The desire to bake...

I've decided being poor is the worst. Not because we aren't able to eat out as much, or because we have to rent a computer due to the lack of funds to purchase our own. Not because we aren't able to buy new clothes or even a new bedspread (which we desperately need.) The main reason I hate being a poor, starving college student is because I can't buy the ingredients or supplies I need to try the long list of recipes I've collected.
On my birthday, Daniel gave me the most incredible cook book, complete with a roasting emphasis. There are so many recipes contained therein that I've been aching to attempt. (Lemon-herb infused roast duck, anyone?) But we just don't have the money to purchase a full duck!
But what I really long to explore is the world of baking. I recently found a blog titled "Dessert First." The author is a part-time cookbook writer, part-time cookbook reviewer. Can you imagine a world better than that? When she's not concocting new recipes and writing them up, she's evaluating others' recipes. Bliss! And her specialty is, you guessed it, desserts. And her passion of baking. Oh, how I share that sentiment.
She has a blog entry completely devoted to one cake. The name of said cake is Mozart. That's right, it has a name. And, as can be deduced from the name, it is quite complex. Imagine, if you will, the unorthodox combination of apples and cinnamon in chocolate. The cake is layered with "crisp, cinnamon-almond pastry alternating with a dense chocolate mousse studded with sauteed apples." The complexity and genius of the recipe is almost overwhelming--especially for a more novice cook such as myself...which is perhaps why I am so eager to attempt it.
She's also dedicated an entry to her Peppermint-chocolate Macaroons, a perfect holiday treat. The ingredients are not particularly difficult to attain, nor does the recipe require and sort of obscene amount of work. But it does require a mixer, which I do not have.
Being poor is the worst. Not only do I not have a spring-form pan to attempt Mozart, but I have no sifter for the almond, sugar, and cocoa powder ingredients to complete the tantalizing macaroons.
I find hope in the thought that someday I will not only have time to try my hand at all sorts of complex recipes, but I will also be able to afford the materials and ingredients required. How I wish that day would arrive soon.