Parmesan Rosemary Gougères

Dear Boyfriend (and readers),

I haven't posted in a week. I am so sorry. I have deprived you, my dear boyfriend and self appointed editor, of 10 minutes of procrastination during work. How careless could I be to leave you with only thousands of internet videos, tablets with video games, and endless hours of facebook for your procrastination fix.

I realize I have broken a small piece of your heart. It's only a small irony that you can't even take out this anguish on my yummy freshly baked treats. My heart feels for you. It truly does. I can only think that you must be whimpering in your high rise office building, looking forlornly out your office window, towards Dupont and wondering how I could have abandoned your need to correct my spelling and punctuation so.

4 u them i gid dis bad bad bad bad bad sentance. meigh u procrasstenate in piece,, and no dat i wuv yous.

xoxo-

jana

ps. dear readers, if I know brandon, he will be harrumphing for a while and not fix that sentence for a long, long while. Since that will be the case, please assume all other typos were also on purpose. ;)

pps. Enjoy these little treats. I love a good cheese puff now and then. Don't you?

Parmesan Rosemary Gougères

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup skim milk
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
Large pinch of kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
1 tsp. rosemary, plus more for sprinkling
Freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan, bring the water, milk, butter, and salt to a boil. Add the flour, stir until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and dries out a bit. Roughly two minutes.

Turn the dough out into a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each one. Add the Parmesan cheese, rosemary and pepper.

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a half inch tip (or a disposable bag with the tip cut off) and pipe tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets at least two inches apart.

Sprinkle with cheese and additional rosemary. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm or room temperature.

The gougères can be frozen or refrigerated. To reheat, cook in an 350 degree oven for at least five minutes, or until piping hot and crisped.

Rosemary Parmesan Crackers

I am now "under contract." Well, I will be in two days. One of the sellers is out of state, blah blah blah, mailed contracts, etc. So, this means that on Friday I was freaking out and sanitizing every inch of my body from houses that had no roofs, and Monday I am in the process of buying one. A much cuter one...with a roof....and proper flooring. Yep. Saw it Friday, made and offer Saturday, was accepted Sunday, and now Monday morning is hitting me and we're scheduling inspections ..............and yes, the type-A personality caused me to start packing last night. I already have a board on pinterest of color palettes. Yep. I move at break-neck speed and the second best thing is that my boss-man will be out of town for two weeks and that means I can go and do all the inspections without any hassle from him...mostly because he won't know. Also good, it will give me time to pack, clean, call utility companies, and the myriad of other things I need to do. For any of you who have bought a house, please feel free to comment some advice, because WOW am I going to need it.

Rosemary Parmesan Crackers

1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-2 teaspoons crushed rosemary
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons water
a dash of kosher salt

Combine all ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until it forms a coarse meal.

On a work surface, knead the dough until it is just combined. Form into a log about one inch in diameter. Chill the dough, wrapped in the wax paper, for 1 hour, or until it is firm enough to slice.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the dough into rather thin slices, arrange the slices 1 inch apart on wax paper. Cover with a second sheet of wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece until very thin.

Carefully move to parchment lined baking sheets, and bake them in batches in the middle of the oven for 6 minutes, or until they are golden around the edges. Remove from heat and allow to cool long enough to be flipped over carefully.

Put the trays back in to the oven for another 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Transfer the crackers carefully with a spatula to a rack, let them cool fully, and sprinkle them with additional rosemary.

Foodbuzz 24 x 24: Overthyme with Herbs!

If your herb garden is anything like mine, you're drowning. For some reason I decided to plant everything from seed. I did this also last year with startlingly different results. Last year, only my basil and chives came up. So, this year, I figured it would be more of the same and I planted far more seeds than I needed, hoping that just a few would come up. Jokes on me! Just about every seed I planted came up. When I went to thin my plants I gave away at least thirty basil and sage plants alone! I still kept 15 basil plants and 9 sage, not to mention a thicket of oregano, thyme, and a few lowly rosemary plants. Yesterday I gave away two cups of basil, and just today I picked two more, and I have hardly made a dent!  

