Cupcake Anatomy

{Anatomy of a Cupcake Fine Art Print, by Allen Hemberger and Sarah Wilson}

This print is just too fun not to share. Cupcakes are one of my favorite things in life, so it's no surprise that I'm completely smitten with this "anatomy" poster. The frosting and sprinkle toppers are just too adorable! I'm feeling peckish..

{found via The Kitchn}

Little Spinach Quiche

This is a quick shot I took of tonight's dinner. Lately I've been trying to incorporate more meatless meals into our weekly routine, so I'm constantly on the lookout for filling, vegetarian options.

I found the mini spinach quiche recipe on Rachel's lovely blog over the weekend, and decided to pick up the ingredients on my weekly shop. I followed her advice exactly, making a mini version of this recipe.

Not only are these little quiches adorable, they are filling and extremely tasty. I love how convenient the little size is; I'm just going to grab a few from the fridge for my lunch tomorrow - so simple!

Cranberry Coins and Lattes

Today is our office holiday party, so last night I decided to test out a recipe from the lovely Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies issue. The magazine is really lovely, with so many great recipes. I will definitely be adding it to my cookbook shelf for later cookie inspiration.

These cranberry coins are SO good. They are buttery shortbread cookies flecked dried cranberries. The tartness of the cranberry makes these a bit more interesting than the traditional shortbread, and festive to boot!

Cranberry coins paired with a homemade latte first thing this morning - Perfect.

P.S. This set is perfect if you are looking to make excellent coffee drinks at home, without investing hundreds in an espresso maker. The milk frother is much less scary than the traditional, pressure-powered version. I know from experience.

A Few of My Favorite Things..

Happy Wednesday, my lovely friends! It is December 1 today, can you believe it? The first of the month means the Christmas season is officially here. The boy and I are picking out our tree this evening, and I can't wait! The decorations are piled on the living room floor, just waiting to be used. Truly, this is one of my favorite things to do each year.

No decorating event is complete without holiday music and sweet treats, which is why I will be making a dessert that combines two of my absolute favorite things; bread and ice cream!

I found this recipe for ice cream bread on The Kitchn, a place I visit multiple times daily for delicious foodie inspiration. The directions are super simple and the results look amazing, no? Really, how can you go wrong combining bread and ice cream?

So, while I decorate the tree and listen to some holiday tunes, I plan to eat an entire loaf of this bread. If I'm feeling generous, the boy just might get a piece ;)

Have you put up your holiday decorations yet?

Thanksgiving Is Upon Us

The week of Thanksgiving has arrived! I'm really excited about this for two reasons: 1.) It's a three day work week 2.) Thanksgiving marks the official beginning of the holiday season.

I absolutely love this time of year. I love everything from holiday decorating and baking, to Christmas songs and shopping/creating for family and friends.

This year A and I are hosting Thanksgiving for my family. I feel like such an adult! A and I are really proud of the little home we have made in the past two-plus years we have lived together, and we are excited to host our first holiday event.

I never really appreciated the amount of work that goes into Thanksgiving until this year. There is so much preparation involved! I begin a four-day cooking/baking extravaganza tonight, with sweet potato rolls and homemade graham cracker crust on the agenda...

Initially I thought, " This is your first holiday event, just keep it simple". With all of the homemade treats I have planned, it's turning out to be a bit chaotic. I have to admit, though, that I am really enjoying the challenge.

What are your plans for the holiday? Are you a guest or host? Which Thanksgiving treats are you most looking forward to?

{image from here}

Oh, Hello Friday!

I cannot get over this image from honeytree; I'm so drawn to it! Aren't the colors gorgeous? 

Welcome weekend, I am so glad you have arrived! It has been a bit of a challenging week for me, and I'm ready to unwind. On the agenda for the weekend:

- Making baked oatmeal for my "fancy" Saturday morning breakfast (quickly becoming a lovely weekend tradition).

- A cozy movie night with my boy, complete with snacks, pajamas (for me!) and our two kitties.

- Cleaning out the contents of the fridge for a batch warm chicken rice soup.

- Squeezing in some quiet creative time.

- A long walk to relax and enjoy the wonderful Fall weather we are having!

I hope the weekend provides you all with at least a moment to relax and enjoy the changing seasons..

Try It: Barbeque Chicken Pizza

Pizza for dinner is a really common occurrence in our house. I almost always have homemade pizza sauce and fresh mozzarella on hand, and this pizza crust can be mixed up in no time at all. 

One of our new favorite versions doesn't involve regular pizza sauce, but BBQ instead. I bake a few chicken breasts in the oven, cut them up and smother with barbecue sauce. I add a very thin layer of BBQ sauce to the crust, pile on the chicken with a smattering of red onions and top with a bit of gouda cheese. I'm telling you, this is a delicious combination! It's a great way to get the summer flavors of grilling if you are unfortunate enough not to own one (like myself). 

Try this! Better yet, make this for a dinner gathering. Your friends will love you for it!

Weekend Delight

Good Morning! It's the weekend, and the weather couldn't be finer.

On the agenda for today:

- Coffee and quality couch time with my girl Stella

- Patiently awaiting the mailman to arrive with the first print I sold in my shop, which I will happily package and send out on Monday!

- Homemade pizza for the Mr. and I

- A nice drive to see this movie, with a bit of shopping mixed in

- Fresh sea scallops, sweet corn and rice pilaf for dinner at home

It's going to be a lovely day, indeed.

Why I am REALLY here is to share with you a discovery I made last weekend. Behold the most delicious scone you will ever eat!

Whenever I am in the mood to try a new recipe, I always head straight to Smitten Kitchen because I am never disappointed. I tried these out last Saturday, and they were absolutely wonderful! I suggest you run, not walk, to her site and give these a try for yourself. The recipe is very simple, and the results are pure bliss!

