The four-day weekend (part two)

Devin and I aren't huge on the shop-til-you-drop Friday madness, but we did end up going out (really without thinking about it) that afternoon to a bookstore. We're really cool people. Really.

They had some nice deals, and we ended up getting a few books, one of which is this huge cooking textbook (seriously) that Devin couldn't leave on the shelf. I really don't blame him. I'm excited to see what new levels his cooking takes on as he makes his way through the pages.

Before going back home, we picked up some halibut and sea bass at WholeFoods for a hearty yet healthy dinner. Leeks, carrots, an herb bundle and the flaky white fish made for a great meal.

The rest of the weekend, Devin was in the mood to bake. The only bad part: If you can't give it away, there it sits, tempting you with its sweetness and calories. Devin didn't just make a pan of brownies. Oh, no. He ended up making three recipes in one night. What did I do this whole time? I measured out a few things on the ingredient lists, but I mostly watched from the sidelines, took photos (obviously) and drank SoCo and Coke with cherries from a champagne flute. I'm classy like that.

Let's not get sidetracked by the booze.

Recipe one was a pan of peanut butter fingers. They weren't too bad but not what we were expecting. Still, I like peanut butter, so I ate a couple bites.

Recipe two started out like this:

Devin's all about the mise en place. Look at that prep work!

Some chocolate, some vanilla extract, a touch of orange zest...I was sold immediately! He had that orange chocolate torte in the oven in no time. Sounds amazing, right? Just you wait. While the chocolate goodness was baking, Devin pulled out the neglected espresso machine and made us some tasty drinks.

A cinnamon-sugar-dipped rim and a cinnamon graham cracker garnish. Am I spoiled? I think so. Back to the torte.

After the treat was baked and cooled, Devin sliced it in half, spritzed each piece with orange liqueur and spread orange marmalade over the bottom half before putting it all back together.

You ask, "Can this possibly get any better?"

Why, yes. There's frosting!

Look at that proud baker!

You know we had to immediately sample it. Let me just say that I believe this was Devin's proudest baking moment. This torte was simply incredible. And rich...ooohhWEE!

But wait -- there's more!

Remember that graham cracker garnish on the espresso drink? Yeah, the others created a crust for a cheesecake, which is most certainly one of my guilty pleasures. So bad but so, so good! Unlike the other recipes, this wasn't Devin's first cheesecake. But for something different, he tweaked the recipe by adding some mascarpone cheese with the cream cheese. It was, in a word, beautiful.

The baker was excited the dessert didn't crack!

I've sampled some of each of these creations in the past couple days, and instead of going to the gym tonight with Devin to continue working off the last five bites (Who am I kidding? Fifteen bites.), I stayed home to blog. Eh, it happens. So, what does a couple who is trying to be active and healthy do with all the leftovers? Apparently Devin's co-workers have claimed them, which makes me happy...except I really wanted that cheesecake. I guess it's better this way.

We can be healthy all we want, but it all comes down to being able to enjoy a small slice of happiness in those forbidden foods occasionally. And believe me, I do.

Here's to savoring four-day weekends when we can get them and thinking really hard about working off those holiday pounds. *Cheers*