wrong, I love me some potluck. A potluck is pretty much a buffet (which ranks just above art museums, but slightly below Christmas – more on par with pumpkin - on a list of things I love), so yes, count me in!

In the words of LLC via email: “Potluck = fatstorm?” Yes, yes it does. Because, as Mer so succinctly put it, “At a potluck, you’re eating small things, so you think you’re not getting enough, but then everything is full of cheese and bacon and chocolate, and you end up eating way too much.” Amen friend. Story of my life.

Especially this weekend.  I went to a dessert Christmas party on Friday night (amazing mint chocolate brownies – I ate three – don’t judge), and then a holiday potluck on Sunday (where the dinner food to cookies ratio was way in the favor of cookies).

Sugar coma. To the max. Roll me somewhere please. 

So what is the deal with potlucks? 

It seems like every holiday season, the potluck is the party of choice. It saves hosts a lot of stress – all they need to provide is a location, and the guests bring the rest. This can be good and bad (e.g. the aforementioned uneven food ratios).

How to be a good potluck guest? It's simple: bring food. I've told you before, I'm a great guest. I hate mingling, but I can fake it pretty well, and just invite me - I'll bring something yummy!

How to be a bad guest? You guessed it: Don't bring food. Too many people assume other people will bring something and just go to mooch. (I’m a huge fan of mooching in general, but really, a potluck without enough food is just a sad sad story. I mean the least you can do is stop by TJs and bring some sparkling cider!)

But what about the history of the tradition? 

For some reason I feel like potlucks come from Inuit culture. I don’t know why I think that - it’s one of those vague memories of fun facts that get mixed up in my head.

 

According to this "Food Timeline" article,

The Oxford English Dictionary traces the term "potluck" in print to the 16th century:
"Potluck. One's luck or chance as to what may be in the pot, i.e. cooked for a meal: used in reference to a person accepting another's hospitality at a meal without any special preparation having been made for him; chiefly in phr. to take pot-luck. 1592 Nash Four Lett. Confut. Ded., "That that pure sanguine complexion of yours may never be famisht with pot luck."

"Take potluck. To take what is offered to you...Unannounced guests who show up at a friend's home at dinnertime are likely to be invited to stay for dinner by are reminded that they will have to take potluck, i.e., to eat whatever the family is eating.”

“In the West "potluck" meant food brought by a cowboy guest to put in the communal pot."

So literally potluck means to take your luck with a pot. Simple, literal. Not really what I expected. Is this common knowledge? Am I just out of the loop?

But wait, I was right about the possible indigenous roots! A Google of “potlatch” gives me this:

The potlatch is a festival or ceremony practiced among Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. At these gatherings a family or hereditary leader hosts guests in their family's house and holds a feast for their guests. The main purpose of the potlatch is the re-distribution and reciprocity of wealth.

At a potlatch, guests bring food and gifts, and usually the host sponsors dancing and other traditional ceremonies.

So is the word potlatch anglicized into potluck?

Wikipedia says no.

"The word "potluck" is commonly believed to have come from English origin. It is frequently associated with Potlatch n., although it is unlikely that this played any part in the development of potluck to mean a communal meal to which those invited all bring a dish to share (OED)."

 

Oh well. Whatever you call it, I hope you enjoy many fat-stormy potlucks this holiday season!

If you need recipe inspiration, I suggest you first check out my Cakes of the Week. And also the Things I Want list to your left. 

 

Guest Bloggers - Or Lack Thereof - and Weekend Holiday Events

Man oh man. I am suffering from a sad lack of creativity today. Like woah. For a while there I had a great thing going with the Guest Bloggers: first 6x6, and then The Barefoot Experiment. But now 6x6 is busy taking trips to NYC, loving the UN, and running sans my planning. And Matt, of The Barefoot Experiment, is injured and not running…which means that I have a gaping Guest-Blogger-Void! Sad face.

It’s not that I can’t blog on Fridays, I just feel that after a whole 4 days of hearing from me, you guys might be interested in another voice…and I’m not going to lie, it’s nice starting my Friday knowing that someone else will be amusing you all for the day.

So the question is – who wants to Guest Blog? Come on, it’s fun! Who knows, you could be the next big thing! Anyone? Anyone? Just let me know…

Anywhoozle...

We are now completely and totally into the holiday season! Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah (I know it’s not a really big Jewish holiday – but let’s celebrate anyways!). 

And countdown 14 DAYS UNTIL CHISTMAS. In honor of that fact, I spent my morning perusing holiday wallpaper for my desktop. Oh yeah, that’s right. I had a hard time deciding which one I liked best – I recommend you peruse these sites to find yourself some holiday cheer for your computer!

