Getting (re)inspired through chocolate and peanut butter

Sometimes when I make a few bad recipes, I start to question my interest in cooking and the hours invested in a simple meal. November was a culinary wasteland in this apartment with the exception of our trip to Senegal of course! I normally like cooking this time of year and serving up steaming plates of food with spiced fall comfort drinks. But after a few dud recipes last month, I started to loose my motivation. Recently for example, I made dry and bland carnitas and a yucky pumpkin,goat cheese and lentil salad despite the rave reviews of others who had tried these recipes. Sigh.

To get back in the groove this weekend, I opted for an easy crowd pleaser to bring along to the holiday parties. Chocolate and peanut butter brownies. It's hard to go wrong...well, unless you are negotiating nap time with your one year old and forget to take them out of the oven. A few got a bit dry but the ones in the middle hit the spot. I like this recipe and the ganache is worth the extra effort especially if you toss in a bit of sea salt.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/10/peanut-butter-brownies/

I ate many. I'm now feeling (re)inspired and ready to cook my way through December.