It has become a tradition, on Sunday, for my bf to prepare his recipe for a ragü  He leaves the sauce to simmer on the stove, temping both of us throughout the entire afternoon. In the evening, when we both can’t wait any longer, we prepare pasta and enjoy his deliciously rich ragu. Mmm. I love that we are molding our Sunday traditions. On Sunday, there are currently three things that I can always count on:


1.) The New York Times will be waiting at the front door

2.) Espresso will be had

3.) Dinner will be the ragu I dreamt about all week long

As we are molding traditions, I find myself all over the place on Sunday. If it's not studio time, it's thrifting, or a movie day, or anything, which is just fine, but I would really like to discover a special way to fill my Sunday afternoons because I so look forward to our current rituals. This Sunday I tried on Pastry Chef - I decided to bake glazed mocha cookies (mmm) and minty chocolate kisses (failed.) After returning home empty handed from Whole Foods (who knew they don't stock essence of mint) I pillaged the fresh mint from my garden of herbs, but I should have taken the hint from Whole Foods. Long story short, the little minty airplanes didn't turn out because my frosting never set properly, but they still look cute. I kept catching myself making silly plane noises haha. There was no funny business to be had over the glazed mocha cookies. They turned out beautifully - I am already excited to make them all over again. Chocolate and espresso - clearly a winning combination. 

Overall, I think the lesson learned is that baking two types of cookies in one day should be reserved for the holidays. Whew. However, since the glazed mocha cookies were such a success, I am going to try baking one dreamy dessert each Sunday as part of my effort to enrich my Sunday experience… Oh, and don’t worry, this isn’t going to turn into a baking diary, like Julie & Julia, although I did see that movie and have to say it was pretty cute J  

Ingredients List:

Cookies
3 oz semisweet (dark) chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsps unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp espresso coffee powder 
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter, softened 
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze
1 1/3 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp espresso coffee powder
2 tbsps hot water



Cookies: Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Mix the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the mixed dry ingredients and chocolate. Divide the dough in two. Form into two 9 x 2-inch logs,, wrap in plastic wrap (cling film), and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter two baking sheet. Slice the dough 2/3 incn think and place 1 inch apart on the prepared backing sheets. Bake until the edges are firm and the bottoms lightly browned, 12-15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet until the cookies slightly firm, about 5 min. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 
Glaze: Mix the confectioners' sugar and coffee in a small bowl. Stir in enough hot water to obtain a drizzle consistency. Drizzle over the cookies and let set.


Makes about 22, prep  time 45 min + 2 hours to chill, cooking 12-15 min.

- Miss Bojambo

I awoke yesterday morning only to find that a solid cloud blanketed the sky. How disappointing. I was under the impression that this was going to be tone for the entire day. I can’t stand to see a cloudy day during the summer months in Seattle, because I know that winter and the “veil" of rain clouds are just around the corner. I was slightly disheartened by the whole lack of sunshine thing, but I still felt inspired by my new book, The Golden Book of Chocolate. The pictures alone are a treat!

 After making chocolate syrup to drench my French toast in, I enjoyed a rich, soy mocha in my studio space where I began to harness the power of my imagination! Like most Sundays, I don’t really expect myself to accomplish too much, however, I managed to make an even bigger mess in my workspace, complete two necklaces, and the sun came out in the middle of my crafting session so I made a small workspace out in my garden where I enjoyed the sun, my bf and kittens company, and all of the beautiful roses that barricade our yard. It was quite lovely! I ended the day by documenting my work, which was followed by a couples-bicycle adventure. What a beautiful Sunday! 

- Miss Bojambo

Another warmer than usual day here in Seattle. 89 degrees - and the perfect excuse to visit my favorite air-conditioned bead supply store. I certainly escaped the heat and enjoyed an uninterrupted hour of bead hunting/ drooling over all of the different trinkets I dream of getting my craft hungry little hands on ... all in good time. Today, I was in the market for beautiful, classic-white pearls, which I believe will be the finishing touch on my new necklace (yet to be named). I am excited to see how this necklace unfolds ... stay tuned!