Lately I've been adding herbs to just about everything I can. Ev.Er.Y. Thing. and I still can't keep up with the growth rate. So, I've started putting away herbs for the winter. Yes, it's a wee bit early, but if you had as much basil growing as I did you'd understand the need to get ahead of the game! I've been trying every means of storage under the sun, and I've learned a lot. There is so much advice out there on how to store herbs! In all this I've learned one thing: I hate dried herbs. 

Why I dislike drying herbs:

1. It’s a LONG process. Ovens will destroy the oils, so you have to be old school.
2. It takes up a lot of space.
3. The worry of air born toxins (gas fumes, hair spray, cigarette smoke)
4. HIGH risk of mold
5. Not ideal for humid locations
6. Dried herbs just don't taste like fresh herbs...but frozen do!

Since I live in the grand old HUMID city of Washington, D. C. drying herbs is one thing I don't get to utilize...so I've learned just THAT much more about freezing herbs, and I have say I'm a huge fan. You can freeze store bought herbs, or fresh from the garden. Now, if you're using store bought, clearly you don't have much say in the matter, but for those of us with the overflowing herb garden, I've read up on a few tips there as well.

Tips for picking herbs:

1. Gather herbs in the early/mid morning after the dew has dried but before the sun has had a chance to draw and disperse their oils. 
2. Don’t pick herbs after rain or when they are damp. 
3. Handle as little as possible. 
4. Keep different herbs separate from each other. 
5. ONLY pick as much as you can deal with.

That last one I have learned is pretty darn important. I can't imagine trying to store all my sage in one day at the end of the summer. Today, those two cups of basil I picked were made into pesto and then frozen into ice cubes! Each week I'll just keep freezing a few herbs at a time and it's going to be so much better than trying to pick that whole mini farm of basil at once! 

How to freeze herbs:

herbs for flash freezing on a tray, thyme and rosemary to be frozen in a bag, ice cubes of basil and tarragon 

You get two options: flash or ice cube freezing. Now, there is a third option of freezing with oil, but I don't understand that one. (Also, you can freeze cubes of pesto, which I did today!), but otherwise I'd prefer to store with water than oil, because when I want to throw an ice cube into a soup or a stew I don't want to add oil at the end, and since the ice cube herbs are best suited for soups and stews, I stick with water.

Flash freezing herb leafs: 

1. Pick the best freshest herbs you can find 
2. Wash and pat herbs dry 
3. Lay on layer of parchment paper on cookie sheet 
4. Freeze overnight
5. Place leaves in freezer bags, using a straw to suck out excess air

Flash Freezing Rosemary or Thyme: 

1. Pick the best freshest herbs you can find 
2. Wash and pat herbs dry 
3. Place in freezer zip lock bags. Allow to freeze fore a few days
4. Roll a rolling pin over, or simply "crunch" the bag. The leaves will fall right off. 
5. Remove stems from bag. 
6. Place leaves in freezer bags, using a straw to suck out excess air

Ice cube tray method

1. Pick the best freshest herbs you can find 
2. Wash and pat herbs dry 
3. Hand chop (or use food processor) leaves (I've left them whole before, it's not much of a difference)
4. Put chopped pieces into ice cube trays and fill with water of stock 
5. Freeze overnight 
6. Place cubes in freezer bags, using a straw to suck out excess air. 

So now that I've shared those little tid bits, let's talk food! Yesterday I had a wee bit of a dinner party to use up all these lovely herbs! An actual garden party with foods served IN the garden! I made some individual sized "tables" to serve my appetizers on!

roasted tomato soup, mini tables, homemade ciabatta and homemade rosemary flavored olive oil

 If you're thinking YES I'd like to make some of those little tables it's EASY. Go to a craft store and you can easily find half inch dowels, and three to four inch wooden disk, and some nails....I think you can see where this is going. Add in some spray paint and they turn out adorably cute and ready for a personal table to stack foods upon like my homemade roasted tomato soup, and ciabatta!

apricot honey thyme soda, homemade basil pasta with brown butter, sage, and parmesan

 But not everything stacks so easily on small tables. My attempts at stacking homemade apricot honey thyme soda on them....were comical. I have a lovely bruise on my foot from falling soda. Which was fine because it scared my friend when they opened it. Never shake soda bottles! ..........or drop them on your foot.....or try to put them on itty bitty personal sized tables. The freshly made basil pasta, with brown butter, sage, and parmesan were fine on the little tables, but silverware was not, so I invited everyone back inside for the main course!