Also, I’ve been listening to Pandora. The Christmas station, obviously. If you don’t already know about Pandora, it’s free internet radio. You can chose a station from their genres, or you can enter in your favorite artist, and Pandora will create a station for you by matching other artists to your faves! Pretty sweet. 

If you’re in the DC area looking for holiday events this weekend, here are a few (free ones, obviously!):

Saturday:

Eastport Yacht Club Annual Lighted Boat Parade 6pm Annapolis Harbor

Boats will simultaneously switch on their holiday lights at 6 p.m. before moving through a parade route stretching from Spa Creek, around the City Dock, down past the Naval Academy sea wall and back to Eastport. A fireworks display will follow.

Santarchy

12 noon

Between the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial

Revelers dressed in holiday costumes maraud through downtown D.C. singing carols, handing out candy and hitting the bars.

Sunday:

Chanukah on the Ellipse

4pm

This holiday event celebrates the lighting of the national menorah with performances by the Three Cantors and the U.S. Air Force band, and hot latkes and donuts.

All Weekend:

Cathedral Choral Society

A Christmas program with the Heritage Signature Chorale and the world premiere of a Christmas carol by composer Lee Hoiby.

Noon and 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12

4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13

The U.S. Army Band 'Pershing's Own’

Constitution Hall

1776 D St. NW

8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11

3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 12-13

Downtown Holiday Market

Artisans sell toys, ornaments and other gifts at this crafty fair in front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery's F Street entrance.

Noon-8 p.m. Daily

F Street between 7^th and 9^th Streets

Holiday Magic at U.S. Botanic Garden

One of the area's most unique holiday decorations, this train display and indoor garden features colorful plants and poinsettias mixed in with miniature versions of Washington landmarks.

Festivus in Adam’s Morgan

Noon-12:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 26-27, Jan. 2-3

In the "Seinfeld" tradition, anyone can post grievances on the kiosk, and they'll be read aloud, town crier style.

You're welcome.

Hope you all have a lovely holiday-full weekend!

 

Literary Bite: Burmese Days

Continuing on with my Burma theme, I am now reading Burmese Days by George Orwell. He is the author of Animal Farm, which I hated, and 1984, which I never read (because I assumed I would hate it). The good news is that Burmese Days is not allegorical like Animal Farm. The bad news is, well, it’s not that awesome of a story either. (Nowhere near as bad as The Fountainhead though! I’m just saying that you could definitely do better.)

It’s interesting to read because it paints a portrait of the British Raj in India, in the good old glory of the British Empire, gin before breakfast, some tennis at the club, whot whot my lad, jolly good I say my fine chap days. I say that this is interesting because so many of the books I’ve read and things I’ve studied have focused on the end of colonialism and the aftereffects of the British Empire, but I don’t know much about British rule itself.

I’m not done yet, but so far it is the story of the social betrayals of the very small British community in Burma, their extreme racism, and the budding romance of one British officer and the niece of another. (Wikipedia actually has a very good plot summary.)

Orwell himself was a British Officer in Burma for five years, from 1922-1927, so in many ways, the story rings true. I appreciate that truth, but also find it kind of disturbing – because that means the whole gin before breakfast, beat/rape the natives for fun, brutal jungle hunts things are probably not made up for fiction…

The book is really a critique of British rule:

"How can you make out that we are in this country

for any purpose except to steal? It’s so simple.

The official holds the Burman down

while the businessman goes through his pockets...

The British Empire is simply a device for giving trade monopolies

to the English..."

"It is a stifling, stultifying world in which to live.

It is a world in which every word and every thought is censored....

Free speech is unthinkable. All other kinds of freedom are permitted.

You are free to be a drunkard, an idler, a coward, a backbiter, a fornicator;

but you are not free to think for yourself.

Your opinion on every subject of any conceivable importance

is dictated for you by the pukka sahibs’ code."
 

I’m not going to recommend that you read this book. Yet. My main reason for reading it is because the next book on my Burma assignment (thank you LLC), is Finding George Orwell in Burma – so I thought it would be prudent to have actually read George Orwell before starting on that one. I will let you know how it goes…

No need to buy it, you can read the whole book online here!

And here's a book review. 

I'm Injured. Who Done It?

As many of you know, I have been battling a hamstring injury (if your definition of "battling" includes crying in the fetal position).

So running recently has not quite been up to par. I still don't know what's wrong, but I've been considering a few potential culprits. So let's play a little game of Clue.

Is it Mr. Knot in my iliotibial band (ITB) with over-training?  

Is it Mrs. Tightness in my piriformis with not stretching?

Is it Miss Tear in my hamstring with hill repeats? 

