The heat has been a bit intense this week. Suddenly temperatures went from mild 70s to 90 and humid. Caught off guard, we found ourselves installing our bedroom window AC at 10pm at night on a weekday just to survive the night. Needless to say, intense cooking was not high on my list. When I was assigned to Rainstorms and Love Notes for this month’s Secret Recipe Club, I was looking for simplicity, tastiness and minimal heat.
I am obsessed by one lunch spot by my office: Dishes. It’s one of these catch-all deli joints with salads to order, sandwiches, soups, baked goods and a hot/cold salad bar by the pound. Except it’s super elevated. Think couscous almond cranberry salad instead of fried rice. Crispy coconut shrimp instead of soggy mystery meat. But it’s not the pay-by-the-pound bar counter or even the baked goods I go for, it’s the prepared dessert.
This month has absolutely flown. First we were on vacation in Scotland and Ireland for two weeks. The following two weeks we had back to back weddings, then my birthday (yay!) then family time. Needless to say, I haven’t had nearly as much time in the kitchen or with my blog as I would have liked. The lazy part of me, said it’s okay, just skip a month of the Secret Recipe Club. No one will care… But I would care. The Secret Recipe Club is a wonderful opportunity to explore other blogs. Too often do I find a wonderful recipe on a friend’s blog, thinking I’m going to make that right away! Months go by and the recipe still sits on Pinterest, still to be attempted. But SRC forces me to at least once a month, try something new. This month I was assigned to Heather’s It’s Yummy to My Tummy. Like me, Heather uses the kitchen to escape. There were so many great recipes to try, but again, the time thing.
What’s better than dessert? Individual desserts! No need to compromise or share plus less guilt from the miniaturized treat. I’ve always been a huge fan of cupcakes. You can bring a variety to a party and everyone can enjoy their favorite flavor. How could any other mini dessert not be as amazing?
My husband’s absolute favorite dessert is ricotta cheesecake. I make it as often as possible for larger events, but it’s not a very practical dessert for two people. Even eating a slice a day, not that we should, for a whole week, I’m still not sure we’d be able to consume the whole thing before it starts to spoil. Then, while browsing through the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, I discovered an amazing fact that would forever change our dessert plans. “A 6-inch cake pan holds nearly exactly half the volume of batter as a more standard 9-inch cake pan.”
Brooklyn Locavore 