Blue and White China

I love how much mileage I'm getting with my mismatched blue and white china pieces.

I've been doing some experimenting with photography and props, and I love how the blue print elevates without making it prissy. Maybe it's because the combination of blue and white is so clean-looking.

Chewy Brownies

I realized the other week that I am no longer "cool." All this came about in a conversation with my brother who is, coincidentally, "cool." He was playing his music and I was listening like the awesome big sister I am and I asked him if people could krump to it. That's right. Krump. Because I thought krumping was what youngsters were into these days.

And I glanced at him and he was laughing and trying not to show it, and I was informed that krumping is no longer a thing; people just dance. 

I referenced a thing as though it were cool while blissfully unaware that said thing had ceased being cool. It's happened, world. I have crossed the line into irrelevance . . . at least where pop culture is concerned. Aaannnd given the rise of the twerking phenomena, I'm finding I am actually totally okay with this. 

But you know what? After a long search, I have found a recipe for a chocolaty, chewy brownie that will rock your world . . . even if it's a world in which krumping does not exist. And personally, I think that's pretty cool.  

Caramelized Nectarines

I've come to a realization. I'm a person of extremes when it comes to cooking. Either I end up making a meal with elventy kabillion diminutive steps, or I throw something in a pot, turn up the heat, and forget about it for twenty minutes. This recipe is one of the latter.

Easy Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, when I was a senior in a college and trying ever so hard to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I ate a lemon cookie in the cafeteria. It was chewy, moist, and replete with lemonyness. I've been trying to re-create it ever since, and I stumbled upon this recipe in the process.

Raspberry Streusel Bars

Butter. Butter, raspberries, and almonds, actually. I don't think there's much more that needs to be said.

Homemade Bread and Wilted Spinach Bacon Salad

 I recently found myself feeling grumpy and fluffy. Yes, fluffy. Meaning, that   delightful feeling that typically accompanies the end of winter when you realize your cuddle bunches are more cuddly than you'd really like.

Accompanying this sentiment was a vast disappointment in the local weather. It's been winter for forever and on the first day of spring we had snow. In March. And we have been cooped up for far, far too long and is a bit of warm weather so we can go outside too much to ask?

I moped. But then I decided to make a meal and mope no more.

I wanted something to banish the fluffy feeling . . . something fresh, but a touch on the hardy side (it is forty humdingin' degrees out. . . still). Something with green, and warm, and something with bacon. Something perfectly crunchable and light but filling. Fortunately, bacon spinach salads were created for just this purpose.



BACON. Bacon is all I see in this picture. 

A Birthday Cheesecake

I have a sister-in-law who bakes professionally.

Chocolate Bundt Cake: Easy Elegance for Any Occassion

We had a wedding once, almost two years ago. (Two years. Holy cow.) It was a lovely wedding for many reasons, one of which is the cake you see below. It was a fabulous, made from scratch, good-as-all-get-out cake. Or cakes, rather. We made quite a few for our guests. 

 And today, I will show you how to make your very own.

Making Smitten Kitchen's Oreos

I only have one thing to say about these Oreos. You must make them. Stat.

Chocolate Chip Cookies. Again.

Oops. I did it again. 

Ten brownie points if you can name that song!

Petit Pains au Chocolat

Have you ever said to yourself, "Man, I wish I could wake up in Paris and walk out of my glamorous hotel in a fabulous euro-chic outfit to an adorable parisian cafe and order a delectable chocolate pastry?"

Me too. Hence these.

Dessert for Breakfast

This is my newly found favorite food.

Here we have a lovely rendition of "Breakfast" compliments of Greek yogurt, honey, sliced almonds and raspberries.

It tastes like a dessert - a creamy, lightly sweetened berry dessert with crunchy almonds.

But this "dessert" has the following nutrients: protein, phosphorus, vitamin D, calcium, heart - healthy monounsaturated fats, dietary fiber, potassium, something called manganese, plus a healthy dose of antioxidants.

In other words, it has enough healthy components to make broccoli hang its head in shame.

Take that, broccoli. Nothing personal.

Perfect Chocolate Lava Cakes

These cakes, y'all. They were made for cool autumn evenings. You can of course have them any time - my only concern is that you have them as soon as humanly possible.

Fudgy Brownies. And Loopholes.

Chocolate. Mmm.

It's good for my soul.

Sumptuous Blackberry Pie

I was thinking the other day. Thinking is something I do quite often. Probably too much. In the midst of my train of thought (choo-choo!) my tummy interrupted.

"Andrea." It said to me. "I want a pie."
"For real? You want an entire pie?"
"I. WANT. A. PIE."
"Alright already! Chill out!"

Then I asked my taste buds if they had any input, and they said "We don't just want pie. We want blackberry pie."

So snooty, those taste buds.

Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies

Your search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie has ended, my dear readers. Jacque Torres has made sure of that.

Cooking Adventures: Clafoutis and Pad Thai

You'll notice there is actually no picture of a finished pad thai. And I had what I thought was a good reason for that.