Jude made me this marvelous cake plate for Christmas, and I was so excited to use it. For my first baking endeavor of the new year, I made a batch of Double Chocolate Cookies (which use milk chocolate chips, a new love for me), and they looked so inviting arranged on this elegant plate. People love them, and what they really respond to is the coarse salt that you get with almost every bite, which is why I sometimes call them Salted Chocolate Cookies.
Cake plates made from vintage plates involve finding the right plate and marrying it with the right candlestick or other similar vase. This one works perfectly.
I am hoping to try this myself as a craft project this year, after a trip to the Sunday Flea Market and the hardware store!
Like Carey, I am determined to cook more this year. I tend to go in streaks, trying new things, getting into it...and then I stop and a lot of take-out comes through the front door. Baking is another story - I bake at least twice a week, more when there are a lot of events to attend. I want cooking to be like that, something I do all the time, without thinking much about it. And I am a better baker, so cooking is more of a challenge - all the more reason to practice, practice, practice.