Was that a lot of "well i never"s??? Never made ciabatta? Homemade pasta? Thyme in a soda? Flavored an olive oil? or eaten off a small little table? AWESOME! let's add one more:

Lemon Basil Curd Tarts!

Yes. You've had lemon tarts, I've had lemon tarts, I've posted two lemon tarts in the last year alone, but these are lemon BASIL tarts. Yep. Basil. I told you I was putting herbs in Ev.Er.Y.Thing. I wasn't kidding around. Just look at all the posts I've used herbs for already:

Lavender Honey Caramel "Twix"

Swiss Onion Sage Tart

Brown Butter Sage Quiche

Rosemary Parmesan Crostini

Parmesan Thyme Shortbread

Lemon Basil Flower Shortbread

Lemon Basil Soda

Honey, Lavender & Ricotta

Peach Lemon Thyme Ice Cream

Strawberry Basil Ice Cream

Yep. Everything.

So now that food envy has FULLY set in it's time to wrap this up...and by wrap up I mean put in all the recipes from my dinner yesterday. If you've made it this far in the post you're a trooper! A trooper who deserves wonderful recipes with herbs!

So HERE they are!


Roasted Tomato Soup

3 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
8 tablespoons olive oil
1 bulb garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme 

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped oregano
1/4 teaspoon (or more) dried crushed red pepper
6 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle tomatoes with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Slice the tops off of the garlic bulbs so that the tip of each clove is exposed. Place the bulbs on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, or until garlic is soft. Continue to roast the tomatoes until brown and tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. 

Transfer tomatoes and cloves of garlic along with any accumulated juices to processor. Process until slightly chunky.

Put all ingredients save basil into a large pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until soup thickens slightly, about 25 minutes. (I sometimes leave it just below simmering for a few hours). Remove from heat. Stir in basil. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. 

Ciabatta
as found on Epicurious

For biga
1 cup plus 1 tablespoonroom-temperature water (75°F to 80°F)
1 1/4-ounce package dry yeast
3 1/3 cups bread flour

For dough
Biga (starter dough; see above)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons room-temperature water (75°F to 80°F)
Pinch of dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons semolina flour*
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Additional semolina flour

Make biga:
Place water in processor. Sprinkle yeast over. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 8 minutes. Add 1 cup flour; process until blended. Scrape down sides of work bowl. Add 1 cup flour; repeat processing and scraping. Add remaining 1 1/3 cups flour. Process until small moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball (dough will be firm); place in large bowl. Cover; chill overnight (biga will soften, resembling thick oatmeal in texture).

Make dough:
Pull biga into walnut-size pieces; place in a clean large bowl. Add water, yeast and 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons semolina. Using 1 hand, squeeze ingredients together 2 minutes. Work dough 4 minutes by scooping sections from sides of bowl and pressing into center, blending into very soft, shaggy mass. Using spatula, scrape dough from sides of bowl into center. Let dough rest in bowl, uncovered, 10 minutes.

Sprinkle salt over dough. Using 1 hand, knead dough by rotating bowl 1/4 turn at a time, scooping dough from sides and folding down into center until dough starts to come away from sides of bowl, about 5 minutes. Scrape dough from hand and sides of bowl. Cover bowl with towel; let dough rest 20 minutes.

Rotating bowl 1/4 turn at a time, fold dough over onto itself 6 times; turn dough over in bowl. Cover with towel and let dough rest in bowl 20 minutes.

