headed for disaster?

February 2, 2010

fiery crash
lyrics from the above-named andrew bird song:


replace “vinyl settee” with “call-room mattress” and this pretty much sums up my fate for the evening, i’m afraid. the CRASH is coming, and i don’t know how to avoid it! i just can’t seem to sleep during the day during this rotation, even though i know i’m going to pay for it tonight — not to mention tomorrow AM.

on the positive side, just 3 more overnights left before i get a reprieve.

midnight baking
the fact that i cannot sleep when i am supposed to does have one advantage: i can get a lot done. such as the crafting of these california fruit bars for hangry heather and reader sharon.


i’m glad they didn’t end up having to shell out actual $ for these bars because i might have felt more pressure to remake them since they didn’t turn out super-pretty!


while they lack a bakery-perfect appearance, they are gooey and delicious. taste-tasted and approved by josh + moi.

100% organic and packed with nutty, fruity goodness!
oh, and speaking of nutty, fruity goodness

love it.

————————————————————————–

2.1.2010

workout: 45 minutes elliptical + weights
– 2 x 12 pushups
– 2 x 12 squats with leg press machine (90 lb weight)
– 2 x 10 assisted pullups (50 lbs assist 1st set, 50 lbs assist for most of 2nd set – 60 lbs assist last few)
– 2 x 12 walking double lunges (8 lb weights)
– 2 x 12 lateral/forward raises (6 lb weights)
– 2 x 15 crunches + oblique crunches each side

reading: prep for umm . . . a little event that will be occurring tomorrow. (details to follow!)

4 Comments

  • Reply Chelsea March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    Lady Gaga&#39s outfit reminds me of a model of the solar system or an atom. I think the bars look super tasty. Sending you "stay awake at the right times and sleep at the right times" vibes.

  • Reply Jess March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    Yes, I&#39ve finally embraced Lady Gaga. Those bars look amazing!

  • Reply Susan March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    I think the bars are pretty! I like the crinkled top with the gooey bottom!

  • Reply caryn March 10, 2019 at 7:26 pm

    For egs and anyone else who might be interested in the fruit bars recipe, this is out of the cookbook that we made for Sarah&#39s wedding:

    This recipe is a very favorite of Rebecca, Sarah’s sister, and a big favorite of mine, too. It comes from Maida Heater’s Great Book of American Desserts. The commentary within the recipe is that of the author’s, not mine. Note that though the recipe is very wordy, as is typical of Maida Heater’s style (she likes to explain each step), it is a rather easy recipe to put together.

    California Fruit Bars

    1 cup assorted dried fruits, firmly packed (in La Jolla they use dates, figs, apricots, and raisins —see Variation)
    4 eggs graded “large”
    1 1-pound box (2¼ cups, packed) light brown sugar
    ¼ tsp salt
    1 tsp vanilla
    2 cups sifted flour
    7 oz. (2 cups) walnut halves or large pieces

    Adjust a rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 10½ by 15½ by 1-inch jelly-roll pan with foil as follows: Turn the pan over. Center a length of foil about 18 inches long shiny side down over the pan. With your hands fold down the sides and corners to shape the foil, remove it, turn the pan over again, put the foil in the pan, and press it firmly into place. To butter the foil, place a piece of butter in the pan and put it in the oven to melt. Then, with a pastry brush or crumpled wax paper, spread the melted butter over the foil and set aside.

    With scissors cut the dried fruit (except the raisins) into small pieces.
    Then steam all the fruit by placing it in a vegetable steamer over shallow water (not touching the fruit) in a saucepan, covered, on high heat. When the water comes to a boil reduce the heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and set aside. The fruit should be very soft and moist.

    In a 2½- to 3-quart saucepan, beat the eggs with a beater or a whisk to mix well. Add the sugar and stir with a rubber spatula to mix.
    Place over low-medium heat, stir and scrape the bottom and sides with the rubber spatula for 10 to 15 minutes until the sugar is dissolved; taste to test. Remove from the heat.

    Add the salt, vanilla, and the flour 1 cup at a time. Beat briskly with a heavy whisk to incorporate the flour smoothly. Then stir in the fruit and mix well to be sure that the fruit is not lumped together. Now stir in the nuts.
    Turn into the prepared pan and spread to distribute the fruit and nuts all over. Smooth the top. It will be a thin layer; be sure it is the same thickness all over (watch the corners).

    Bake for 15 or 16 minutes until the top is a rich golden color and shiny. As it bakes, if the cake is not browning evenly reverse the pan front to back after 10 to 12 minutes.

    Let stand until cool. Cover with a cookie sheet, turn the pan and the sheet over, remove the pan, and very gradually peel off the foil. Cover with wax paper and another cookie sheet and turn over again.

    Slide the cake and the wax paper off onto a cutting board. With a ruler and toothpicks mark the cake into even sections. Use a long, sharp knife. These are chewy and they might want to stick to the knife (they will stick if you cut them too soon, but not if you wait awhile); if you have any trouble, spray Pam on the blade. If you like, wrap these individually in foil.

    VARIATION: The “1 cup assorted dried fruits” called for is a variable ingredient. I recently made these with 1 cup (8 ounces) dried apricots and 1 cup (8 ounces) dried figs. I cut both the apricots and the figs, with scissors, into slices– some rather coarse. Because of this larger amount of fruit, the cake is thicker and takes a little longer to bake.)

    And I made California Pecan Bars: Omit the dried fruits and use 3 cups pecans, toasted, in place of the walnuts.

    Note that I always use 2 cups fruit and 1 cup nuts.

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