celebratory harvest moon peanut butter brownie

Yes, one singular brownie. Created in a low-walled very wide tart pan. Mostly inspired by my need to make a really big brownie to see if it would, if it possibly could work. And maintain some semblance of structural integrity. I did also draw some from the sight of the enormous glowing moon behind silhouettes of trees and reflecting off the water as I crossed the bridge. This sight being seen the night of Friday last. I know. I am once again posting late. However, I'm hoping if I allow you to revel in the glory that is this brownie I can hold but which is larger than my own head, perhaps I can distract from the tardiness of this post.

See??!!! Is it not extraordinary?! And no butter was used in the making of this baked good. Surprising but true, in fact the peanut butter held the whole thing together. And added crunch. One always could do with more crunch.

At least that's what I believe. Besides, how often do you see brownies shaped like this? and it cut so well and held up remarkable. Next I will conquer the gigantic cookie. But first I have to catch my breath. That this is a bit weighty, I mean after all, it's the size of the moon!

I take requests

Well first I made dinner, and it was mighty tasty.

However the most important point is that I pulled out the ice cream maker again (I know it's been ages like as in a whole week or so since my last batch) and as the title implies, I took a request.

Specifically, the roommate was having a no-good-very-bad day and wanted Cherry Garcia ice cream so I picked up ingredients (namely marascino cherries and lots of cream) and made exactly what she was craving. Twenty-four hours after the request was voiced that is. Still it is impressive. Be impressed.

And it was delicious. Just the right mix of thick and creamy vanilla with chunks of fruit and small crunchy chocolate morsals. Super super super yummy.
And a fun sneak peak of some stuff I have been working on. Involving stencils and stripes.

And a travel pick for the road. The red beach, on Santorini in Greece. Very pretty even though a sharp sharp manical rock cut my foot when scrambling up a hill.

But how can one resist the blue blue sky?! One can't is how.

excessive baggage

What is this you ask?


This is my luggage, about three hours into an excruciating process to make my luggage completely awesome, albeit in an over the top and ridiculous way. I acquired a pair of plum suitcases from a friend (sent the feelers out there, thinking 'I would like to have a suitcase' and a week later, said friend hear me say I wanted a suitcase and said she had a set she had replaced that was going to the goodwill and WAM! there's a suitcase, actually two really, for me to play with and decorate to my hearts content) and since they were free (love that) I didn't feel any qualms with the possibility that my playing around could result in totally messing them up. So I pulled out some fabric paint and and covered the larger on in a nice yellow color. It still looked a little messy and like a kid had gotten a hold of a parents suitcase and gone to town with their paint kit however, so I felt, naturally enough, that it was still in need of something more. And I had purple puff paint so......

.....and I so began to add some decoration with some puff paint (a supply I always seem to have handy-it is so easy to apply to whatever surface) and it just escalated from there.

Until (roughly 70 hours later) it looked something like this.

I know it is, um, a little too much, but well, I like things that are over the top.

And this means I will NEVER have difficulty recognizing which suitcase is mine on the baggage carousel!
And here's another travel photo. One showcasing my lovely bracelet tan which I acquired from being in summer for six months (I know, my life was soooooo difficult) which is sort of sweet and comforting to think about now, with this much shorter length summer now behind me and a fall stretching out in front, full of, oh I don't know, pie and baking bread and cozy home diy projects and maybe perhaps some canning? We will see.

What is this you ask?

in which i cut a pepper

Disclaimer:This one, teeny-tiny pepper was spicy enough to make our entire meal (and like twelve helpings of leftovers) have a very impressive bite. And yes I did wear gloves and I was very thankful that I did. And I meticulously got rid of every single terriefying seed and used the underside of a cutting board now dedicated to cutting spicy stuff. I will try this again in the future cause it was yum yum yummy even if that yumminess included the side effect of my mouth tingling for the whole evening.
And here is a bit of the place this type of chile (thai birdseye)is from. Or at least the place where I tortured my tastebuds by eating extra spicy three times a day.
Enjoy