Cookie Carnival: Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Just under the wire for August!  Whew!

The recipe was for hazelnut biscotti originally, but I can't stand hazelnuts, and it is all about me.  So almond it is!

This recipe came together very easily.  The boy and I made the dough pretty quickly.  I shaped the logs using my favorite trick of putting plastic bags on my hands.  It works well.  He measured with our food safe ruler.  (Yes, I am that anal.  I measure)  We used two baking sheets, which was a really good thing.  Our 2 1/2" wide logs of dough turned into about 8" of biscotti.

I liked them after the first bake.  You know, you have to taste.  I really liked them after the second bake.  I cut the big logs in half.  That way I got more cookies, and really, smaller cookies have fewer calories.  Unless you eat more of them.  Which I would never do.  Really.

I'd certainly make this again.  This is one of the cookies I'm sending off as a Baking Gal.  My items are ready to go.  Now if the post office would just get me those boxes....

Here is the whole rack of them cooling.  I love the way the chocolate chips and almonds show up against the cookie.

And a close up of sorts.  I really need to get a better camera.  Or better photography skills.  It could go either way.

I'm excited to see what the Cookie Carnival will bring next month.  Woo hoo!

TWD: Move along. Nothing to see here

Sorry, folks.  I just couldn't get my act together to make the wonderful Chocolate Banded Ice Cream Torte chosen by Amy of Food, Family, and Fun.  

I'm two weeks behind on big bags 'o veggies.  I have two batches of cookies to make for my Baking Gals soldiers.  School started for my two children this past Thursday.  (You sensing a theme here?  Too bad I can't say I've only gained two pounds)

Ok, enough whining and moaning.  I'll be back in the baking saddle next Tuesday.  We're making Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters chosen by Stefany of Proceed with Caution.  I think I've made these before, but I really can't remember.  I hope that's just because I'm getting old and not because they weren't memorable.

The best thing I've made lately

I made some caramel ice cream earlier this summer.  It called for a can of dulce de leche.  I bought a can from the grocery store (in the Hispanic Kosher section).  It was lovely, but I thought to myself, "Hey, I could probably make this!"  And then the research started.

I discovered ways to make it where you put a can in a pot of water, cover it with water, and let it simmer for three hours.  Of course, you have to top it off and make sure that the can doesn't explode.  Too much effort.

Here's a pretty labor intensive recipe that requires a lot of stirring.

David Lebovitz makes his in the oven with a number of pans and hot water.

And then, there was this recipe.  Seriously, it was a no-brainer.  I'll put it in a nutshell for you:  Take the label off of a can of sweetened condensed milk.  Put in in your empty slow cooker.  Fill the slow cooker with water making sure to completely cover the pan.  Put the lid on the slow cooker.  Turn it on low.  Walk away for 10 hours.  Turn off the slow cooker.  Let the water and can cool.  Gorge yourself on amazing, sweet, caramely dulce de leche.

Seriously, I had to stop myself from just eating it with a spoon.  At least when people were watching.

I have no photo because most of it went into caramel ice cream.  And the rest mysteriously disappeared.  I'm still looking into it.

TWD: Granola Grabbers

I love cookies.  I love cookies of all kinds.  I have been baking cookies for at least 30 years.  (I started REALLY young)  It's very possible I have a new cookie to add to my top five.  It's not quite my favorite, but it's close.  Michelle, from Bad Girl Baking, I cannot thank you enough for choosing this recipe.

One thing that put it at the top of my list.... I actually had all of the necessary ingredients.  And the list, I might add, was extensive.  Wheat germ, raisins, peanuts (I had honey roasted.  Mmmmm),toasted almonds, coconut*, granola (I used Trader Joe's Low Fat Almond), and, did anyone else notice one ingredient that was missing?  Of course!  Chocolate chips!  How could these cookies not have chocolate chips?  I'm sure it was just an oversight.

It came together very easily in just two bowls!  For Dorie, that's a light recipe.  They needed a bit of coaxing to stay in a ball-like shape.  They baked up golden brown and yummy looking.  We did discover that if you tried to eat one before it cooled, it did tend to fall apart a little.  Lesson learned.

Look at these lovely lovely cooling cookies.

These cookies were so good!  The granola gave it this wonderful crunch.  The sweet and salty of the fruits and nuts blended amazingly well.  These cookies did not last long in my house.  I don't think that the kids would be able to eat them as after-school snacks because I think I would eat them long before then.

