The First Casualty

Casualty of moving, that is. I was very sad this weekend when I realized I must have either misplaced or lost my loaf pans during our move in November. And since all the boxes have been unpacked for ages and it seemed very unlikely that I could have misplaced them, my conclusion was that they must have been left at the apartment-you know, in that awful drawer under the stove where you store bakeware?

I was terribly disappointed as I had set my mind on baking our favorite banana bread this weekend. And then it occurred to me to try The Perfect Brownie pan I just received for Christmas! After all, it does claim to be useful for more than just brownies {remember this post?}.

And my oh my, it certainly did the trick! My banana bread came out perfectly portioned and didn't stick at all! It also turned out super moist since the cook time was reduced by almost a third. I was so excited about the results that I almost completely forgot about losing my trusty loaf pans.

So excited in fact, I even I took some pictures to show you how awesome the Perfect Brownie pan really is:

Here they are, my perfectly portioned little banana bread bites:)

Once they are cooled you just pop the included stand underneath the pan and the bottom lifts from the pan like so. Now they are perfect for serving!

Ooo, ahh:

And then, lo and behold, as I opened my cupboard to get a container to store my bread, I discovered this:

That's right, my loaf pans! Ha, I laughed for a good minute after seeing this. Especially since I open this particular cupboard every single day and could not remember they were being stored there! I guess sometimes it's hard to see something that's staring you right in the face. At least I got to use my brownie pan and am now hooked on trying it with other baked goods!

Currently Loving: Perfect Brownies

I am such a sucker. No really, every time The Perfect Brownie commercial comes on TV I tell myself I'm going to but one next time I'm at Bed Bath & Beyond (they have an entire "As Seen on TV" section!). And now it's been over a year since I first said that and my kitchen still lacks the Perfect Brownie pan.

It's not as if I am incapable of cutting brownies the old fashioned way, but I LOVE that every brownie comes out perfectly even and each has that coveted crispy edge! And unlike most gimmicks, I know this works because I bought one for my mom and mother-in-law for Christmas last year and they both love it!

I have endless ideas for the pan, such as: individual blondies, Rice Krispie treats, lemon bars, carrot cakes and so much more! Plus, you can decorate each one seperately. So fun!

Are there any silly gadgets you wish you could bring yourself to splurge on?

Lounge Lizard

For the first time in weeks I felt rested upon waking up this morning! A big part of that may have to do with how I spent a good chunk of the weekend...

Yummy snacks,


catching up on good reads,


and just the right amount of fruity cocktails, complete with tiny umbrella!


It was the perfect way to kick off summer! And not to mention Saturday morning farmers market, dinner with the fam where I made this yummy and seasonal Apricot Almond Tart from Tartlette and coffee with Emily, who was in town for a very short weekend! All the right things to leave me rejuvenated and ready to start a new week!

I hope your weekend was equally marvelous!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe has been on my "to make" list ever since I saw it in the March/April issue of Clean Eating. I finally got around to making them several weeks ago and am only now posting about them...whoops! But I should tell you, they were worth the wait!

These gluten-free, dairy free, low-sugar treats are super simple, quick and full of nutty goodness! They boast 110 calories and 1.5 grams of saturated fat per cookie, so while not exactly an everyday indulgence, definitely a healthier alternative for that pesky sweet tooth we all get every now and then! I made these with 70% espresso chocolate, which gave them a nice twist, but whichever chocolate you use, make sure it's top quality!

Cooks tip: we found they got better over a few days and were especially tasty when a little cold from being in a chilled lunch box!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
recipe from Clean Eating

1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
3/4 cup Sucanat
1 large egg
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t fine sea salt
3 oz dark chocolate (70%cocoa or better), broken into small pieces

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

Blooms and Baking

I certainly hope your weekend was delightful!

Just a few things of note this weekend. About once a month (sometimes more if I really feel the need to splurge)I like to buy fresh flowers for the house. I just love having them around and now that it's Spring it happens more frequently because our own potted plants are producing beautiful blooms! While my favorites tend to be on the more expensive side (ie: lilies and peonies), I also love the ones that go a long way while being a bit less pricey. Like these for example~



I have four more vases of them scattered throughout the house! And at $5 for the bunch, that's what I call getting the most bang for your buck!