I substituted dried cranberries for currants, and used half-and-half instead of heavy cream. Make these. I promise you will not regret it!

Enjoy your Saturday!

Weekend Baking and Other Fun Things

Happy Monday, Everyone!

How was your weekend? I had an exceptionally good one, aside from the fact that I did homework the entire day on Sunday (8AM - 11PM .. ouch).

Friday was an evening spent with my boy. We bowled a string at the local alley, which is something we really enjoy but just haven't gotten around to in over a year! I bowled a 166, with four strikes in a row! I had to end on a high note, which is the main reason for bowling only one string..

Saturday evening was spent with friends celebrating my good friend Brit's birthday. I mentioned that I would be doing a lot of baking for the occasion, and I actually have a couple of pictures to show for it!

I made these cute little tea cookies and accompanied them with some nice chai. The cookies have the lightest hint of lemon, which really gets me into the spirit of Spring!

lemon cloud cookies

I included a loaf of my favorite, no-knead bread with the gift. Brit and her husband really enjoy having bread with dipping oils and cheese, so I thought this would be perfect for them.

my favorite homemade bread

A. gave me the idea to wrap each box with heavy paper and twine. He wrapped my recent birthday gift this way, and I thought that it was fabulously simple and chic.

the finished product

I attached this cheeky little card just for fun..

My picture-taking abilities are abysmal, I know. But, I really wanted to share my weekend's work with you!

Wee Snack Packs and Birthday Baking

Full disclosure: I am a really, really big "snacker".

On any given day, I will have three to five snacks (at least). So, imagine my elation when I found these adorable little snack packs by downhomeamy! I take munchies with me everywhere I go, and these darling little snack totes will look much cuter than a lame plastic Ziploc as I pull one out of my bag to snack in class, at work, the movies (shhhh!) etc. etc. etc.

They are so cute, it's too hard to choose just one!

This weekend is my dear friend's birthday. So, that means a lot of baking today! I am making this fabulous bread (a staple in our home), along with these lemon cloud cookies I discovered on the blog of my new girl crush. I plan to pair the cookies with some nice tea and the bread with an interesting cheese. I hope to share the finished product with you tomorrow. I am horrible about taking pictures, though, so fingers crossed..

What are your plans for this beautiful, sunny (in the Northeast at least) weekend?

Grahams and Gifts

This weekend I tried out a recipe for graham crackers, courtesy of the brilliant Deb of Smitten Kitchen. I have made several of the recipes she has featured on her blog, and I adore them all. These little lovelies were certainly no exception..

I am a HUGE cracker lover, but I find that I fill my cabinets with so many kinds that they often become stale before I get around to finishing them. Many of the fabulous foodies out there in the blogosphere have inspired me to begin making from scratch many of the foods I crave from a box. I have slowly begun to incorporate this idea into my daily life, and I am loving the results!

Personally, I had never considered making my own crackers. The process, to my surprise, was quite quick and simple - not to mention cost effective. I had all of the ingredients on-hand for these, and they taste far better than anything you can buy in the grocery store.

I was so excited about these, that I immediately wrapped some up for my neighbor (and fellow cat-lover as evidenced by the box). She brought banana bread over to A. and I earlier in the evening, so I delivered some graham crackers to her as thanks. Really, I will use any excuse to tuck something into these adorable Chinese takeout boxes.

What surprising types of foods do you prefer to make from scratch? I would love to get some more ideas!

It's Love..

(Adorable conversation heart cookies found on Frenchie and Flea)

This has to be one of the cutest Valentine's Day ideas I have every seen. Typically, the holiday doesn't excite me very much, but I love any excuse to give baked goods! Plus, I now have an excuse to buy one of these..

Putting the "Pro" in Procrastination

It is Monday evening, which means I didn't return from lecture until 8:30 PM. There is a long list of work I could be doing at the moment - research, homework or studying for the exam I have on Friday.

I have chosen to do none of these things.

Instead, I did this...

That's right, I made enough oatmeal pancakes to last me the entire week!

This recipe isn't fancy, but the result is a filling, delicious, and (relatively) healthy breakfast. These can be stored in the freezer, and they reheat really well in the microwave. I always double the recipe..

Oatmeal Pancakes

Heat 1/2 cup milk and 2 T butter until combined.

Stir in 1/2 quick-cooking oats, let sit for 10 minutes.

Add:

2-4 T flour

2 t baking powder

2 T sugar

1/2 t salt

Stir, and cook as you would regular pancakes.

In my freezer, a week's worth of breakfast awaits...

But right now, the pile of school work on my coffee table is calling my name.

Frozen Seafood

It's the end of January, and it's colder than ever in Maine (where I live). There is still plenty of snow on the ground, and we have at least another whole month of winter to look forward to (or be depressed about).

I have lived in Maine my entire life. I grew up here, and decided to stay in-state for college. Living in "Vacationland" is really nice; summers by the ocean are beautiful and the fall months are gorgeous. I can tell you, though, that the winter season is not the reason tourists flock to the state.

(here, two reasons why I love Maine)

One great thing about Maine, though, is that fresh seafood is always available. In an attempt to beat the winter blahs, I braved the freezing cold temperatures (it was 0 degrees, at most, on Saturday) and picked up some fresh seafood in order to try one of Martha's dinner recipes.

The meal was a pasta dish with fresh sea scallops. The picture doesn't really do the seafood justice, but they were the most tender and flavorful scallops I have ever had! A side of homemade french bread (recipe courtesy of Rachel) was the perfect complement. Overall, a great weekend meal!

Maine in the winter isn't so bad after all. I may have frozen outside on the trip to the store, but the seafood was certainly fresh!