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Ok, I’d like to see a show of hands:

How many of you have procrastinated on something this week? Spill! :)

If you can only see me now, my hands and arms couldn’t be any higher! In August, my brain slows down, my discipline goes on vacation and I am stuck with a mid-summer love affair with someone called Procrastination or Cunctation. I call him CunkyPunky. (See? This is beginning to sound more fun than it really is.) I just have to accept that August is CunkyPunky time and I should just breathe and relax. Aside from procrastinating with CP, I’m also trying to balance bank accounts and to keep sane in the midst of paying even more taxes. I don’t even want to think about it, because aside from my already-planned trip to Blogher Food, there’s another event that I would love to attend: Foodbuzz in November. (I call it an injustice that they are both held in San Francisco! Woe is me, who lives across the north border.) Just when I need to “kick ass” in the making-money department, all CP wants to do is drag me to graze in the grass like spoiled cows living in a luscious Hawaiian ranch–that kind of downtime. I have to remind him that traveling involves money, which involves doing something.

Ayayay.

This super simple breakfast post was supposed to be up last week, but CP and I had a week-long rendezvous. I’m sorry. But I hope you’ll forgive me. It is very easy to do anyway:

Just cook berries in simple syrup of 1 sugar :1 water proportion, wait for it to thicken, then set it aside to cool down. Serve generously on top of your favorite yogurt.

In my case, it’s the Fage 2% greek yogurt. That’s it. No theatrics, just plain and simple food. I eat this for breakfast, as a dessert or as a snack. It’s a great way to save berries that might otherwise go bad this summer, especially if you happen to haul big boxes of them from the farmer’s market.

I’m still rallying to have Fage here in Vancouver. I have never seen it here. Hello– Fage?!?!?!

In case you were wondering– No, Fage isn’t a sponsor of this blog. I just happen to love it so much that I milk my parents, who cross the border several times a month, to bring me Fage. It’s that good.

Let me tell you now that these are by far THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES I’ve ever made and tasted, even better than the full-fat ones. And I really wish I have myself to credit for the recipe, but alas, no. It’s from Cook’s Illustrated Light Recipes. This is the 2nd recipe of the two that I’ve tried from that issue and I’m continued to be impressed with it.

Seriously. Make this. It’s worth the hassle of cooking and straining the dried pitted dates. You read that right. I know it doesn’t sound so palatable now, but trust me on this: You won’t even know it’s there but boy oh boy this tastes magnificent. It’s like the magical switcheroo, which will have you clamoring for more.

The recipe makes 18 big cookies and it only contains 3 tablespoons of butter and 1 and 1/4 cup of light brown sugar. The chewiness is phenomenal, the full chocolate-y and there’s-something-else-so-good taste is something you’ll remember for days and weeks to come.

I just made this again while I’m here in Vancouver. I would have to emphasize the importance of using a really good cookie sheet to get the best results. When I first made it, these chocolate-y mounds came to life on an insulated cookie sheet [we got ours from Crate & Barrel and I highly recommend it!] and they came out PERFECT — as perfect as gourmet cookie store-bought cookies can be. I used regular cookies sheets the second time around and the results weren’t as stellar. It was disappointing. So, please, invest in a good insulated cookie sheet or use your trusty silpats and bake away. You won’t regret it and the cookie lovers in your household will love you more for it.

I’ve taken the liberty to take step-by-step photos for your viewing (and learning/cooking) pleasure.

Go bake ‘em! This is sure to be a hit at your next picnic. Or just enjoy it at home or pack it in your brown bag and make your co-workers jealous.

Here’s the recipe: Continue Reading

Hi hi! Teddy here and here is my first post! Mommy and Daddy talk about this Show, Semi-Homemade, and I’m here to show you how easy it is to make something delicious, satisfying, and pretty! The process starts with Devil’s food Cake Mix from Duncan Hines and prepare as the package suggests! But follow the directions carefully, you don’t want to over-beat the batter! An over-beaten batter makes cupcakes stiff! You want your guests to love your cupcakes!

One box should have enough for about 18 regular sized cupcakes. Once you have filled your pans to 2/3 the size of the cup (Don’t forget the papers before you pour it in!), give the pans some tapping so any air bubbles that are trapped come to the surface. Make sure your oven is preheated and cook as the box says. Start with the lowest time for the length. Your nose will tell you when it is getting close to being done!

When the timer goes off the first time, poke a few of the cupcakes with a toothpick. Cupcakes are done when the pick comes out clean! Still have bits on the pick? Leave it in the oven for a few minutes more!

Now they are done, put the trays on a cooling rack or heating pad for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, take some strawberries, not too large, but not too small, and cut thin slices from those strawberries width-wise so it has those pretty looking heart shapes! (Well, not really, because you have to cut off the tops, too, but you get the idea!) Put a cupcake in the center of a tea saucer, sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar, and surround the cupcake with the slices! Enjoy! I hope you liked my post! Bye!

• What is a Silpat?

Dan and I love Alton Brown, a Food Network chef who gets into the scientific side of food and cooking/baking, and explaining how everything works and comes together. It brings me back to those endless experiments in all my science subjects from grade school to college. I’ve learned to embrace them. I love testing and experimenting with stuff, and one of the things I’ve been curious about (for the past 2…3 years) was whether there is a real benefit to getting oneself a Silpat for baking. So I did my own home experiment.

To honor my science instructors and professors, I’m presenting this old-school style — following The Scientific Method. Haha.

Disclaimer: Joy is not responsible and/or liable for an purchases you make as a direct or indirect result of the experiment. [Sign Here.]

Proceed…

Continue Reading