Here is a close up of a now cooled, just about to be eaten cookie.  Mmmmm.

And another one.  Just look at all that chunky goodness.

I let the wheat germ and raisins fool me into thinking these were healthy and perhaps ate a few more than I should have.  Ah well.  That just means I'll have to make them again!

*Just a side note.  I HATE coconut.  Hate hate hate it.  You know the scene in the movie, "Big" when he's eating caviar and spits it out?  That's me and coconut.  In this cookie, I didn't mind the coconut.  That's how much I like this cookie.

I think I'm taking a pass on next week's recipe.  Amy of Food, Family, and Fun chose the Chocolate Banded Ice Cream Torte, which looks amazing.  School will just be starting, I'm being a Baking Gal, and my hips are ever widening.  Something has to give.

Everything deserves adoration

I was skimming my local newspaper today when an ad caught my eye.  It was for the Holy Comforter Church.  The first time I read it, I saw Holey.

I wondered what their services were like.

A big bag 'o veggies and the husband's ice cream pick

More veggies!  It's like they keep bringing them every week or something.  This week's bag:  a giant tomato (salad tonight), green beans (roasted with olive oil and onions), blueberries, basil, and sweet corn (sauteed with zucchini).

Apparently, I stored the basil incorrectly, because it got all wilty.  Good thing I'm growing my own.  I've really enjoyed this experiment.  I'll admit that there were times that I just pitched stuff after letting it sit and moulder for a couple of weeks.  But we've tried and even liked some new veggies.

I'd never taken the corn off of a cob before.  It was amazingly easy.  I sauteed it in a little olive oil and butter and tossed in a zucchini from the previous week's bag.  A dash of salt and pepper and even the kids ate it!  The onions from tonight's dinner were from last week as well.  They added a nice flavor component to the beans.

We made the husband's ice cream today.  Honey with Toasted Sesame Seeds.  It was very creamy and I liked the sesame taste.  The honey was a bit much for me, but I'm not particularly a fan of honey.

I've already made next week's TWD.  I may have to make them again.  And again.  And again.

TWD: Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

Yeah ice cream!  We love ice cream!  As a matter of fact, this has been quite the ice cream summer for us.  We broke out the Cuisinart, and each of us, in rotation, has chosen a "flavor of the week."  The husband was amenable and "chose" this flavor for one of his weeks.  Thanks!

This was another Dorie recipe that I really wanted to like.  I think the blueberry world conspired against me a little.  The sweetness and sheer blueberryness of the berries plays a huge factor in the finished product.  While mine was a lovely blue/purple color, it had a decidedly sour flavor.  The lemon zest and juice and sour cream were stronger flavors than the berries.  Bummer.  Mind you, we still ate it.  We're not that foolish.

As far as many Dorie recipes go, this one was pretty simple. There was minimal cooking, mixing, and dishes.  I made the mix the night before I churned it.  Just a plug here for the Cuisinart ice cream maker.  We've used it over and over this summer.  It's been great fun and it's amazingly easy to use.  All for under $50, too!

I may try this recipe again and cut down on the lemon portion.  I've also seen some successes with frozen berries.  If at first you don't succeed....

Here's a blurry shot of the ice cream with some whole berries that I popped in at the end.  Note the lovely purple color.

Here's a much less blurry shot of the scooped ice cream.  

Thanks to Dolores of Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity  for choosing this week's recipe.  Next up:  Granola Grabbers courtesy of Michelle of Bad Girl Baking.  

My Favorite banana cake recipe

I was talking smack about Dorie's banana cake.  I said mine was superior.  Here's your opportunity to try it for yourself.  I've been making this cake since I was about 15.  I'm not even going to let you do the math to figure out how long ago that was.  It was the recipe that my brother's then girlfriend used.  It has become a staple.  I'm pretty sure that it's similar to any number of other banana cakes.  This one is just the one that works well for me.  Here it is:

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

1/2 c. shortening (I use butter)

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

3 bananas  (you can mash ahead of mixing if you'd like)

1 t. vanilla

2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

1/2 c. buttermilk (or sour milk -- just add 1/2 t. vinegar to milk and let it sit)

12 oz of chips (I'll sometimes use a combo of chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch or toffee)

Cream the butter and shortening in ONE bowl.  Add the eggs one at a time.  Beat well after each addition.  Add the bananas to the bowl.  (I rarely mash them first.  I let the mixer do it for me)  Add the vanilla.  I add 2/3 c. flour, the salt and soda and blend.  Then half the milk.  Then 2/3 c. flour, and then the rest of the milk.  Then I add the last bit of flour.  ONE bowl.  I throw in any combination of chips.  To keep them from sinking, you can add them when you add the last bit of flour.  It coats them a little.