On another happy note, I baked this weekend! While baking is something I absolutely adore, it occured to me last week that with the exception of this coffee cake, I haven't actually baked since early February. I suppose my six week dessert fast paired with being crazy busy are the culprits, but nevertheless, this baking hiatis needed to come to an end, and soon!

So I made this blueberry angel food cake~




And it was delicious! In fact, my intent was to enjoy it after our lovely halibut dinner Sunday night, but after pulling it out of the oven around 3pm and being utterly tempted by it's sweet aroma, we decided to have a piece before dinner. Actually, the conversation went something like this:

Chris: Mmm, honey, that smells delicious!
Me: I know, don't you wish we could have a piece now?!
Chris: Why don't we?
Me: Hmm...(thinking). Okay! (I am much too easily persuaded!)

And that is why I married that man. Ha, and of course for countless other reasons!

Merry Monday!

Too Pretty Not to Share!

My Mom is amazing! Among several other incredible dishes she made for Easter brunch, she also created this beautiful Triple layer Coconut Cake (via Cooking Light). Her patience is second to none. She actually baked, cracked, drained, shaved and toasted the coconut (I saw it with my own two eyes). And don't get me started on that heavenly, homemade meringue! It was truly a work of art!

Just a little shout out to my Mom because this cake was simply too pretty not to share!

Chocolate Heaven

If you are a chocolate lover like me, than this post is for you. I was browsing Cooking Light's website for inspiration on next weeks dinner menu and got side tracked by this list of 20 Lightened Chocolate Desserts!

Just looking at these pictures makes my mouth water! The five below look absolutely scrumptious to me!

Individual Chocolate Souffle ~ I have a special spot in my heart reserved especially for chocolate souffle!

Upside-Down Fudge Almond Tart~ I always feel like desserts made in my tart pan are "extra special". They just look so pretty and put together:)

Deep Dark Chocolate Biscotti~ Who doesn't love a delicious biscotti? Mmm, dipped in a steaming cup of french pressed coffee...

Double-Caramel Turtle Cake~ This monster of a cake pretty much speaks for itself!

Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint~ Mom and I made some cookies very similar to these (from Cooking Light) at Christmas and they ended up being our favorites so I can only imagine these are fantastic! And the filling in these cookies is Nutella!

This Weekend...

Mom and I managed to bake over 30 dozen cookies! You read that right..30! We made Chocolate Gingerbread cookies, Caramel Thumbprint cookies, Mexican Chocolate cookies, Butter cookies (w/ peppermint frosting!), Macaroons, Apricot Almond Doodle Cookies, Peppermint Bark and White Chocolate and Peppermint covered Pretzel Sticks! Yu-mmy!! And today I brought each of my co-workers a cute Christmas box of assorted goodies and they LOVED them, which totally excites me!

I got Abby and Chris' stockings done which means I am completely finished shopping!

I gave my first Christmas present away! I love giving someone a gift you know they will love!

We finally watched It's a Wonderful Life and I cried, like I always do when I watch that movie!

And today I am gearing up for a great week! Starting tomorrow we are having friends/family over every day through Christmas! Ahh, that makes me so giddy! I adore cooking a good meal and playing hostess to wonderful people!


Happy first day of Winter!

Christmas Cookies!

Happy Friday! I'm off today for a very special reason-I'm baking Christmas cookies, peppermint bark and all sorts of festive goodies with my Mom! Only to give most of them away as tasty gifts! We've been looking forward to this for weeks, as it is one of our favorite holiday traditions. I'm going to get a quick run in this morning, you know, to pretend I work off those pesky cookie dough calories that I will inevitably consume:-)

Do you realize this is the last weekend before Christmas?! Ahh! I am so stoked! This weekend will be full of tamale making with Chris' family, gift exchanges with sweet friends and enjoying the general splendor of the season with people we love!

Hope you have a glorious weekend!

Cake Plate Infatuation

It's no secret I love to bake, but what's a beautiful cake if it doesn't have an equally beautiful stand to sit upon? For about a year I have been obsessing over cake plates. Not really sure when this began, but I love them! The trouble is, now that I'm constantly looking, I can't seem to find anything too unique. But I am going to let you in on a little secret of mine...Etsy! I have only ever searched for handmade goods on the site, but I have recently discovered they also sell vintage items! I am always game for anything vintage! So, while feeling like I had struck gold this past weekend, I was able to find several plates well worth my kitchen space. Here are a few of my favorites ~

How much do you love the milky cream shade of this ruffled beauty? I can already picture a delectable chocolate cake on top of this!


