Sunday, June 30, 2013

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups

Hey, guys! Remember the chewy chocolate chip cookies I made recently? They were absolutely delicious! However, I have a mixed track record when it comes to cookies: I love to eat them, and sometimes when I make them, they turn out well; but overall, I don't have very good luck when it comes to baking them! For whatever reason, they tend to spread much too thin for my liking, even after refrigerating the dough.
So I found a solution: bake them in muffin tins! That way, they have no chance of spreading! They're trapped and have no choice but to bake up into a dense, delicious, buttery cookie. That's what happened with these--and man, they are tasty!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

One Pot Wonder Tomato Basil Pasta with Sausage

This is another one of those recipes that I've seen floating around the internet, and as usual, I was curious! The appeal of a one-pot meal is, indeed, that it only requires the use of one pot from start to finish. (Technically, I used one pot and one frying pan to make the sausage).
This pasta is as easy as it claims to be, and just as savory too! I made this for my family for lunch after church today, and my main concern was making a vegetarian meal for them (primarily my siblings, who are true carnivores and junk food lovers), hence the addition of the sausage.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have you ever been the recipient of kindness from a total stranger? I'm talking about a situation where someone you didn't know did something totally unexpected for you, and you were surprised and overwhelmed by their good-hearted actions. This happened to me this week--and these cookies are a thank-you gift.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Luscious Lemon "Brownies"

I know, I know. Brownies are supposed to be BROWN--as in, ooey, gooey, and oozing with tons of  chocolatey goodness. I haven't forgotten! But you know me and my lemons...I saw this recipe on Becky Charms and couldn't help myself!

Caprese Salad with Brown Sugar Balsamic Reduction

Hi, friends! Things are going great at the new job so far, and I'm so thankful. However, I definitely miss having so much time in the kitchen, and definitely try to make up for lost time on the weekends. With that in mind, you get two recipes today! Get excited! :)
I have some gorgeous fresh basil in my garden that I've been SO EXCITED to use! A crisp, fresh Caprese salad seemed like the perfect platform to showcase my basil, especially on a muggy Texas day like today. It's colorful, healthy, and so flavorful!

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Banana Butterscotch Muffins

Okay, so you remember when I told you about my family's "love 'em and leave 'em" habits with bananas? If not, refer to this muffin recipe from a few months ago. Well, we have the same situation here--some beautiful brown bananas that needed a new home! I rushed to the rescue with this super easy and absolutely delicious muffin recipe.
They come together quite quickly and smell WONDERFUL while they're baking. Also, the addition of butterscotch chips really takes these incredibly moist, luscious muffins over the top. This may be the best banana muffin to come out of my kitchen yet!

Sunday, June 2, 2013

A Blurb from Real Life...

Hey there :) Today, I'm here with a personal entry rather than anything food-related.

Tomorrow morning, I begin a new job as an academic advisor at a large local university. I am SO excited about this job--both because I have been broke unemployed for quite some time, and also because this job marries my natural talents, gifts, and interests with the counseling degree I earned in December. However, the road here has been much different than I expected.