Events: December 2003 Archives

That's what I was this weekend. Yesterday, the failed brownie recipe (which was from a site I had never visited before, my bad). Then a devil's food cake with Cointreau-spiked whipped cream to take to dinner instead of the brownies.

But today was the big baking day. I made all three cookies shown: chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons, almond macaroons and cinnamon-hazelnut biscotti. The coconut macaroons were supposed to be for the cookie contest at work (more on that later), but when I got home from the store I realized I didn't buy enough coconut. So I sent Todd up to the convenience store, instructing him not to go all the way to the grocery store even if he didn't find coconut at the convenience store (it was snowing, and I could just make half of a recipe). Yet I had such faith in Todd's ability to find coconut that I started separating all the eggs for the cookies.

So when he came home without coconut, I had two extra egg whites, and that's where the almond macaroons came in. Then I was on a roll, so I made the biscotti. (I'm planning to give out treats at work.)

The problem is, I still don't have anything I'm 100 percent happy with for the contest. The chocolate on the macaroons melts at a warm room temperature, the biscotti has the same chocolate and the almond macaroons aren't that exciting. I think they're my choice right now, though. I'll probably change my mind before tomorrow morning. Or right now. Maybe I'll risk the coconut ones (they're awesome, if a little melty).

I threw together dinner last night and it turned out pretty good. I coated strips of chicken (the package said for stir-fry) first in egg white, then in almond meal seasoned with salt, pepper and fresh thyme, sage and rosemary. Let it rest for a while, so the egg white can dry out a little (I think it helps the coating adhere), then panfried it. I could find a hundred uses for this almond meal.

And I hate to admit it, but fresh herbs are definitely worth the trouble/expense. Argh. It's so much easier to reach for a jar of dried. I'm still a proponent of dried spices, though.