350 degree oven.  Greased 13 x 9.  Pour it in.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Baking time really depends on the size of your bananas. Watch for the top to be a really nice golden brown.  I will occasionally frost this cake, but mostly I just eat it out of the pan.

This version has chocolate and butterscotch chips.  It's so moist that it needs to be eaten with a fork.  Or, you could just lick your fingers.  A lot.  

See the knife just waiting in the pan?  That's so I can cut off little pieces every time I walk by.  If I don't have a big piece, there are no calories.  

Here's a profile picture.  You can see the butterscotch and chocolate chips.  Mmmmm.

And another close up.  The edges get all brown and caramely.  Mmmmmm.

So give this one a whirl.  You won't regret it!  Well, maybe your hips will.....

Enjoy!

TWD: Black and White Banana Loaf

For me, banana cake is fast, easy comfort food.  It's sort of the equivalent to Mickey and Judy saying, "Hey, I've got a barn!  Let's put on a show!"  and everything comes together quickly, easily, and everyone's happy in the end.  I say, "Hey, I have black bananas, let's make a cake!"  And then I throw it all together in a bowl, bake it, and everyone's happy in the end.  Then I eat it.  Perhaps while I'm making myself sound old while referring to movies made a very long time ago.  Anyway, my point is, banana cake is quick, accessible, and delicious.  Except when it's not.

See, black banana.  Ready for baking.

Ashlee of A Year in the Kitchen chose Dorie's Black and White Banana Loaf.  It was a good cake.  It tasted fine.  It looked good.  I didn't have the underbaking problem that lots of other bakers have.  Here's why I won't make it again, though.  It was very fussy.  In reading the recipe, Dorie calls for four separate bowls.  Four.  Plus the loaf pan, measuring spoons, rubber spatula, measuring cup, paddle attachment, and either an insulated baking sheet or two regular baking sheets.  That's just too much.  For me anyway.  And for my husband who does the dishes.  

My favorite banana cake with chocolate chips uses one bowl.  One.  (I'll post that recipe later this week)

Ok, so fine, it uses a lot of dishes.  If it was amazing, I could say, "So what if it uses a lot of dishes.  It's amazing!"  However, it wasn't.  It was good.  For me, it didn't have enough banana flavor.  I over-bananaed it as well.  It called for one and a half bananas, I used two large bananas.  The chocolate wasn't strong either.  It was a little muddied.  Mostly I just tasted sweet.

Here it is all swirly and ready to go into the oven.

Not so swirly anymore.  

The beauty shot.

Maybe I'm just used to my favorite recipe.  I don't know.  I like the moist banana cake with a hit of chocolate from the chips.  It was good that I tried another version.  Now I'm convinced I have the best recipe in my files already.

Ah well.  Upward and onward.  Next week:  Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream chosen by Dolores of Chronicles of Culinary Curiosity.

Big bag 'o veggies and other scintillating stuff

Another big bag 'o veggies was dropped off on my doorstep on Friday.  This one has arugula, beets, collards, Italian parsley, peaches, green beans, and summer squash.

Unfortunately, we're not eating at home much this week.  I'm trying to figure out some things I can do.  I used a  little of the parsley with dinner Friday (Rice and Orzo Pilaf), but I'm not cooking a real dinner again until Wednesday.  Hmmmmm.  The husband likes beets.  Maybe I'll cook some of those up so he can take them to lunch or something.  

I bought a panini press on e-bay the other day.  (Odd side note -- my spell check recognizes e-bay but not panini)  Perhaps some sandwiches with arugula?  I'm a little done with the collards.  They really require bacon to taste good, and then it's just all about picking out the bacon pieces.  Alright, maybe I'll try once more.

It's been glorious weather here.  Sunny and slightly warm.  We've try to be outside as much as possible.  As much, that is, when the kids can be lured away from our various electronics.  

