An Apron

This apron, from Anthropolgie, would certainly provide that much needed incentive to get me back into the swing of actually cooking, instead of eating salads and sandwiches every night. Busy schedules. Rising temperatures. A few lingering boxes. I’ve lost my will to flex the few “gourmet” muscles I may have acquired.

Chipotle In My Brownies?

Felt the need for some kitchen adventure yesterday as we made our way over to our landlords’ for dinner, wine, and discussion. I’d had the opportunity to taste some spiced brownies at a potluck for an art final last summer and had been wondering about them ever since. Feeling even more adventurous, I began my first serious kitchen undertaking since Valentine’s Day and the swarms of Holiday baking. They turned out very well, almost as I expected but little on the spicy side (I’d err on the side of 1tsp of chipotle, not the 1.5 that I used) and paired marvelously with the old vine Zinfandel our landlord served after dinner. I most certainly recommend this recipe, though it’s a bit time consuming. The cardamom and chocolate were the most expensive parts, as we didn’t already have those spices. But the flavors play so nicely together. Don’t be daunted by the seemingly difficult “double boiler” (bowl) technique. It’s actually, very simple. These brownies are so worth it and a welcome departure from the standard plain chocolate.

The Baked Brownie, spiced up. Via Smitten Kitchen. (the photo is also via SK, as I am no food photog).