test kitchen aftermath

as some of you may know, i recently moved from a place where the kitchen was essentially the foyer – a 10-foot long, three-foot wide strip of linoleum with a stove and a fridge and not much counter space. in essence, a nightmare place to try and cook desserts.

but now? well, the new test kitchen is big enough to handle all of this! i took this photo this morning after nonstop baking fun from wednesday onward:

i know it looks pathetic – a sink full of dishes, unpacked groceries, a nearly-finished roll of paper towels, and a counter full of coke zero cans waiting to be recycled. (hey, where do you think i get the energy to cook?)
oh yes, and the bicycle, awaiting a flat tire repair.

this kitchen may look awful. but to me, this kitchen is beautiful. there’s enough counter space to have clutter AND room to cook. the fact that i can easily whip up multiple desserts with a bicycle in the way is a dream come true.

(oh, and just so you know, i cleaned the kitchen up after taking this photo. the bike is fixed. the dishes are done, and the recycling’s been taken out. it’ll stay clean for another hour or so, when i start making my bakeoff entry after 60 Minutes is over. and then i get to make another huge baking mess, all in the service of dessert yumminess!)

spx roundup

spx is over, after mimi and i distributed tons of cupcakes, cherry bombs, and chocolate saltine brittle.
we had a great time, and met a lot of fun people, and want to thank everyone involved for showing the dessert love.

i am particularly pleased to note the high number of pie partisans in the crowd – pleased, but not surprised. a huge gathering of creative, intelligent people? of COURSE they’re going to choose pie!

after hours of snacking on chocolate saltine brittle, i was a little overdosed on the dessert.
at least i thought i was until i saw this:

yes, that IS the post-ignatz chocolate fountain!

and with a chocolate fountain, one can create simple, elegant dessert masterpieces like this:

and inspire chocolate fountain ecstasy in those who sample such desserts:

(thanks to nate and ben, spx volunteers extraordinaire, for sharing their chocolate fountain love)

and actual comics rounding up over at the non-dessert blog here

in defense of pot pie

i need to make a preemptive strike here.

more than 150 people in over 30 states have come down with food poisoning, specifically Salmonella, due to frozen pot pies.

and before certain cake lovers come forward and note that PIES are KILLING people, let’s take a look at what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say about Salmonella:

What other advice does CDC have about Salmonella?

Because foods of animal origin may be contaminated with Salmonella, people should not eat raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, or meat, or drink raw (unpasteurized) milk. Raw eggs may be unrecognized in some foods such as homemade Hollandaise sauce, Caesar and other homemade salad dressings, tiramisu, homemade ice cream, homemade mayonnaise, cookie dough, and frostings. To keep your food safe, remember to Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill. For more food safety information visit www.BeFoodSafe.gov.

Tiramisu? Frostings? Someone eat cake much?

But it’s clear that chickens are to blame. Not pies.

The CDC also notes that there was an outbreak of Salmonella in Maryland that sickened 9 people. It was traced to the CAKE they all shared at the party.

I hope that this stops any of the nasty rumors that might be spreading about pies. Here are the talking points you can use to rebut such arguments in conversations:
1. Pies don’t make people sick. Chickens do.
2. It’s riskier to eat cake than pie. Even the CDC knows that.
3. Pie tastes better than cake. Always has, always will.