I really miss our childhood days and old-school ways. I remember talking to my best friend in elementary school for truly hours on our landline, until 1) I would hear clicking sounds and suspect my brother un-sneakily listening in, or 2) my mom would pick up the phone downstairs and say, "Tingo (so embarrassing), dinner!" Life moved at a slower pace before texts,...
inspired by Trader Joe's, adapted from "Dinner with Julie"(makes ~8 dozen) In an apartment of 4 girls, sometimes our groceries get mixed up, and we forget whose stuff is whose. So there's been this box of Trader Joe's Raisin Rosemary Crisps sitting on the pantry shelf for weeks, and we don't know whose it is. Eventually one of my roommates bought her own box...
When I was home this past Christmas break, I found an old journal from 2008--junior year of college. I had written about a day I had completely forgotten until I read about it--I couldn't believe it! It was so impactful now that I've been reminded. I was running (literally, working up a sweat to Dwinelle--just to the left of Sather Gate, shown above!)...
adapted from Gourmet This recipe was originally a raspberry buttermilk cake, but I had just made blueberry muffins and wanted to use up the leftover blueberries. This is my second time trying this recipe, but it still didn't come out as expected! I might use less baking powder next time, because it rose too much. However, this is definitely the easiest cake--takes just...
cake adapted from Serious Eats This was a birthday cake for one of my roommates! I like how the berries are a little lopsided--gives it character! There are two layers of lemon cake, with a layer of lemon whipped cream and berries sandwiched in between. A couple years ago, I experimented mixing heaving whipping cream with a little bit of Trader Joe's lemon...
adapted from Cake on the Brain, from Cook's Illustrated These cupcakes were beautiful because of the smooth and shiny ganache! The cake itself had some elasticity and wasn't too crumbly. I usually like to use buttermilk in cake batter, but the sour cream took its place in this recipe and resulted in a pretty moist cupcake. Good thing, because I always fear a...
adapted from food network These were the first cookies I baked in our new apartment, so I placed them in a (tupperware) cookie jar for my roommates! It's a pretty solid recipe for oatmeal cookies, but I think they'd be a lot better with the cardamom that I couldn't find. Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 eggs...
(adapted from Gourmet) I used to think scones were really gross--dry, brittle, and bland...but homemade changes everything!! Scones are super quick, because you don't have to roll them into individual balls like cookies. I usually flatten the dough into 1-inch-thick circles and cut out triangular shaped scones! They can then be frozen in dough or baked form and only need to be toasted for...
Along with the blueberry muffins, here are a few more tried and true recipes from Allrecipes.com. Although I love to experiment and try new recipes, these are the ones I know will never disappoint! Banana crumb muffins Corn casserole (perfect for Thanksgiving!) Tiramisu Snickerdoodles Lemon bars Double chocolate cookies Andes cookies (perfect for Christmas!) Raspberry Almond thumbprint cookies New York cheesecake ...
Sweet Tomatoes is a staple in my hometown and a huge part of my childhood. It's home-y, and you're guaranteed to see someone you know every time. It was particularly sweet having dinner there with high school friends last night. Among my favorites are definitely their blueberry muffins. I always swipe a couple on the way out for my brother, but they're never as good the next...
