The Best Cookies

Presenting...






The BEST Cookies I Have Ever Made!





And possibly ever eaten too!


These cookies are studded with cocoa nibs, hazelnuts and almonds, adapted from a recipe in Alice Medrich's Bittersweet - my happy birthday pressie from Bear!

The first thing I thought when I ate one was that it tasted expensive, but to be more descriptive, they're buttery but crisp, not overly sweet, with a lovely vanilla aroma that works so well with the toasted nuts. The cocoa nibs are amazing, not bitter or strong at all, but they provide this sort of essence of chocolateyness and, according to Bear, almost fruitiness. This may be the effect of the particular brand of nibs - we used Dagoba's.

YUM!!!

This is the sort of cookie that when you taste what you've just made, you have the immediate urge to wrap them up in little packages to distribute to all the people you know who really love good food, just so you can share the amazing thing that is this cookie and maybe show off a little.

:P

It is also the sort of cookie that inspires Bear to suggest costing the ingredients to find out if it would be profitable to sell them.

I won't post the recipe, but email me if you want it!

Not wedding dresses Part II

These are in the running, but lagging behind a bit...





Shirtdresses by Prada and Diane von Furstenberg, respectively.



I like the lace shoulders on this one, but the ruched boobage is a bit weird.

The style is, however, similar to these following ones, which are frontrunners.



and



There's another one I like even better though!

Not wedding dresses

These, alas, are not to be.



Marc Jacobs



Gallery Serpentine



Isaac Mizrahi

I don't want a wedding dress

Today, I went to see a dressmaker in the city, to get some idea of what it might cost to get a dress made, seeing as I am afraid of entering a Bridal dress shop and cannot seem to find anything suitable at the shops.

So, Bear generously drives me to the city after work and I rock up to this dressmaker, and tell her I was thinking of having a dress made. She asks more questions, and I say, probably white or ivory, and yes, it's for a wedding, but I don't want a wedding dress, just a simple dress made. She seems to understand, then shows me an array of white and cream satins.

Too shiny! I say. Something that looks more natural?

She shows me a silk faille which feels and looks alright, but really I was thinking of a soft thin cotton - like the sort used in floaty summer dresses?

She tells me, I've never heard of anyone using cotton for a wedding dress.

But I Don't Want a Wedding Dress!

*!!!*

Need some help please

Dear everyone, I need help choosing a photographer!

The original one I wanted isn't available, and the new top of the listers haven't got back to me (and I probably can't afford them anyway), so now, it's between these four contenders:

Tonia Lawless
Caterina Fara
Katie Rivers
Christopher Radford

Any and all opinions are extremely welcome.

(Help!)

How's the wedding planning coming along?

As requested by Jo, I shall start posting about wedding planning things. Most of the stuff is done, I think. You would not Imagine how much freaking time it took, but I still have most of my brain intact, albeit filled up with waaaaaaay too many images of tulle, pastels, flower arrangements and large glittery signs saying "Your Big Day" and "Bridal" and, for some reason, "Exquisite!"

Despite all insistence that we are not having a "wedding" but just a party that happens to have a marriage ceremony in the middle, no one believes us. Also, it appears that other people have expectations, which are fair enough and which one can give or take, because they love you anyway, but then I realised that there are also Expectations, and you just don't mess with those. Like when I thought I might want to wear my favourite black dress. It's not that it's illegal or anything, it's just Too Hard to think about what everyone else will think.

So!

We are still having balloons!

Things not yet accomplished:

1. A dress to be married in and to carry the weight of everyone's expectations and make me feel beeeeoootiful and also warm in the late autumn weather. Not too shiny.

2. Some sort of decoration plan - apart from balloons, some tablecloths or something, and flowers, somewhere. Lanterns? Mega-origami?

3. Rings to be married with. The alternative would be to exchange ratties. Whee!

4. Figuring out the actual ceremony, writing vows, etc. (Eek!)

5. Something for Bear to wear. Also not too shiny.

6. Possibly a photographer? Bear and I are grappling with the idea of paying such much money for snappy photo taking, but I am warming up to the idea. These guys are totally top of the list at the moment. They have the best online gallery! Plus they sound kinda sweet too. Everyone cross fingers that we can actually afford them! *cross*

7. A case of nice red wine. I think something drinkable. Not too heavy. Any recommendations? I like shiraz, I think.

8. A supply of sparkling bubbly. Would also appreciate recommendations for this.

9. Tables and chairs - need to sort out hire and delivery.

10. Cake! Decide on what and how many cakes we can justify buying. Yum!

11. ...

I think that's it.

*phew*