My rhubarb seems to be growing.  It's still kinda short, but I see a little new growth at the base.  Anyone know what to do with it over the winter?  I'll have to research. 

I made that microwave chocolate cake for one last night for the kids.  Ok, cake for two.  It had a good taste but an odd texture that they didn't enjoy.  I'm sure it's from the microwave.  And now that I look at the recipe again, it could be from the 2 T. of vegetable oil I forgot to put in.  Ooops.

That's all the news that isn't (Thanks, Garrison!)  I'll be back on Tuesday with my Dorie recipe.

TWD: Summer Fruit Galette

Michelle from Michelle in Colorado Springs  did me a big favor this week.  See, I've been doing a lot of baking.  A lot of baking = a lot of dishes = a slightly grumpy husband.  (Hi honey!)  So when I saw this, I breathed a sigh of relief.  Pssst.  Over here.  Don't tell.  I made this a few weeks ago and took pictures!  Wasn't that lucky!

When we made the blueberry pie, I discovered that I had a lot of dough left over.  Viola!  I made a galette.  I didn't strictly make the galette as Dorie had it written.  Let's just call it being creative.  It had nothing to do with lazy.

The crust was already made and had been in the fridge overnight.  I rolled it out on my Silpat, and then transferred it to a baking sheet.  I layered on some ginger rhubarb jam, some cookie crumbs, and then some strawberries.  I sprinkled on a little coarse sugar.

Here it is all pleated and ready to go into the oven.

And here it is, done, golden brown and delicious.  I ate it for dessert that night.  And then I'm pretty sure it was breakfast the next morning.

This is such a great way to use up extra dough and/or fruit.  Since it's free form, it's very forgiving.  I'd make it again in a heartbeat.  One of these days I'll try the official version with the custard.

Coming next week:  Ashlee of A Year in the Kitchen chose the Black and White Banana Loaf.  Again, really good timing!  I have bananas that are begging to be baked.

David Lebovitz is a genius

I had plenty of left over cherries from last week's Dorie recipe.  And while I have been eating a lot of them, I needed to find a recipe for the rest.  As stated last week, I don't like baked cherries.  So, what to do?  Enter David Lebovitz and his No-Recipe Cherry Jam  This stuff is amazing!  I followed the no recipe, and it actually turned out!  I had to test it four different times until it was done.  Now I know what it looks like, so I'm set if I want to make it again.  My only question is, can I do this with other fruit?  I have no pictures because I was busy stirring, but if you go to David's website and check out the recipe, mine looks exactly like that.  Exactly.

The big bag 'o veggies for the week is pretty much gone!  I made home made coleslaw yesterday using a recipe from America's Test Kitchen.  It was meh.  It wasn't nearly creamy enough, so I ended up dumping some ranch dressing that I had made into it.  Still meh but with a ranch taste.  The chard was cooked with bacon, so, that was good.  According to Jim Gaffigan bacon is the BEST FOOD EVER.  I tend to agree.

I'm ready to post all about my galette.  See you tomorrow!

I'm behind. It's two week's worth of big bag 'o veggies.

I realize that I never talked about last week's veggies.  That's because I didn't really end up using them.  I didn't cook a lot this past week.  And these veggies didn't hold a lot of appeal for me.  Last week's offerings:  arugula, beets, chard, saute mix, fennel, and Korean zucchini.  I'm actually getting around to the zucchini tonight.  I think I'll toss a little fennel into our salad as well.  The rest of them, I think, are a little wilty and meant for compost.  Sorry.

This week was much more useful to me.  We got broccoli, cucumber, cabbage, basil, chard, and blueberries.  The broccoli and cucumber are going to be part of tonight's dinner.  The blueberries gave their little blue lives to make blueberry sour cream ice cream.  I'm growing basil, so we are long on basil.  I may toss a little into tonight's salad and then make pesto with the rest.  It freezes nicely.  I'm also growing tomatoes this summer.  Now all I need is a little mozzarella, and I'm set.  Can I grow that?   The chard and cabbage look to be on the menu Sunday.  Maybe I'll try some home made cole slaw.  I've never done that before. 

Tonight I'm hosting my friends for scrapbooking.  It seems that I only scrap anymore when people come to me.  Someone in my house might say that that's because I have too much scrap crap.  Of course, I don't agree.  There's no such thing as too much.  So what if I'm two years behind...

