Lovin' From the Oven

Molasses Spice Cookies

2012-01-31T06:28:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I'm currently on a 4 day trip for work and it's been filled with terrible luck. On the way to work, I was stuck in HOURS of traffic and got rear ended. Then, I go home in LA for my long layover and my mom's car gets backed into while we're eating lunch. Can you believe it? People these days... Get off your cell phones and pay attention to what you're doing! We're not playing bumper cars here.

I've never really been a fan of molasses cookies. I always thought the taste was a little too strong. For some reason, I decided to give it another shot and bake a batch. I'm sure glad I stumbled across this recipe from Always With Butter because I will never look at a molasses cookie the same way again! The molasses was subtle, the cookie was chewy for days, and it wasn't too sweet-- meaning I could eat five of them in a sitting on not even notice it.

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar, plus additional for rolling
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup molasses
2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375.
Cream together the butter and both sugars. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and molasses.
Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls and roll in sugar. Drop onto baking sheet, at least two inches apart.
Bake for 11 minutes.

Tuna Caesar Salad

2012-01-26T20:20:00.000-08:00

You know those days when you don't have enough time for anything? Well, here's something quick to whip up (assuming you like eating vegetables). This really is a no brainer meal, meant for the nights or days that you don't want to wash a million dishes. The tuna is loaded with protein to keep you full until the next meal. For once... something without a stick of butter! Hey, I can be healthy, sometimes.

1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
1 can of tuna, drained
1/2 avocado, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 lemon wedge, squeezed
2 tablespoons caesar salad dressing (more or less, according to your liking)

Toss all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl until evenly coated.

Baked Apples

2012-01-23T02:03:00.000-08:00

After a day of long flight delays, all I want to do is eat a bowl of ice cream topped with warm baked apples. Something about freshly baked apples just comforts the soul-- and that's exactly what I need. San Francisco's weather has been kicking my butt lately. All I wanted to do was get home in time so that I can visit my bestie tomorrow, but nope... apparently mother nature had other plans for me.

I'm really bummed that I won't be going to Utah since I'm long overdue for a visit and I miss my BFF so darn much. Plus, I had a bunch of baked goods to bring with me. Bahhh excuse my ranting. A 5 hour work day turned into 16 and I'm a bit tired.

I'll get right to the point: Baked Apples. Warm. Cinnamon-y. Simple. Just as good eaten with a fork as it is served with ice cream. Bam.

Ingredients

3 fuji apples, peeled and thinly sliced
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch
juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 420 degrees.
Mix all of the ingredients (except for the last) together in a bowl until apples are evenly coated. Cube the butter and scatter on top of the apples.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Chocolate Marshmallow Cake

2012-01-17T23:44:00.000-08:00

Planning a Disney World trip is by far harder than any other trip I've planned. New York, I can do. Seattle, a breeze... but out of all the options in Orlando? Whoa mama! Talk about overload. I've already spent hours researching different hotels around the area in a budget price range. I have yet to find one that has it all. Bummer. Until then, I'll catch up on my Desperate Housewives; I'm only on season three!

How cute is this cake? I love the look of the marshmallow topping with the light fudge layer on top. Heck, I could eat the chocolate-y topped marshmallows on its own. Overall, the cake is extremely moist and very sweet. I'm talking overload sweet. If you can't handle eating spoonfuls of sugar, then I'd only recommend eating a bite instead of a whole piece. I mean, you've still got to try it! Recipe from Made.

1 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
Chocolate Satin Frosting (see recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Boil the water and keep it simmering.
Mix the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and beat together.
Add the 1 cup boiling water and carefully stir until the water is mixed in; beat for 1 1/2 minutes.
Pour the batter into the 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 35-38 minutes.
Make the frosting while the cake is baking. When the cake is done, pour the warm frosting over the hot cake.

CHOCOLATE SATIN FROSTING

1/2 cup butter
6 Tbl buttermilk (or use 6 Tbl milk mixed with 1 tsp vinegar)
4 Tbl cocoa powder1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups marshmallows (optional)

Cook the butter, buttermilk, and cocoa in a medium saucepan. Stir constantly, just until it comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat.
Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat with a wooden spoon until frosting is nearly smooth (remember to stir every now and then while the cake bakes).
Put the marshmallows on top, then evenly pour the warm frosting over everything. Cool to room temperature before serving

Chicken Bacon Pasta

2012-01-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

I'm having Disneyland withdrawals. So naturally, what do I do? Start planning a trip for a Disney World trip in May! My DB and I have never been, so it'll be a fun celebration after my DB's first year of law school. I started researching hotels and trip plans, and my goodness.. there's a lot to plan! Does anyone have any tips on hotels to stay at or places I must see/eat while in Orlando? Or any tips on how to save on admission? Thanks in advance!

Here's an easy weekday meal that takes 20 minutes to prepare. You can never have enough pasta recipes in your life. True story. In all honesty, the cream cheese makes the pasta quite heavy.. a little too heavy for me. That's coming from a girl that'd be fine with a bit of butter and parmesan cheese on her pasta. Recipe from Plain Chicken.

Ingredients

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and roughly chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 pound penne pasta
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 whole eggs
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 grilled chicken breast, sliced

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Heat heavy cream and cream cheese in a small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
Add the parmesan cheese, eggs, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and pepper and whisk until blended.
Drain pasta (reserving 1/2 cup of hot water) and return to pot. Immediately add the sauce and gently fold until the pasta is coated. The hot pasta will cook the eggs. Stir in the bacon, and add some reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce. Serve with grilled chicken.

Mango Pineapple Smoothie

2012-01-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

Good morning! There's nothing like a smoothie to kickstart your day. Well, besides coffee. I know we're far away from summer, but that doesn't mean we can't pretend that the hot weather is still here. Even though I'll have to drink my smoothie wearing three layers of clothes and wrapped in two blankets, it'll be worth it.

I got my ingredients from Trader Joe's. They have the best frozen fruit year round. Again, this recipe is rough. Just play with the ingredients until you get your desired taste. Enjoy!

1 cup frozen pineapple
1 1/2 cups frozen mango pieces
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons sugar
a couple of ice cubes

Throw all your ingredients in a blender and blend away! Taste and adjust to your liking by adding more milk/ice cubes/sugar/whatever floats you boat.

PS! I got an Iphone for Christmas from the DB and now have jumped on the Instagram bandwagon. Feel free to follow me on there @kimberlywyn. I can guarantee lots of food pictures. :)

Crockpot Chicken Adobo

2012-01-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

Man oh man oh man oh man. While making this recipe, I realized that I'm afraid of something else in my life... a fully uncooked chicken. I'm terrified of it. I don't even know where to start. How do people deal with the skinning, the emptying, the pulling, all the extra stuff? My mom cooks meat all the time and nothing phases her. Eyeballs? Gone. Beaks? More flavor. I have no idea how she does it. She's a miracle worker.

I, for one, have cooked my first and last whole chicken. The prepping process took me over half an hour. Is that normal? I'll be sticking to my precut chicken breasts from now on. I'm really not meant for the cooking world.

Aside from the chicken parts, this recipe was full of flavor. It had a kick to each bite with quite a bit of tart. My favorite parts of the dish were the cooked onions and carrots. Recipe from who else, but Crockpot365!

3 to 5 pounds of chicken meat (I used a whole chicken. Next time I will use boneless pieces.)
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 large yellow onion, sliced in rings

Directions

Marinate the chicken overnight in the refrigerator with the salt, pepper, soy sauce, garlic, and vinegar.
In the morning, dump the chicken on top of the carrots and onions in the crockpot. Make sure the crockpot is big enough for your chicken!
Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5. Make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked before serving.

Banana Almond Pancakes Topped with Nutella

2012-01-03T21:35:00.000-08:00

2012! How has your new year kicked off so far? I'm not one for new year resolutions, but how about more posts this year than last year? I can work with that.

I started this year with a fresh stack of flapjacks, so it only makes sense to share with you a pancake recipe. As always, I had browning bananas on the kitchen counter and had to find a use for them. Since I wasn't planning on eating them soon, I tossed them into a pancake batter and slathered them with Nutella. These pancakes are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or any meal in between! They turned out to be a little on the flatter side, but the taste was spot on. The recipe makes approximately 12 pancakes.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup almond meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping

1 tablespoon nutella
half a banana, sliced
a pinch of sliced almonds

Directions

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Add the bananas, buttermilk, eggs, honey, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the dry mixture and stir until just moistened. A couple of clumps are okay!
Scoop the batter by 1/3 cup onto a pan over medium heat. Once bubbles start to appear, carefully flip the pancake and let the other side cook for another minute or two.
Spread your desired toppings on top of the pancakes and eat away!

P.S. Have you ever used this stuff? It's one of the greatest things I've ever stumbled upon I hardly use buttermilk, so I end up throwing a lot of the fresh carton in the trash. It's such a waste! With this, I can have buttermilk on hand at all times, without having to worry about an expiration date (well, right away, anyway).

You just mix this powder with some water and voi-la! You've got some buttermilk for baking.

2011 Recap and a Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T09:32:00.000-08:00

As I did last year, I'm recapping my favorite desserts from each month in 2011 (which is probably not going to help your new year's resolution). Enjoy!

January: Cinnamon Roll Cake. Tons of butter = ultimate satisfaction.

February: Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies. Cookies inside of cookies.

March: Nutella Cheesecake Gooey Cake Bars . Hearty bars. My kind of dessert.

April: Buttermilk Biscuits. A lot of work, but the result is fluffy piece of buttery goodness!

May: Star Wars Brownie Roll Out Cookies. Hmmmm. I need to use these again.

June: Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins with a Cheerios Streusel. Cheerios party!

July: From Scratch Funfetti Cupcakes. No words needed.

August: Cake Batter Bars. I would say this is my favorite recipe of all of 2011. That's quite a statement, so if you haven't tried them yet, get on the cake batter bandwagon!

September: White Chocolate S'mores Gooey Cake Bars. Condensed milk MAKES this dessert.

Also from September: Nutella Puppy Chow. So I cheated and chose two from September. Since this doesn't require an oven, it didn't count.

October: S'mores Brownies. Tired of seeing s'mores yet?

November: Peanut Butter Blondies with Chocolate Sunflower Seeds. The ultimate soft bar.

December: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. One of my favorite cookies.. and I don't even care for peanut butter!

Actually, December was filled with great cookies, so check the archives out!

This year has been an enormous year of growth for my blog and me, and I look forward to seeing you all in 2012! Thanks for you continued support throughout the years. Wishing you all a safe and happy new year!

Day 12: Chocolate Oreo Cookies

2011-12-24T00:07:00.000-08:00

Day 12 of my 12 days of cookies: Hurray! We made it to the end. Thanks for following along this month with my never ending cookie posts. Since my Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies were such a hit, I had to end the 12 days of cookies with another recipe that ended up being one of my favorites.. the chocolate version!

I saw these Oreos while walking through the cookie aisle in Target and had to get them because 1. they were on sale and 2. they were decorated with winter designs. I'm such a sucker for themed food.

You know that the last cookie of the 12 days has to be a good one. This one lives up to all my expectations and then some. I loved seeing a bit of the red cream peeking out of the cookies; it's so festive! This is yet another chewy cookie that has a bit of a crunch from the Oreos. Recipe slightly adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, so you know it's good.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season celebrating it with the people that you love. Merry Christmas!

Ingredients

2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup dutch processed cocoa
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped Oreo cookies

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cream together the butter and sugars. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract.
Gradually stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder until just blended.
Fold in the chocolate chips and oreo pieces.
Drop cookie dough by 2 tablespoons (or larger if you want bigger cookies) and bake for 8-10 minutes.
When out of the oven, let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.

Day 11: Peanut Butter & Nutella Swirl Cookies

2011-12-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

Day 11 of my 12 days of cookies: I admit, there's a whole lot of peanut butter going on in this year's 12 days of cookies. Why? Perhaps those two giant sized family pack of Skippy at Costco was a bit too much for two people. Whoops.

I made these a while ago when I went wine tasting and everyone loved them. Maybe one day peanut butter and Nutella cookies will replace the cheese and crackers in wine tasting. If that were the case, I'd definitely go wine tasting a lot more. These cookies were sturdy, thick, and soft. They also had a bit of a crumb texture, but it's just the right amount. Try not to swirl the Nutella in completely.. you want ribbons of it going through the dough. Recipe from Delightful Bitefuls.

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Approx. 1/4 cup Nutella

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Cream together butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Gradually add the flour, baking soda and salt. Drizzle Nutella on top of the dough then swirl it through the dough with a butter knife.
Refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes. Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls and use a fork to gently flatten the balls and create a criss-cross pattern. P
Bake for 7-10 minutes.

Day 10: Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-12-20T11:10:00.000-08:00

I'm spending all day today putting together my annual holiday basket. I found the cutest boxes and wrapping from Crate and Barrel to put everything in. I'm going to have to lug everything with me back home since I'm only going to be home for such a short period of time that I don't have time to bake there. Let's hope I baked some sturdy cookies!

Day 10 of my 12 days of cookies: Chocolate on top of chocolate on top of chocolate... sometimes that's all a girl needs in life. I was asked to bake cookies for a friend's birthday and the only request was... you guessed it, chocolate. Since all my favorite cookies are made with a mixture of melting regular chocolate with dark cocoa powder, I figured this one fit the bill perfectly. The cookies had a flaky outside layer and a chewy inner layer. The amont of chocolate was enough to satisfy any chocolate craving. Recipe slightly adapted from Sweet and Savory Tooth.