Bake bread:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Sprinkle work surface with additional semolina. Turn dough out onto semolina. Using pastry scraper or large knife, cut dough in half; keep halves separated. Let stand, uncovered, 20 minutes.

Sprinkle 2 large baking sheets with additional semolina. Transfer each dough half, semolina side up, to 1 sheet. Stretch each dough half to 16x4-inch rectangle. Press fingertips into dough in several places to dimple surface (characteristic of this bread). Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool. (Can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Double-wrap in aluminum foil to freeze.)

Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil

2 cups olive oil
2 large lemons
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Put two half pint mason jars, lids and rings in the oven to sterilize for twenty minutes.

Pour olive oil into a small pan. Grate the zest from the lemons and add it to the oil. Add the rosemary and bay leaf. Heat the oil over medium low heat until it reached 200 degrees. Cook at that temperature for 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Divide sprigs of rosemary between the jars. Using a funnel, pour the oil into the bottles. Cover tightly and invert (lid side down), to cool. Store at room temperature.

Basil Pasta with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
the amounts in blue serve 2, the amounts in black serve 8

1 lb. bread flour (3 1/4 ounces)
5 eggs (1 egg)
1 handful of basil, finely chopped (8 basil leaves)
semolina flour for dusting

8 tablespoons butter, divided
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh sage

parmesan cheese

In an electric mixer, using the dough hook, mix flour and eggs on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until a firm dough forms. Take the dough out of the mixer and knead by hand until the dough is smooth (about a minute or more). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for on hour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into four balls (or one) and flatten the ball into a disk. Run through your pasta machine on the thickest setting a few times. Lightly dust with semolina and run the sheet through the machine on a thinner setting. Repeating this process until the the dough is a millimeter or so thick. Cut the dough into desired shape either by hand or machine.

Cook immediately in boiling water until al dente. 

Meanwhile prepare the brown butter and sage sauce. Cook butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat until butter begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add sage. Season with salt and pepper. 

When ready poor sauce over pasta and garnish with grated parmesan

Apricot Honey Thyme Soda

1 cup honey
1 cup water
thyme
apricot juice
soda water

To make apricot honey thyme simple syrup, boil together honey and water until fully combined. Remove from heat. Seep one handful of thyme in the mixture for twenty minutes. Strain and reserve the syrup. Allow to cool completely. Store in the refrigerator.

Mix one part apricot juice with one part honey thyme syrup with four parts soda water. For a single serving a part is equal to 1/4 cup.

Lemon Basil Curd Tart
makes 4 four inch tarts or one 9 inch tart

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a stand mixer, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in flour, kosher salt, cream and vanilla, until mixture is moist and crumbly.

Press dough into four 4-inch tart pans (or one 9 or 10 inch tart pan) and press it up the sides, making sure the layer on the bottom is even.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crust is set and firm at the edges. Cool, then fill with desired filling and bake as that recipe directs.

Lemon Basil Curd Filling

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed and strained
1 handful basil chopped
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3 large eggs
2 egg yolks
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into half inch pieces

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, basil and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally.

In a large bowl, whisk together zest, eggs and egg yolks. When sugar mixture comes to a boil, strain out basil and pour very small amounts down the side of the bowl into the egg mixture while whisking continuously to temper the mixture. Continue to add only a few tablespoons at a time until all has been incorporated.

Transfer egg mixture back to sauce pan and return to stove. Cook on medium heat until thickened, about 8 minutes, whisking frequently.

Remove custard from stove and whisk in butter, adding in one piece at a time.

When all butter has been added, cool curd for 15 minutes before pouring into prepared tart crusts.

Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours before serving.

Ciabatta & Rosemary Olive Oil

I had a sad experience in Ciabatta making. I made the recipe from the bread makers apprentice, followed every pain staking step, for day I let the bread rise in the refrigerator, and in the end I had thick crumb wolf's white bread in airy ciabatta sheep clothing. The loaves looked perfect, but once you cut into them...well...after two days of waiting for this bread to be amazing, it's worth a good cry. Tasted great, just wasn't ciabatta. 