On another crafty note, I recently finished a sweater that I started in May.  I'll take pictures soon and show you all my handiwork.

Have a lovely weekend.  

Cookie Carnival: Blackberry Almond Bars

I couldn't help it.  I saw this beautiful ferris wheel of cookies on another blog, and I just had to have it for my own.  So I joined another group.  This time it's Cookie Carnival.  We make a new cookie every month.  Mmmmm.  More baking!  And more dishes!

This month was a recipe from Williams-Sonoma.  It looked to be a standard shortbread bar with a fruit topping a la lemon squares.  Those I've made a zillion times.  I thought this wouldn't be much different.

The crust.  I can't stop talking about the crust.  It had just a touch of almonds, and the buttery taste was outstanding.  I really liked it with the blackberry curd.  I think this is my new go-to crust recipe.

I will say that the curd was a little fussy.  I used frozen berries because they are very reasonable at Trader Joe's.  They needed to pureed, strained, cooked (for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly), and strained again.  The flavor was delicious.  I think, however, that I won't be making the blackberry curd again any time soon.  The crust, though, I have been dreaming about.  There are so many choices for toppings spinning through my head.

My food photography, as always, leaves a little something to be desired.  

Here's a yummy cross section.  There's that golden delicious crust.

Here's the finished product.  A little confectioners sugar made it look all pretty.

Until next month!

TWD: Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler

I love rhubarb.  I think my love of rhubarb has been well documented on this blog.  Thank you Amanda from Like Sprinkles on a Cupcake for choosing something with rhubarb in it.  I like raw cherries.  I enjoy popping them in my mouth and spitting out a denuded pit.  I do not, however, really enjoy baked cherries.  Still, I love rhubarb, so I was hopeful that I would love this cobbler.  While it's not bad, I didn't love it.

Cherry carnage.  My cutting board looked like a crime scene.

Mmmmm.  Rhubarb.  And cherries.  Mmmmm.

It was, certainly, simple to make.  You mix up some fruit, dump it in a pan, mix up some dough, distribute it over the fruit, and bake.  Easy!    I did not roll the dough into 20 little balls and lay them in a 4 x 5 grid.  I crumbled.

I will note, though, easy as it was, I still managed to screw it up a little.  I took it out after the recommended baking time.  It was golden and delicious looking.  I snuck a little bite of the crust and fruit.  The crust under the golden brown and delicious was still slightly raw, and the fruit had not cooked all the way.  Here's where I did something crazy.  Something I know never works.  Hours after I had originally taken it out of the oven, I put it back in and baked it some more.  You know what?  It worked.  The crust was baked through.  The juices had thickened.  It was ok.  It was even better with the caramel toffee ice cream, but that's another post.

See, golden brown and delicious.

Up close, golden brown and delicious. 

Here it is finished and looking pretty.  It's still raw.  More of my famous trick photography!

I don't have "after" photos from the second baking.  It was a much deeper brown and the juices were very syrupy.  It was still slightly bland tasting.  I still go with my contention that the dough is meant to act as sort of a sponge for the juices and is, therefore, meant to be bland.  But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

This recipe isn't going to be added to my "go to" list.  I enjoyed the other cobbler that we made much more than this one.  And I still have my favorite baked fruit recipe, which I will one day bake, show you all, and share the recipe.

Next week is a sort of a rewind for me.  Michelle from Michelle in Colorado Springs has chosen the Summer Fruit Galette, which I baked up a couple of weeks ago.  I may just re-post my pictures.  Shhhhh.  Don't tell.  

It's a great day!

Today is national ice cream day.  You have my permission to eat as much of the stuff as you'd like.  I'll even throw in the chocolate sauce and brownie for free.

You're welcome.

Just some food notes from the week

Here's some food stuff.  See!  I said I'd get back to food writing!

1)  Red kale isn't as good as green kale.  Or, at the least the way I made it this time wasn't as good as last time.  It was too chewy.

2)  4 cups of half & half + 1 can of dulce de leche + 2 teaspoons of vanilla + a dash of salt + half a bag of toffee bits = the most amazing ice cream.  Just mix, chill overnight, and churn.  YUM!  Caramel ice cream was the boy's choice for this week.  It's a good one!

3)  I finally am starting to like salmon.  Specifically, salmon on the grill.  I am not a fish eater, so this is a breakthrough.

