Post-Valentine’s Day Peanut Butter Blossom

February 21, 20107 Comments

Last week, I baked Vegan PB cookies for my class. Kim commented on how much she liked Peanut Butter Blossoms.

Last week was also Valentine’s Day! On Monday, I went to Target to find Valentine’s Day goodies on sale! I got a Valentine’s Day bowl for $0.44 and a few bags of Valentine’s Day Hershey Kisses. I knew Peanut Butter Blossoms were in my future.

These aren’t your average Peanut Butter Blossom. I kicked these up a notch with Raspberry Hershey Kisses and Caramel Hershey Kisses.

Post-Valentine’s Day Peanut Butter Blossoms

adapted from Hershey’s Kisses Peanut Butter Blossoms

~40 Hershey Kisses (any flavor), unwrapped
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1/3 sugar
1/3 brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
extra granulated sugar for rolling

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees (I did this after I made the dough, while I was unwrapping the chocolates, just to save energy!)

Cream together the PB and butter. Add the sugar and blend with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add the egg, milk and vanilla. Add the flour, salt and baking soda.

Form dough into 1 inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Bake for about 8 minutes. Immediately press in the chocolates. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Makes approximately 40 cookies.

Peanut Butter Blossoms are delicious, but these were OUTSTANDING! Great flavor combo!

The worst part about making these… aside from their addictive qualities…

Unwrapping all the chocolates. This can be remedied by the use of a loved one (i.e. significant other, sibling or child).

I have a few ideas for different types of blossoms:
-Mexican Chocolate blossoms. Use regular chocolate kisses but add cinnamon and cayenne to the rolling sugar.
-Snickerdoodle blossoms with butterscotch kisses (I think Hershey’s makes these) and rolled in cinnamon sugar)
-Almond Blossoms with Almond butter instead of PB and Hershey Kisses with Almonds

Any other ideas?

Well today is another study day! Not excited for it but it has to happen. I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

Are you ready for this jelly?

February 20, 201011 Comments

Happy Saturday everyone!!

This morning, when I got back from spinning, look what was in front of my door!

Last week, I won a giveaway at The Actor’s Diet and it arrived today!!

I got 4 jars of Crofter’s Super Fruit Spread!

Of course, I had to try one, so along with my salad for lunch (I’ll spare you the picture of that), I had a piece of toast with some of this deliciousness on it!

I tried the Europe flavor (Pomegranates and black currants blended with red grapes and morello cherries).

Not gonna lie, it’s pretty tasty. I loved how tart and sweet this was all together. Definitely recommend it. I can’t wait to try the other flavors, but I’m going to try to work my way through one at a time. Sadly, one of the North America jar was cracked so I won’t be trying that one. I’m deathly afraid of glass shards! Oh well! The other two I have left to try I’m sure will be amazing!

Today is a study day! I need to get as much done as possible this weekend since the lovely fella will be here on Wednesday! I’m even missing Ithaca’s Chili Fest! Oh well, I’ll survive!

I might need to make something super exciting for dinner to make up for it 🙂

Have a great day!

Wake up and smell the COFFEE Cake!

February 14, 20109 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

About 10 minutes after my last post, there was a knock at the door. This arrived:

Thanks, Lovely Fella!

After smiling for a good while and admiring my flowers, I headed out on my mission to find new running shoes. The first stop was Kohl’s. I tried on pretty much every pair of running shoes they had and decided upon these Asics.

Can you believe they were only $35!!!! What a steal!

I may have also done some more shopping… long exercise pants and maybe a pair of red pumps…

Sadly, I might have to return them 😦 They’re a little too tight! This is sort of silly but I saw them at the store, didn’t even try them on just grabbed them and walked straight to the register. These are the pumps I’ve been looking for! I made the lovely fella go to every Marshall’s and TJ Maxx in the Bay Area to find my size! A little sad they’re too small. Oh well! There will be other red pumps!