2 2/3 cups (16 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's dark)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cold egg
2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Melt 2/3 cup of the chocolate chips in the microwave by heating in increments of 30 seconds and stirring in between. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and both sugars. Stir in the melted chocolate chips. Add in the egg and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt) to the chocolate mixture until just incorporated.
Fold in the remaining 2 cups chocolate chips.
Scoop tablespoon sized dough onto baking sheets.
Bake for about 11 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Day 9: Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-12-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

Day 9 of my 12 days of cookies: I truly think that any cookie made with peanut butter is impossible to screw up. The peanut butter gives the cookie such a wonderful texture that it's hard for anyone to decline. I mean, just look at that last picture. How moist and chewy can a cookie get? The original recipe called for peanut butter and chocolate chips, but I substituted white chocolate chips instead. I was getting a little tired of the semisweet chocolate and peanut butter combo and wanted to change things up a bit. Adapted from Sugar Cooking.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat together the butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Stir in the egg, vanilla, and milk.
Gradually mix in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt) into the wet mixture.
Stir in the white chocolate chips.
Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet and flatten slightly.Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Day 8: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

2011-12-17T10:43:00.000-08:00

Day 8 of my 12 days of cookies: To me, pumpkin isn't just for Thanksgiving. It's a year round kind of thing. I wish there were pumpkin lattes and pumpkin bread at coffee shops all the time, but since there isn't, I'll just have to keep the pumpkin flowing all year long by myself. Naturally, I love snickerdoodles and I love pumpkin, so combining the two made sense in my head. That leaves you with a gorgeous, fluffy cookie with an ever so slight hint of pumpkin. Adding the pecan on top just completes the holiday touch. Make sure to flatten the cookies slightly because they don't spread much.

Can you believe we're only a week from Christmas? It's coming up fast! I still need to get into the Christmas spirit.. *working on finding it*. Recipe From Amy Bites.

For the cookies:

3¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the coating:

½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
Dash of allspice

Topping (optional):

Approximately 48 pecans (one for each cookie)

Directions:

Cream butter and sugars together. Blend in the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg) to the wet mixture. Mix until just incorporated.
Cover and chill for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Mix the coating ingredients together and set aside.
Scoop the dough into 2 tablespoons sized balls and roll in the coating mixture. Place a pecan on top of the ball dough. Use the bottom of a flat, heavy glass to gently flatten the dough. Repeat for all the cookies.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Day 7: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-12-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

Whoo hoo! We have officially crossed the half way mark with ten days left to spare. That means there will be five posts in the next ten days. Are you ready for it? Have you started your holiday baking? I'll be doing all my holiday baking up north since I'll be working over the holidays, but I'll be flying everything home next week. Just because I'm not home for Christmas doesn't mean I can't deliver my annual holiday sweets!

Day 7 of my 12 days of cookies: Here's another simple recipe that's been fancied up a bit. The extra 5 minutes that you take to brown the butter really alters the taste of a normal chocolate chip cookie. The dough really held its shape during baking and didn't flatten out much, so use a cookie scooper to make your cookies uniform. The taste was great, but the texture itself was a bit harder than I'd like my cookies to be. Recipe from In the Little Red House.

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter (1 cup)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 lb chocolate chips/chunks
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Brown the butter by heating in a pan over medium heat and stir continuously. The butter will foam up. After foam subsides, small brown flecks will start to appear in bottom of pan.Continue stirring, until butter has reached a nice brown color.Turn the heat all the way down.Pour into a bowl and and refrigerate until solid again.
Cream the brown butter after it has solidified and the sugars. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
Stir in the dry ingredients: flour, soda and salt into the wet mixture. Fold in the chocolate and pecans.
Scoop dough into tablespoon sized balls and bake for 11-13 minutes.

Day 6: Chewy Nutella Cookies

2011-12-12T06:30:00.000-08:00

Day 6 of my 12 days of cookies: Yes, I am still working on my two Costco sized jars of Nutella. No complaints here! I'm "rationing" it more than I am "working" on it. Nutella is a gift from the Gods... the hazelnut Gods. They bake so well into desserts that I couldn't have a 12 days of cookies without having something Nutella on the list.

These cookies stayed chewy for days after being baked. They didn't thin out too much and remained sturdy, despite the fact that they were so soft. They crackled on the top and baked uniformly, having the same consistency from the middle to the edge. Recipe from Erin's Food Files.

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup Nutella
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cream butter with both sugars until light and fluffy. Stir in the egg, vanilla, and Nutella.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt into the wet mixture until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Drop the dough by tablespoons onto baking sheet and bake for 6-7 minutes.

Day 5: Toffee Blondies

2011-12-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

My 12 days of cookies remind me every year that it's that time to watch Love Actually, The Holiday, and Elf. Those three movies are on my must list for every Christmas. Do you have any favorites that you love? I'm also looking forward to New Years Eve, which comes out December 9th. The whole month of December should be dedicated to Christmas movies, cuddling, and eating baked goods. Bears get to hibernate, why don't we? :)

Day 5 of my 12 days of cookies: If you've been following my past 12 days of cookies, then you must know that it's never 12 days of cookies; there's always a bar or two thrown into the mix. Bars are just as good as cookies since they're easy to eat, not a hassle to serve, and a cinch to whip up.

These toffee blondies disappeared the moment I took them out of the oven. I cut them into small pieces so that I could feed more people. It was fine since the bars were so dense to begin with. One small serving is enough to satisfy the average person's sweet tooth. Note that I said average... for those like me who crave sweets 24 hours a day, you can handle more than a little sliver. Recipe is ever so slightly adapted from Just a Taste.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons salt
¾ cup toffee bits, divided
1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil.
Whisk the melted butter and both sugars together until smooth. Add in the eggs and vanilla.
Stir in the flour and salt just until moistened. Fold in a ½ cup of the toffee bits.Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon.Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of toffee bits over the top of the batter.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.Let the pan cool completely before removing and cutting.

Day 4: Mocha Almond Fudge Cookies

2011-12-09T07:22:00.000-08:00

Day 4 of my 12 days of cookies: Sometimes chocolate just isn't enough for us no matter how much of it we have. That's when my good friend coffee comes in. Not only does coffee bring out the chocolate flavor, but it gives you an additional boost to keep you going throughout your day. I never used to drink coffee, but I find myself adding a little more to my daily routine each year. My only peeve about coffee is that it stains your teeth! What a bummer.

Good and effective instant coffee is hard to come by (I don't own a coffee maker), so imagine my surprise when I actually discovered one that was strong enough to keep my DB alert throughout finals week. This one is from Trader Joe's and really stood out in the cookie after baking. Other instant coffee powders that I've used in the past seem to dissolve in the oven, but not this baby!

These cookies were bold. They definitely aren't for the light hearted. The almond adds a great texture to a somewhat fudgy cookie. Make sure not to over bake them or you'll end up with cakey cookies! Recipe from How Sweet Eats.

Ingredients

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons instant coffee powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped almonds
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

First roast the chopped almonds and cinnamon in a pan over low to medium heat for about ten minutes, rotating every now and then. Set aside.
Cream together the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
Add in the flour, cocoa powder, coffee powder, baking soda, and salt.
Gently fold in the chocolate chips and almonds. Refrigerate dough for at least two hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls and bake on sheet for 8-10 minutes.

Day 3: S'mores Bar Cookies

2011-12-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

I went out today and bought my Christmas cards to send out. That's my favorite part of the holidays.. using a ton of stamps and putting old school envelopes in the mailbox! Do you send out Christmas/Hanukkah cards?

Day 3 of my 12 days of cookies: Since my last s'mores cookie bars was such a hit, here's another variation that's just as good. The only thing that I shouldn't have done is use cinnamon graham crackers.. it really offsets the taste of the s'mores. Stick to the plain graham crackers no matter how much better the cinnamon one truly is.

What I loved the most is that the cookie baked perfectly into the shape of the graham cracker after cutting it. The graham cracker does soften while in the oven, but it still has a bit of a crispy bite. You can add more than one chocolate piece on top of each cookie if you like your s'more chocolate ratio to outweigh the marshmallow and graham cracker. Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients

11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ½ cups flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows
3 regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into pieces
1-2 packages graham crackers, broken into squares

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking pans with parchment paper. I used one 11x17 pan and one 9x13 pan but you can really use any sized pans you want.
Lay out graham crackers side by side on the pans as close as possible (they should be touching).For thicker cookies, use less graham crackers and more dough.
Cream together the butter and both sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla.
Gradually mix in the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon.
Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Place rounded tablespoons of dough on graham crackers about 1 – 1 ½ inches apart. Use your fingertips to slightly press down.
Bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven to press Hershey’s bar pieces on to the top.
Bake for and additional 5 – 7 more minutes or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. Make sure cookies are completely cool before cutting, otherwise you'll end up with a doughy mess!

Day 2: Almond Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-12-06T17:20:00.000-08:00

I just finished my first flight on the job and I absolutely LOVED it! Being in the air for 11 hours definitely takes its toll on you, though. I guess it's just something you get used to. My schedule's been off ever since I got home, eating my lunch for breakfast and popcorn for dinner. I wouldn't mind eating cookies for every meal...

Can you believe that on my first trip I forgot my wallet? I was freaking out because I was in another state without any money or my license. Thank goodness for the amazing crew because they made sure I was well taken care of!

Day 2 of my 12 days of cookies: A spruced up chocolate chip cookie with some additional health benefits from all that almond meal. These cookies were a little cakey, but they sure do beat eating almond butter from the jar. This was the first time I ever bought almond butter and will most likely be my only. It's got nothin' on peanut butter! The fastest way to use up something you're not fond of is by throwing lots of it into baking. The result? Something I would actually eat. Recipe adapted from Choco late and Carrots.

Ingredients

3/4 cup AP flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup ground almond meal (I got mine from Trader Joe's)
3/4 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup almond butter
8 ounces dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped (I used TJ’s Pound Plus Bittersweet chocolate)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Beat the butter and sugar together. Mix in the vanilla, eggs, and almond butter.
Stir in the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually stir in the almond meal and oats until just combined. Fold in the chocolate.
Scoop by the tablespoons onto your baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Day 1: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

2011-12-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year again.... My 12 days of cookies to keep you prepared for the holidays! Spread the cheer by baking something delicious for the people you live with, work with, see all the time. It'll make a world of a difference in their day, trust me!

I'm finished with training for work and am so relieved that I graduated! It was definitely a memorable experience and I already miss seeing everyone's faces every day. It's mind blowing how fast you can get attached to a group of people without even knowing it. Spending twelve hours a day with them for five weeks surely makes a difference!

My parents and aunt came up this weekend so not only have I been busy with work, I've been spending all my time with my family. I hardly ever see them since I moved up north, but I'm so thankful I'll get to see them a lot more now. Let's just say a weekend with my parents means good food 5 meals a day. Just what I needed!

Day 1 of my 12 days of cookies: Dark chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. These cookies were a HUGE hit. I used a cookie scoop to form my dough so they were all pretty uniformed and rose beautifully. The peanut butter I used from Trader Joe's is so good from the jar that it had to be exceptional in a cookie. If you're looking for a cookie to add to your baskets, look no further! Recipe from Spoonful of Sugar.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
2 cups quartered mini peanut butter cups (I used the dark chocolate ones from Trader Joe's)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Cream together the peanut butter and butter until well mixed.
Add in the brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda and mix until blended.
Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour just incorporated.
Carefully stir in the peanut butter cups.
Scoop out the batter onto the cookie sheets and bake for 6 minutes.

In case you needed more ideas, be sure to check out my last year's list of 12 days of cookies (and the year before!).

Peanut Butter Blondies with Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seeds

2011-11-26T16:03:00.000-08:00

We survived through the first food coma of the year and are quickly rolling around to the next (and my favorite!!). Christmas is especially my favorite holiday because that means I get to bake non-stop without looking like a crazy person. I'll just look like I'm caught up in the holiday cheer!

What's even better is that my friends over at Oh Nuts are on top of the upcoming season and sent me some goods to get my baking started. I love that you can choose your specific color of chocolate covered sunflower seeds or go for an assortment, like I chose to. Next time, I'll go for the holiday assortment to really kick my Christmas baking up a notch. Not only do they taste good, they make desserts look extravagant!

As for these bars, I had to bake them twice in a week since my DB devoured the first batch. I left a good chunk of the pan at home for pictures and asked my DB if he wanted me to leave any to eat. He replied, "Nope! I don't want any. I won't eat anything." When I came home from work, they were all gone and I was picture-less. The first thought that came through my mind was, "My blog! I have to blog about everything I make! How am I going to blog about these?!" So there I was, making them again, two nights in a row. Ohhhh the life of a food blogger.

It's okay, though.... the both times that I made these bars, they disappeared within 24 hours. That's gotta mean something, right? Recipe from Lindsey Yeo.

Ingredients

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup toppings (I used semisweet chocolate chips and chocolate covered sunflower seeds from OhNuts!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8″ square pan with foil.
In a mixing bowl, mix the butter, sugar, and peanut butter. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Gradually incorporate the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Spread batter in the pan and sprinkle toppings evenly over the top and press down a bit. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

2011-11-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Turkey Day, lovelies! I hope everyone is spending it with the people that they love the most. I'm thankful for each and every one of you, keeping my blog going even though I've been so distant this month. Thanks for the continuous support through my training! This is my first Thanksgiving being away from home so I'm spending it cooking and cleaning. Since I've been MIA the past couple of weeks, I had four loads of laundry to do. Eight dollars in quarters. Eeeep!

I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast and will be cooking turkey stuffed with apples and cranberries, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, cornbread, and green beans for tonight. Cooking is truly a labor of love (my DB's lucky I love him so much. Hah). Thank goodness I have Rihanna's new CD "Talk That Talk" to keep me company in the kitchen. I've been waiting for this CD to come out for weeks.

For dessert, pumpkin is a must! Unfortunately my DB is not a fan of pumpkin, so I did all my pumpkin baking earlier and gave them out at coworkers/law school kids. Instead of making the usual pumpkin pie tonight, try out this cake! I baked it in a 9x13 pan instead of the two 8" round pans, as recommended in the recipe from allrecipes. They're fudgy, dense, and came out more like bars instead of cake. Have a delicious dinner tonight!

