Molasses Ginger Cookies

Yet again, I had a craving for sweets, but with all this snow, who wants to go out?! Not me! While chatting with my sister, I shared my craving and she found me this recipe. Family is amazing, always there when you need them!

Delicious and chewy just as the recipe says so. Enjoy the pictures - nothing fancy!

Wow, not so attractive now.

Some of my favorite things!

Oh, look! I'm 13 again and like writing my name everywhere.

Make these again? YES!

Turnip & Leek Soup

In flavor and more importantly (to me) the appearance of leeks can transform whatever you include them in. I personally associate leeks to their usual partner in soup, potatoes! I would like to attempt making this sometime soon, hmmm. However, I didn't have any potatoes and was more in the mood for a simple, less processed soup.

I threw all the ingredients together and think it turned out well. I would use less lemon salt next time.

1/2 tsp olive oil
1 medium clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 carton No-Chicken Broth
1 turnip
5 button mushrooms
2 leeks
1 cup whole wheat pasta
1 pinch lemon salt
1 smidge turmeric (for color)
black pepper (to your liking)

1. Brown garlic, add broth and salt.
2. Add turnips, let them cook for about 5 minutes before adding the leeks.
3. Add pasta, in a separate pan quickly sauté a handful of leeks and mushrooms.
4. Combine all ingredients, serve when pasta is done.

How can anyone live without garlic?

 

I used 2 pinches and wish I had not.

The soup had more lemon flavoring than I had hoped for.

My father would be disappointed to have missed out on these.

 Reminds me of this.

Oh dear mushrooms, I have grown to like you.

I will assume this is because you are not out of a can.

The slight browning is just what I wanted! Beautiful!

One bowl for me.

One bowl for my sister.

Potato Salad

Quick! Easy! Delicious! My sister purchased these little little potatoes and had been putting off using them. Such cuties shouldn't be used for mashed potatoes anything like it that takes the appeal of their size. Being hungry and not in the mood for scraping together random findings in the refrigerator, I decided (even though my sister is out of town this weekend - SORRY!) to make a potato salad.

At my family's Thanksgiving and Christmas, one of my aunt's makes her famous potato salad. I've certainly felt the rush of the holiday season these past few days. While my seasonings are different than my aunt's, I still thought of her while making it. Can't wait for hers!

I came up with the seasoning on my own and will admit it turned out better than expected.

These are all approximate measurements.

1 lb little potatoes
1 tbsp Dijon mustard (mine was slightly heaping - it's so good!)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (the one my sister has is really sweet)
1 big clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 big leaves of fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 tsp sea salt (heaping - again!)
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Boil the potatoes.
2. Combine seasonings.
3. Slice potatoes in half.
4. Mix together, be sure to evenly coat potatoes.

Look at their name, so cute!

Be sure to mix this well. Definitely looks gross, tastes amazing.

Do you know how cute you are?

Look at the fork, ready to dive in!

Wouldn't be complete without a glass (my favorite!) of water. Mmm, garlic.

Lemonpepper Pasta & Bruschetta

Not too much to say about this meal. However, I've never had lemonpepper pasta before and I do miss making bruschetta, I'll definitely be making it more often.

 

 

I could just eat this photograph! So fresh!

Aren't these colors so beautiful?

Vanilla Cupcakes & Vanilla Frosting

I've recently relocated to Brooklyn, NY and wanted my first post here to be something basic but still fun. What is more fun than cupcakes? What is more basic than vanilla? I didn't feel like running to the store (a block away!) and wanted to make something with what I had at home. This is what I found, I've never cooked anything by Martha Stewart before and figured I can rely on her taste in cake. The woman does have her own show, line of home products, and a criminal record, she knows a thing or two, right? Maybe its the fact that I was so lazy to go buy milk and white sugar and replaced the two with half & half and brown sugar, but these cupcakes weren't quite what I was looking for. Then again, when you're as picky as I am and know exactly what it is you do and don't like, being too lazy to get the right ingredients is foolishness and most likely isn't going to yield the desired results!

They were fun to make and a bit nerve wracking to monitor with two curious cats sauntering about. My sister was helpful in keeping them away and reading the recipe to me, as there is no space for my laptop in this apartment kitchen. I'm sure I'll adjust soon enough, there is much more to come.

Alas, I give you the pictures!

 

The luxury of my parent's Kitchen Aid is over, now I rely on the food processor my brother gave me!

The recipe says to mix the dry into the wet ingredients, changes were made due to limited space in my mini food processor.

 

 

The day I don't make a mess with confectioners' sugar, I will dedicate a post to just that.

These were originally cooling in another room, had they been out in the kitchen, the cats would have found their own way of decorating.

 

This too needed to be put away, out of the food processor and into a sealed container!

 

 

My orange "cat" is really special.

 

I don't usually decorate with gel, but the blue is so cute.

 

 

Chomp!

Rootbeer Float Cupcakes

A new cupcake buddy sent me this recipe. I was skeptical at first but decided to try it out. I think that sometimes people get too crazy trying out different kinds of cupcakes. While surfing around the internet I found cupcake versions of desserts and what a disappointment! Majority of what made me willing to try and then enjoy this cupcake is that it is all about the flavors. This was not an attempt to make a rootbeer float in a foil cup! Another thing, the recipe makes a perfect dozen.

 

Putting together the ingredients was easy and took very little time, always a good thing.

Their color was the same as the batter when I took them out of the oven.

As they cooled, they grew darker.

 

I don't know how much chocolate I used!

I broke a chunk from this GIANT block of dark chocolate.

 

I did adjust the recipe for 2 tsp maple syrup and 1 tbsp vanilla soymilk.

I thought to save money I would use plastic sandwich bags instead of icing bags.

 

Worked out perfectly!

This was my favorite part, as you can see I got carried away with these last few.

Oh, but disaster struck! 

 

The second plastic bag, even with its zip lock made more of a mess!

(No pictures because my palms and the counter were covered in icing.)

I suppose I will have to find sturdier bags or use the real thing.

I would have put more icing, but considering my icing bag trouble, the little bit I was able to get on them was enough for me.

I'm advertising again, but this really is the best rootbeer!