Monday, June 25, 2007

Voluntary Damnation

aka - I like Martha Stewart.

I really do. Maybe not her personally since I don't know her. But I like her magazines a lot. And her recipes. Thanks to Martha, I always save the leftover olive bread and chorizo baguette from fondue to use for croutons. And I never arrive at a dinner party without a delicious hostess gift to offer.

Anyway.

It was the Boys' school fair yesterday. They danced and sang and played games and won rinky-dink prizes and ate too much sugar. It was as it should be. I'm a pta member so I was supposed to have helped with a lot of things but I didn't have time for anything but work last week so I didn't do anything. To make up for it, I spend 8 hours in the kitchen on saturday making cookies. I made Martha's Outrageous Chocolate Cookies, Lemon Bars, Chocolate Meringues, and Chocolate Drizzled Spice Cookies.

They were all wonderful, as is usually the case with Martha's recipes. Although the meringues were not crispy enough - it was really humid on saturday and I should have left them in the oven longer. But that's not Martha's fault.

Anyway. Everyone loved the cookies. People tend to love the things I make in general. Not because they're amazing, but because they're different from what most people here make. A dozen people came up to me yesterday to gush about the lemon bars. "Just perfect." "Sublime." "Not too sweet and not too sour." "A se damner!" Which I'm translating as 'worth voluntary damnation'.

I'm thinking no lemon bar, even mine and Martha's is worth a trip to hell so next time I'll go heavy on the lemon or light on the sugar.

I'll post the recipes only if you take full responsibility for the souls of those you make them for.

10 comments:

Lorraine said...

I love Martha. But you knew that.

Anonymous said...

To save you the trouble of posting, can the recipes obtained on her web site?

Anonymous said...

Soul?????

Anonymous said...

I love lemon bars I will expect some on the visit.

Nicole said...

Lorraine - I did know that. It's one of the many things I like about you.

Beth - Yes they should all be on her website - let me know if you can't find them.

CBW - Did I say a bad word?

Zeb - But of course. Tell your kids they will be playing canasta with us.

Anonymous said...

soul: 'The spiritual or immaterial part of man, held to survive death.'

pft

Unknown said...

canasta? haha only if i can wear a cool visor...

Nicole said...

Christina - Already got one packed for you.

Anonymous said...

Have you ever tried Martha's Chilled Rasberry Fruit Tea/Juice - very yummy!

The Late Bloomer said...

Oh, GOD, you've GOT to post the recipes... I've been learning the ropes in the kitchen here in France, basically teaching myself I guess, because the "spirit only moved me" to start cooking at the ripe ol' age of 30. Before then I had absolutely no desire, for some bizarre reason.

Anyhoo, I've been cooking with the French metric system and mainly French recipes, but I would LOVE to try out some Martha Stewart recipes, if I can find all the ingredients here... And if they're not too tough! All of them sound absolutely wonderful, though, ESPECIALLY the lemon bars! I'm a lemon fanatic. And I've gotten a bit tired of my cake au citron... I want to surprise people at work a bit more!