HAPPY NEW YEAR/BONNE ANNEE 2012...avec chocolat bien sur!

Bonjour tout le monde et Bonne Annee 2012!

I sure am glad to turn the page on 2011 - oh, not that it didn't have some high points (i.e. Joshua moving up to Middle School and the 6th grade, the First Annual Sugar & Stilettos Bake Sale Extravaganza for Charity) but there were other less wonderful events (i.e. my dad's health scare, my mom's back surgery) that I am happy to put behind me and my family...so here's to a new beginning, a new year filled with good health, an abundance of joy, overflowing love and of course...chocolate...lots and lots of chocolate...because really is there any better way to celebrate life that to eat or drink something of the chocolate persuasion...no, I think not!

Jacques Torres' Chocolate Chip Cookies with Valhrona Feves

So, to get your 2012 off to the best start possible I am proposing the following three recipes for you to make ASAP...each and every one of them is tried and true, top of the line and sure to delight anyone you choose to share them with...

The first is my all time favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe by Jacques Torres/NYC. People the world over say that THEY have the best recipe but I guarantee you THIS ONE is THE ONE! I mean, really...look at those beauties...I dare you to tell me that these cookies are not DIVINE...and I made them in my very own little French country kitchen with my 1940's O'Keefe & Merrit oven...un vrai paradis...

Nutella Scones - OOH LA LA!

The second is for Nutella Scones...alright, let's get this straight...Chocolate Scones, with tons of chocolate in them...and then Nutella drizzled all over the tops of them and toasted hazelnuts to boot...did I just hear you sigh and swoon in a slightly wozzy way? Yes, I thought so.

Patricia Helding's Classic Fat Witch Brownies

The third (and certainly not last for any reason whatsoever) is Patricia Helding's Classic Fat Witch Brownies. I have tried a million brownie recipes (well, maybe not a million but a lot!) and this recipe is truly a classic. Patricia said it took her forever to be able to share it with the world (it's one of many of her treasures in her inspiring and fabulous book, Fat Witch Brownies)...and am I ever glad that she did. It is definitely my go to brownie recipe...crackly, moist and cakey all at the same time.

So there you have it mes belles...go forth and bake...go forth and make everyone (including yourself) incredibly happy with all these delectable chocolate delights...

xoxo Nanci

It's Almost Thanksgiving and Have I got a Recipe for You!

OOH LA LA!!!

A pictured is worth a thousand words, n'est pas?! So, take a long minute and feast your eyes on the stunning beauty above that I created for Thanksgiving just for you...well, alright, not just for you, but with you (and me!) in mind. Forgive me for being redundant, but isn't she gorgeous?

Her name is Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow-Sour Cream Topping and Biscoff Cookie Crust. While the name may not fall trippingly off the tongue I guarantee you 100% that this creation of mine will make your taste buds sing with delight, shout from the mountaintops and say Hallelujah, Amen!

I dreamed this baby of mine up after looking at all the recipes for pumpkin cheesecake that I had recently accumulated in the whirlwind of Thanksgiving treats that was flooding my favorite magazines and blogs. I simply took the best of three recipes (one for the crust, one for the cheesecake, one for the topping), tweaked them a bit, added pecans as a decorative touch and put them together...et VOILA a masterpiece!

I have nothing left to say...this posting is short and sweet (very, very sweet!)...except to say, go forth and bake this creation of mine...you will absolutely be the STAR BAKING DIVA of your Thanksgiving feast...family and friends will will applaud your brilliance and love you forever more...ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY!

Happy Thanksgiving each and every one of you...may your day be filled with love, laughter, joy and everything deliciously sweet that life has to offer...

xoxo Nanci

P.S. This recipe is not difficult at all but it does take time due to the overnight chilling...so just start a day early, take one step at a time and savor the fun...

Pumpkins, Cranberries and Maple, Oh My!