TOPPING:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

CAKE:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup canned or cooked pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
First make the topping. In a small bowl, combine sugars and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the sour cream, pumpkin and vanilla; mix well. Combine the dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream mixture. Beat on low just until blended. Spread the batter into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with topping.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Corn Starch Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-11-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been so boring lately. Unfortunately, I'll be boring until the end of this month because my attention is elsewhere. Study, study, study!

Yes, you guessed it... another chocolate chip cookie. I saw this popping up all over Pinterest claiming to be the best chocolate chip cookies, so I had to test it out. Corn starch in cookies? I wonder what that does..

Let me tell you, it doesn't make anything better. If anything, it dries out the batter! They were extremely cakey (not the kind of texture I'm going for) and nothing special. But hey, I guess my favorite kind of cookie isn't everyone's! Recipe from Apple a Day.

Ingredients:

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixer, cream butter and both sugars. Add in the egg and vanilla.
Mix in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scoop dough into tablespoons and drop onto baking sheet
Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Spiced Up Ramen & Winner

2011-11-09T23:09:00.000-08:00

First of all, the lucky winner of the $50 Drugstore.com gift card is comment number 45, Melanie! I've sent you an email, so please check your mailbox and respond ASAP!

Next, I've pretty much been living out of a suitcase for the past week and a half because of training. I'm either staying in Burlingame or fighting traffic to get home and sleep/study... only to wake up at 5 AM the next morning and do it all over again. The last thing I want to do when I get home from a 12 hour day of training is cook. What's my solution? Instant ramen! There are so many things that you can do with a bag of ramen to spruce it up. Here's one of my favorite ways:

Ingredients

1 bag of Maruchan Instant Ramen, any flavor (I used chicken)
1 egg, beat
1 precooked sausage

Directions

Boil water as directed on package of ramen.
Slice your sausage and toss it into the boiling water.
Add the ramen and seasoning from package.
With the water still boiling, slowly pour in the egg until cooked.
Serve once the ramen is thoroughly cooked.

Baked Maple Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar

2011-11-02T23:49:00.000-07:00

Are you drooling yet? No? Okay, i'll keep going.

baked and flipped!

How about now?

If you're not drooling by now, then I'm pretty sure you're a zombie who only craves human blood.

Two words for you: Heck. Yes.

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. It's the first week of training and my schedule's been a bit hectic. Grappling through the 5 million cars during rush hours on the Bay Bridge, I haven't had a chance for "me" time quite yet. I really don't have any time right now either, but I needed a break from airport acronyms.

What's a great distraction from studying? Donuts. They're the ideal sweet treat/meal for when you're studying because they're cheap and quick. Unfortunately for me, the closest donut shop to my place is not one that I love. A lot of people rave about King Pin Donuts, but to me, it's just a tad too greasy and extremely heavy. I was determined to make my own. I ordered a donut pan on Amazon and two days later, I'm making my own donuts!

I ordered the Norpro 6-Count Nonstick Donut Pan (as pictured above) and cannot hype about it enough. My donuts baked and rose beautifully, while slipping out of the pan effortlessly. There was not even a tiny scrap that stuck to the pan. Can you believe it?! I might have to order myself a second pan for when I have guests.

This recipe from Cooking With My Kid played an important role in my first and successful attempt at making baked donuts. They were light, flavorful, and fluffy. You couldn't even tell the difference between these baked donuts vs the ones that are fried except for the lack of greasy flavor. I was surprised at how easy it was. If you're tired of sub par donuts, then I highly suggest making your own!

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 6 oz container of non fat organic vanilla bean yogurt
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons real maple syrup

3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter (melted)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl stir together egg, yogurt, oil, lemon juice, and maple syrup.oil. Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the hole. Gently fold everything together until just combined.
Divide batter evenly into a greased 6 donut pan. The batter will be pretty thick and airy.
Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a minute or two and then flip over onto a cooling rack while still warm. Use a pastry brush to butter your donuts and then dip each donut in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

2011-10-30T01:32:00.000-07:00

Happy early Halloween! What are everyone's plans for the holiday? Dressing up? I've always been a Halloween home body, giving out candy to kids that go trick or treating. I can't believe how fast this year is going! I'm already starting to listen to Christmas music on Spotify. What can I say, it gets me in the baking mood. Michael Buble's new Christmas CD is definitely a keeper!

As I've said before, I'll never stop trying chocolate chip cookies, regardless of how great of a recipe I have. This one was just different enough to entice me into baking. They're from Chic Life and are bite sized, cakey cookies. It's not very sweet on its own, so it's great for the ones missing a sweet tooth. The texture reminded me of a shortbread. If you like your cookies on the sweeter side, roll the cookie doll balls into sugar just prior to baking. This recipe is a keeper for many, but it just wasn't for me (only because I'm a fan of sweet sweets!).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 stick butter, softened/room-temp
1 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream together the butter and sugars. Mix in the egg and vanilla.
Add in the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Fold the chocolate chips into the dough and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Roll the dough into balls and bake for 10-14 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

2011-10-27T22:51:00.000-07:00

While wandering the aisles of Costco, I get tempted to buy things I might not need. Example? These dried tart cherries. They sounded good in my head, but by the time I got home and ate some, I was already regretting it. They were definitely too "tarty" for eating plain. My solution? Throw them in cookies! Cookies make everything better.

The cherries still stood out after being baked, but not as bad as straight out of the bag. If you're fan of a tart taste, then try these cookies. The dark chocolate tone down the cherries and the oatmeal finishes off your palette. They're not as thick as I'd like them to be, but that could be fixed by pulling them out of the oven just a bit earlier after refrigerating the dough. Recipe from Showfood Chef.

Ingredients

1 cup oatmeal
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick (8 Tbls. butter)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup dark dried cherries, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Beat the butter, both sugars, and vanilla until creamy. Stir in the egg.
Add the flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until just combined.
Gently Stir in the chocolate chips and dried cherries.
Scoop out cookie dough in tablespoon sized balls and place on a baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Take them out and let them cool for five minutes before removing from pan.

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

2011-10-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

You know what the worst part is about seeing scary movies in the theater? Loud teenagers, people that laugh (either cause they're immature or because they're too scared to shut up), and the ones that shout out loud whatever they're feeling. I went to go watch Paranormal Activity 3 this past weekend and I'm pretty sure my experience was ruined because of that. I need to go re-watch it in my own peace and quiet so that it can really scare the crap out of me.

End rant. I say po-tay-toes, you say po-ta-tows. Potatoes are probably the easiest thing to cook. You basically just slice and dice, coat and roast. My DB inhaled these and said that they were delicious. It probably helps that there were no green vegetables in sight. I served them with a breaded chicken-- recipe coming soon!

Ingredients

4 medium potatoes, rinsed and diced
4 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
couple grinds of fresh black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
4-5 tbsp parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pour the potatoes into a baking dish.
Drizzle olive oil on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle the rest of the seasonings on top. Use a large spoon to evenly coat all of the potatoes.
Bake for 45 minutes, making sure to move the pieces around every 15 minutes.

Spinach & Mozzarella Pizza

2011-10-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

I have over 250 terms that I have to memorize by November 1st for training. It's been a while since I've had to study for something, so I'm a little rusty with my habits (which explains why I'm blogging and re-watching the first season of "The Walking Dead" right now). I made flashcards and took advantage of the app "studydroid" on my phone, but I don't feel like that's enough. Do you have any study tips or routines that help you get the brain flowing?

While I'm asking you for advice, I've got another question. I've asked this on my twitter and facebook already, but perhaps I'll get some more tips here. I'm required to wear some makeup for my new job, and I don't know a THING about makeup! What's your favorite brand of lipgloss, blush, mascara, and foundation? I'll be taking notes and a trip to Sephora is in the near future.

You know those lazy days where you don't want to cook dinner? Make a pizza! I cannot stress how easy Trader Joe's makes it for you. They sell three different kinds of pizza dough in the refrigerated aisle: regular, wheat, and garlic. I used wheat for this one, but my favorite is the plain dough.

It's also really important to use a pizza pan when making this, as I have experimented with numerous shapes of baking sheets. The perforated pizza pan allows the crust to completely cook through, ensuring a crunchy bite.

Spinach & Mozzarella Pizza

Ingredients

1 package of pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joe's
olive oil
half a jar of pizza sauce from Trader Joe's
2 tsp minced garlic
fresh mozzarella, sliced
a handful of fresh spinach

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Follow the directions on the bag of pizza dough-- Let sit for 20 minutes before stretching it out to fill the pizza pan.
Drizzle the olive oil on the rolled out dough and spread evenly.
Pour the pizza sauce on top and cover the dough, stopping about an inch from the edge.
Evenly sprinkle the minced garlic. Add the mozzarella and top it off with fresh spinach.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted and the crust is lightly browned.

Betty Crocker's Apple Crisp

2011-10-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

My DB and I decided to make a surprise visit back home this past weekend because I didn't know when I'd be able to come home next with my busy schedule coming up. It was a wonderful weekend filled with family, eating (LOTS of it), and getting my fix of the cutest nieces and nephew in the world. It was my DB's nephew's first birthday party and I just couldn't miss it. I'm so glad that we didn't because kids grow up so darn fast! The next time we come home, they'll be taller than me!

It may officially be fall, but it sure doesn't feel like it yet-- up north or back home. I made an apple crisp to kick off the season and I ate it while watching my favorite shows start back up: Dexter, The Walking Dead, and Fringe.

I may or may not have been a little lazy and left the peel on, but I would never ever do that again. DEFINITELY PEEL YOUR APPLES BEFORE BAKING! I cannot stress that enough in an apple crisp. This recipe is your standard apple crisp, but it always hits the spot. I love the topping to apple ratio in this.... plenty of topping and just enough apples! From Betty Crocker.

Betty Crocker's Apple Crisp
Click here for a printable recipe

Ingredients

4 medium tart cooking apples, sliced (4 cups)
3/4cup packed brown sugar
1/2cup all-purpose flour
1/2cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/3cup butter, softened
3/4teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4teaspoon ground nutmeg
Ice cream, if desired

Directions

Heat oven to 375ºF.
Spread apples in an 8x8 pan. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients except for the ice cream until well mixed; sprinkle over apples.
Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with ice cream.

Junior Mint Cupcakes

2011-10-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

I was playing the game "never have I ever" with a couple of friends the other night and was intrigued by all the information I learned about others. Here's a couple of facts that you may not know about me:

I've never had a manicure or pedicure.
I've never broken a bone.
I've never been skiing.

Have you ever done any of those? As for breaking a bone, it's definitely a boy thing. Most girls haven't done it and most boys have. What's something you've never done?

These cupcakes come from Domestic Fits and turned out beautifully. The cupcake rose with ease and the frosting was the perfect consistency for piping. The cupcakes were a little lighter than I'd hoped, but the taste was spot on. I used dark cocoa instead of regular cocoa, which explains the darkish color.

Ingredients

Chocolate cake:

2 2/3 cup flour
1 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used hershey's special dark cocoa)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cup of brewed coffee, cooled
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 sticks of unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups of sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

Mint Buttercream:

2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp natural mint extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Line 24 muffin tins.
In your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the vanilla, eggs, buttermilk, coffee, and vegetable oil. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Mint Buttercream

In a stand mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy.
Mix in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Slowly beat in the milk and mint until you get a smooth consistency. You can add more powdered sugar or milk depending on your taste.

Slow Cooker Pork Roast

2011-10-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

I pretty much got eaten alive by a mosquito the other night. I slept with the window open during a rainy night. We don't have any screens since we live in a pretty old building, so it was my fault for wanting to sleep with the window open. I just love sleeping to the sound of rain!

As I was blissfully sleeping, a mosquito feasted on my blood. Sorry for the visual. I woke up with... wait for it... TEN mosquito bites! I'm not even joking. Two of those bites just so happen to be on my face. Lovely! So then with me being me, I decided to google the heck out of mosquitoes.

Did you know that mosquitoes are attracted to the smell of carbon dioxide? That's how they find us and that's the reason why they're always buzzing around our heads. Also, the only mosquitoes that draw blood are females! Mosquitoes normally eat nectar as a part of their diet, but the females need the protein from blood in order to lay eggs.

Now that I've officially grossed you out, let's get to the meal. I'm really new at buying meat, so I'm completely lost about what cut is good for what. I usually just stick to ground beef and chicken breasts. Although this was fun to go out of my comfort zone, I think I'll stick to my normal meats. Don't get me wrong, this was good, but it wasn't amazing. But then again, I'm not really a fan of pork. I guess that makes me a bad judge. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think!

Slow Cooker Pork Roast
Click here for a printable recipe

Ingredients

2-3 pounds of pork loin roast
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 package of Lipton's dry onion soup mix
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced.
half an onion, chopped
ground black pepper

Directions

Whisk together the soy sauce and onion soup mix until dissolved. Pour into bottom of the crock pot.
Add the pork and pour enough water to halfway cover the roast.
Sprinkle a bit of black pepper on top.
Cook on high for 6 hours.
When it has been cooking for 2 hours, add in the potatoes and onions.

S'mores Brownies

2011-10-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went on a glorious wine tasting trip with some Boalties. It's such a blessing to be living so close to the city, college life, suburbs, mountains, AND wine central! Just a hop, skip, and a jump and we can be in any of those places in a heartbeat.

Speaking of hop, skip, and a jump.. I was actually reminded of those phrases when I interviewed with Virgin America. And guess what... I GOT THE JOB! Well, I was invited to training, meaning I have to pass all the tests before I'm considered an in-flight team member aka flight attendant. Can you believe it?! I'm more than ecstatic!! I'll be starting training on the 1st.

To celebrate the good news, I'm sharing a good recipe. Everybody loves s'mores and brownies, so combining the two together only makes sense. Using the boxed mix makes the recipe easier, but the doctored up part makes it look especially homemade! You can sub the boxed mix for your favorite from-scratch brownie recipe if you wish, but it isn't necessary.