Earlier this week, my friend Liz e-mailed a recipe to a bunch of friends (myself included) wondering if someone would be willing to bake it for Valentine’s Day. You really don’t have to twist my arm to get me to bake… Of course I said yes!

I was intrigued by this recipe! I’m sure most of you have heard of Pioneer Woman, right?

This is her recipe for Coffee Cake, Literally… as in coffee flavored cake, not coffee cake.

This recipe turned out ridiculously good! I would definitely make it again (for a new crowd that is!).

The recipe makes a cake but I decided to make cupcakes because they’re easier to enjoy, and they’re just darn cute! I used my environmentally friendly baking cups!

The recipe called for buttermilk, which I never have around so here’s a tip: 1 cup milk (-1 tbsp) + 1tbsp of vinegar. Let it sit for 5-10 mins! Voila! You’ve got buttermilk!

Honestly, I liked them better without the frosting. The cake is so light and moist! The coffee flavor isn’t too strong in the cake. The frosting on the other hand is very strongly flavored! Pretty delicious as well!

I am thoroughly impressed at how good these are! I feel like I need to try more of Pioneer Woman’s recipes!

I will be taking these cupcakes to a Valentine’s Day gathering! But before that, I’m babysitting for a friend so he and his wife can have a Valentine’s Day outing! They probably need it!

What are your plans for the day?

Have a great day!!!!

Pure Pleasure

February 13, 2010February 13, 201016 Comments

Happy Saturday!!! How’s your morning been?

I slept in til 8:00am today! I haven’t slept that late in a long time!

Last night, when I went to the Wegster, I saw a 4-pack of Oikos Caramel Pure Pleasure. I still had one of the coupons that Stonyfield sent me so I decided to give it a whirl.

This morning, I had a piece of toast with almond butter and a banana, which was delicious. After I was done, I remembered the caramel oikos…

A little extra protein won’t hurt, right?

When I first opened it, it looked like regular yogurt but in a smaller cup. I thought hmm… what’s the big deal?

Then I stirred it up to find caramel on the bottom!!

Oooooh goodness! There’s a reason they call this pure pleasure. It tasted like I was eating Dulce de Leche! (Argentina style)

Check out the caramel swirl. SOOOOO Good!

A bunch of yogurts sell themselves as replacing dessert, but honestly this could most definitely be dessert. I’m surprised at how much it ACTUALLY tasted like caramel. Absolutely delicious! Packed full of protein and pretty low cal!

Have you tried Caramel Oikos?

They also have a chocolate flavor that I feel like I need to try now that this caramel one was so good!

My mission for today is to find new running shoes (WOO! No more knee pain… maybe) then go to the gym! Not too bad if you ask me 🙂

What are your Saturday plans??

Sticky Rice!

February 13, 201013 Comments

Hi all! I hope you had a fabulous day! My day definitely turned around. I was sort of feeling blue today mostly because my knees have been hurting like crazy (NEED NEW RUNNING SHOES ASAP).

But as I mentioned earlier, I had plans for a fun evening out!

The evening began at the Big Red Barn for $1 beers, but really $3 boxed wine for me, because I’m classy

I may have had two glasses…

By 8:00pm we got kicked out of the BRB… planners know how to party… or something

So we headed to Liz’s where we ordered take out!

Thai food from Sticky Rice!

Sure glad they can take advantage of social media…

Food was plentiful!

Purple rice! Have you ever tried it?? Not sure how purple it actually looks in the picture, but it tasted similar to white rice but with a lightly crunchier texture. Delicious!

I didn’t get an entree (since I had been a Snacky McSnackerson all afternoon) but I got an order of Sticky Rice with Mango to share with someone.

It came with purple rice and was oooh soo soo good! Creamy, sweet and delicious! Have you ever had mango sticky rice? If you haven’t… try it asap!

After dinner, as we walked home, the roommate and I discussed going to Wegman’s so naturally we did since I needed baking supplies for my next project (coming soon!).

On the way home from the Wegster, Christina (the roommate) was eating a coconut popsicle/bar she had just gotten. What happens when you eat a frozen treat in 20 degree weather?

