Chocolate Mousse Layer Cake

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake. I feel better already." - Dave Barry

 A cooking catastrophe is almost always preceded by a lack of time.

At least, I find that to be true in my case.

Case in point, last Wednesday, I had a little under 2 hours to bake, fill and frost one chocolate mousse layer cake. I was short on time because I'd spent the entire morning hunched in front of the computer, making frantic phone calls to my cousin in Idaho, and sending off copious torrents of emails to my uncle in California - all in an effort to book flights for my impending West Coast Pilgrimage.

The flight-bookage was eventually successful, and I flew from the computer to the kitchen and started measuring cake flour and sifting cocoa like a madwoman.

Taste-But Boggling Brownies

"All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!"
- Lucy, from Peanuts

When the unthinkable happens and I actually get the chance to cook, (Say, on an afternoon when I get home from work and decide to give myself a day off from school...) I do this exceedingly annoying thing. I pore over magazines, websites, cookbooks, blogs, and my ol' trusty binder of recipes looking for that perfect recipe.

Chicken Pot Pie

I think I can modestly precede this recipe with only one word.

Yum. 

[Please note, I said I could. I did not say I would restrict myself to only one word. That would be wholly un-Abbie-like.]

To Do:

1. Post a recipe, or maybe even two.
2.  Re-make these and scrap that entire, horrible, wretched-picture-filled post.
3. Bake an enormous coconut layer cake while wearing pearls, vintage '50s gingham, and a large purple flower - complete with white ostrich feather - in my hair.
4. Put some real time and love into this delicious little blog.
5. Complete my recipe index.
6. Finish my "inspiration" page. There's more, lot's more! 
7. Make puff pastry 
8. Cease this detestable "not-really-recipe" posting, and get down to business!
9. Complete items 1-8 in a timely fashion.
10. [Or not, on the timely fashion part. That's just now how I roll.]

A New Look

And y'all thought I changed my themes a lot over at Abbie Writes. Ha! You ain't seen nothin' yet.


Abbie Cooks was bothering me. Well, the look of it, anyway. It was cute...

...but not exactly what I wanted. Hence, this new look. It'll change often, too. But overall, I think it looks a lot nicer.

And it was so easy! I went here and chose a template I liked, downloaded, then followed the instructions. Simple. Frightfully simple. So simple, I just knew I was doing something wrong. But it turned out rather nicely, I think. Although of course, I'm not done tweaking.

So whadda ya think? I know all you guys were quite smitten with the other theme, so I do apologize :) But I hope you'll enjoy the new and improved Abbie Cooks!

Happy Cooking!

- Abbie

Amish White Bread

This is a simple posting of a simple recipe.

(I'm gonna keep it real Amish here, folks.)

Speaking of the Amish... my family and I went to Amish country a couple months ago. We'd been before, but I fell in love with the place and the people all over again.

In honor of this yummy bread that I'm about to share, (and perhaps to make up for the lack of step-by-step pictures!) here are some pictures from Amish Country, Pennsylvania.

Rich Chocolate Tart

Let's talk about this tart, shall we?
Oh my.

That's all I can say sometimes. Oh. My.

It's rich. It's chocolatey. It's smooth as silk, and the crust... don't even get me STARTED on the crust!

Okay, we'd getter get started. Before I swoon here and now at the computer desk. And then revive myself and go hide in the pantry and gobble what's left of the tart. (Which isn't much.)