S'mores Brownies
Click here for a printable recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
pinch of salt

1 brownie mix box

3 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8x8 pan with tin foil.
First, make the crust. Mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Press into the bottom of the lined pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Prepare the brownie mixture as listed on the box. Pour the batter over the baked crust and bake per directions on the box, about 35-40 minutes.
Remove pan from the oven and change your oven setting to broil. Sprinkle the mini marshmallows on top of the baked brownies and pop back in the oven for a minute or two until the marshmallows lightly brown. Make sure to keep an eye on it because this process happens very quickly!
Let cool completely and cut with a cold, wet knife.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Apple Muffins

2011-10-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

Note to self: Don't wait over 5 years for a doctor's check up. I had to go in to get a physical/TB test for working with kids and they seriously hit me with the big bomb. Since they didn't have any of my medical history from Southern California yet, they asked me a ton of questions and suggested that I get 4 shots and other "girl" check ups.

I'm up to date on everything BUT my shots so I figured that since I was going to get my TB test, why not get everything done at once? Terrible idea. The nurse asked me which arm I wanted to feel sore and which one I wanted to feel pain. I remember getting all my tetanus shots before going to middle school and didn't recall they were a big deal, so I told the nurse to do two shots in my left arm and one in my right. Boy, was I in for a treat!

My HPV shot was really painful and the tetanus shot left my arm aching for days! I don't remember shots hurting this bad. I have to do this two more times for my tetanus shots. I'm not scared of needles; I used to donate blood every 8 weeks back at UCLA, but holy cow! If you haven't gotten your tetanus shots in the past five years, think about doing so cause apparently it's a "new" one. It always is.

This muffins came out of the oven leaving me a bit wishful. Clearly, I added way too many apples since the batter::apple ratio was off. It tasted fine, but it was more like eating apple chunks lightly dipped in batter. Not what I was going for. I used three apples, but I'd recommend sticking to one! Adapted from Rather Be Baking.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Apple Muffins
Click here for a printable recipe
Makes 16 to 18 muffins

Ingredients

2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, divided
1 large egg
1 cup sour cream
2 large (or 3 small) apples, cored, and coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F and line 18 muffin cups.
Cream together the butter and sugar, and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Mix in the egg and sour cream.
Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until just moistened.
Stir in the apple chunks. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of sugar evenly on top of all the muffins.
Pour the batter evenly into the muffin cups. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Avocado Smoothie

2011-10-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

Avocados are my favorite fruit. I eat them in sandwiches, salads, dip, and salsa. I sneak them in whenever I can into every meal. They're full of Vitamin E and can help prevent diseases! Avocados also help lower your cholesterol. So yes, eat those suckers up!

I know what you're thinking. Avocado... as a smoothie?!? YUCK! That's what I thought, too.. until my pops made me one and forced me to drink it. Ever since then, I've been drinking them non-stop. You'd be surprised at how good they actually are. It scares people away at first, but once you muster up the confidence to try it, you'll be hooked (assuming you like avocados in the first place).

This is a pretty rough recipe since I don't really measure and just add more of whatever I think is necessary until I get what I want. Feel free to do the same, using this as a general guideline!

Avocado Smoothie
Click here for a printable recipe

Ingredients

1/2 of a hass avocado
1 cup of ice
1/2-1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon condensed milk

Directions

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add more sugar or milk until you get the desired consistency/taste.

Review: CoverGirl Lash Perfection Mascara & a Giveaway

2011-10-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

I was given COVERGIRL's LashPerfection™ mascara earlier this week to try out. Well, truth be told is that I don't know anything about makeup. I'm completely lost in that department. Usually, my dearest little sister does my make up/hair whenever I have something important to go to. Since I moved out, I figured 24 years old was about a good time as any to learn how to put on make up. Maybe.

I'm usually more of a "put on a little eyeliner and I'm good out the door" kind of girl. Eyeshadow? Useless. Cover up? I don't even know what category my skin would fall under. So when I got an offer to try Cover Girl's Lash Perfection Mascara, I figured I had someplace to start.

Not that I have anything against make up... I don't. It definitely gives you a boost of self esteem and even gives you the feeling of "rolling out the red carpet" if you don't wear it that often. Make up, with the help of my sister, has the ability to transform you and give you the confidence that you need for that big day.

What big day am I talking about? Wedding day, meeting significant other's family, birthday parties, a night out, or in my case... interviews. Sure, looks aren't everything, but first impressions are important!

This mascara had a large, easy to maneuver brush. It went on smoothly and remained clump free despite how many times I brushed over my eyelashes (yes, I did that just to test it out). The only complaint I have is that it kind of sticks throughout the day. Overall? The product is unbeatable for the price range.

While we’re on the subject of make-up and looking great, you might want to check out the Looking Your Best posts in the Life Well Lived section of BlogHer.com. There are some great application tips and ideas for switching up your look for fall! You can also check out other reviews here.

Want a chance to win a $50 gift card to drugstore.com? In the comments, tell me about a time when using makeup gave you the added confidence you needed for an important event in your life.

Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

Enter between October 4th – November 4th

Beef, Mushrooms & Green Beans

2011-10-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

I think I'm having serious withdrawals from authentic Mexican food. I haven't had a burrito in over 2 months. What's wrong with this picture? I used to eat at Campo's, my favorite hometown Mexican restaurant, at LEAST once a week. Now, I'm deprived of my bean and cheese burrito.

Anyone know of good authentic Mexican restaurants around Berkeley? Perhaps one to combat with Campo's unbeatable salsa?

Here's another easy dinner meal that takes about 20 minutes to prepare. I'm a fan of recipes that stick to around 5 ingredients, give or take. You get your protein, vegetables, and flavor, all in one. I served it with garlic mashed potatoes, which complimented the meal wonderfully, but you can also serve it over white rice.

Beef, Mushrooms, & Green Beans
Click here for a printable recipe

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup crimini mushrooms, washed & sliced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp oyster sauce
pinch of garlic salt
handful of green beans

Directions

Heat up a pot of water and boil the green beans for 5 minutes.
Warm up the olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the ground beef, oyster sauce, garlic salt and lightly brown.
Add the mushrooms to the pan and let the mixture sauté together.
While you're sautéing the mushrooms, strain the green beans.
When the meat has fully cooked and the mushrooms are soft, add the green beans and continue to cook for another five minutes. Take a taste and add more salt if necessary.

Brookies in Reverse

2011-10-01T01:09:00.000-07:00

I brought these to a potluck, but sadly, they were out-shined by another bar recipe that I brought (coming soon! hint: they had nutella). That doesn't mean that the brookies weren't good... it just means the other bar was breathtaking.

I've made brookies before, but the other way: brownie cookies. These are the reverse: cookie brownies. So perhaps these should appropriately be called crownies? Nahhh, that just sounds like a nickname for a crook. How can you go wrong with a brownie and a cookie? They're the most standard items in the dessert world. Combine the two and you've got simplicity at its finest. From Buns in my Oven.

Feel free to sub a boxed mix of brownies in instead of making it from scratch!

Brookie
Click here for a printable recipe

Ingredients
For the brownies:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the cookies:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions
For the brownies:

Melt the butter in pan over low heat. Mix in the sugar and stir continuously until smooth. Do not allow sugar mixture to boil.
Pour butter mixture into a a stand mixer. Mix in the cocoa powder, eggs, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla extract. Fold in the flour and chocolate chips until well combined.Set aside.

For the cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together the butter, both sugars, and vanilla until creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gradually beat in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour the brownie batter into a greased 9 x 13 dish. Drop small spoonfuls of the cookie dough on top of the brownie batter.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the brownie portion comes out mostly clean.

Totally unrelated, but I learned how to do a fishtail braid. I was so excited that I even made a video to share with you! I originally shared this on my style blog. I apologize in advance for my frozen face the last ten seconds. Feel free to skip over that part, I'm a newbie.

Chicken Carbonara

2011-09-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

Did you guys know that the Pixar's headquarters is in Emeryville? That's literally a ten minute drive from my apartment. I found this out the first month that I moved up here and became a giddy child. As if you don't already know, I adore Pixar. I watched this documentary on their building a while ago with my jaw on the floor the entire time because I was in awe of the amenities provided in their work space. They have secret passageways that lead to bars/little lounge areas! Just a quick google of "pixar building" and you can see what I mean.

Ever since then, I've been trying to see if there's any way I would be able to tour it. It's pretty exclusive, so unless you work there or know someone that does, there's not really a chance of you being able to get in there (like Disney's Club 33). So I did what any normal person would do: I looked to see if they had any job openings. Unfortunately for me, they were not in search of a baker, just plain ol' graphic designers. What a bummer.

Until then, I'll be filling the void in my life with precious carbs. This dish will do the trick to zap you out of your sorrows. I've never made anything with pasta besides using pre-made sauce, so this dish was a step up for me. Little did I know it would be so easy! Making a cream based pasta is not as hard as it looks. The next time you're reaching for that jar of Prego, give yourself 15 more minutes to make this dish instead. I promise you won't regret it!

From Return of the Yummy

Chicken Carbonara
Click here for a printable recipe
Serves 2

Ingredients

8oz dried spaghetti (I used fettuccine)
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
2 slices of strip bacon, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup regular or heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
pinch of black pepper
salt to taste

Method

Cook pasta in boiling water with a bit of salt as per directions on package. Let it cook until just before al dente -- it will continue cooking a little more in the sauce, so you don't want to overcook or it'll become too soft.
In a pan, cook the chopped bacon. When almost crisp, add the minced garlic and cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and save for later.
Whisk together the egg yolks. Stir in the whipping cream, milk, and cheese.
Just when the pasta is almost before al dente, put the bacon and garlic back on low heat and add in the chicken.
Using tongs, carefully add the cooked pasta over the chicken (without straining). The pasta water that comes over will help thicken the sauce because of the starch.
Take the cream mixture and pour on top of the pasta. Gently toss everything together, until the sauce has thickened. Add black pepper. Do NOT heat so high that the sauce boils; this will cause the sauce to separate.
Taste it, add more salt if necessary.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

2011-09-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

I've never been a big breakfast fan. By breakfast, I mean eating food before 10 AM. I love eggs, cereal, waffles, oatmeal, etc..., but I usually eat it in the evening. I guess that makes it brinner?

I never ate breakfast as a child and still rarely do to this day unless I have the whole day to myself. It's a terrible habit, I know. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day bla bla bla. I get it. I should eat breakfast. I'm a horrible person.

If someone made me these pancakes every morning, however, it'd be a completely different story. I'd be up at 6AM with a fork in hand, ready to devour a stack of flapjacks. The cinnamon swirl caramelizes on the outer rim, giving a sweet crunch in each bite. They were sweet enough to eat enough on their own, but you could also sprinkle some powdered sugar or maple syrup on top if you really need a sugar rush in the morning. From Recipe Girl.

P.S. I updated the "About Me" section (FINALLY!), so feel free to check it out and let me know a little more about yourself!

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Click here for a printable recipe

PANCAKES:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

CINNAMON FILLING:

1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

First, make the pancake batter. Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually whisk in the milk, oil, and egg until just combined. Make sure not to overmix-- Lumps are okay!
Now make the cinnamon filling. Mix all the ingredients together and pour into a ziploc bag. You want this mixture to be very liquidy.
Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. Cut off the corner of your ziploc bag of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip over and cook until just browned (an additional 1-2 minutes).

Snickerdoodle Muffins

2011-09-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

I'm currently reading Lunch Wars by Amy Kalafa and it has really got me thinking about food. I realized that ever since I moved up to Berkeley, I haven't had any fast food. Zip, zilch, nada. How is that possible? Back home, I went to McDonald's almost everyday for their iced coffee or Del Taco for their churros. I'd say 90% of my meals are eaten at home now that I'm living on my own, which is mind blowing to me.

In Berkeley, I would never get in my car just to go get a snack somewhere. I hardly drive (with the exception of work and grocery shopping) because it's such an inconvenience. Parking is a hassle and there's really no need because we have everything in walking distance. It's funny how quickly we adapted to the environment without even knowing it.

Now look at these muffins. How can you ever look away? They're so... fluffy! Being a fan of the cinnamon sugar combination, these babies are a winner in my book. Actually, a little more cinnamon sugar would have been the cherry on top. These were incredibly light. Literally. I could be holding five muffins and would think that I was holding one. That means you can eat five, right? Recipe from Very Culinary.

Snickerdoodle Muffins
Click here for a printable recipe

Instructions

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk

For the Topping:

2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Put 18 liners in the muffin tray
In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
Add the sour cream and buttermilk and mix to combine. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until smooth.
Using a cookie dough scoop, drop a scoop of batter into the bowl with the sugar/cinnamon. Gently roll the batter in the mixture. Place the ball into the muffin liner.
Sprinkle the leftover sugar/cinnamon mix on top of the muffins.
Bake the muffins for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Salsa Chicken in a Crockpot

2011-09-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

My food matches my thai iced tea with boba drink!

This is the lovely crockpot we got from my DB's sister. I'm slowly learning how much of a lifesaver this thing really is.

How it looks before adding the sour cream.

Oh, the beauty of leaving all your items in a pot and walking away for the rest of the day. It's glorious. This is a pretty basic recipe and a great starter for your crockpot. The results are delicious. The taco seasoning is the star of this dish, so don't you dare omit it!

I went for a run the other day and oh boy, I have a lot to work on. I do admit that I'm not the world's biggest fan of running. I don't understand how people can run 10-15 miles a time like it's nothing. I run two miles and I'm beat (and ecstatic that I even ran that much in the first place). I'd much rather be active playing sports, games, or running around playing with kids.

Which reminds me... did I ever tell you that I'm the YMCA's new youth volleyball instructor? I get to work out and play with kids at the same time! Win win. It's really important to be active in your daily lifestyle. Go hiking, go white water rafting, go camping, play some outdoor volleyball... whatever you fancy, just do it! I'm taking REI's Outdoor Pledge. What is that, you ask?

