A Thank You Post

I've been really awful at sending thank-you cards lately, and I've got plenty of reasons to do so. So many friends and family members have been thoughtful in little and massive ways, and I rarely show my appreciation in earnest.

Today I thought I'd send a brief thank-you to Bonnie for an extremely helpful tool I needed for baking. As someone she and I both know would say, "there's cake in your future." Well, cookies, scones, treacle, and much more included as well.

Gracious me!

(Bubuck's picture included as a laugh because he has the same expression I tend to have in many photos.)

It's what inside that counts

So I made my first Treacle Pudding. This has been a favorite of mine since I first tried some at Tea and Sympathy. It's super sweet, and a little goes a long way. I've wanted to make it for some time, especially since I got the T & S book with recipes. Since I've been on this baking binge I decided to give it a go.

It came out very well. The only problem is that it looks kind of bloopy One side of it is slightly dented looking. I don't feel bad about that - it's supposed to have a spongy pudding consistency. It's just not something I'd present on the table at afternoon tea. It has to be served separately. Never mind - I could eat it all myself! Don't expect any pictures of my latest production, though.

It was so hard to find the golden syrup to go with it - I ended up looking at the fancy grocery stores on the Upper East Side two weeks ago. It's pricey - $5 for a small can. It might be more worth it in future to simply visit Tea & Sympathy instead.

The house has that baking smell.

Pentastic!

I know this post has nothing to do with Zenobia, but how can I resist?

I visited the Arthur Brown pen shop this week. Why haven't I been there before? I've worked nearby for years. I guess in Midtown, you can't hit every store...not to mention how often one closes and another opens. It's futile to try to keep track of everything. Still, I'm glad I dropped by during my lunch hour.

This place is pen heaven. Every possible pen you can imagine - fountain, ballpoint, calligraphy, astronaut - it's here. All the inks of every color I could possibly want could be found within their walls. There's stationery, photo albums, stickers (yes Bonnie, you must drop by!), calenders, and journals. I was almost overwhelmed...but not quite. They had journals, yes, but not the unlined kind that I've come to prefer. Well, they may have had one or two in the Moleskine section, but nothing that I felt needed to come home with me.

I'll be back, of course. One can never have too many pens! Oh, and they have pen fairs - apparently I just missed one!