This is a I need chocolate NOW kind of week. Craziness at work with a new reservation system along with craziness at home trying to organize ( and I use the term loosely) the basement. Add to the mix the fact that the washer is kaput-or pretty close to it-the digital/computer on it has gone berserk and in order to get it to work you have to stand there for about 10-15 minutes kicking it , shaking it, moving it back and forth-it's hysterical to watch. And last but not least J's phone has gone haywire,he can hear callers but they can't hear him ! Ahhh technology, isn't it grand ? I need chocolate !
But in spite of all the craziness I feel a calm come over me as soon as I'm home-you know that safe haven kind of feeling-even when everything around me is falling apart. I remind myself that it's the things that are falling apart-not me- I still have it together. And things are replaceable-people aren't.
I find myself thinking about my dad a great deal more than usual these past few weeks, probably because of losing my dear sweet friend, Ed. But on a day like today when electronics are not functioning I know that if my dad were here, he would be taking things apart, putting them back together and they would work. Dad's are like that aren't they ? Neither J nor I are mechanical enough to tackle the washer and the phone is a lost cause. So I will do what I do best - bake.
This is the Double Chocolate Loaf with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Spread. I'm usually not a lover of baked goods in the loaf category but I enjoyed making this. I love how the top crackled when it came out of the oven. I like it with powdered sugar for a dinner dessert and with the peanut butter cream cheese topping for a little breakfast bite. I didn't cream the peanut butter and cream cheese together completely when I mixed them. I wanted the two tone effect when I decorated the little bites. I think these would be a sweet addition to a brunch tray-don't you ? The next time I make this loaf, I think I will serve it with a little mascarpone topped with fresh raspberries and maybe a little raspberry coulis surrounding it-that would make it very elegant -don't you think ?
For now I'm putting the organization of the basement on hold; ordering a new phone for J; ordering a new washer and making myself a good cup of espresso. Then I'm going to light a few candles, take my espresso and a slice of this chocolate loaf and enjoy the rest of my day. I hope you do the same. Bon Appetit.
Head over to Baked Sunday Mornings for the recipe and to see what everyone else did.
PS This was another recipe I made for our Will Bake For Food Bake Sale last year and they were the 2nd thing to sell out !