The Outdoor Pledge is a challenge from the outdoor outfitters at REI to help people get outdoors with their family and friends. As part of their ongoing efforts to inspire, educate, and outfit people for a lifetime of outdoor adventure, REI invited 10 BlogHer reviewers to take the Outdoor Pledge. I'm being compensated by BlogHer to help spread the word. Take The Outdoor Pledge, and leave a comment on each blog for the chance to win a $100 REI gift card to help your family get outside! You have 10 chances to win! Please see the BlogHer.com round up page to see all the posts and enter.

Salsa Chicken in a Crockpot
Click here for a printable recipe

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cream of mushroom
1 cup salsa
1 package taco seasoning
3/4 cup sour cream

Directions:

Pour in the can of black beans so that it's touching the bottom of the pot.
Put the chicken, cream of mushroom, and salsa in the pot. Sprinkle taco seasoning on top.
Cook on low for 6 hours.
Pull the chicken out after 5 hours, shred, and return back into the pot for the last hour.
Stir in sour cream right before serving.

Lazy Girl's Chocolate Chip Blondies

2011-09-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been HOT. Apparently, the hottest weather for Northern California happens from the end of September-November-ish. How weird is that? I'm used to pulling out cardigans and sweaters when these months roll around. Up here, I'm taking off clothes. Literally. Maybe I should have brought my tower fan from back home.

With the raising temperature, it's always a hassle to do anything in the kitchen. Thankfully with this recipe, there's no scooping out dough, forming into uniform balls, or baking multiple batches. You just mix everything in one bowl, pour it all in one place, and walk away. Well, you gotta come back to take it out of the oven, but you get my point.

As you can tell from the first picture, I seriously under baked mine. To me, they were perfect. If the first picture scares you, then leave the bars in the oven for a little longer. I took these pictures straight out of the oven, while they were still warm and gooey. If you let them sit overnight, they'll toughen up a bit so they're not falling apart in your hands. Whatever you do, just make sure not to over bake them. This recipe is ever so slightly adapted from Eat Live Run.

Lazy Girl's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Click here for a printable recipe

Ingredients

1 cup AP flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 stick butter (melted)
1 egg
1 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8"x8" pan.
Cream together the melted butter and sugar. Add the egg, vanilla and salt and stir again.
Gradually mix in the flour until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into greased pan.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.

Nutella Puppy Chow

2011-09-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

Here are the only ingredients that you need. The cereal I used can be found at Trader Joe's.

You know what... I spend a lot more money on groceries than I thought I would. I don't know if it's because boys eat a lot more than I expected or if it's because I get a little too excited when I'm at the grocery store and start throwing unnecessary things in my cart. It probably doesn't help that I like to have a fully stocked kitchen at all times.

How do you budget? I don't have a Sunday newspaper anymore like I used to back home, so there goes a majority of my coupon cutting. Sure, you can print out coupons online, but that's such a pain in the butt!

Until I figure that out, I'll keep chomping away on my puppy chow. Have you ever heard of puppy chow? I was surprised by the amount of people that didn't know what it was! I lived off this stuff in middle school, yet my DB had never heard of it in his life.

Traditionally, puppy chow is made with peanut butter instead of Nutella, but this version is just as great (if not better!). I saw this idea from Healthy Tasty Chow and adapted it to my liking/what was on hand in my kitchen. Just keep it stored in an airtight container and you can munch on it for days.

Nutella Puppy Chow
Click Here for a Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 cup Nutella
1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
13 cups (more or less) or one 12oz box of hearty wheat/corn/rice cereal like Chex – try to find a hearty version so it doesn’t break down when stirring
2-3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

In a pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and chocolate chips, stirring constantly.
When all is melted and smooth, remove from heat and stir in the Nutella.
Slowly pour the chocolate Nutella mixture over cereal in a large mixing bowl. Wash your hands and use them to stir everything together until fairly evenly coated.
Wash those hands again and add the cereal to a gallon sized ziploc bag.
Pour in the powdered sugar and shake, starting with 1/2 cup at a time. You want to make sure everything's coated, but not too sweet!

Chunky Monkey Smoothie

2011-09-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

I slice my ripe bananas prior to freezing them so they're easier to handle.

As usual, all my ingredients are from Trader Joe's, including my 19 cent bananas.

Throw all your ingredients in the blender and blend away.

Aren't these cups fancy? I adore glass cups that are made for coffee/hot drinks. You can never have enough glasses when you're a food blogger. I got these at TJMaxx, where I spend nearly 3 hours on every trip. Ridiculous, I know... but when I shop, I make time to search and rummage through each pile for the best deals.

I thought I'd try something new and include a printable recipe with each post. I'm not sure how to include it for previous posts without going through each one separately, so for now it will just have to be for future posts. Does anyone know a way to make it so that I can add a print button to all of my recipes without being too strenuous?

This is a very simple smoothie with only five ingredients-- all of which I'm sure you already have on hand. To make it really "Chunky Monkey," I'd throw in a couple of walnuts next time to complete the flavor. In case you don't know what Chunky Monkey is, it's Ben & Jerry's flavor of ice cream, as mentioned in my previous post here.

Chunky Monkey Smoothie
Click Here for a Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 large frozen bananas, sliced
1/2 cup plain vanilla yogurt
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Instructions:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies

2011-09-12T00:08:00.000-07:00

Question. How many of you gals (or guys) reading this know how to tie a tie? I'm talking about the windsor or half windsor knot. The majority of the guys I ask have no idea how to tie their own tie, including my DB. Yes, that means I tie his tie for him anytime there's a formal event.

What's up with that? Even my dad doesn't know how to tie a tie. He keeps all of his ties knotted, hanging in his closet so that he can just re-adjust it and slip it over his head. Maybe it's because our generation is so laid back; Boys hardly wear ties on a daily basis anymore so there's no need to learn how to make a knot. Such a shame-- ties are so cute on boys! I'd wear them all the time if I was a guy. Maybe.

Now onto the cookies.. they were not too shabby. If you like peanut butter and chocolate, then yes, you'll enjoy them. If you don't really care for that combination, then you won't really care for these cookies (like me). I did like the look of the hidden peanut butter center, though.

from Picky Palate

For the peanut butter center:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg

For the chocolate cookie:

2 sticks softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's special dark)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
First make the peanut butter centers. Mix the three ingredients together until smooth. Set aside.
Beat butter and both sugars until creamy. Add in the eggs and vanilla.
Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into the wet mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
First roll peanut butter cookie dough into about 1 tablespoon balls with your hands. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop chocolate dough on top and on bottom of peanut butter dough. Pinch together on the sides, until the peanut butter dough is covered.
Place onto baking sheet and bake for 14 to 16 minutes.

Caramelized Pecan Banana Bread

2011-09-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

I think I've fully adjusted to living in the bay area. It took a month, but I'm pretty sure I've got a good chunk of it down.
--I love being able to walk from my apartment to go shopping, the post office, the grocery store, or grab dinner.
--The radio stations in my car are set to Nor Cal stations.
--I actually go out to bars here every once in a while because I love the crowd (not to drink, though. I'm pretty much a grandma. And by crowd, I mean my DB's classmates).
--I bring a sweater or scarf with me everywhere because no matter how hot it looks outside, that breeze will kill you.

But the things I'll never get used to?
--Calling the BART just plain ol' BART.
--Worrying about parking everywhere I go.
--Seeing Giants gear everywhere instead of my dear Lakers.
--The word "hella."
--My nearest Nordstrom Rack & Forever 21 are a half hour drive away from me.

I'm sure there's plenty to add to both lists, but let's talk about this banana bread.

This banana bread was delightful. The caramelized pecans really did add a sweeter crunch to the bread. In retrospect, I probably should have added some kind of streusel on top. Banana bread is just ten times better with a topping. The bread was sweet without being overly sweet, heavy without being too dense, and about as moist as can be. I'd recommend adding a touch of cinnamon next time I make these. From What Katie's Baking.

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

For the Caramelized Pecans:

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup pecan halves
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two medium loaf pans or one large loaf pan.
For the caramelized pecans: Melt the tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the sugar, pecans, and cinnamon, and mix until evenly coated. Set aside and let cool.
For the banana bread: Mix together the sugar and butter. Add eggs and stir. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla, beating until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Add in the nuts. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake smaller loaves for about 1 hour, large loaf about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Pesto and Mozzarella Panini

2011-09-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

Some days, I just want an easy lunch. What do I do? I make a good ol' panini with my cast iron grill pan (courtesy of abuela).

All you need is these 5 ingredients. How simple could it be?

I got all my ingredients from Trader Joe's. Their fresh pesto and mozzarella are so gosh darn amazing. You could try subbing spinach for the arugula or even adding some meat to the sandwich. My DB's sandwich has turkey, but I like mine just the way it is. Don't get me wrong, I'm a meat girl, but sometimes I crave my greens!

2 slices of a thick, rustic bread
2 fresh slices of mozzarella
a handful of arugula
1-2 teaspoons pesto
about a teaspoon of butter

Turn on the stove to medium heat. Place both slices of bread on the pan, buttering the top side.
Flip both pieces over and spread the pesto on.
Add the mozzarella to one slice, sprinkling with arugula.
Take your other piece of bread and put it on top of the arugula, butter side up.
Using a spatula, press the sandwich down a little bit, so you get the nice grill marks.
After a minute or two, flip the entire sandwich over and repeat.

White Chocolate S'mores Gooey Cake Bars

2011-09-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

I hope you are all enjoying your labor day! I spent mine at a potluck and poolside. It was glorious-- minus the fact that the pool was -49 degrees... celsius. That didn't stop me from getting in the pool, though. Call me crazy, but I just miss my pool back home!

Here's a little twist on your usual s'mores. Instead of using regular milk chocolate, this recipe calls for white chocolate. The bars were very rich, so I cut them into bite sized pieces prior to serving. The top remained gooey and the bottom was chewy with a crispy center. You have the best of all textures in one little bite. Imagine that.

I'm Vietnamese, so the condensed milk drizzle was like the cherry on top for me. I can eat that stuff straight from the can. The best thing that goes with condensed milk? Toasted french bread. Don't diss it until you try it yourself. Recipe from Picky Palate.

1 box yellow cake mix
1 large egg
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
4 1/2 full graham crackers
10 ounce bag white chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure that it goes up all the way on the sides of the pan.
Mix together the cake mix, egg, and butter with hands until a nice, thick dough forms.
Press half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer with graham crackers, white chocolate chips, then marshmallows. Top the mixture with remaining dough and press evenly. Drizzle condensed milk on top.
Bake for 28-33 minutes, until completely cooked and golden brown on top. Remove from oven.
Let the bars cool for 5 minutes, and then remove the bars from the pan, using the aluminum foil.
Cool completely and use a knife that has been run under hot water (do after every couple of cuts) to cut into pieces.

1st Birthday Smash Cake & a Winner

2011-09-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

I was asked to make a smash cake a while ago for my DB's niece's first birthday. I said yes on the spot, not really thinking about it. Afterwards, I was questioning what I'd gotten myself into this time. I may be a baker, but I am definitely not a cake decorator. Heck, I hardly even bake cakes!

Browsing online for ideas, I saw this tutorial on YouTube and figured that it would be the best route for me. It still looked gorgeous and the idea of it was pretty simple. Thank goodness that this cake was just a mini one because I don't know if I could have handled a large one!

The cake was far from perfect (as you can see), but I was quite pleased with it. Too bad it was so hot out on the day of the party that half of the frosting melted off! Just my luck.

To me, baking and decorating cakes are time consuming and stressful. I know it gets better with practice, but I'm just too scared to start practicing! Maybe I should invest in a couple of cake decorating classes...

And now for what you've all been waiting for: the winner of the apron/giada giveaway is....

Congratulations Tiffany! Keep an eye out in your inbox for mail from me. Thanks to everyone for spreading the word!!

Chicken, Green Beans & Rice

2011-09-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

Does that even look appetizing? I promise that it was. I figured out that baking is much more convenient than cooking for a blog because by the time dinner's done, there's no light out to take decent pictures. With baking, I can take pictures right away if I bake in the morning or wait until the next day for the sun to come around again.

At first, the sauce looks like it won't thicken once you add it in, but it will with time. Just keep the heat on medium and stir until it all comes together.

My DB ate this, not knowing that it was made with cream of mushroom.. another success (minus the fact he ate around all the green beans)!

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2-3/4 cup of milk, depending on how thick of a sauce you want
a handful and a half of frozen green beans (like my measurement there?)
salt and pepper to taste

Thoroughly cook your chicken and shred (I just boiled it since it's pretty low maintenance).
Put your cooked chicken in a pan over medium heat with the cream of mushroom, milk, salt, and pepper.
Let the sauce thicken, making sure to stir every now and then.
Add in the green beans and cook for an additional five minutes. Keep stirring!
Serve over rice.

P.S. Writing directions for cooking is completely different from baking directions. I'm working on it.

Baked Cinnamon Breakfast Bites

2011-08-31T00:02:00.000-07:00

This was the first thing that I baked at my new apartment. Can you tell that I wasn't used to my oven yet? My oven here in Berkeley bakes at lightning speed and I wasn't prepared to have things done 10 minutes ahead of time. This means my batch of baked cinnamon breakfast bites didn't turn out as planned. The bottom of the bites burnt and they came out a bit dry. Totally my fault, I should have paid more attention.

I subbed whole wheat flour for the AP flour in the recipe, which I definitely would NOT recommend doing. Stick to the AP flour. I would also add more than 2 tablespoons sugar into the dough next time I make these since they weren't nearly sweet enough for me. Slightly adapted from Oh My! Sugar High.

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup crisp rice cereal, coarsely crushed
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted

Mix together the flour, crushed cereal, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl.
Cut in the butter with a fork until it's crumbly.
Gradually add in the milk until just moistened.
Roll the dough into approximately 1 inch balls.
Mix the 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon in a separate bowl. Drop balls into melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.
Place balls onto a lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Chewy Graham Cookies

2011-08-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

I loved all your responses in my last post! Apparently one of my blog readers even tags bathroom stalls with my blog URL. I wonder what truth there is to that comment... Actually, I'm even more curious as to who came to my blog from a bathroom stall display. Anyone? Anyone? Didn't think so.

