Oops!

i forgot to do my new Monday tradition yesterday! i just started working last week and (of course) i got sick right before i started, so i've had a lot on my mind lately. but i'll make sure to have a list for next week!

Chocolate

last night my aunt and uncle hosted a dinner party, and as it was one of the guest's birthday, i made a special dessert for her. i heard she liked dark chocolate so i tried out this flourless chocolate torte recipe.

preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1/2 lb of butter, plus extra for greasing the pan

1 lb semisweet chocolate

1/4 Baileys (the recipe calls for amaretto but this is what we had in the liquor cabinet)

8 large eggs

1/4 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

butter a 9 inch springform pan, line the bottom with parchment and wrap with foil. the cake cooks in a water bath so you need a roasting pan big enough to fit the springform pan in. 

chop butter into 1/2 inch cubes and roughly chop chocolate.

melt butter, chocolate and baileys in a double boiler (or a bowl over a simmering pan of water, like i did). stir pretty constantly. once mixture is melted and smooth, take off heat and set aside.

 also, have a kettle (or pot of water) boiling. 

meanwhile, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until frothy and almost double in volume.

pour 1/3 egg mixture into chocolate mixture and fold in. repeat process two more times until eggs are completely incorporated into chocolate.

pour mixture into pan and place pan in roasting pan. pour boiling water in roasting pan to about halfway up the sides.

bake for 40-45 minutes. remove cake from roasting pan and cool to room temperature. remove foil, cover, and refrigerate over night.

right before serving dust with cocoa powder or powdered sugar. we used powdered sugar and grated dark chocolate over the top.

everyone loved it! 

also, since the birthday girl is a tequila fan, we enjoyed some of this. it was surprisingly delicious! 

Walking Alone

"She is a girl and would not be afraid to walk to whole world with herself." - Augusta Gregory

i would like to be that kind of girl.

Comfort Food

tonight my aunt made homemade meatballs and gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans for dinner. yum. not the healthiest of meals, but comfort food, for sure.

my mom used to make "meat muffins" instead of meat loaf. they taste so much better in mini form!

mac n cheese

i've been craving a good cheeseburger and fries... or better yet, onion rings!

my mom makes the best spaghetti.

i always crave chile con carne when i'm sick.

what are some of your favorite comfort foods?

It's Monday...

some of my favorite blogs have weekly traditions that i look forward to: Sometimes Sweet has Tattoo Tuesday, Lauren Conrad has Tuesday Ten, Jenna used to have Friday Favorites, but has recently switched to Sunshines/Dark Clouds. i'm a fan of any sort of ritual or tradition to keep me on track. so i think i'll start a new Monday tradition. since nobody really likes Mondays, i thought it'd be good to make a list of things to look forward to for the week! i'll come up with a clever name by next Monday (maybe). 

here goes:

• i have 2 job interviews today! neither one is for my dream career but any job is better than no job, eh?
• the weather is supposed to be better this week.
• on Saturday my aunt and uncle are having a dinner party and i get to make the dessert. it's one of the guest's birthday and we were told she likes dark chocolate, so i'm thinking of making this cake. i love trying new recipes!

well i need to get ready for my first interview, cross your fingers for me?

Snow

we had a little snow storm yesterday, and since i didn't need to go anywhere, i was stuck inside all day. i was getting a little stir crazy and grumpy, so i decided to think about all the good things about snow.

the other day i saw cardinals for the first time. they were outside the window fluttering around in a snow covered tree. so pretty. (i didn't take this picture, it's from the internet.)

any excuse for hot chocolate...

"When I was five, I had a really bad ear infection and I had been home in bed for a week and I was very sad. So I wished really hard that something wonderful would happen to me. And I woke up the next morning and it had snowed. And I was sure that some fairy godmother had done it just for me. It was my little present." - Lorelai Gilmore

 "Everything looks magical when it snows, everything looks pretty. The clothes are great. Coats, scarves, gloves hats." - Lorelai Gilmore

for Christmas my godfather got me these great boots to keep me warm when i do have to venture out in the snow. and "Santa" brought me a down jacket like this but in black. some of my friends also gave me some great scarves and i'm ecstatic that i finally have cause to put my collection of beanies to use.

"I love the snow for the same reason I love Christmas; it brings people together while time stands still. Cozy couples lazily meandered the streets and children trudged sleds and chased snowballs. No one seemed to be in a rush to experience anything other than the glory of the day, with each other, whenever and however it happened." - Rachel Cohn, Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Beauty

"There are just some really beautiful people in the world. When you're walking down the street, or you're at a restaurant, someone catches your eye because they have their own look. It goes way beyond what they're wearing-into their mannerisms, the way they smile, or just the way they hold themselves."

Mary-Kate Olsen