Yes, yes, yes FALL is in the air. As much as I love the spring and summer (they really are my favorite seasons) with an abundance of sunshine and beach days not to mention fruit desserts galore, ice cream and lazy days reading I also love the fall for its bounties...spectacular colored leaves (at least back east!), cool breezy nights and the beginning of more hearty foods to eat. I mean who doesn't love, love, love all things pumpkin, cranberry and maple?! HELLO Fall, Happy Halloween and Happy Thanksgiving...

So, if you haven't already started baking some glorious fall delights let me entice you to do so with these beauties...

Grandma Rose and Aunt Irene's Pumpkin Bread...this is by far my most requested and beloved recipe. Quite simply it is the most moist and delicious pumpkin bread I have ever tasted and apparently many others agree! You can make it in loaves, mini bundts or muffin form...whatever suits your fancy. You can also add chocolate chips, nuts, cranberries and/or a dollop of fresh whipped cream...just don't tell my Grandma or Aunt...they were purists and only liked it plain!

Orange Cranberry Cornmeal Cake...a Zoe Nathan/Huckleberry Bakery and Cafe (Santa Monica, CA.) recipe...this cake is to die for...you will not be able to stop eating it...consider yourself forewarned!

Maple Walnut Layer Cake with Fluffy Maple Frosting...a Magnolia Bakery (NYC) recipe and one of the first things I made when I began my obsessive baking odyssey almost three years ago. This cake is so over the top wonderful you will not believe that, in fact, you made it your very own self!

Alright, mes belles, start baking and let me know how it all turns out!

xoxo Nanci

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? Isn't that a great question?! My friend, Donald, gave me that quote written on a rectangular block of granite type material for my birthday several years ago. It has been sitting on my desk just next to my computer ever since. I look at it every single day. I ponder its meaning often, yet not often enough if the truth be told.

We, the big collective "we" including me, more often than not let our fears and insecurities get in the way (or completely stop us) from going after our dreams and passions. How ridiculous is that?! I mean, think about it for a minute...a fear or insecurity is really just a thought...a thought that only holds power over us if we let it...otherwise, quite frankly it's meaningless. There would be no artists, writers, entrepreneurs, business titans or medical breakthroughs (to name just a few things) if someone, somewhere didn't say to themselves, "To hell with the odds and statistics, the naysayers and doomsdayers, I  believe in this dream of mine and I'm going to go after it with all engines roaring...it's going to make me happy to do so and most certainly others as well. My passion and perseverance will bring me success...so join me in the fun or get out of my way!"

What's the absolute worst that can happen? Someone says no to you, someone doesn't "get" your vision, it takes longer and much more work than you ever imagined...well, so what! At least you are out there spreading positive energy around (and in my opinion the world is desperately in need of more magical, bright, positive energy - could we possibly ever have too much of that stuff...I don't think so!) and at the same time you are following your heart, your destiny, your bliss, your instincts...sharing with everyone the very essence of who you are and what you uniquely have to offer them. When fully engaged like that I truly believe that you (read me, too) are at the top of your game, the height of what it means to be a human being on this planet, experiencing the nirvana of life.

So I ask you again...What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? Think about it, ponder it and then get up off your ass and do something about it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain...and do yourself another favor...bake yourself a treat and get lost in the thrill of it all...

xoxo Nanci

P.S. Here's one of my favorite recipes to get you started...Graham Cracker Pecan Chewy Bars...sinfully delicious. http://www.sugarandstilettos.com/r_graham-cracker-pecan-chewy-bars.html

Where did my baby go?

I don't know about any of you, but the older I get the faster time is slipping through my fingers. Oh, sure sometimes there are days that seem unbelievably long and trying and you simply can't wait for them to end... but what I've noticed lately is that the weeks, months and years are just flying by at super sonic break neck speed. It's quite disconcerting at times.

