if you've never been to iateapie.net, you should really get on that. this site "provides reviews of foods marketed as healthy and diet friendly options." each review touches on the nutritional information, cost, and [of course] taste. it's a great place to check out before you go wasting your money on something that is healthy, but tastes awful...or worse, something that claims to be healthy but is really diet trash.
another reason why you should check it out? i'm now a contributor! check out my first review here. it is on naked juice's peach mangosteen bliss. more to come soon!
any suggestions for what i can review next?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
pimp my brownies
we had a great turnout at our second "community builder". lots and lots of people came to pimp their doorstops, even some people from other buildings that weren't technically supposed to be there. more guys showed up than expected [possibly because the title of the event had the word "pimp" in it] so we were pleasantly surprised.
and i was in charge of bringing cookies.
so i saved a few of the peanut butter brownies i made for swing so that i could make brownie chunk peanut butter cookies! they kinda look like plain ol' chocolate chip cookies but no no...don't be fooled, my friend, they are so much more. i kinda am starting to figure out that screwy oven and was able to save them before they burnt. they were nice and chewy on the inside with a light peanut butter flavor and just a hint of soft chocolatelyness.
kira tried one and decided they were "really good. really really good." at one point, the co-curricular coordinator came in and told me that she heard someone in the hall say "man, it's too crowded in there...but they have damn good cookies!" yay :]
and i was in charge of bringing cookies.
so i saved a few of the peanut butter brownies i made for swing so that i could make brownie chunk peanut butter cookies! they kinda look like plain ol' chocolate chip cookies but no no...don't be fooled, my friend, they are so much more. i kinda am starting to figure out that screwy oven and was able to save them before they burnt. they were nice and chewy on the inside with a light peanut butter flavor and just a hint of soft chocolatelyness.
kira tried one and decided they were "really good. really really good." at one point, the co-curricular coordinator came in and told me that she heard someone in the hall say "man, it's too crowded in there...but they have damn good cookies!" yay :]
brownie chunk peanut butter cookies
[from baking bites]
ingredients:
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, slightly softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter [i used creamy]
1 - 1 1/2 cup brownie chunks, in 1/4-inch pieces [i used pb brownies]
directions:
Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and creamy. Beat in egg, followed by the vanilla and chunky peanut butter. Gradually blend in dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined. Stir in brownie chunks. Brownies will break up somewhat when stirred in.
Shape batter into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are golden around the edges. Cool for 3-5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
time to sign up for fitness classes
classes have barely started and already i'm getting really really busy. i'm planning my first program for senior fellows and i'm taking a risk by making an off-campus one. we're going apple picking at milburn orchards on october 4th and it should be a lot of fun, but there is a lot of planning that goes into it. also, we are doing two community builders this year. this first is tonight ["sundaes on sunday" - free ice cream] and the second is on tuesday ["pimp my doorstop" - a doorstop decorating party].
the first swing dance of the semester was on friday and it was soo much fun. i can't believe how much i missed it. like, seriously, i had nightmares over the summer that i forgot how to swing and i'd jump out of bed and do the lindy basic steps myself just to make sure. and i missed my swing friends sooo much! it was great to see them. plus, we had a HUGE turnout...like more than i had ever seen. i hope everyone enjoyed themselves and comes back next friday.
i wanted to be nice and let everyone know how much i missed them so i made peanut butter chocolate brownies :]
even though i didn't like them as much as my new classic brownies, i still got a lot of compliments on them. working with that stupid, crazy oven in the basement is annoying, but i'll just have to get used to it. it's so fussy...i have to keep checking on it every five minutes which is lame considering i live on the second floor. ugh.
the first swing dance of the semester was on friday and it was soo much fun. i can't believe how much i missed it. like, seriously, i had nightmares over the summer that i forgot how to swing and i'd jump out of bed and do the lindy basic steps myself just to make sure. and i missed my swing friends sooo much! it was great to see them. plus, we had a HUGE turnout...like more than i had ever seen. i hope everyone enjoyed themselves and comes back next friday.
i wanted to be nice and let everyone know how much i missed them so i made peanut butter chocolate brownies :]
even though i didn't like them as much as my new classic brownies, i still got a lot of compliments on them. working with that stupid, crazy oven in the basement is annoying, but i'll just have to get used to it. it's so fussy...i have to keep checking on it every five minutes which is lame considering i live on the second floor. ugh.
peanut butter chocolate brownies
[from baking bites]
ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup all pupose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
[from baking bites]
ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup all pupose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
directions:
Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9×9-in square pan with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and peanut butter until smooth, then beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
In a small bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder. Mix in to peanut butter mixture at a low speed, stopping when just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and scrape batter into pan, spreading into an even layer.