I just noticed today while cleaning the kitchen that I had a drawer underneath my stove. You can imagine how ecstatic I was to learn that I had MORE kitchen space! I don't know how I missed it the first time around. I guess I'm not used to electric stovetops with drawers built in.

These cookies didn't really taste like graham cookies at all. They tasted more like a softer snickerdoodle with a hint of honey. I was bummed that they weren't what I was going for, but everyone else devoured them thinking that they were snickerdoodles, anyways. As long as you don't bake these with the expectation of making a s'more, you'll be pleased.

From My Kitchen Addiction

For the cookie dough:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

For the cinnamon sugar coating:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375°F
Cream together butter, both sugars, and honey. Mix in the egg and vanilla.
Add baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and flour.
In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon for the coating.
Shape the dough into 1 tablespoon balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar coating.
Place on cookie sheet, at least two inches apart, and bake for 9-10 minutes, until slightly golden.
Let cool on sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling sheet.

Cake Pops & a Giveaway

2011-08-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

Cake pops. The baking world just can't get enough of them.

(excuse the phone picture quality in this photo)

I was asked to bake something for a birthday; how could I say no? Baking really is my passion. From the little decorating details to the labor of love put into each treat, I can't get enough.

You can see my previous cupcake pops and bouquets here, here, and here.

Because it's Friday, because I love you guys, and because it's my birthday, I'm doing a giveaway.

You'll be getting all this goodness from Crate & Barrel. I went shopping on my birthday just to pick out these treats for you guys: A vibrant apron, the cookbook Giada at Home, an individual cupcake to-go container, and burger basket liners (that I normally use for cookies and picture taking). Don't you feel special? We can learn how to cook together!

What, a giveaway on my birthday? That doesn't even make sense.

Of course it does! You see... I'm too old to be receiving gifts, so I figured that I'd give a gift away instead. On my birthday, it's everyone's birthday; We all get to share in the love.

My blog would be nothing without word of mouth. Especially in these last few weeks, I've never felt more grateful for you guys and for your support. Thank you!!

To enter this giveaway, I want you to spread the word. Tell a stranger, post it on Facebook, tweet about it, write an email... however you choose do it, tell others about this giveaway or my blog. Leave a comment telling me how you chose to spread the word and an email address for me to reach you at. A link to your status update is a plus! Giveaway ends a week from today, Friday, September 2nd, 2011 at 11:59 PM Pacific time and a winner will be chosen via random.org. Open to US residents only, sorry!

Good luck!

Blueberry Banana Smoothie

2011-08-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

Not only do I post "real" food recipes now, I also do drinks! I got a little inspired with having my own kitchen, my own refrigerator, my own blender, yada yada yada...

After a long workout (not me, the DB), it's always nice to have a refreshing cold drink. I keep plenty of frozen fruits on hand so that I can whip up a smoothie in a matter of minutes. Smoothies are usually no more than five ingredients, which make them easy to make and store. You can freeze the extra and save it for later if you don't finish the batch in one sitting. Happy blending!

1 cup frozen blueberries
2 frozen bananas, sliced
1 cup of vanilla yogurt
splash of milk
3-4 ice cubes

Throw everything into a blender and mix until desired consistency. You can add more milk if you don't want it as thick.

Cake Batter Bars

2011-08-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

I apologize in advance to anyone out there currently on a diet or trying to lose those ten pounds. Look away while you still can! Hmm.. I probably should have written that before the pictures. I guess we're all doomed. My bad.

My DB started his first day of law school today! I'm so proud of him. I've had the pleasure of meeting a few of his classmates and can honestly say that he couldn't be surrounded by a better group of people (not to mention that I've found my guinea pigs to eat all the stuff I bake :). Hey, who said cookies don't make friends? The way to anyone's heart is through the stomach; that's just common sense.

I baked these bars back when I was on a cake batter kick with the cake batter cookies and cake batter rice crispy treats. These were, hands down, the best out of the three. It was like having cake batter melt in your mouth. Is that even possible? Cause it is now. Slightly adapted from Fake Ginger.

1 1/4 cup funfetti cake mix
3/4 cup AP flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 heaping tablespoons sprinkles of your choice (I used stars)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8 x 8 inch pan.
Cream both sugars, butter, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk.
Gradually mix in flour, cake mix, and baking soda until just mixed. Stir in sprinkles.
Spread batter evenly into greased pan.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until top is lightly browned and middle still jiggles slightly. Cool completely before cutting.

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

2011-08-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Tell me... do you prefer pancakes or waffles? I'm more of a waffles kinda gal, but without a waffle maker, I'll have to settle for pancakes. I've made pancakes from scratch once in my life before this batch. Can you believe it? Hey, I warned you guys I was a rookie with the stovetop. I wasn't kidding.

Notice anything different from these photos? Yup, I've started adding a watermark. A total bummer in my opinion.. it definitely wasn't something I wanted to do. I was browsing Pinterest earlier and noticed one of the pictures from my blog. I clicked on the link and was taken to a blog for "healthy recipes" with my food picture, but a completely different recipe attached. First of all, my recipes are definitely not the healthiest. I even have a recipe that uses 3 sticks of butter! Second of all, to use one of my pictures and link a completely different recipe to it? Not cool. Not to mention that there was no credit.. I guess there's only so much you can control with the internet now and days.

/End rant. These pancakes were soooo fluffy (Despicable Me, anyone?)! I used whole wheat flour and do admit that it gave them a different flavor and texture. They tasted healthier. Who knew that pancakes could taste healthy? My DB ate 6 pancakes over a span of three days. Refrigerate them after they're cooked and microwave them for a minute and a half the next morning. This recipe comes from AllRecipes. Feel free to add a handful of chocolate chips or blueberries to jazz them up!

3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
cooking spray

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk egg and butter into the buttermilk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Carefully flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2011-08-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

As I promised, a real food recipe! Now I've officially added savory to my blog of sweets. Say hello to garlic mashed potatoes.

Dicing potatoes. There's so much prep work in cooking. Uffff... I don't know of I can get used to this.

Boiling.

Draining.

Throw it all into your handy dandy Kitchenaid and let it do the work.

Not bad, huh? I think you're normally supposed to mash the potatoes by hand, but I don't own a potato masher so my fallback was my Kitchenaid. She's always there when I need her. The result? A creamy, buttery bowl of goodness.

Mashed potatoes are like the chocolate chip cookie of the baking world. You can add mix-ins and it's still forgiving. It's hard to make bad mashed potatoes. If it's too thick, add more milk. Want it even thicker? Use sour cream instead. Don't like herbs? Add bacon. Want it richer? You guessed it.. add more butter. Experiment your tender heart away, using this recipe as more of a guideline than a "to the T" recipe.

6-7 medium russet potatoes
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 cup of milk
1 stick of butter
2 tsp salt (plus additional for boiling)
dash of pepper

Peel the skin from potatoes. Dice each potato into 16 pieces (cut into half and then cut each half into 8th's)
Place the diced potatoes, minced garlic, and a generous pinch of salt into a pot filled with cold water.
Bring the water to a boil and then cook the potatoes on medium heat for approximately 25 minutes, until the potato is easily pierced with a fork.
When the potatoes are done cooking, drain and let sit. While sitting, melt the butter in a pan and stir in the milk. Bring to a simmer and pour it into a Kitchenaid bowl with the cooked potatoes.
Turn the Kitchenaid on low and gradually work the speed up to medium. Add the salt and mix until creamy.
Take a taste and adjust appropriately to your tastes. I topped mine with an oregano/parsley mix.

Banana Cream Cheese Muffins With Crumb Topping

2011-08-12T15:28:00.000-07:00

Isn't it fascinating how something so ugly can transform to such a beauty? Here's a test question for you: Caterpillars are to butterflies as browned bananas are to....

... banana cream cheese muffins with crumb topping, of course! Things are only what you make of it, so make sure to keep a positive outlook on life (that's my blog lesson for the day).

Beating together the batter.

The cream cheese mixture, which came out quite liquid-y for me.

The beautiful crumb topping with plenty of cinnamon.

Before baking

And after. Let them cool a bit before removing the muffins.

Then, get it naked!

It surely is a beautiful thing.

The cream cheese layer kind of disappeared into the batter (I'm guessing because it was so runny), so I'd increase the cream cheese amount to 8 oz next time. Besides that, this recipe was a winner. Wonderfully sweet, soft as a pillow, and ideally moist. Not to mention that I'm a sucker for a good crumb topping.

From How to Simplify

For the muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the cream cheese filling

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg

For the crumb topping

1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin pan.
Mash the bananas and beat together the bananas, sugar, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract. Gradually stir in the 1 1/2 cups AP flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until just moistened.
Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups (leave a little batter to top the cream cheese filling).
Make the cream cheese filling by beating all of the three ingredients. Pour a tablespoonful of the cream cheese filling onto the batter in each muffin cup. Top the cream cheese with the remaining muffin batter.
Now, for the topping, use a fork or your hands to mix the topping ingredients together until crumbly. Sprinkle the topping evenly the batter.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I also received some wonderful personalized labels from BuildASign. I was able to choose my own colors, fonts, sayings, pictures, and size. Completely custom signs, how useful!

I received some 3"x5" and some 2"x4" decals to use for labeling goodies as I give them out.

I could also write recipes on them and give them out. The possibilities are endless! I love that it's a personal touch from my kitchen. Create your own signs here-- they even make signs as big as 4 x 8 FEET!

Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

2011-08-11T00:22:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to report that I am not a horrible mess in the cooking department. I've officially been away from home for over a week, which means that I am forced to start learning how to cook and experiment on the stove rather than in the oven. My DB definitely has nothing up his sleeve in the cooking department, so it's all on me. I mean, I can't eat dessert for every meal. I might die of malnutrition. Maybe....maybe not. My point being-- You can look forward to real food recipes coming soon.

I've loved having all this free time with my DB. We've been sleeping in for who knows how long, catching up on Fringe (the TV show... totally addicted, btw), spending hours in used bookstores, eating breakfast at 1PM, and running random errands to get things that we forgot to bring. As lovely as that schedule sounds, I'm ready to get back into an organized routine. To start, I'll get into a more consistent blogging schedule. I've already started that on my other blog!

These cookies will help you bounce back into it. Soft, chewy, and chocolate-y, they'll shock anyone back to life. I got this recipe from Itsby Bitsy Foodies.

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups oats
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and both sugars. Mix in the vanilla and eggs.
Stir in the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda until just incorporated into the batter.
Gradually add in the oats and chocolate chips.
Drop the dough by tablespoons onto a baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes or until they are just set.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

2011-08-05T23:19:00.000-07:00

Hello. My name is Kim. I graduated from UCLA, have 7 years experience working with kids and clerical/front desk work, was supervisor of a museum store, and bake whenever I'm bored. Want to hire me?

Hah! I wish it was that simple. I've been on the job hunt ever since I moved up here on Monday. Okay, I know that you don't normally find a job in a week, but here's to wishful thinking! Patience.. patience.. patience. My goal is to turn in an application a day, in hopes of finding a job that will suit me. Until then, I'll bake my little heart away.

I've always been a fun of coffee cakes; they're light, versatile, and easy to pack. The best part? The crumb topping! My cake may look a little off to you because I baked it in a bundt pan rather than a tube pan. Note to self: Bundt pans are not made for inverting twice. It doesn't really matter what it looks like, just as long as it tastes good. And oh boy, this coffee cake tasted like a buttery soft cloud of joy.

From The Meaning of Pie.

Streusel: (you will divide this between 2 bowls)

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1 cup pecans, chopped

Mix together the flour, both sugars, and cinnamon. Take 1½ cups of this mixture and set it in a separate bowl. This second bowl will be for the inside of the cake and I will call it LAYERING streusel. In this second small bowl of layering streusel, add an additional ¼ cup of brown sugar and mix it in. Set aside.
Add the butter and pecans to the original bowl. This will be the TOP streusel. Using a food processor or your hands (the best tools in the kitchen!), work the butter into the TOP streusel mixture until all of the topping is moistened. Set aside.

Cake:

12 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ sticks)
4 large eggs
1½ cups sour cream (divided use)
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2¼ cups all purpose flour
1¼ cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10 cup tube pan. In a bowl, combine the eggs, 1 cup of the sour cream and the vanilla.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt for about 30 seconds. Next, add the butter and 1/2 cup remaining sour cream and mix on low until just combined. Turn up the speed of the mixer to medium and mix for an additional 30 seconds.
Slow down the mixer and add the first egg and sour cream mixture in 3 separate additions, beating for 30 seconds and scraping the bowl after each addition to make sure everything is combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for an additional minute.
Add 2 generous cups of batter to the bottom of the prepared tube pan and spread it evenly. Evenly sprinkle half of the LAYERING (not nuts) streusel on top of the batter. Add one and a half cups more of the batter on top of the streusel. Sprinkle on the rest of the LAYERING (no nuts) streusel. Top with the remaining batter and sprinkle on the TOP (with nuts) streusel.
Bake for approximately 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan to a rack and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes before removing.
Re-invert it so that the streusel side is on the top.

Zucchini Bread

2011-08-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

Zuchinni.. Zuchini... Zucchini.. ahhh, I definitely would have gotten kicked with that word at a spelling bee. Come to think of it, I've only been in a spelling bee once and it wasn't on purpose. In second grade, I remember trying to spell "chimpanzee" wrong in the qualifying round on purpose so that I wouldn't have to compete with kids outside of my classroom, but I spelled it right on accident. Imagine my surprise! You bet I spelled the first word wrong in the official competition so that I could sit down and get away from the audience. Hey, I was young. And scared. Being in front of people was so not my thing. It wasn't then and it isn't now.

