Black and White Cookies & ALS Awareness

  I come to you today with cookies the size of your face and some disease awareness.

  In the midst of all these ice buckets and facebook videos, it's easy to lose track of what we're actually doing it all for.  ALS is a crippling and totally unfair disease, and this tearjerker video reminds us of that.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pistachio Muffins

  "You're a very unpredictable person, Ello."

  I've had two months of unemployment, pool time, shopping, aimless wandering, dead end interviews, and Netflix.  And then I decided that maybe this isn't the place for me long-term, not just yet.  And there it is, I'm headed back to good ol' Wisco, where at least there's a job on the horizon and some school potential.  After that, who knows?  But at least I'll be not knowing with a whole lot of other people just as lost as I am, and my family nearby.  And after two months of well-meaning Zonies, my sweet Aunt, and two little dogs, I'm pretty dang ready for all that again.

  I kind of like that, unpredictable.  Makes me feel like I can do just about anything if I really wanted to.  And no matter where that ends up taking me, at least I can say I did what I really felt was best.  And just maybe all these little and not-so-little decisions/moves will build me up into a well-lived person.  Because I'm figuring out that growth isn't easy, and absolutely does not happen the way you think it would.  And I'm beginning to be ok with that, ok with the idea that sometimes you do need to be knocked out of your comfort zone a few (hundred) times.

Classic Tiramisu

  It was only a matter of time before the real deal made it to my blog.  I harped on about tiramisu last year when I made these delightful little sandwiches, I've spent hours wrestling mascarpone to make a cupcake version, I've struggled with chocolate to make the perfect curl, piped ladyfingers, tried some crazy layering things, and eaten this dessert every time I'm at a good Italian restaurant.

Brown Butter Nectarine Upside-Down Cake

  This cake was an answer to an emergency dessert need, is a variation of one of my favorite recipes, and was the last thing I made in my home kitchen before I up and left.  I didn't mean to post it, but it was so pretty that I had to snap a few pictures.  And it's what floated into my head a few weeks ago when the first real wave of homesickness hit.