Bake for 26-29 minutes, until set. Edges should feel slightly firm and the center should not look wet or jiggly.
Cool on a wire rack and lit brownies out with the foil when ready to slice. Makes 16 brownies.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
"cookies for everyone"
ok i lied. well, i didn't lie, but i accidentally didn't tell the truth. i do have a kitchen, but it's in the basement so you can forgive me for not knowing it was there.
considering how our first floor meeting is tonight, i decided to bake a little sumthin sumthin. something simple, quick, easy to give out, and that everyone will like. cookies!
i don't have too many ingredients with me so i decided to go with these flourless peanut butter cookies from baking bites. i went with chocolate truffle kisses instead of plain ones. sounds great in theory, but actually this was the first time one of baking bite's recipes didn't work out for me. the dough was super crumbly and crazy hard to work with. my first sheet burned way quickly [when i ran up to my room to get something] so i had to throw that out. i still made the second tray but didn't even bother topping them with kisses. i decided to save them for my next batch which i really really didn't want to screw up so i went with supersimple cake mix cookies. so they weren't interesting...oh well. life goes on. at least they taste good :)
edit: i was wrong about those pb ones. yes, the dough was hard to work with but somehow my attempt and packing it together into small globular cookies actually worked out. i had to wait until they cooled completely [they were very breakable when warm] to move them but then they stayed together when handled gently. i kind of disregarded them yesterday because i was pressed for time and had to make the chocolate ones, but after my roommates and i have had time to taste them, the verdict is in: they are super yummy. while they were crispy and crumbly on the outside, they packed a lot of peanut butter flavor. kira said that she doesn't really like pb cookies but really loved these ones because they were "different". she liked how they were moist and dense on the inside, which was due to my extreme packing of the dough. i actually found myself craving them today, something that is kind of rare for me. i ended up being really happy i made them along with chocolate ones because i love the choc/pb combination but it left options for those who don't.
not many people came by for free cookies so we were gunna name the pb ones "unloved cookies" but considering how much we enjoyed them, we changed the name to "partially-loved cookies". the others were also nice with a bit lighter texture and a fudgyness on the inside. the truffle kisses were perfect because they were so soft and gooey. we decided to name these ones "chocolate delights." i am posting baking bite's version of the recipe. i used more natural peanut butter than the recipe called for (along with about 2 tbsp water) in my attempt to try to make the dough less crumbly. also, i used chocolate truffle kisses so i think any kind of kisses, or chocolate candies, would work here. like i mentioned before, i packed the dough into my cookie scoop, which yielded more moist, dense cookies that cooked in about 8 minutes.
considering how our first floor meeting is tonight, i decided to bake a little sumthin sumthin. something simple, quick, easy to give out, and that everyone will like. cookies!
i don't have too many ingredients with me so i decided to go with these flourless peanut butter cookies from baking bites. i went with chocolate truffle kisses instead of plain ones. sounds great in theory, but actually this was the first time one of baking bite's recipes didn't work out for me. the dough was super crumbly and crazy hard to work with. my first sheet burned way quickly [when i ran up to my room to get something] so i had to throw that out. i still made the second tray but didn't even bother topping them with kisses. i decided to save them for my next batch which i really really didn't want to screw up so i went with supersimple cake mix cookies. so they weren't interesting...oh well. life goes on. at least they taste good :)
edit: i was wrong about those pb ones. yes, the dough was hard to work with but somehow my attempt and packing it together into small globular cookies actually worked out. i had to wait until they cooled completely [they were very breakable when warm] to move them but then they stayed together when handled gently. i kind of disregarded them yesterday because i was pressed for time and had to make the chocolate ones, but after my roommates and i have had time to taste them, the verdict is in: they are super yummy. while they were crispy and crumbly on the outside, they packed a lot of peanut butter flavor. kira said that she doesn't really like pb cookies but really loved these ones because they were "different". she liked how they were moist and dense on the inside, which was due to my extreme packing of the dough. i actually found myself craving them today, something that is kind of rare for me. i ended up being really happy i made them along with chocolate ones because i love the choc/pb combination but it left options for those who don't.
not many people came by for free cookies so we were gunna name the pb ones "unloved cookies" but considering how much we enjoyed them, we changed the name to "partially-loved cookies". the others were also nice with a bit lighter texture and a fudgyness on the inside. the truffle kisses were perfect because they were so soft and gooey. we decided to name these ones "chocolate delights." i am posting baking bite's version of the recipe. i used more natural peanut butter than the recipe called for (along with about 2 tbsp water) in my attempt to try to make the dough less crumbly. also, i used chocolate truffle kisses so i think any kind of kisses, or chocolate candies, would work here. like i mentioned before, i packed the dough into my cookie scoop, which yielded more moist, dense cookies that cooked in about 8 minutes.