The bread you see above came after some painstaking internet searches. I read posts by other people who had the same issues with BMA ciabatta and read that this recipe from Bon Appetit magazine would work out FAR better, and praise you internet foodies, you were right. For half the trouble I got some beautiful ciabatta. I'd make a few changes sure, but beautiful bread! So beautiful it needs shared!

But what's good bread without good oil to dip it in? This is also my recipe for flavoring olive oil. I can it and store ahead for months of enjoyment. I hope you like it too!


Ciabatta
as found on Epicurious with one tiny change

For biga
1 cup plus 1 tablespoonroom-temperature water (75°F to 80°F)
1 1/4-ounce package dry yeast
3 1/3 cups bread flour

For dough
Biga (starter dough; see above)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons room-temperature water (75°F to 80°F)
Pinch of dry yeast
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons semolina flour*
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Additional semolina flour

Make biga:
Place water in processor. Sprinkle yeast over. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 8 minutes. Add 1 cup flour; process until blended. Scrape down sides of work bowl. Add 1 cup flour; repeat processing and scraping. Add remaining 1 1/3 cups flour. Process until small moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball (dough will be firm); place in large bowl. Cover; chill overnight (biga will soften, resembling thick oatmeal in texture).

Make dough:
Pull biga into walnut-size pieces; place in a clean large bowl. Add water, yeast and 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons semolina. Using 1 hand, squeeze ingredients together 2 minutes. Work dough 4 minutes by scooping sections from sides of bowl and pressing into center, blending into very soft, shaggy mass. Using spatula, scrape dough from sides of bowl into center. Let dough rest in bowl, uncovered, 10 minutes.

Sprinkle salt over dough. Using 1 hand, knead dough by rotating bowl 1/4 turn at a time, scooping dough from sides and folding down into center until dough starts to come away from sides of bowl, about 5 minutes. Scrape dough from hand and sides of bowl. Cover bowl with towel; let dough rest 20 minutes.

Rotating bowl 1/4 turn at a time, fold dough over onto itself 6 times; turn dough over in bowl. Cover with towel and let dough rest in bowl 20 minutes.

Bake bread:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Sprinkle work surface with additional semolina. Turn dough out onto semolina. Using pastry scraper or large knife, cut dough in half; keep halves separated. Spray with olive oil and dust with bread flour. Let stand, uncovered, 20 minutes.

Sprinkle 2 large baking sheets with additional semolina. Transfer each dough half, semolina side up, to 1 sheet. Stretch each dough half to 16x4-inch rectangle. Press fingertips into dough in several places to dimple surface (characteristic of this bread). Spray with olive oil and dust with bread flour. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool. (Can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Double-wrap in aluminum foil to freeze.)

Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil

2 cups olive oil
2 large lemons
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Put two half pint mason jars, lids and rings in the oven to sterilize for twenty minutes.

Pour olive oil into a small pan. Grate the zest from the lemons and add it to the oil. Add the rosemary and bay leaf. Heat the oil over medium low heat until it reached 200 degrees. Cook at that temperature for 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Divide sprigs of rosemary between the jars. Using a funnel, pour the oil into the bottles. Cover tightly and invert (lid side down), to cool. Store at room temperature. 

Rosemary Parmesan Crostini

The New York Times may have called this recipe a biscotti, but a biscotti it is not. Antonio Mattei would not approve. I'm re-branding this as a good crostini base instead. 

I didn't intend for this post to be so much of a critique of a recipe, but it is what it is. Happens to every baker. Have you ever been thoroughly confused by a recipe? A biscotti with no sugar? Calls for an equal amount of egg whites and yolks? Walnuts instead of a more traditional pine nut, despite the Parmesan and rosemary? I accept that American biscotti is incredibly different than Antonio Mattei makes it (who I think of as the godfather of biscotti), and I do love a recipe renaissance, with new and inventive twists, BUT, I also have an issue with misnomered food. With this recipe the NYT strayed a bit too far and wound up with a an entirely different product. Biscuit, yes, but biscotti no.

