swedish chocolate goo cake

It's gooey. It's warm from the oven. It's dusted in sugar. It's crispy and fudgy all at the same time. It's pretty much a circular, underbaked brownie that you get to call cake and can serve for the fanciest meals. In fact, I would like to test the theory that this cake, in all its messy and delicious chocolatey glory, would unravel even the tightest of dinner parties. Pursed lips splitting with laughter, uncomfortably straight backbones swaying with chatter, and previously clasped hands waving with expression. That's how great this brownie-cake is.

Cake, Chocolate, Dessertellyn hopperJanuary 26, 2016Comment

an ode to Mexico and my husband

I can’t stop dreaming of Mexico.

It comes in waves, this reminder of the first sweet escape with my husband. Especially on these short, cold days, all I want is to be back on the warm sand. In the moment I didn’t see how wonderful it was because of small obstructions in my line of vision. Our room was annoyingly hot. There was a strange incense smell wafting throughout the whole resort. We didn’t know how to vacation all-inclusively. I had set too many expectations. But as I think back on those days, the most prominent memories are of good things. And the not-so-good things? We laugh at them now. What a glorious thing that is.

Travel, Thoughtsellyn hopperJanuary 15, 2016Comment

creme patissiere, aka pastry cream

Friends, I'm no expert. I don't pretend to know everything about anything when it comes to baking. I'm self-taught, a piecemealer. My dad, a former chef, taught me the basics, like knife skills, making roux, and how long to cook a chicken. But anything sweet went unmentioned. Don't get me wrong, everything food-related in my life has come from him. But the baking, that had to come from Grandma- queen of cookies. Christmas at their mountain house meant stacks on stacks of cookies, all different varieties. Magic cookie bars, brandy rings, chocolate covered cherries, date nut balls, holiday jingles, peanut butter blossoms, mexican wedding cakes. It was all there, and it was all the best thing I've ever seen to date.

From then, I’ve taught myself. I’ve scoured blogs. I’ve watched shows. I’ve flipped through cookbooks. I’ve examined pictures. I’ve eaten. And eaten and eaten. And I’ve loved every bit of it. I love learning the history behind a certain food, and wondering how the original chef even thought of such an idea. I love reading a recipe and decidedly winging it and later tasting the mind-blowing result. I love it all.

Dessertellyn hopperDecember 1, 2015Comment

peach cake and new traditions

One of the sweetest things about this daring and new phase of life, this settling into marriage and days in a different city, is the establishment of new traditions. Ask anyone who knows me well at all, they'll tell you that I am a traditions fanatic. Maybe it's that I'm the youngest of the fam. Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe it's just in the threads of my being. Whatever it is (I'm going with the latter), I can't stop.

At first, I've mourned the loss of well-known traditions- ones that felt like home and comfort. The ease and habits of having female roommates. The way I could hole away at any time for personal renewal. The family dinners we'd established in college. My coffee shops, my frequented locations. The music I'd always listen to. These things were part of my composure, I thought. But what I'm finding is that I haven't lost them entirely. Sure, some of them were and will only be circumstantially confined to my college days. But that's okay. Because truly, they're not gone. They're still here. They're simply being polished and refined as they converge with those of my husband.

And when I think about it, that's a really, really sweet thing. That's one of the most precious things that could happen to a person.

Cake, Dessert, Fruitellyn hopperOctober 28, 2015Comment

on creating: paleo almond joy bars

About two years ago I wrote about this same topic, I believe. Or maybe more recently. Maybe it's this time of year, this time that just grabs me and melts me and flutters my heart every hour or so. And certain days seem more glorious and heaven-glimpsing than others, like today. They just hover above you, bringing perfection closer to you for just a few hours, and you just erupt in gratitude and jump in excitement, but afraid to move too abruptly because then you might snap back into real life and turn to stress and anxiety and schedules again.

It's on these days when I put my foot down, my stubborn stomp, and I refuse to let those things get in the way. Because no matter what I do today, I know that it is God-ordained. Whether I have my quiet time or not, I know He is calling me to glorify Him in some way. And it's on these days when you simply can't resist it. It's like they're our purpose-calling days. Our glory-manifesting days. Our time to use the gifts God has given us, because there's nothing more that gives Him glory than doing exactly what He hardwired us to do. And so today, I create.

Chocolate, Dessert, Cookiesellyn hopperOctober 19, 2015Comment

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