flourless peanut butter cookies
aka "partially-loved cookies"
[from baking bites]
ingredients:
1 cup smooth, “natural” nut butter (cashew, almond, peanut, etc.)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
24 hershey’s Kisses
directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
aka "partially-loved cookies"
[from baking bites]
ingredients:
1 cup smooth, “natural” nut butter (cashew, almond, peanut, etc.)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
24 hershey’s Kisses
directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat together all ingredients, excluding hershey’s Kisses, until smooth.
Shape into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Leave about 2-inches between each cookie so that they don’t spread together. Top each with a Kiss.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes at 350 F, until golden brown at the edges. Cool on pan for a few minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 2 dozen.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
rewind
yeah yeah, it's been forever since my last post. that would be because alex and i went to the delaware beaches monday-thursday and then i had to move in. it took waaay longer than i thought it would and i just finished last night. granted, i was in senior fellow meetings from 9-4 on friday, but still. that's a lot of moving in.
we ended up going back again that same day and i got the cioccolata con gelato ["rich and silky, italian-style hot chocolate infused with your favorite gelato flavors"] with the peanut butter chocolate swirl. it was amaaaazing and a perfect end to my last night in california.
and the worst part is that i cannot find a kitchen in our building! i don't think it has one and now i'm sad :[. thank goodness alex has a house. i saw it for the first time the other day and man oh man, you can definitely tell four guys live there. looks like i'm going to have to play maid before i can play chef.
ok, let's rewind. remember how i did that post about paciugo gelato? well they saw it! elyse and i went in there last saturday and they started calling us their "favorite bloggers". i have no idea how they found it, but i'm really excited that they did :] we got to talk to brittny, the manager [who is totally sweet, but also delightfully spunky], and her mom and when they found out i was leaving for school, they hooked it up and gave me a paciugo t-shirt [which i am currently wearing]. they also let me special request a flavor for the next day! [i chose s'mores, and they also made my favorite: mediterranean sea salt caramel].
on our way out, we saw alonzo bodden, the winner of last comic standing season 3. i introduced myself and offered to buy him a gelato and he accepted! so we went back in to paciugo for the 3rd time that night and bought him a coffee. he hung out for a little and we talked with the lovely paciugo ladies. then we took some pictures and i got an autograph. it was a really great night :]
cappuccino biscotti
[from joy of baking]
ingredients:
3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Toast hazelnuts for 10 - 15 minutes or until the skins start to blister. Remove from oven and place hazelnuts in a clean towel and let steam for about 5 minutes. Then briskly rub the towel back and forth to remove the skins of the hazelnuts. Let cool and then coarsely chop. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) beat the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, spices, and espresso powder until combined. Gradually add the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms, adding the chopped nuts and chocolate chips about halfway through. With floured hands divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface roll each half of dough into a log about 10 inches long and 2 inches wide. Transfer logs to the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 3 inches apart, and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until firm to the touch (logs will spread during baking). Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
On a cutting board, with a serrated knife, cut each log crosswise, on the diagonal, into 3/4 inch slices. Arrange the slices on the baking sheet and bake 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another 10 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 24 biscotti.
[from joy of baking]
ingredients:
3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee powder
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Toast hazelnuts for 10 - 15 minutes or until the skins start to blister. Remove from oven and place hazelnuts in a clean towel and let steam for about 5 minutes. Then briskly rub the towel back and forth to remove the skins of the hazelnuts. Let cool and then coarsely chop. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) beat the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, spices, and espresso powder until combined. Gradually add the egg mixture and beat until a dough forms, adding the chopped nuts and chocolate chips about halfway through. With floured hands divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface roll each half of dough into a log about 10 inches long and 2 inches wide. Transfer logs to the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 3 inches apart, and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until firm to the touch (logs will spread during baking). Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
On a cutting board, with a serrated knife, cut each log crosswise, on the diagonal, into 3/4 inch slices. Arrange the slices on the baking sheet and bake 10 minutes, turn slices over, and bake another 10 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 24 biscotti.
we ended up going back again that same day and i got the cioccolata con gelato ["rich and silky, italian-style hot chocolate infused with your favorite gelato flavors"] with the peanut butter chocolate swirl. it was amaaaazing and a perfect end to my last night in california.
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