Your wait will be rewarded

The day began with such good intentions.

I was at the sewing machine by 9am. Straight into fixing the side seams of the sleeveless top I'm making. Pin and measure. Try on and pin some more. Stitch. Got it right.

Then...well it's certainly not a bag anymore but it needs some structure or definition. I decide to use bias tape to finish the neck and armholes. But I don't have any.

Wait. Fabricland is having a members 50% off sale. Oh right - it's tomorrow.

Okay. So I move on to my neglected apron. (Yes, it's not strictly a priority considering the dresses I need to make but...) It's all cut out, pretty much ready to go. I figure out the neckline and start contruction. No fancy facings here, just serge/fold over/stitch the edges and hem. Add some trim the the wrap neckline. Get the pocket ready. Now how am I going to do the neck and waist ties? Decide to use D-rings and black twill tape. But I don't have the right size D-rings or the right colour tape.

Wait. Fabricland is having a members 50% off sale. Oh right - it's tomorrow.

So here I am, having stolen a cookie or two from the freezer to console my frustration. They're the Auntie Mary's I told you about. The good news is that Shauna says it's okay to share the recipe. My gift (and Shauna's) to you for your patience with my rant.

Auntie Mary's

2 Cups	flour
½ tsp	baking powder
¼ tsp	salt
½ Cup	butter
1 package	125gr cream cheese
½ Cup	brown sugar
¼ Cup	white sugar
1	egg
1 tsp	vanilla
Filling
4 oz	semi-sweet chocolate
2⁄3 Cup	Eagle brand condensed milk
½ Cup	finely chopped walnuts
	icing sugar

Cream the butter and cream cheese.
Add sugars and beat unitl light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and egg and beat well.
Mix in dry ingredients.
Divide into 4 balls and chill 2 hours.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate.
Stir in Eagle Brand condensed milk and walnuts.

Working with one ball at a time, roll dough into 10"x6" rectangles.
Spread chocolate mixture ¼" thick over the centre third and fold sides over chocolate. Your rectangle should now measure ~3.5"x6".

Bake seam side down at 350° for ~13 minutes, just until bottom turns golden.

Milk chocolate pudding cake

Yesterday was rainy, gray and cold. Yuck. So, we pretended it wasn't.

My man did ribs on the BBQ and I made coleslaw and oven fries. Just in case that didn't work, I made milk chocolate pudding cake. Warm, chocolate comfort that will make anyone feel better - even the boy with the never-ending cough.

The recipe is from the Milk Calendar. It's a keeper but whenever I make it in an 8x8 pan, it boils over and messes up the oven. This time I made it in a 3L oval with higher sides. No mess.

So by now you may have figured out that

1. I bake. A lot. I don't promise that it always turns out but practice makes perfect.
2. My favourite food is chocolate.
3. I also like lemon.
4. I need to get better at taking pictures. In fact, if my pic doesn't whet your appetite, you should really just see the image on the Milk Calendar website. Far more appealing.

Stick with me. I do plan on reading the manual for the camera. Even better, we do spring for a digital SLR (we covet one), I promise to practise and read the manual. And work on composition. Really just another process I need to learn to love...

Banana chocolate chip muffins

Instead of buying granola bars or other packaged snacks for the kids, I often bake muffins. Banana chocolate chip muffins are one of their favourites.

Banana chocolate chip muffins

2	eggs
2	mashed ripe bananas
½ Cup	milk
¼ Cup	vegetable oil
1½ Cup	flour
1 Cup	quick oatmeal
1 Tbsp	baking powder
½ Cup	brown sugar
½ Cup	mini chocolate chips

Note: I don't add salt as I'm trying to reduce it in my diet. You could add ½ tsp. if you want.

Beat the wet ingredients together.
If you're a purist, you should mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then add the wet to the dry. When almost combined, add the chocolate chips. Spoon into grease muffins tins - or tins lined with paper muffin cups - and bake until browned at 425°, ~20 minutes.

Me, I'm lazy. I just stir the sugar and oatmeal into the wet ingredients and then shake the flour and baking powder over the mixture. I then stir until almost combined then add the chocolate chips.

A couple things to remember with muffins:

• Never over mix the batter. The batter should be somewhat lumpy, like pancake batter.
• If you're using whole grains, letting the batter sit for 10 to 15 minutes before baking helps keep the muffins light in texture.

The recipe above is adapted from The Muffin Baker's Guide by Bruce Koffler.

No-fail Chocolate Cake

Best friends & family, a birthday and chocolate cake - what could be better? Our daughter made the cake! She is quite the baker and we had fun together in the kitchen.

This is my go-to recipe when I need a cake and don't have time to fuss. There is no separate beating and folding of egg whites here. And I always have the ingredients in the pantry. If I'm missing butter, I can use margarine. Low on milk? I've used yogurt or sour cream. It always turns out.

Light, moist and chocolaty. And it works with whatever icing you like: chocolate, orange, German chocolate cake topping, or one of my favourites, cherries and whipped cream.

The recipe has been my family's birthday cake for close to 50 years. Here it is, my birthday present to you.

Birthday Chocolate Cake     

350degrees, 30 minutes

makes 2 9" layers or 2 8" layers and 12 cupcakes

1 Cup	butter or margarine
2 Cups	sugar
2	eggs
10 Tbsp	cocoa
2 tsp	vanilla
2 Cups	milk
3 Cups	flour
2 tsp	baking soda

Cream butter and sugar until light.
Beat in eggs.
Add cocoa.
Stir vanilla into milk.
Mix flour and baking soda together.
Alternate adding milk mixture and flour to butter/sugar/eggs/cocoa mixture.
Beat until smooth.
Pour into greased and/or lined pans.
Bake until cake tester comes out clean ~30mins.

Enjoy the praise!