Joshua (eyes now big and brown) with Dolly & Binky)

I swear (and I would do so on the proverbial stack of Bibles) that just yesterday my son, Joshua, was a bouncy, roly, poly Buddha baby with thighs as thick and luscious as any you've ever in your life seen...with rosy, red cheeks popping out of his bowling ball head and blue-gray eyes that looked directly into your soul...a baby who possessed a gutsy, all out laugh that was so contagious strangers on the street often joined in. I SWEAR to you it was just YESTERDAY!

Joshua and Grandpa Murray/Halloween 2002

And yet, when I look at my son now what I see is a 5'3", 100 lbs., 12 year old lean, mean preteen machine that has been called "a player" by some of his Middle School friends. When I asked him about this moniker I was told that he was the "good" kind of player...someone who everyone liked. OOOkay...well, that's a relief to know.

It is very hard sometimes to reconcile the image of my baby with this new burgeoning human being...the one who still wants to cuddle and kiss in the privacy of our home but is becoming a bit reluctant to have displays of affection in the public realm...the one who is feeling out his new found freedoms, testing his independence and boundaries...the one who is increasingly embarrassed/annoyed by me and my behavior...the one who rolls his eyes and sighs in frustration but still wants to tell me every detail of his life and thoughts...not to mention that his body is morphing on a daily basis into this unrecognizable young man thing...all very normal but I have to say also very, very strange. Truly, it is like reading a mystery novel...every day when you turn the page you have absolutely no idea as to what is going to happen...what new adventure in attitude, body or mind you are going to be presented/confronted with. It is quite the journey...one that I am thoroughly enjoying...but can I also say that I miss my baby...I mean deep in the solar plexus miss my baby...

Joshua with Grandma & Grandpa/5th grade Moving Up Ceremony/June 2011

Maybe that is how it is for all mothers. You see your baby grow into a toddler, then a young child, then a teenager, then a young adult and finally who they decide they will be in the world...but in your heart of hearts they are always your baby...your sweet, innocent and in my case, chubby beyond measure, baby. I love and adore who Joshua is today and who he is becoming...his kind, loving heart, his sense of humor and justice, his intelligence, his patience and joie de vivre take my breath away and make me feel so proud... but I guess I will always pine a bit for my baby...his babyhood was the beginning of our life together...and for me there is simply no sweeter memory than that.

Anyway, that's what I've been thinking about lately...that and how blessed I am to be my baby's mommy no matter how old he is...

xoxo Nanci

Can we please talk about ice cream?!

OK, one of the great summer (or if you're me...fall, winter and spring as well) pleasures is eating ice cream or frozen yogurt. I'm not necessarily a purist, but most of the time I am just as happy with my ice cream or frozen yogurt plain as I am with some sort of topping or sprinkles embellishing the top in a fancy way.

The exception to that is at Fenton's Ice Creamery in Oakland, California...that bastion of ice cream excess that is a decades old tradition for UC Berekely students especially Cal's sorority girls which I once was. We (and when I say we I mean as in 10-20 of us) used to make regular treks to this place to where we literally inhaled the most humongous ice cream sundaes you have ever seen. The most popular one was (and still is) called a Black & Tan. Traditionally, the Black & Tan is served with layers upon layers of Toasted Almond ice cream, Vanilla ice cream (I go for all Toasted Almond ice cream...others have been known to go with all Swiss Chocolate - Fenton's is very accomodating when it comes to these kind of requests), caramel sauce and creamy dark fudge sauce, then topped with a huge mound of whipped cream, slivered almonds and a bright red cherry.

The parfait glass it is served in overflows to the point of being ridiculous...by the time you've eaten just the top part of the ice cream and hit the glass part of the serving cup you've probably already consumed the equivalent of several ice cream cones. But you can't possibly stop because you have all that luscious caramel and fudge (made specially by the Fenton's people) to dig into...which you do by lowering your spoon ever so gently into the depths of that parfait glass bringing up the oozing stuff and plopping it directly into your salivating mouth. I'm telling you there is nothing much better than that. Within a distressingly short period of time you have hit the rock bottom of the cup still licking your spoon as well as contemplating licking the parfait glass to boot (the only thing holding you back is decorum...not wanting to look like a total pig in public though it is tempting).