It sticks to you. Remember A Christmas Story?

Poor roommate!

Anyway, I’m pooped, and I have sooooo much TV/Movie stuff to catch up on… Mad Men, Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty… I also have Fargo to see and a documentary called The Garden that is a watch instantly on Netflix! Thank goodness it’s the weekend! Watch any good TV lately?

Hope your night was as delicious as mine! Have a good one!

TGIF

February 12, 2010February 12, 20102 Comments

Thank God It’s Friday.

Memo and Decision trees are turned in! Woo!

I have to turn to class then the gym but before that… I came home and had a delicious lunch!

Black beans (made a big pot yesterday) with oikos mixed in instead of sour cream. Along with a corn tortilla and cheese. They don’t call us beaners for nothing…

For the road… A green monster! You all know what that looks like…

On todays agenda: I have dinner plans with friends! Also, the graduate student union here has an event every Friday called TGIF (Tell Grads It’s Friday). $1 beer and $2 wine. Might have to hit it up!

Hope you’re having a great day and are all revved up for the weekend!!

Take Two!

February 4, 201012 Comments

Today was all about repeats.

Take Two #1: Dinner at Moosewood! On Thursday nights, students get 15% off!

Remember when I went with the lovely fella a while ago?? This time I went with some friends.

Sadly, I forgot my fancy camera! It was packed up and ready to go but in my rush out the door I left it behind. I did however have my crappy point and shoot (I really need a new one!).

Started with a delicious salad exactly like last time.

As an entree, I had a delicious Caribbean Pineapple-Peanut Stew: “Sweet potatoes, cabbage, tomato, bell peppers, and fresh pineapple simmered with ginger, lime, chiles, cilantro and peanut butter; served on rice, with jerk tempeh.” Spicy and tangy!

Ohh goodness! Sooooo delicious!

I also had a bite of Rhoda’s Alsatian Cheese Tart (Flaky pie crust baked with a filling of caramelized onions, Fontina, Gruyere and smoked cheddar
cheeses and egg custard; served with apple-celeriac remoulade).

Holy deliciousness! This was amazing! Although I still thought my stew was better 🙂

Take Two #2: Granola Bars!

Here’s my upDATED version:

2 cups oats
20g chia seeds
2 tsp cinnamon
1/5 cup of whole wheat flour
4 Tbsp Toasted Wheat Germ
1 oz dried coconut
5 dates, chopped
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 cup applesauce

Combine all ingredients, bake at 350F for 25 minutes.

They turned out great!!! So excited!!! Here’s the nutrition info for these babies:

Delish! Make these!!

Anyway, I’m pooped and I still have a ton to do!

Thanks for all your tea suggestions! I’ll be looking around for them in stores 🙂

Have a great night!!

Chickpea Blondies + Karin is Amazing!

February 3, 2010February 3, 201013 Comments

OMG Lost was great! I wish it hadn’t been 2 hours though!! I had so much to do last night!

Of course that didn’t stop me from watching and getting a little baking action in there.

This lady is pretty much awesome for a few reason…

Reason #1 Karin is awesome: A while ago I wrote a guest post for Karin while she was in Japan, and yesterday I got the cutest thing in the mail!

Adorable little bowl from Japan and delicious sun dried tomatoes! I can’t wait to make something exciting with them! Thanks, Karin! You’re a superstar!!

Reason #2: She inspired me to make my own chickpea blondies after reading about her chickpea brownies!

Here’s my recipe:

Karla’s Chickpea Blondies

6.5oz cooked chickpeas (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup Agave Nectar
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
~1/4 cup Chocolate Chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place chickpeas in the food processor, process for a few seconds. Add the remaining ingredients except the chocolate chips and process until smooth.

Transfer mixture to a greased baking dish and sprinkle with chocolate chips, I used a 9″ round pie pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

These were really interesting tasting. I’m not sure I would make them again to be perfectly honest just because they weren’t to die for. Definitely worth the experiment if you’re curious! Obviously they couldn’t have been too bad if my roommate and I devoured all of them. This morning they are gone. Not gonna lie, last night I felt ill (guess my sugar count ended up being WAYYYY off haha). Have you tried chickpea blondies/brownies before?

