Sweets Baked in January

Macaroons
I make a mean macaroon.  They are bite-sized, crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, coconut treats.  I had a request for a batch last weekend and decided to make them in a mini-cupcake pan instead of a baking sheet.  They turned out great and I was able to make two dozen at once which was a nice bonus. 

Click here for the recipe I use - the trick is not to overcook them! And, I use vanilla instead of almond extract.






Cheesecake

I recently attempted my first cheesecake.  I received a springfoam pan for Christmas and was anxious to try a cheesecake recipe.  The recipe I chose was for a classic New York cheesecake.  I alway like to read the comments left by others, but for this recipe the comments completely stressed me out.  Apparently with cheesecake you can both over and under beat the ingredients.  In the end all the stress was for nothing, the cheesecake turned out great.  I poured cherry cobbler pie filling all over the top (which hid the cracks on the top perfectly).  It looked great and tasted delicious.  Definitely not an everyday treat but worth making again.

Click here for the recipe I used.

Time to Run...

I have had a goal for several years to run a marathon.  Even a half marathon would be great and I would consider that an accomplished goal.  Each year I have had plenty of excuses that have kept me from this goal.  Some have been legitimate, like when I had a sinus infection for months that turned into pneumonia that resulted in deviated septum surgery. Some have been far less legitimate, like when I didn't have anything cute to wear to go running.  This year I am turning 30 and I really don't want to hit that milestone without being well on my way to achieving this goal.

So, I dusted off my copy of Marathon Running for Dummies and started reading.  I must say that was a little intimidating.  Maybe I should have just started with running around the block a few times instead of reading about every possible injury that I could get running over 26 miles. 

I definitely didn't want to list this goal as a New Year's Resolution - it seemed too cliche! But now that it's February I figure it is okay to put it out there.  Now I just need to get some running shoes and find the time to actually run.  I will keep you posted on my progress.  So far, my progress is... reading that book!