As is the weight gain. As is the headache. And the sweet season is just beginning!

I definitely have much more respect for the bakers on the great British baking show – not that I didn’t before. They have mega skills, and I’m always impressed. When my cousin and I decided to have our own bake off and chose brownies, I figured the decorating would be the least of my challenges - LOL!

Thinking my artistic skills would be a plus I was in for an awakening. What artistic skills??????? I had trouble even pulling a straight line using the prepackaged decorating frosting. I practiced on a few of my ‘Grandmummies’, but as you can tell from my close-ups— practice did not even come close to perfect. But I will say the Bake from Scratch recipe was divine. Onyx black cocoa, bittersweet chocolate morsels, butter, dark brown sugar...
Oh well, I guess I’ll eat my mistakes!

Cheri on the other hand knocked it out of the brownie park. Several designs, great presentation and yummy, flavorful (I’m told...) crumb. We decided it was a tie. Bravo! Bravo! Two winners!!!

“A bull in the forest“ vintage cloth book cover, gold leaf, acrylic, linen fabric. 12”x12”x1.5”, cradled birch support.

Sipping on Sunshine
Ground Cherry Liqueur
With Chai Spice
This was it an experimental recipe, and it has turned out surprisingly well. I started with just the ground cherries, about a week into it it needed some mellowing so I added vanilla bean. After another week or two testing revealed it needed a little more help! Chai spice is to the rescue…! I had a Savory Spice mix of ginger pieces, cardamom seeds, star anise, fennel seed and cinnamon stick. Just a couple of each gave this sunshine liqueur the boost it needed.
​Drinking a little glass of sunshine 🌞 cheers!

Road tripping with girlfriend...what a grand day! The Big Horn Mountains in the fall are spectacular, and the towns of Buffalo, Big Horn and Sheridan Wyoming offer adventure. Just a few hours down the road offer culture, scenic wonder and cuisine. Great day of shared friendship and fun!