Speaking of grade school... the first time I made zucchini bread was in my first grade classroom. We were given the ingredients in a ziploc bag and were told to mix it by shaking, pinching, doing whatever our heart desired to get it done. We gave back our ziploc bags to the teacher and she returned it as a mini loaf twenty minutes later. All I remember back then was pure heaven. Curious as to if I still loved it as much as I thought I did, I gave it a go in my kitchen.

Sure enough, the results were just as how I remembered it. Don't worry, it doesn't really taste like zucchini. My DB even ate a bite and he HATES vegetables!

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

Butter two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix together the eggs, oil, apple sauce, vanilla, and both sugars in a large bowl.
Add flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon into the mixture.
Gently stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until toothpick omes out clean.

P.S. As of today, I'm officially a Berkley-an! Whoo hoo! I'm still working on putting together my apartment, but here's a sneak peak at one of my cubbies on my Expedit bookself, courtesy of Easy Canvas Prints:

Remember my brownie roll out cookies? Well, I decided to choose one of the pictures from that shoot for my canvas because 1. my DB loves anything Star Wars (can't you tell by his bobblehead?) and 2. the background matched my tiffany blue themed kitchen.

The canvas was smooth, the perfect size, and even better than I expected. The colors seemed a bit darker than my actual photo, but it wasn't a big deal. I loved the mirroring method on the sides of the canvas. If you want, you can make your own canvas print here. Enjoy!

The Best Dark Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

2011-07-25T17:39:00.000-07:00

One more week. I'll only be home for once more week before I officially move out a week from today. How crazy is that? I'm excited and nervous at the same time; Excited to be moving in with my DB, in a city we're both unfamiliar with and nervous to start the whole job application process all over again. Days are flying by with weddings, first birthday parties, and soaking up some valuable time with my friends before I'm gone. If you want to stay posted with my move, check out my other blog: A Pile of Style. I'll be posting pictures of how I decorated my apartment soon!

I haven't baked with oatmeal in cookies for a while (thanks to the bf), so I figured that I was long overdue for an oatmeal recipe.... not that oatmeal cookies are my favorite, anyways. I'd take a chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, or sugar cookie over it any day. These were thinner than your normal, hearty oatmeal cookie, but they were still enjoyable. White chocolate does go better with oatmeal cookies than regular chocolate, though. Just sayin'.

This recipe comes from Showfood Chef.

1 cup oatmeal
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick (8 Tbls. butter)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I chopped up a bar of dark chocolate)
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Cream the butter and sugars together. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again until well mixed.
Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Once blended, add the oatmeal, chocolate chips and cranberries until just combined.
Refrigerate the dough for at least two hours.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Scoop spoonfuls of the dough onto a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

My Must-Have Kitchen List

2011-07-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

This post is going to be a bit different from the usual. I just moved into my apartment this past weekend (but came back home for my friend's wedding and will be officially moving out the first), so I thought it'd be fun to compile a list of my kitchen necessities. Moving out, I realized that there's plenty of accessories that you take for granted, like a can opener or kitchen towels. You kind of forget they're there because they always have been. Does that even make any sense?

Moving out gave me an empty palette; Start from scratch and buy everything that I need in order to furnish my own kitchen. Here's a list of the basics that made it into my kitchen:

Rubbermaid 24 Piece Container Set:: This is something I never would have remembered if it wasn't for seeing a steal online. Where else would you store leftovers?

Pyrex Measuring Cup:: Used for every recipe in the kitchen, pyrex measuring cups are my favorite because they're durable, made out of glass (no leftover residue, smells, or grease!), and have bold, red lines that are easy to read.

Corelle Dishes:: This set above is actually the exact set I bought online for my kitchen. Since my kitchen's theme color was going to be a "Tiffany" blue, these fit right in. Corelle dishes are also a favorite because they're shatter resistant, lightweight, and last forever. I've never had any other brand of dishes in my household besides Corelle and that's for a dang good reason. I can't tell you how many plates my family have dropped! Good thing they don't break easily... unless you're using a hammer or really trying. Plus, since I'll be living with my boyfriend (who isn't exactly the most coordinated person, on earth), these will survive. I bought mine from Walmart online and had them shipped to store for free. I've found that Walmart has the best selection of Corelle dishes.

Nordic Ware Baking Sheet:: I've used many baking sheets before, but these aluminum pans are the ones I have had the best luck with. They evenly bake my cookies with no burnt bottoms or sides. I actually bought these pans in 2 different sizes so that I could bake/cook different sized items.

Silpat Sheets:: Siplat sheets are a lifesaver in the kitchen. They keep your mess from getting all over the place, protect your sheets, and are quite versatile when you need more counter space. They wash easily and can withstand a lot of abuse. Plus, they come in a ton of different sizes to fit your needs.

KitchenAid 17 Piece Starter Set:: Well, this one's pretty self explanatory. All the stuff you need to cook with in one pack. How convenient.

KitchenAid Knife Set:: Hey, you have to cut stuff up sometimes, too.

Cuisinart Stainless Steel 7 Piece Cookware Set:: I really don't know anything about pots and pans because this isn't my speciality, but you definitely need some in a bare kitchen.

Farberware Bamboo Cutting Board:: I've always been a fan of bamboo cutting boards over the regular plastic ones. They're easier to clean, less greasy, and look nicer. Done deal.

Keurig Machine:: I actually got this as a gift for Christmas from my DB's mom and it's one of the greatest inventions ever. Sure, it's a little pricy, but it's totally worth it. For just my DB and I, there's no need to make a whole pot of coffee.... one cup will do just fine. Annnndddd, they have a ton of different flavors to please everyone! My personal favorites are the Cafe Mocha (which tastes just like a dark hot chocolate) and Chai Tea Latte.

Black & Decker Toast-R Oven:: I've always had a toaster oven in my house and my DB never did until he met me. I personally don't understand how people can live without one. They're so convenient! Crisp up some cold pizza, toast your entire sandwich, or make some french bread without wasting all the gas to turn on your oven.

KitchenAid Artisan 5 Quart Series:: And of course... we have the Kitchenaid. How can any kitchen live without one? It's made my life so much easier. Since my mom wanted to keep the other Kitchenaid I had, I bought a new ice blue one for myself... to go with the kitchen, of course! I did a lot of research debating between the Artisan and the Professional series, but I ended up with the Artisan again because of the price and the quality. Apparently there really isn't that much of a difference between the Professional mixer and the Artisan one.

Is there anything that I missed/must have? What's your favorite kitchen item? Feel free to shout them out in the comments!

Cake Batter Cookies

2011-07-11T00:43:00.000-07:00

Things are finally beginning to wind down. Did I tell you that we found an apartment up north? My DB and I took a trip a couple of weeks ago to find a place to stay and I was getting a little worried looking at the open houses. College students sure live... like college students. Just about when I had almost given up hope, we walked into a beautiful, completely remodeled apartment in a homey, cabin-like building that's conveniently located right next to the school--- perfect for the both of us! My DB and I both knew the moment we stepped foot into the living room that this was it. We filled out the application, put the deposit down, and walked away with peace of mind.

Well, that was a couple of weeks ago and I'll actually be moving everything up this Friday! We'll be getting away from "carmageddon" with the 405 being closed this weekend. I'm not sure how I feel about the 6 hour drive in a U-Haul truck, but you do what you gotta do.

I was on a cake mix frenzy after making these and still had 3/4 of a box of batter to use. Lucky for me, I stumbled across this recipe from Stephanie Cooks. I loved the idea of replacing some flour with cake mix to make cookies and was intrigued if the cookie still held the funfetti flavor. Sure enough, the cookies still tasted like the cake batter... Just what I wanted! The only thing is that they turned out a bit flat. Perhaps increasing the baking soda and adding a pinch of baking powder would do the trick. I baked half the batch without chocolate chips and the other half with chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup funfetti cake mix
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Cream together the butter and sugars. Mix in the egg yolk, egg, and vanilla until creamy.
Add in the flour, cake mix, and baking soda.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Refrigerate for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350.
Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheets.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are golden.

Happy 4th of July:: From Scratch Funfetti Cupcakes & Vanilla Buttercream

2011-07-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Sprinkles!! Can you guess what I did with them?

Cupcakes, of course!
First, you have to get some festive sprinkles for the holidays (I found these at Homegoods).

Bake your cupcakes and then whip up some frosting!

Here's how I chose to frost mine: Using an offset spatula, throw a slab of frosting onto your cupcake.

Then spread it to the rim. Don't worry if it gets all over the place, you just need to cover your top.

Holding your offset spatula at an angle against your frosting, spin the cupcake around so you get a slanted side, as so:

Dump some sprinkles out onto a plate (make sure they don't jump all over the place!)

And roll the side of the cupcake in the plate:

Voi-la! A much easier decorating method than piping (maybe not as pretty, but oh well, they all end up in the same place).

Peel and eat!

Happy 4th of July, everyone! I'll be spending mine bbq'ing by the pool in my red, white, and blue. What do you guys have planned?

With any party/get together, I'm expected to bake something. I decided to go all out and do what I hate doing... decorate cupcakes. Plus, I saw these sprinkles at HomeGoods and needed an excuse to buy them. I used jimmies to throw into the batter and nonpareils to decorate the tops. I decorated the cupcakes the lazy way, and provided a step by step on what to do (Is that something you guys would like more of--- step by step photos?). Hopefully that helps the decorator haters out there like me!

The cupcake itself was extremely moist and fluffy. It was a little on the sweet side for me, so I'd reduce the amount of sugar next time I make them. The buttercream frosting was actually good--- and I don't normally like buttercream. Though, I must admit that I added probably another 2 tablespoons of milk or so to tone down the powdered sugar taste. Frosting's forgiving.. add a little more milk and balance out with a little more powdered sugar until you get the taste you desire.

This recipe is slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is, which makes approximately 12 cupcakes. Have a safe 4th, everyone!

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup assorted brightly colored sprinkles + more for top of frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the milk. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients. Fold in assorted sprinkles.
Pour into cupcake tins and fill 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream

2 sticks of butter, softened
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of milk, if needed

Cream butter until it is completely smooth.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time.
Beat in the vanilla for 2-3 minutes.
If the frosting is too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. If it’s too thin, add a little more sugar until it thickens.

Chunky Monkey Bars & Winner

2011-06-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Before we get to the bars, I'm sure you guys are all wondering who the winner of the Shabby Apple giveaway is! Well, with some help from random.org, the winner is....

Tree! Congratulations! Keep an eye out for an email from me so I can get your contact information and size for the dress. :)

I was craving Ben & Jerry's "chunky monkey" one night and didn't want to drive all the way to the grocery store at one o'clock in the morning. Since I had the three main ingredients on hand, I decided to whip something up (not to mention my family somehow has a never ending amount of ripe bananas). Of course these aren't as good as the real thing, but paired with vanilla ice cream, they'd give them a run for their money. This recipe does make quite a bit, so cut it in half if you're not feeding a family of twenty.

These bars are very light-- they'd make a great breakfast or brunch snack to take on the go. The walnuts can be omitted, and the chocolate can be changed to white or milk... whatever floats your boat.

2 cups AP flour
1 cup oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup softened butter
1 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
4 very ripe, mashed bananas
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 oz chopped dark chocolate
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a rimmed cookie sheet with butter or oil.
Cream together the butter and both sugars.
Mix in the eggs, bananas, and vanilla until well blended.
Mix in the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until incorporated.
Stir in chocolate and walnuts. Spread into prepared cookie sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins with a Cheerios Streusel for a Cheerios Breakfast Bash!

2011-06-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

Remember the Cheerio Snickerdoodles I made a while back? Well, Cheerios caught wind and liked them so much that they asked me if I wanted to have my very own Cheerios breakfast bash, on them. That wasn't very hard to answer... A week and 8 HUGE packages later, this was what my kitchen looked like (with lots of help from my dad and BYU buddies that came to visit me this past weekend):

Can you believe that the boys actually twirled the streamers?

Everyone that came got to keep a Honey Nut Cheerios bowl, kazoo, recipe flip deck, bee antennas, and a t-shirt!

As for me, I got a sweet robe!

Then, all the cuties came and fell in love with BuzzBee.

Did you know that it would take 3,168,000,000 Honey Nut Cheerios to wrap all the way around the earth? Me either.

And we ate our hearts away...

BuzzBee wasn't the only charming fella...

It was so cute how into it my dad got. He really went all out and helped so much with the picture taking.

Also, special thanks to my DB for taking pictures as well!

Being a recent (errrrr maybe not so recent) college grad, I lived off this stuff. Cereal and milk.. perfect for any time of the day! I enjoy Honey Nut Cheerios so much because it's the perfect amount of sweet. When I was little, I used to add sugar to all my cereals (go figure). This is the only one I didn't touch!

Do like them on Facebook and check out their website... it has a lot of great ideas, including a recipe section which I recently just discovered. Did someone say more Cheerios desserts?

And of course, how can we have a Cheerios party without having a Cheerios baked good? I thought the Cheerios flavor would go well with pumpkin, so here's what I came up with:

They were a hit with the little ones!

I even took them outside and gave them to all my little neighbor kids (along with some kazoos).

The doughnut muffin recipes comes slightly adapted from the Food Librarian, while the streusel recipe was mine. I didn't completely crush the Cheerios in the topping, but I would recommend doing so next time. They became chewy if they weren't crushed all the way. Makes 24 muffins.

Muffins

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup buttermilk (I used regular milk)
splash of vanilla
1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin puree
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs

Cheerio Streusel

1 cup crushed Honey Nut Cheerios cereal
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a muffin pan.
In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
Whisk together the buttermilk and pumpkin puree. Set aside.
Using your mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add in the eggs and vanilla until mixed.
Stir in the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the pumpkin puree mixture. Do not overmix.
Spoon the batter into the liners until they are about 3/4 full.
For the topping, mix all ingredients together in a bowl with a fork until it comes together. Evenly distribute the topping onto each individual muffin.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

It was fun being able to act like a kid again for a morning. Thanks Cheerios for helping me do so!