I am quite familiar with Mr. Knot in my ITB. Seriously, every problem in my life stems from this area. So for those of you not familiar, here's a little run-down. Your ITB runs from your hip down to your knee. ITB Syndrome is when your knee hurts due to over-training and the resulting tightness in your ITB. It's not quite as dire as this article suggests, but it's not particularly fun either. Icing, stretching, and deep tissue massage are the most common treatments, followed by rehab strengthening exercises. Check out this article for details/suggestions. And here for stretching and strengthening suggestions. 

Mrs. Tightness in my piriformis?

Well, I think that she is my least likely culprit. I mean, my piriformis was definitely tight for a while there, but I think that was more a result of my hamstring issues, rather than the cause of them. If you're wondering,What the heck is a piriformis? It's basically a small muscle in your butt. It can cause piriformis syndrome, which is when the muscle presses on the sciatic nerve, causing pain. But that's not my problem. 

What about Miss Tear in my hamstring? 

This is definitely a possibility. If you already have a tear/strained muscle, you do not want to stretch too much (and if you do stretch, make sure the muscle is warmed up, and then ice afterwards). To prevent tears, make stretching a part of your routine. 

Here are some hamstring stretches: RunnersWorld, and Cool Running. 

Thus far, I think I blame Mr. Knot, in both my ITB and hamstring. However, I've been getting deep-tissue massage, and though it has helped, the problem is not solved. 

It's important to remember that all these muscles/tendons are interconnected and interdependent. Your legs function as one entity, with multiple components. So tightness in your hamstring can irritate other muscles, which can cause you to feel pain in completely other places. Which leads you on obnoxious games of Clue: Running Injury Edition, where you're stuck in a crap-shoot of guess-and-check. 

The case is open, the culprit is still on the loose. Until then, I will be foam-rolling and massaging, and running in a slow short-strided way. Hope your workouts are going better than mine!

Cake of the Week: Fudgy Brownies

Mmm, I love looking at pictures of delicious food. Whether you’re into Photograzing or Tastespotting, or if (even better) Eat, Run, Read is your source for mouthwatering inspiration, we can all appreciate the value of a little food porn. 

For those of you who check my blog on a regular basis, you may remember a certain picture of Fudge Brownies that appeared in my "Things I Want" list (see right sidebar) a couple weeks ago.

I’m not even a huge brownie person (more cake and cookies), but these babies – damn. I want.

I’m still not quite sure where I stand in the epic debate of box vs. homemade brownies…but I can attest to the fact that these were easy, and delicious! I appreciate that they didn’t require special kinds of melting chocolate (which I never have) – just your average Hershey’s cocoa powder does the trick (which I always have, due to its prominent position in my favorite chocolate cake). I did white chocolate chips rather than semi-sweet, just because that’s what I had on hand. I made the brownies the same time I made cupcakes, so I dressed them up a bit with the extra frosting. YUM!

I guess the only issue with brownies is that they don’t look that impressive – they’re delicious, but they don’t deliver the same wow-factor as a layer cake or multi-colored cupcakes. Oh well. Refer back to the delicious part…

One more thing, mine didn’t quite equal the fudgyness of the original picture. I halved the recipe, and I recommend if you do the same, you should only cook them for 20 minutes. Mine certainly weren’t overcooked or dry, just cakier than expected.

Variations to dress up your brownies:

-       Frosting and holiday sprinkles!

-       Frost with white frosting, then melt ½ cup chocolate chips in the microwave. Drizzle melted chocolate over frosting, and swirl with a knife for a marbled effect.

-       Substitute mint extract for the vanilla and add crushed candy canes or York Peppermint Patties to the batter.

-       Make them in mini-muffin cups for bronwnie-bites.

-       Add a chocolate kiss (or white chocolate, or mint chocolate or caramel – whatever) to the middle of the mini-muffin cup and then pour the brownie batter over it before baking. 

- Peanut butter cups, nuts, chopped up candy bars - any and all of the above!

- Sidenote: If you're vegan, check out this recipe for amazing vegan brownies!

Fudge Brownies

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1.Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 baking dish.

2. In small saucepan over low heat, melt butter completely. Stir in sugar and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not allow sugar mixture to boil.

3.  Pour butter mixture into a large bowl or stand mixer, beat in cocoa powder, eggs, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.

4. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips until well combined.

5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until a tester comes out mostly clean. The edges should be set and the center should still look slightly moist, but not uncooked.  Cool on a wire rack.

The Weekend Report: A New York Saga

I love my weekends in DC, but every now and then I get tired of the same old same. I like to get away every so often - the perfect excuse? Eight dollar bus tickets to NYC! You don't have to ask us twice - 6x6 and I were all over that one.

