Hello, Again!

You could say I'm not great at this commitment thing. I try to blog for a while, decide it may be good to take a break, think about it often, crawl back and beg for another chance, and repeat. Anyways, a year later, here I am with a recap of various projects I've squeezed into my senior year. 

How about this Salted Caramel Double Chocolate Cake? 

I took a basic caramel recipe of butter, sugar, and cream, and blended it into powdered sugar and vanilla. After much tweaking, this gorgeously creamy and smooth caramel frosting was produced, and I spread it on a rich chocolate cake (back of the Heryshey's cocoa powder box, for the win! Added chocolate chips for texture). 

 

I found a basic shape for this Star Trek Enterprise Cake on Pinterest, and then personalized the rest. Well, as much of a personalization of an attempted replica of something else can be. Gray frosting is hard to correctly get, but I was happy to finally get a chance to use my food paint brushes. 

But really. Nothing is better than these Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Chips with Strawberry Salsa. 

You won't believe how easy these are. Take a flour tortilla, cut it into triangle halves until you're happy with the size, and fry them up in a pan with the bottom filled with oil. It doesn't take much oil, time, or effort. As soon as they're out (when they're golden brown and crispy), immediately put them on a plate with a paper towel, wait a few seconds so you don't burn your hand off, then coat with cinnamon sugar. Easy! Ready for more batches of chips! 

For the "salsa," chop up some fresh strawberries into small cubes, stir in some sugar, and let that sit for a while to let the juices run. Make these before you start the chips, and it'll be ready when you are. 

This simple take on a Caprese Slider was inspired by our new basil plant. Tomatos will be grown soon, as well. I took some fresh French bread, cut it into generous slices, brushed EVOO on both top and bottom, and broiled the slices until slightly crispy. Whipped them out, sprinkled mozerella (would be even better with fresh mozerella), and threw them back in for a few seconds to allow the cheese to melt. Once they were sizzling, I topped with tomatos and fresh basil, and enjoyed the simplicity and intricate flavors of the amazing trio of cheese, tomato, and basil. 

This Summer Salad was inspired by the restaurant I work at. 

Grilled chicken coated with brown sugar, romaine lettuce, candied pecans (pecans I mixed with melted butter and brown sugar), fresh mango, strawberries, and a basic vinegrette of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and some sweetener. Mmm. 

 

I don't remember the recipe for these. But really, these are nice pictures. Yay for new plates. 

I hope you enjoy! I'll try to stay more committed- and cook more! Happy cooking!

Flavored like Fall Smoothie

Flavored like Fall Smoothie

Although my photography skills may need help, one thing Im sure of is how comforting this smoothie is. Since fall is just around the corner, what would be better than to toast its coming with a smoothie? 

Blend together: 

1 medium diced red apple

1 banana 

2 Tablespoons dry oats

About 6 chopped almonds 

1/2 cup plain yogurt (I use Greek yogurt)

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

A dash of nutmeg 

1 cup of ice 

I like toying around with the spices and amount of ice used, so have fun with creating your own masterpiece. It tastes like apple pie in a glass! Enjoy!

Homemade Healthy Frozen Hot Chocolate

Although "frozen hot chocolate" is an oxymoron, as soon as you take your first sip of this utter chocolate peanut butter induldgence, proper grammar will be the farthest from your mind. The best part? Theres no guilt involved in drinking a big, tall glass of this amazingness! 

You will need: 

1 banana 

1 heaping tablespoon of peanut butter

1 cup hot chocolate 

2 cups of ice 

All you have to do is blend those together and voilá, you have a rich, yet healthy, frozen hot chocolate!

Kool Aid Slushie

Do you love slushies but dont like spending money? This is the solution for you! 

You will need:

•2 cups of water

•1 packet of any flavor Kool Aid

•a heaping 1/2 cup of sugar

•Ice

•Optional: Vanilla Ice cream

Put the water, kool aid, and sugar in the blender and fill the rest with ice (about 3 1/2 - 4 cups) and blend. Pour into cups and top with ice cream. 

Thats it! Easy peasy, right! Its a great summer treat without spending much or any money! And it takes about two minutes! 

The Best Butterbeer!

I had always wanted to try a butterbeer recipe, being a hige Harry Potter fan myself. However, whether you are as much of a die-hard fan as I am, or you're just looking for something new to drink, this is definatly the recipe. Fast, easy, and no weird ingredients- perfect for a Christmas morning treat or a rainy Sunday morning!

Ingredients:
- 3 Tbs. butter
- 2 heaping Tbs. brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice
- Optional: A dollop of vanilla ice cream

Steps:
- In a small sauce pan, melt butter and add brown sugar, stirring continuously until you have caramel.
- Add milk, vanilla, and a dash of each spice. You may have to add more of a certain spice or two, depending on how you like it.
- Mix everything evenly together and allow mixture to come to a boil
- Pour into a mug and enjoy!!! *This is where you could add some icecream!!*

Hope you found this recipe as magical as I did:)

Microwavable Money Bread

Careful- this is so easy and delicious its dangerous! Its a great way to make a yummy breakfast in under twenty minutes- including clean up! How is this possible? Try for yourself and see just how amazing this is!


Ingredients:
2/3 c. Brown sugar
2 T. Water
1/4 c. Butter
1/4 c. Sugar
1 t. Cinnamon
1 can precut Biscuits


~ Steps ~

Get a microwavable casserole dish (or medium, deep dish) and place a ramakin in the center. Spray with Pam and set aside.

1.) Put first three ingredients in a microwavable bowl and microwave 1 1/2 minutes or until melted. Stir together.

2.) On a plate or bowl, thoroughly mix together cinnamon and sugar.

3.) Cut each biscuit disc ( there should be eight) into 8-10 pieces. Roll each piece in cinnamon sugar and place in sprayed dish.

4.) Once all the pieces are covered and in the dish- as evenly spread out as possible- pour brown sugar mixture over the pieces evenly.

5.) Microwave for 6 minutes.

6.) Flip out onto a plate and enjoy! Careful- itll be hot!

Zebra Striped Cake!

This cake is super easy to make! I expected to have a strenuous baking day that made a huge mess, and was happily surprised when I found out otherwise! I decorated this as a tiger for my sister, and since her favorite color is green I made the stripes green and brown, but you can mix it up however you want!

Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 box of chocolate cake mix
Food color (optional)

Steps:
Set oven as instructed on the box. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans and set aside.

Prepare the cake mixes in seperate bowls as instructed on the boxes.

If you want to have different colors, add the food coloring to the yellow cake mix, and make sure to put plenty of color in.

You will be using two 1/4 measuring cups, one for each cake mix.

Time to start putting in the cake mix! Put one scoop of yellow cake mix in, and immediatly follow by pouring a scoop of chocolate mix directly in the middle. Do not wait for it to spread and dont not shake the pan to spread it out faster. Continue pouring in cake mixes everyother time, directly in the center of the last pouring. Fill both cake pans evenly and bake 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes put clean and cake is coming away from the sides of the pan.