4)  Mashed sweet potatoes with a little butter, salt, pepper and maple sugar is really tasty.

5)  Chocolate pudding that doesn't set makes for a nice ice cream when you put it in the freezer to decide what to do with it later and then pull it out and just start spooning it into your mouth.  And then your kids come along and decide they want some too and everyone is putting spoons in at the same time and it turns into a spoon war.  Which Mom will always win.  A little chocolate carnage later, we were all happy.

6)  Our big bag 'o veggies is going up $3 a week starting in August.  We decided to keep it because it's been a fun exploration.

7)  Have a nice weekend!

This just cracks me up

Ok, so mostly my posts are about food.  But this video, actually there are now two, made me laugh out loud.  The writing is hysterical.  The cast is magnificent.  There's even singing and dancing.  What more could you ask for.

If you have a little time to kill, you must go watch this.  

I'll get back to food writing soon.  Because food is important.  Very very important.

TWD: Chocolate Pudding

Mmmmm.  Chocolate.  Mmmmmm.  Pudding.  How can you miss with creamy, chocolatey goodness?  Well, let me tell you how.  

You take wonderful premium ingredients.  You use your mega food processor.  You stir and stir and stir.  You put it in the fridge.  And then, you serve chocolate soup.

I'm not sure what happened.  I tweaked a tad, but I can't figure how my one ingredient change would have stopped it from setting up.  I used Lindt Excellence Intense Orange.  (not endorsing the website, just using them for an example).  It was only a 3.5 ounce bar, so I finished out the rest of the five ounces with chocolate chips.  The other change I made was out of laziness.  I just dumped the finished pudding into one big bowl instead of individual ramekins.  It was chilled overnight, so it did have plenty of time to set up.  I followed the directions on the stir time just before the last whirl in the processor, but perhaps I could have gone longer.  See how it actually looks pudding-like.  Trick photography.  And yes, that is Cool Whip on top.  Or Cool wHip if you are Stewie.

On the plus side, soupy though it was, it tasted amazing.  The boy wasn't so fond of the orange/chocolate combo, but the rest of us loved it.  The girl and I finished the boy's dessert.  The girl even asked for it after dinner tonight.  The husband and I brainstormed some other options which included pouring it over pound or angel food cake, dipping fresh fruit into it, or just eating it with a spoon.  We're still debating.  

I will try this again using plain chocolate, ramekins, and a longer stirring time.  We'll see how it goes.  Thanks Melissa for choosing this recipe.  Oh!  And Dorie actually has this one online so you can try it out for yourself.  

Coming up next week:  Amanda from Like Sprinkles on a Cupcake chose Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler.  Yeah!  Rhubarb!  I love rhubarb!

Back to our big bag 'o veggies

And some other stuff.  Of course, all without pictures.  I gotta get on that.

And this week we have:  cherries, red kale, zucchini, lettuce, and parsley.  Other than the red kale, it's all easy and familiar.  The recipe that was included in the bag for the kale is, of course, with bacon.  Maybe I'll give it a try tonight.  The cherries are going to be eaten out of hand.  I can't resist.  The zucchini will be part of a Martha pasta dish that I love.  It calls for asparagus, but I'll use the zuchs.  Also on the menu, the chocolate pudding from TWD.  I'll let you know all about it on, you know, Tuesday.

Last week's ice cream, picked by the husband, was Dorie's Honey Peach Ice Cream.  It was divine.  I changed it up a bit and used buttermilk instead of whole milk.  I thought that with the sugar, honey, and peaches it might be too sweet.  Plus, I didn't have any more whole milk and didn't want to go to the store.  I liked the tang.  The husband thought it was a little too much like yogurt.  Maybe half buttermilk half whole milk next time.  

We've been enjoying some glorious summer days here.  That is, when it's not raining.  The kids want to go to the pool pretty much every day.  The boy plays tennis two afternoons a week, so the girl and I hang out at the park while he runs around.  We've been biking and scootering.  I planted some tomatoes, rhubarb, and strawberries.  We have tomatoes!  The rhubarb will hopefully make it through, and we'll have it for next summer.  The strawberries, well, RIP.  Today is the Lego Lady at the library.  I get to go to an art fair in the park while the husband hangs out at the library and reads.  Then tonight, it's a Jane Austen movie fest with some girlfriends.  Aaaaah, summer.