That's right, it's time for another NYC adventure!!!

And for us, the adventure started just two hours in. 6x6 and I walked out of the New Jersey rest stop (cupcake milkshake in hand) to the horrifying sight of our bus slowly pulling away. It took a second to sink in: this can't really be happening, right?

And then the bus accelerated...It actually is going to leave us! NOOOOO!!!

Luckily we're runners - I took off at a dead sprint, evaluating the tangent I could take to intersect the bus before it got onto the freeway. 6x6 was close behind, her panicky high-pitched Michigan-accented OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD spurring me on, and a random fellow-passenger shouting from the curb.

And then the bus slowly turned around. Phew! That was a bit too close for comfort. Our trip could have been over before it really began...

BUT that's not the end of this saga.

Alle, a friend from my abroad program, has an apartment in Sunnyside, Queens. Alle is actually in Niger right now, but she mailed me her key and said we could stay in her room for the weekend (I know, I have amazing friends, right? I can't even get over it!). We arrived at her building, opened the door, and realized with a sinking feeling that we didn't know her apartment number. Oh no.

But we're industrious problem-solvers. We'll just look at the mailboxes, we thought. So we looked at all of them, and didn't see Alle's name anywhere. 

It was looking like we would have to try the key in every door...in a huge building...you have got to be kidding me!

"Let's ask the super!" suggested 6x6 (genius, this girl is pure genius).

We knocked on this poor man's door at 12:30 at night, and tried to explain our situation - holding the set of keys as proof that we weren't creepy intruders but expected guests. 

Us: "You know, Alle? Tall, blonde?" 

He had never heard of her.
Us: "Her roommate's name is Ibonne?"
Oh, Ibonne! Yes yes, 5K.Again, phew! Crisis averted.

Until we got to the apartment, and realized that though the key worked in the doorknob lock, it would not fit into the dead bolt. You have got to be kidding me (again)! (Remember, Alle is in Niger, so calling her is completely not an option.)

We knocked, lightly at first, and then harder and harder.
And then we rang the doorbell - first gently, and then multiple loud buzzes. Nothing. The door just stared back at us in its impenetrable red solidness.

"What are we going to do?" we wondered. "I mean, I guess we'll have to go find a hotel somewhere...this totally sucks." Our optimism at a weekend away was quickly ebbing and leaving a void filling with crankiness and regret. 

"Ok, I'll just try one more time before we give up," I decided. 

I jiggled the key in the lock, and lo and behold - the door opened! YES!!! (But no, that's not the end of this saga...)

Just one more obstacle: the security chain was done. I wasn't about to let one little chain stop us. I stuck my hand in, and noticed that the chain was not very sturdily screwed into the wall. So, as 6x6 later described to her father, Mollie unscrewed the chain with her fingers!

[Ok, let me just say that it was barely in the wall, so this was not nearly as impressive-MacGyver (or sketchy criminal) as it sounds.]

The door swung open and we were in!

"Ok, Mollie, go see if anyone's there! Make sure it's definitley Alle's apartment," said 6x6.
I walked in slowly, calling out, "Hello? Ibonne? Hello? Is anyone home?"

I was a little concerned, because I didn't see anything that looked even remotely 20-something/African traveler/chillaxed environmentalist...

I pushed open the bedroom door, and OHMYGOD there was someone in the bed!!! I ran out to 6x6 - There's someone in there!!!

We froze in our tracks. Breaking and entering. Oh no.

And then out walked a middle-aged Bolivian woman in her pjs. 

"We are so so so sorry!" we stammered.
"Hello, I am Ibonne, are you Alle's friends?" she asks sweetly, "I'm sorry, I lock the door because I thought you were not comming...How did you get in?"

Oh man. What a night.

But all's well that ends well. We had an absolutely wonderful weekend in NYC. It included a significant quantity of Christmas-y wonderfulness, and some major rain/snow. (If you saw 2 20-somethings blow drying their shoes in a Barnes and Nobles bathroom...don't judge.)

We toured the UN, where we nerded out to the max - aka took pictures with our favorite Secretaries-General portraits (Dag Hammarskjöld and Javier Pérez de Cuéllar). 

[Sidenote: My roommate just asked me how one could have a favorite Secretary-General...Umm, how could you not???]

It also involved a fair amount of gluttony - thank you Magnolia Bakery (chocolate cake), Buttercup Bake Shop (coconut cake), and Billy's Bakery (carrot cake).

We also had the BEST FALAFEL EVER at Maoz - seriously life-changing. Unlimited salad/toppings/condiment bar - enough said. And one just opened in DC. YES!

Overall a fantastic weekend!