Reason #3 Karin is awesome: We’re pretty much bloggie twins… enough said.

Well I’m off to finish preparing for a presentation I have today on slums. Speaking of slums… My apartment is quickly becoming a piece of junk (ok I’m grossly exaggerating). The laundry machine stopped taking quarters so I couldn’t dry my clothes. I had to place them all over various spots in my apartment (good thing this place in an oven, they dried in no time).

Now I have crunchy clothes like when I was little in Guatemala and the clothes was line dried on the terrace.

Have a great day!!!

Happy February!

February 1, 2010February 1, 201014 Comments

So the January Recipe Challenge was somewhat of a failure. I ended up making recipes from 4 of the 7 continents!

I missed Australia, Antactica (which doesn’t really have civilization) and North America (which basically should constitute everything I eat everyday).

Overall, this was a very fun challenge! Even though I didn’t make it through all the continents, I discovered some great recipes and had fun in the process!

I was pondering the idea of a February Challenge; however, I’ve decided against it. In February, I’m going to concentrate on healthy eating/living and getting back into the swing of school. That doesn’t mean I won’t try fantastic new recipes and share them with you all! Do you have a February Challenge?

But on to today… I started February off with some spice!

Not that kind of spice!

I give you, Mexican Chocolate Oats!

In the mix:

1/2 cup oats
Chia seeds
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Cinnamon
Dash of Cayenne
1 small banana
1 oz greek yogurt (for added creaminess and protein! stirred in at the end)
1 tbsp natural peanut butter

Pretty delicious! The cayenne gave it a nice kick to jump start my morning.

According to the World’s Healthiest Foods (anyone else love this site???), Cayenne has many health benefits!

Not only does is make your meals more exciting, but it also fights inflammation, reduces blood cholesterol, boosts immunity, helps prevent stomach ulcers and even helps in weight loss by raising your body temperature which uses more energy! (source)

Eat your Mexican Chocolate Oats! Basically any plain chocolate recipe can be made “Mexican” by adding cinnamon and cayenne. Try adding some to plain chocolate cupcakes! Sooo good!

Today is my first discussion section as a TA! Wish me luck!!

Hope your February is starting out well! Have a fantastic day!!

What’s your goal for February??

Ithaca is Gorges

January 31, 201013 Comments

This morning I woke up to find this little guy hanging out in the kitchen.

I actually took this picture yesterday, because he kept coming back. It was -6F when I woke up and yes the window was open. My apartment is an oven!

With the sunshine, it felt like a summer day. Then I checked the weather… Oh dear. However, that didn’t stop me from having a fabulous morning!

With a cup of coffee and the best green monster I’ve had in a long time, I started my next creation to bribe my class into liking me.

Apparently, I’ve got bananas on the brain. I made Banana Chip Cookies from 101 Cookbooks. The only changes I made were omitting the walnuts and using brown sugar instead of natural cane sugar.

Think of your favorite chocolate chip cookies… now add banana chips and make them *slightly* healthier.

Okay who am I kidding, they’re pretty fatty 🙂 I got 37 cookies from this recipe (even though the recipe says it yields 24).
Here’s the estimated nutrition info:

Pretty darn good! The banana chips add a nice crunch that makes them way more exciting than regular chocolate chip cookies. Plus since it’s a class on Modern Latin America… bananas are very fitting…Do you know what the “Banana Republic” is? And I’m not talking about the store!

I hope my class likes them!

While my cookie dough chilled in the fridge (I actually baked them in the afternoon), I chilled outside with Rhoda. Remember last time? This time it was colder so I wore an extra long sleeve shirt. 10F when I left and 15F when I got home! Burr! We did the same route. For some reason it felt a lot tougher this time, but just as lovely!

Arctic Tundra? No, just Upstate NY…