That said, it's like most take out Chinese food. It's good food, just not good Chinese food. This recipe makes for a good biscuit, just not a good biscotti. I do however love it as a crostini base. So far I've been using it to go with a cream cheese and artichoke spread. (Tons of flavor!) It's also been a really great dipping bread for lemon flavored olive oil.

With all this said, I am now about to set out to make a more traditional rosemary-parmesan biscotti. The idea is just too good to let go.

Enjoy!

Rosemary-Parmesan Crostini

As adapted from the New York Times

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

5 eggs

1/2 cup water

Olive oil spray

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, Parmesan, pepper, rosemary and pine nuts. Whisk together 4 of the eggs and the water. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Stir to combine.

Lightly flour your hands and a work surface; turn out the dough and knead until smooth. Divide the dough in half and shape each piece into a 2 1/2-inch-thick log. Spray a baking sheet with the olive oil and place the dough logs on it. Whisk the remaining egg and brush it over the dough. Bake for 35 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes and then cut the biscotti on the diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place on the baking sheet cut side down, using 2 pans if necessary. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake until browned, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Brown Butter Buttercream on Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

 The nutty undertones the olive oil and rosemary bring to the lemon cake are a perfect combo for the warm nutty flavor of the brown butter frosting! 

Stephen and I are off having TONS of fun in Arizona. In fact, at the moment I am scheduling this to post (because really, I am on vacation. I’m not posting on vacation!) we should be riding waverunners at the lake! Since he and I are on an “in person date” (finally) I just figured I'd throw up a post for while I’m gone about long distance dates and the recipes that came out of our last one!

Doing the whole long distance thing has not been the most fun for us. It's very taxing and disconnecting. In short: I hate it. Long distance is completely lame. 

Over the last few months though, we have started holding a weekly "Long Distance Date Night." We take turns planning and try to hold a night where we'll spend six or seven hours on the phone, doing the same activities, eating the same foods, etc. and try to make it like a real date if we can. My roommate mocks me because I'll even dress up. It just makes me feel more like it's a date, and not a crazy girl talking on the phone all night and watching movies alone. 

One week I sent him a package with cookies, gumballs, and the movie Bedtime Stories. I wrote instructions on the outside of the package telling him to put on his pajamas, get a glass of milk, and then call me. We watched the movie together -a.k.a. the same time- ate cookies in our pajamas and he hasn't stopped saying "for freeeeeeeeee" since. 

Another week didn't go as well. He wanted me to go to a dollar store. The idea was to buy cheap gifts for each other and mail them...........turns out the closest dollar store to me is in a VERY questionable part of DC. I decided to brave it, but while in the store, I turned a corner and walked into an aisle that was covered in graffiti...floor, items, shelves, all tagged with spray paint..........so I bolted for the door, and didn't look back. 

This last week was a lot of fun. Stephen wanted us to cook together because he knows (all too well) how much I love cooking. His idea was for us to make dinner, a dessert and play games online. He's so cute! We were talking about what to make and he wanted to make cookies...........but owned none of the ingredients.........he's cute. We ended up on that classic little birthday treat I remember from elementary school  of baking a cupcake inside an ice cream cone (which is perfect because it coincides with one of our sickeningly cute inside jokes!). We both made boxed cake mixes, pasta dinners and had fun sending each other photos the entire night. 

Here are his pictures! He even sent me flowers for our date. Yep, we are corny. 

He REALLY tried. I mean look at that nice little piping on that cupcake! Not too shabby! 

I had to make mine a little more playful since a box cake mix isn't in my nature. I hope you enjoy two fun ideas! 

Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake (from a mix) 

1 lemon cake mix

Eggs and Water as the package directs

Replace the vegetable oil with olive oil 

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves

Mix and bake according to the package directions. 

Brown Butter Buttercream 

1/2 cup butter

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

Place the butter in a 10” skillet over medium heat. Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty. (Don’t take your eyes off the butter in case it burns.) Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed, 15-30 minutes. 

Whip (with a paddle attachment, not wisk!) butter till creamy. Then whip in powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Adjust the powdered sugar to taste.