Dessert Fail

After two failed dessert attempts it was going to take something truly delicious to make me feel as if I have been saved from my slump. Thankfully baby artichokes were cheap at Trader Joe's and something delicious would come easily with them, but we will get to that later. First, about my failed desserts... One of those failed treats was Aunt Pearl's recipe for a 4 minute brownie pie. I like pie, I like brownies and I like anything that is only going to take me 4 minutes so it sounded like a winner. Unfortunately the recipe was a little vague at best and what I ended up with was not really a brownie or a pie or anything at all edible for that matter. But no worries, after pulling the disaster out of the oven it was immediately clear to me what crucial part of the recipe must have been missing and I will be trying it again very soon, but this time with stories of deliciousness and beautiful pictures.

The other recipe that went bad was an old favorite I have made many times- a vegan chocolate chip cookie that is just to die for. But I think the cookie hates the hot weather as much as I do... the heat melted my coconut oil and everything sort of went down hill from there.

Both of these were going to be served at a lunch time pot luck/play date for Ally that I was hosting during the week. And as luck would have it, that didn't turn out either! The day before the pot luck almost every single person canceled for one reason or another and one just did not show up. But this sad story does have a happy ending. One person did show up with her little boy and he and Ally had a great time. We talked and since she does not like chocolate, neither of my failed desserts would be missed. Good coffee and good conversation was exactly what I ended up needing anyway.

And because I cannot leave you empty handed and I seem to be better at making dinners than desserts, here is a quick dinner idea for baby artichokes...

6 baby artichokes with the outer leaves pulled off, the top 1/2 inch cut off and quartered
1 lemon
a bowl of water
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
18oz can diced tomatoes with herbs
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup water or broth
1 tsp rosemary, fresh or dried
salt and pepper

as you prep the artichokes, place them in the bowl of water with the lemon. In a large saute pan saute the onion until soft. Add the garlic and saute one more minute. Add in the artichokes and tomatoes. Simmer until the tomatoes soften. Add in the wine and deglaze the pan, then add the water, rosemary, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the artichokes are soft and the sauce is thickened and fragrant. Serve with crusty bread or over pasta.

serves 4