Rain

Alex and I have been out of sync with Midwestern weather. In California, it doesn’t rain from March to September. While I bloom like a daisy in the glorious California sun, part of me used to long for a rainy day.

You know, one of those dreary days that calls for hot cocoa and an Audrey Hepburn movie marathon?

Our first three days in Indiana have been rainy.

At last!

My mom and I have used the forced-indoor-time to bake. In preparation for my future sister-in-law’s bridal shower this weekend, we experimented with fresh baked croissants.

While I consider myself an adventurous and experienced cook, I am generally afraid of pastries. They seem so complicated! But after a trip to France, which included twice daily boulangerie stops, and some inspiration from a friend, I was determined to try.

Seemingly endless shaping and rolling and 18 hours later, the first batch has just come out of the oven. The croissants are oddly shaped and lack grand volume, but they are flaky and delicious! Success!

(I also snuck a little bit of dark chocolate in half of the batch for some pain au chocolat... equally delicious!)

I also introduced my mom to my cake pop recipe. She wasn’t very excited about the idea, the labor involved, and the oddly textured cake and frosting mixture. But the final product was super cute! And Becky agrees that they are delicious.

Of course, we are now utterly exhausted and need to double our exercise regimen, but it was time well spent. The kitchen is toasty warm and smells like Paris.

And the rain continues. Who knows what adventure, baking or otherwise, we will encounter today?

 First attempt.

 Cake pops!