Well, I am  here to tell you that I was able to walk down memory lane at Fenton's when I was in Berkeley visiting Tracy a week or so ago. I made her promise to take me there and God bless her she did. We split a crab salad sandwich (another Fenton's/Cal sorority girl staple) and then indulged our inner gluttons...Tracy with a Swiss Chocolate Milk Shake, me with a Junior Black & Tan - Juniors did not even exist when we were in college - I opted for that version only so I wouldn't seem completely out of control). It was all pure delight...every single spoonful more delicious than the one before...and every one totally reminiscent of the delectable tastes hidden in my cobbed webbed memory banks. Tracy and I had a bunch of fabulous moments in our few days together (not the least of which was cruising the magnificent UC Berkeley campus and feeling 19 years old again!) but that Black & Tan at Fenton's was the highlight...a sense memory bonanza!

There are moments in life that bear repeating and going back to Fenton's for me is one of them...I am already plotting my next trip. And if you find yourself in the East Bay Area at any time I highly recommend you giving it a try yourself...then for sure let me know what you think...

xoxo Nanci

Lovely Lazy Summer

I had big plans for this summer...big, big plans. I was going to really delve into my writing...specifically my new play, "SUGAR & STILETTOS - an obsessive baking odyssey". I was going to whip that first draft into tip top shape getting it ready for a first reading which is the first developmental step on the way to a workshop production, then a full production. Oh, yeah, I was going to be in the middle of a creative fire this summer.

Then, I was going to do a ton of recreational baking....tons and tons of new recipe baking...tons and tons of delicious, over the top yummy stuff that I would immediately get up on the S & S website.

Then, I was going to clean out Joshua's room...closets, drawers, shelves....everything. By the time he came home from sleep away camp on Aug. 7th, his life by way of his now perfectly overhauled room, would be transformed completely.

Then, I was going to get into shape...I mean REALLY good shape...lots of exercising, eating right and taking exceptionally good care of myself.

Well, I am here to tell you that I have done NONE of those things. Oh, I have read the first draft of my play exactly two times. And, I have tried a couple of new recipes. I have cleared out a few shirts and pants from Joshua's closet that clearly don't fit him anymore...I have even worked up a sweat once or twice...but that's about it.

Instead of a frenzy of activity, I have opted to do, well, not much of anything that requires effort of any kind. Instead, I have chosen to read A LOT of books. Now, I am always reading one book or another (few things make me happier than to be curled up with a good book) so that's no great change in my life except that I'm doing more of it than usual. I've probably plowed through at least seven books in the last month or so.

After dropping Joshua off at camp on July 20th I did go to Chicago to visit my best friend, Penny, for five days where I did enjoy eating a bunch of great food, going to the movies and seeing Jeff Garlin do his stand up routine at Steppenwolf. I've been home since Monday night and have been doing pretty much nothing ever since...a movie and a couple of dinners out if that counts at all. The next fews days I have more nothing planned and then  I'll leave for San Francisco on Tuesday to spend four days with my UC Berkeley friend, Tracy (yes, she of the Cal Cheerleading outfit fame). We are going to go to the theatre, eat a lot of great food, maybe go to Napa for a day, stroll on campus and pretend that we are nineteen again...yes, it's going to be grueling. I'll get home just in time to pick Joshua up from camp.

For the next month after that, I have to admit that I have more nothing whatsoever planned. I felt very guilty about all of this crazy low key energy in the beginning but now I've just given in to my lovely lazy ways of the summer of 2011. Some things are simply meant to be...it's actually quite delightful and liberating.

So, my darlings. all I can say is follow your heart. If it tells you to be busier than a bee, than go for it....buzz around to your heart's content. However, if it tells you to kick back and enjoy a long, slow ride for a while...well, do just that...be still your heart...the world will most definitely be there for you whenever you feel like returning to the rat race!

xoxo Nanci