Strawberry Banana Cream Pie(s)

Made these for hubby's birthday yesterday. Got the recipe from here. Instead of making one big pie, I got mini Dufour shells (chocolate) from Surfas. I made the custard, sliced up bananas and strawberries, and assembled it with my frosting kit (piping the custard and cream rather than spooning). They were super yummy and people liked being able to eat more than one...

Lunch(?) at Eclipse Chocolat

I had to drive to San Diego on an errand and it just so happens that my current favorite chocolate place is there: Eclipse Chocolat. This is the s'mores platter. Chili chocolate brownie, espresso brownie. Both topped with a housemade marshmallow on top. Served with lavendar sea salt and blood orange olive oil fondue (in the cup). My brain totally exploded. I took most of it to go along with a couple orders of "dry soda", truffles, and an aztec cinnamon roll. If you ever have a chance to be in SD, I recommend you make a stop. If you live in LA I know you can get their amazing sea salt caramel collection at Curious Palate (that is if I haven't already been there and wiped them out).

Brunch with Friends

Had some friends and their mom here for brunch and this is what we made:

Pecan Sticky Buns (Overnight Sticky Buns from Cook's Illustrated)
Veggie Frittata (also from Cook's)
Potatoes (you guessed it, Cook's)
Fruit Salad

We were in a food coma but man it was good!

Pretzels

Can't believe I waited this long to try these. So easy, so fun, SO DELICIOUS. They are my finest bread yet. Got the recipe from the Food Network.

From start to finish they take about 1.5 hours and only about 10 minutes of hands-on time. Making the dough takes 5 minutes, then it rises for an hour or so. Shaping is quick, boil for 30 seconds, then bake for 14 minutes. Make sure you stick the ends down well when you shape them or you'll end up with a snake instead of a pretzel in your boiling water (you can stick it back together before you bake). The first time around I didn't have Kosher salt so I just used sea salt which turned out fine. If you don't have a stand mixer with dough hook just mix it with a metal spoon. The dough is buttery and much easier to work with than traditional bread dough which is sticky. Rather than oiling the surface to roll out the dough, I spray Vegalene (Pam imparts an undesirable flavor).