The unique amber hue of this one was the first to catch my eye. It has a pretty feminine touch to it without being to old fashioned.


And finally, the simplicity of this clear stand is only enhanced by the lacy edges. A pretty twist on your basic cake stand.


Happy Tuesday!

Apple Hill and Roasted Tomatoes & Garlic

This weekend we took our much anticipated trip to Apple Hill! We decided to go without our pup this year. It turned out to be a wonderful 78 degree and very busy day! We made our way to our two favorite places and brought home 8lbs. of apples, Chris' all-time favorite apple juice (unpasteurized, of course), apple butter and their famous apple pie! We also purchased a Christmas ornament, a seemingly new tradition of ours:)

I am so stoked about the apples we picked out this year. As always, I got several Granny Smiths for baked apples (my favorite!), caramel apples and other baking needs, a few Gravenstein apples for homemade apple sauce and Chris threw in some other less known red varieties for snacking:)




Sunday night was incredibly relaxing for us. As usual, I was a busy little bee after church, getting the house put together, Chris watched football and then we went for a run together. For dinner I gave into a craving I've had for several days: roasted tomatoes and garlic! I simply tossed them into whole wheat linguini and added freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano. It was nothing short of delicious!



And Chris felt like celebrating, so we popped open a bottle of Chandon's Brut and paired with a delightful slice of warm apple pie!


Definitely a fabulous weekend!

A Novel Idea!

Last year, while scanning the October issue of Better Homes and Gardens, I came across a novel idea...Painting Pumpkins! You may remember from last year that carving pumpkins is not my favorite thing in the world. In fact, Chris and I are the perfect pair for pumpkin carving because I love to scoop out the goo and he loves to carve! So this pumpkin painting idea has totally got me excited and naturally, as soon as Fall arrived, I set out for inspiration for my own pumpkin creations! Here are some ideas I found and I'm quite excited to get started!! The best part is, these will last all month versus only a few days with the carved ones.





I realize this last one isn't painted, but how stinkin' cute are those buttons?!


And of course, festive days always call for special desserts!

Who doesn't love a good caramel apple in the Fall? Especially a crisp, green Granny Smith!


Minis!!



And my fav, cupcakes!

I am SOO making these!




Happy Friday!

Homemade Really is Better!

Several weeks ago a friend said she had made homemade cinnamon rolls. My interest was peaked. I've always been a fan of a good cinnamon roll, but I've also heard they take a lot of effort to make yourself. Nevertheless, this was a venture I have never explored. I decided that I just had to try it, if only once, so I could know for myself.

I woke up early this morning to make the dough and get a head start on the hour and a half it needed to rise, which actually worked out fine because I did yoga during the rising period:) By the time I was finished, the dough had beautifully doubled in size and was ready to be rolled out. I should tell you that rolling it into a cylinder and cutting twelve individual rolls was quite tricky since the dough was so sticky and thin, but I pressed on thinking, "I've come too far to give up now!". Once nicely in my baking dish, they were ready to go in the oven! I say nicely, but let's be honest, they looked like either a kid or a first timer rolled them :) Thankfully for me, once I pulled the heavenly smelling dish from the over, most of the imperfections were masked since they had more than doubled in size and looked incredibly delicious! In my opinion, these are best served with a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee!

The outcome: wonderful and so worth the effort! Chris took his first bite, and said, "We are so making these for our kids someday!" followed by, "They just melt in my mouth!".

I adapted this recipe from the Whole Foods Cinnamon Sweet Rolls with Dates and Walnuts, but made these small changes:

*Instead of using walnuts I used pecans.
*I excluded the dates.
*I used 3/4 whole wheat pastry flour and 1/4 regular flour instead of vice versa.

Compare the picture of my finished product with the picture on Whole Foods website and be impressed with the resemblance:)



Notice how messy they look :(


But never fear, they came out way prettier than they went in!



Drizzle with some honey and chopped pecans. Bon Appetit!