Today was one of those days where everything went right. The weather was in the 70s; I gave away my crutches because my orthopedic surgeon says I can put weight on my bum leg and massive black monster-truck boot (I ruptured my Achilles tendon on Jan. 4, 2009, and I'm still on the mend). Dave and I slept in, and I baked brownies as he slept some more. These brownies are not to be trifled with--these aren't your box-mix brownies. The richness and density of Ina Garten's glorious recipe take decadence to a whole new level. For those who love European-style sipping chocolate, these brownies are your friends.
Once household chores and the brownies were finished, we made our way to chocolatier Brian Pelletier of Kakao. Dave selected 25 amazing truffles (lavendar-vanilla, Maker's Mark, chai, Turkish coffee and cardamom, etc.) as a belated birthday present. Then we walked to Taqueria El Bronco on the corner of Cherokee and California; the shrimp burritos and horchata (cinnamon rice milk) were superb. My genuine keening for decent Mexican food was finally relieved from this little outside lunching experience. St. Louis' idea of Mexican counters my experiences growing up in Kansas City for the first 18 years of my life and then living in Tucson, Arizona for two years for graduate school. Hacienda just doesn't cut it; their salsa assuredly leaves something to be desired, to say the least.
Tomorrow I'll be baking up a storm in memory of my grandmother Anna Lee Hammond (March 8, 1929 or 1930; she had no birth certificate) and using up some bananas that have started to get pretty spotty and ready-ripe.
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