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Dear Reader,
I received a neighborhood bake-off invitation. The woman down the street is one of those wonderful people who is always planning something fun. I mean that with all sincerity. I'd probably be a social recluse if it weren't for her invitations.
My neighbor's only instructions: bake-off time 6:30 and whatever I baked had to be made with chocolate or berries. But was there really going to be a judge, or a first prize? Knowing my neighbor like I do, calling it a "bake-off" could simply be her clever ruse for getting people to bake for her. (She's not a baker.)
Chocolate Lava Cakes are best right out of the oven when the warm, gooey, chocolate is running out of the center. It was a risky choice, but they are impressive. So my plan was to put them in the oven at 6:10, bake for 13 minutes, and then head to the party. (My neighbor's house is only a three-minute walk away.)
I was thinking I should probably be feeling a little nervous, after all baking something at the last minute--there would be no second chance. I might have to show up empty handed, but surprisingly it didn't bother me and that was a wonderful realization.
It's not that I don't usually lean toward risky choices, I do. In fact some people would say that's part of my trademark. But in the past, whether I acknowledged it or not, there was always a backup plan--a second chance, waiting in the wings. All the details worked out in advance, checking and double checking, even for something as trivial as baking Lava Cakes. But, this new easygoing feeling, I like it. I think I could get used to feeling like this.
There was a judge and there was a first prize, but I didn't win. I came in an easygoing second--and it was quite all right with me.
You'll find the Chocolate Lava Cakes, recipe at: http://www.supportlibrary.com/nl/users/susandemo/mweb/path2-3.html
* Today is the last day to enter this month's Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway. My kitchen is finished and I'm ready to bake. To enter, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/Cookie-092214.html
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these titles deserve your attention:
(Fiction)
THE SWEETNESS by Sande Boritz Berger
(Fiction)
BITTER GREENS by Kate Forsyth
(Fiction)
ONE TRILLION DOLLARS by Andreas Eschbach, Translated by Frank Keith
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader
* This month's Penguin Classics book is SAGITTARIUS RISING by Cecil Lewis. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqQ1AFE3FA73E7&c=CLASSICS
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