Things I Really Need To Bake

Blame it on pregnancy cravings, or the fact that I've been too sick to do much cooking in the last 5 months, or a stress-induced desire for comfort food, or the search for procrastination, or anything else you like, but the fact of the matter is the last few weeks have been one giant, continuing saga of OHMYGOSH THIS THING I MUST BAKE. 

Obviously, the whole being-sick-and-exhausted-because-growing-new-minion thing has put a damper on my abilities to actually DO any of this cooking, and the list of things I desire to make is growing to such proportions that I'm going to start forgetting things if I don't write them down soon. Which, on the one hand, so what, but on the other: LIST-MAKING EXCUSE FOR THE WIN!! I love me a good list after all.

And because I'm a) a sharing-and-caring kind of person, and b) am attempting to post more regularly on The Blog, you get to share the list too. Ha. If you do end up making anything off the list, I'd love to know how it goes :) But without further ado:

Amy's List Of Things I Really Need To Bake

1) A really good Laos curry. Or Thai, at a pinch. But it has to be GOOD. After visiting Laos/Thailand with school in 2013, I've fallen in love with good, proper, authentic southeast Asian cooking, but my tolerance for mediocrity in this food genre is low, and finding the good stuff near where I live seems nigh impossible. So: I need to learn to cook it myself.

 2) Good spring rolls. Ditto the above.

 3) Sweet potato and feta frittata, which I used to make all the time and is the best lunch snack ever, but which I literally have not made in yeeeeears.

 4) Cream potato bake, which is in the same category as (3) but is also, like, the ultimate comfort food. (I mean c'mon, it's potatoes, cream and cheese with a bit of spice. How is this NOT the ultimate comfort food?)

 5) Chocolate peppermint creams, because Mint Slices are my favourite biscuits* in the whole entire world, so a homemade version? OM NOM NOM. * Cookies, for those from America ;)

 6) Blood orange oil brownies, because Liana Brooks kept mentioning them on twitter :P

 7) Scones, preferably of the pumpkin or cheese variety. Maybe these ones from Smitten Kitchen (which, yes, American terminology says biscuits :P).

 8) Jam doughnuts, preferably these ones.

 9) Homemade ice cream. Any variety, I'm not too fussed. The only thing holding me off here is a present lack of freezer space.

 10) Bread rolls, or scrolls, or a pull-apart, or all of the above. Just, fresh, homemade, devourable bread.

 And in addition to all that, at some point this week or next I need to do a practice cake. Little sister's birthday is coming up and she has requested a pear and white chocolate mud cake, for which recipes apparently don't exist :P Which is fine, I like making up my own just fine, but given it's a Big Birthday I do need to do a test run first. In terrible news, it will also necessitate making a batch of salted caramel buttercream, which OH NOES WORLD IS ENDING, clearly, because you guys? The caramel recipe I use seriously tastes like the inside of Fantales lollies, for those of you who've ever eaten such things. It is glorious; truly, truly glorious.

 So. That's my to-bake list. If I can summon up some energy at some point, I'll make said items and post pictures and recipes and trivia when I do. But for now, I'm going to go find something quick and easy to eat for lunch, before my blood sugar levels drop to zero :P :D

 ~Amy