Caramel Apples & a Giveaway

2011-06-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

My DB brought this monstrosity home the other day from the farmer's market for me. It's from Kelly's Coffee and Fudge Factory at the Northridge mall and it'll satisfy any craving you have in ten seconds. This, my friends, is a s'mores caramel apple. A granny smith apple dipped in caramel, then dipped in milk chocolate, and then topped with a graham cracker and swirls of white/milk chocolate. Glorioussss!

Speaking of apples...

My dear friends over at Shabby Apple wanted to do something special and give away a woman's dress right here on my blog! If you don't know what Shabby Apple is, it's an online vintage inspired boutique that sells just the cutest little pieces. I, for one, am in love with the bathing suits and aprons!

Don't even get me started on how cute the photo shoots are for each item. They really know how to put things together! The neutral top and white bottom just flow together effortlessly.

This one picture above is called the Spanish Steps, which I'll be giving away to one lucky reader. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post saying which item you'd love the most from Shabby Apple! You can also like them on Facebook for an additional entry.

For those that just can't wait and want to get their hands on one of their own, you can use the code "lovintheoven10off" to get 10% off your entire order.

This giveaway will end on Friday, June 24th at 11:59PM. US residents only! Good luck!

Marshmallow Monster Cookies

2011-06-08T23:00:00.000-07:00

I've got a bone to pick with you guys. With summer coming up in full swing, which sunscreen do you guys use? The spray or lotion kind? I'm usually a lotion kind of girl, but we recently bought the aerosol version since it seemed so much easier to apply.

Never again. The bottle lasted my DB and I literally 3 days. Not only that, but it doesn't quite spread everywhere. We both got burnt with zebra stripes on our backs/arms/legs, despite our efforts of putting it on twice in one afternoon. Ouch. So it's more expensive, doesn't last nearly as long, and isn't quite effective. I definitely won't be using the aerosol kind anymore. Am I doing something wrong or does it truly suck?

These cookies were wonderful. They were hearty with a good mix of peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate, and had a wonderful texture. They were thick and chewy, while the marshmallows were a nice addition to the mix. My DB even ate these and he HATES oatmeal! He barely noticed that they were even there. This recipe is adapted from Pinch of Yum and lives up to the "monster" name!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Stir together the flour, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl.
Cream butter and both sugars until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla.
Add the peanut butter and mix until smooth. Mix in the flour mixture until just combined.
Stir the oats and chips into the dough with a wooden spoon.
Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Push in 4-5 marshmallows into each cookie dough ball. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until golden.

Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

2011-06-01T02:12:00.000-07:00

Time has really been flying recently. Before I know it, it's been a week since I've updated my food blog. Eeeeep! No bueno. I need to get back on my schedule and keep things organized. It's hectic since I left my job last week, have been getting ready to move out, and started figuring out my finances until then. I've also been addicted to getting furniture on Craigslist for the past couple of weeks. I scored a sweet counter-style dining table with four chairs for only 75 bucks!

This chocolate cupcake comes from foodess and they were alright to me. The texture was great, but the taste was stale. The coffee supposedly brings out the chocolate flavor, but I really think these could have benefitted from using a chocolate bar or some real melted chocolate chips mixed in. The cocoa powder just wasn't enough. Don't worry though, you definitely don't taste any of the coffee! If you're looking for a chocolate cake recipe, I'd recommend this one. It still stands to be my favorite.

Don't forget: one more week until the giveaway ends!

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup hot coffee (or 2 tsp instant coffee in 1 cup boiling water, or simply 1 cup boiling water)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcakes with liners.
Mix together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add in the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract until combined. Gradually stir in hot coffee.
Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
Cool completely and finish with a dusting of powdered sugar (or frosting).

A little snippet from Paris: Part 2

2011-05-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

Seriously. My favorite.

Crepe with nutella and bananas.

Went back to Chinatown to get some Vietnamese food..

Desserts galore.

Candy street vendor

Chocolate store

The yogurt aisle inside of Metroprix. a-mazing.

Club sandwich

My ridiculously expensive caesar salad. so not worth it.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream from a street vendor

The restaurants in Paris don't have take out bags. If you don't finish your food, it goes in the trash, not a doggie bag.
Most of the toilet paper that people have in their homes is colored, not white. Kinda makes it a little awkward when you're trying to wipe clean.
If you have allergies, you may not want to go there in the spring. I don't know what the heck is in the air over there, but I swear pollen is flying at your face left and right at all times in the day.
For Paris being all hyped up on the fashion, I really didn't get a sense of it while I was there. Sure, all the amazing stores are to the left and right of you, but why weren't the people dressed in them? Tokyo had way more fashion sense than Paris.
OPI nail polish is suuuuper expensive there. I'm talking 13 Euros (about 20 bucks). So if you want to buy nail polish, do it in the states!
You might want to avoid taking the metro at rush hour if you're claustrophobic... or sensitive to B.O.
A lof of the public toilets have buttons on the floor that you step on to flush. Seriously brilliant. Why don't we have that over here? Oh, speaking of bathrooms... each stall is literally a private room. Love that.
People sunbathe in parks there, so don't be surprised to see a man in a speedo when there's no water around.
Dryers don't really exist there. They have washers, but they hang dry all of their clothes.
Hangover 2 is called "Very Bad Trip 2" there. True story.

Cake Batter Rice Crispy Treats

2011-05-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Let's just say: Whoa mama.. I can always count on you guys for some drama (not all of you, mostly just the anonymous posters).

Let's lighten the mood a bit, shall we? We all need that from so many people believing in killing off dogs at the first chance. Yeeeeesh. Let's focus on the sprinkles, now... bright and happy thoughts.

I've always been a fan of rice crispy treats. My mom never really baked, so this is the closest she got to making dessert. Even so, these were probably made twice a year in my house when I was growing up. The moment I realized how simple the recipe was, I started making rice crispy treats on my own (maybe 7th grade?).

I saw the idea for cake batter rice crispy treats floating around on Tastespotting and Foodgawker. Could rice crispy treats really taste like cake batter? The idea was so simple.. just mix cake mix in! So I gave it a go. The first time I tried, the treats weren't nearly as cake battery as I'd hoped for. So, I gave it another go with three times the amount of cake batter I put in the first time. Perfect!

Original recipe from Rice Krispies

3 tablespoons butter
1 10-ounce bag of mini marshmallows (4 cups mini marshmallows)
3/4 cup Funfetti cake mix
6 cups rice krispies cereal
6 heaping tablespoons of sprinkles

Completely melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat.
Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted.
Next, stir in the cake mix until dissolved.
Stir in the cereal until it is evenly coated with marshmallow. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix and continue stirring.
Press the mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish and top with remaining sprinkles. Cut and enjoy!

Help our Dog, Bo, and a Giveaway

2011-05-15T01:22:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a little hectic for me. My DB and I have been busy with work, trying to look for an apartment, finding furniture, and now, this...

First off, here's a little background. My DB and I got a dog about a year and a half ago. He was rescued from the pound and was about 4-5 years old at the time. He's an Anatolian shepherd mix (we think he has Sharpei in him because of his black tongue and loose skin) and was abused as a puppy. He's very cautious around new men and is terrified of cables and abrupt, loud noises. His original owner named him "Bojo." I kid you not. We shortened his name to just "Bo."

My DB and I knew that we couldn't take him with us to Berkeley, so we started looking at no-kill shelters for him weeks ago in case we couldn't find someone to take him. Unfortunately, no shelter was willing to take him because of his age and because they were already backed up.

This past week, we noticed a growth on Bo's hind leg. It didn't seem to bother him; he walked fine and didn't react when we touched it, but we kept an eye on it. When it didn't go away after three days, we decided to take him into the vet. This was this past Thursday. The vet stuck a needle in it, expecting to draw pus, but it turned out to be blood. We left Bo overnight at the vet to have surgery that same day to have the growth removed.

This is Bo the first day back after surgery. He had the "cone of shame" on him but he could barely sleep with it and ran into everything, so we took it off. He's not much of a biter/chewer, so it was fine. Seeing him in a little cast seriously breaks my heart. What was the bump? Well, it was worse than we imagined. It turns out that it was a malignant tumor and the doctor couldn't completely remove all of it. He said they might have to remove a toe or his paw, depending on the lab results. Basically, Bo has cancer... we just don't know what kind of cancer it is.

My heart seriously feels for him. He had such a terrible previous life and now this?! What did he ever do to deserve it? :( Poor puppy.. He's even quite young to have cancer.

My DB and I decided to have a biopsy for Bo, in order to find out exactly what's wrong with him and what we could do to help. The problem is: our total bill is just over 600 dollars now for the surgery and biopsy... not to mention any additional surgery/care that we'll need to pay for after we get the results back. We are definitely not in a position with that kind of money (especially with having to move out in three months), so I'm asking you guys for your help!

We couldn't just leave Bo like that, every dog deserves a chance. So I created a paypal donate button especially for Bo's vet bill pictured above. It's a click through link that'll let you donate any amount you wish through paypal. Any amount will help! If you'd like to donate through other means, please contact me at: kim@lovintheoven.com

Giveaway details: I wanted to be able to give something back to you guys for donating, so I'll be giving away a SIGNED copy of George W. Bush's Decision Points book. I know, it's kind of random and totally not related to my blog, but I thought it would be a neat giveaway. Regardless of your political affiliation, it's kind of fun to have a President's signature. I'll be entering anyone's name who donates over $5 into a raffle and draw a winner at random. I'll do the drawing on June 11th, 11:59 PM and let you guys know that Sunday.

You see, I work at the Reagan library and we were lucky enough to have him come give a lecture during his book tour a couple of months ago. I even worked the event so I got to sit in and listen to the speech:

Yes, that is an actual airplane at my work. It's Reagan's Air Force One, the one that flew Nixon's last flight as President, and you totally get to walk through it. Kinda cool, huh?

There's G.B. Jr.

Anyways, we really can't thank you guys enough for taking the time to read our story, being so supportive, and just being there. After all, dogs really are.. a man's best friend.

A little snippet from Paris: Part 1

2011-05-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

I'm currently still trying to get back into the groove of things, but finally... some Paris pictures for you guys! Upon our arrival in Paris, my parents' friends spoiled us with a fresh breakfast (which we soon learned that they would spoil us every morning with these pastries):

We walked around a lot, meaning we got hungry a lot. Good thing food's on every corner!

You will never believe that these are the McCafe's inside Mcdonald's... they have their own gourmet counter!

filled with bommbbbb pastries.

my sundried tomato and mozzarella panini:

There was eye candy inside every store I went into. They tasted just as good as they looked.

My favorite pastry? Palmiers. I could eat them after every meal.

We went to Chinatown to meet up with some more of my parents' friends. Dim sum for lunch!

Now, as awesome as Paris may be to some people... I just didn't fall in love with it. I'm also really glad that I made the decision not go to to culinary school there a while ago because I'm 99% sure I would have been miserable. Don't get me wrong-- the pastries are amazing, but it's just not for me. I did manage to learn some things while I was there, though.

Couples have no shame with PDA. They make out anywhere and everywhere. Barfalicious.
On the metro, you actually have to open the door manually by pushing a button or holding up a lever. The doors don't open by themselves, as they normally do in the states.
Milk is not refrigerated there. I mean, you refrigerate it after it's opened, but it stays stored in the cabinets until then. Is that only weird to me?
There's dog poop everywhere on the sidewalks. Apparently people don't believe in cleaning up after their puppies.
Everything there is mini sized. The restaurants, the food servings, the cars, and the living spaces.
McDonald's breakfast menu has four things: espresso, orange juice, sliced apples, and pancakes. No McMuffins, no hash browns, no oatmeal.
The sun doesn't set until around 9:30 PM. How awesome is that?
No one smiles there. I looked like a crazy person because my teeth were always showing.
Food is ridiculously expensive. A caesar salad (which consisted of four leaves) cost 16 euros (about 24 dollars). Uhhhh.... I could buy 48 Del Taco bean and cheese burritos with that!
Most of the roads are historically preserved, meaning they're still made of cobblestone. It's very dangerous for girls with heels. Use extreme caution!

This is not even half of the food pictures that I took, so Part 2 is coming soon!

Star Wars Brownie Roll Out Cookies

2011-05-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

Just about to go into the oven:

and baked!

Happy May 4th! aka "May the 4th be with you" aka my DB's birthday. I thought this day would be the most appropriate to share these Star Wars cookies that I made not too long ago. I picked up these cookie cutters from Williams Sonoma. They also had Star Wars pancake molds, food dyes, and aprons-- perfect for the girlfriend with the Star Wars-loving boyfriend!

Funny thing about Star Wars.. I still have yet to see it. I know, I know... I'm a terrible person. But don't worry. I've started! ... kind of. Let's just say that my DB's doing better with the Harry Potter series than I have been with Star Wars. Oops.

But there is one person that I know who may or may not be a bigger Star Wars fan than my DB. That, my friends, is Donald Faison. Don't know who that is? He's also known as Turkleton from Scrubs (my favoriteeeee show of all time). I ran into him at Katsu-ya and he actually called me over to ask where I bought my DB's Star Wars t-shirt from. Next, he pulled up his sweater to reveal a t-shirt that read "I <3 Star Wars." Amazing, right? Donald Faison's every bit as awesome as I thought he would be. He even took a picture with me! Listen to myself.. I sound like a little fan girl. Oh dear.

Okay, no more fan girl.. back to the baked goods. This recipe from Smitten Kitchen made the most perfect cookies. By perfect, I mean perfect for detailed cookie cutters. The taste was a little bland, but I do admit that they make some beautiful cookies.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's dark)

Mix together the flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside.
Cream butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa in mixer.
Gradually add the dry flour mixture into the wet mixture. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out the cookie dough on floured counter. Use cookie dough cutters to cut into desired shapes.
Bake on a lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes (the former for 1/8-inch thick cookies, the latter for 1/4-inch cookies) until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed.