detox season

diet books are topping amazon's bestsellers lists. gyms are growing more crowded than ever. blenders are abuzz. and now is apparently the perfect time to test the waters of the new liquid cleanse fad.

this is good! our resolutions must still be fresh in our minds and bodies.

i personally have never been one for strict diet regimes. i enjoy the sensation of food too much to give it up, even for a mere 14 days or whatever.i'm not a sissy, i'm just a lover of good food.

so as i was scouring the web in search of healthy recipes for the new year i came across the bon appétit food lover's cleanse.

ah, finally

a detox i can survive on!

all you juicers can eat your heart out.

feast on, gourmands.

click here for day by day meal plan + recipes

july evening

on a breezy july evening i concluded a scorching july day with a  a sophisticated summer picnic at the beach park,

while the normal college kids train for the beer olympics and exchange stds.

i acknowledge that i walk a fine line between classy and pretentious when i say:

 it's not just that i am above it all,

i would just take a baguette and cheese over pizza hut and herpes simplex any night.

butter is good for you, yes

art by martha rich

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sweet spring

//bee raw// raw honey comes in lovely flavors like blueberry, buckwheat, sweet yellow clover, star thistle, wild black sage,...

you will also find suggested fruit, cheese and wine pairings for each flavor along with recipes. 

pure, unprocessed sweetness. 

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c'mon get happy

1. arctic breeze scented soap, representing the eventual washing away of antarctica// via soap is beautiful, a blog about beautiful soaps. splish splash.

“I’m interested in this intangible, changing phenomenon that can’t be trapped or owned….I was taking this thing that is remote and far out from us, and soap [has] this idea of purity or hygiene, and I felt that there was an equivalence to our notion of icebergs and we have this uncomplicated view of what Antarctica is or what unspoiled nature is.” - David Kennedy Cutler, artist

2. illustration// via hello sandwich, a blog that makes me want to wear colors and be happier.

3. cloudy day meringues. to cheer you up when it's raining gloom// via griottes, a beautiful blog that makes me an even bigger french wannabe.

sweets for sweet

for my valentine:

chocolate raspberry upside down cake

vodka hot chocolate

oreo marshmallows

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have an [understated] christmas

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maison blanche + orange

so simple, so fresh.

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cooking wolves

i started a food blog

CLICK HERE

cookie inspired cupcakes

1. cookie dough cupcakes from passthesushi.com

2. snickerdoodle cucpcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting from sweet pea's kitchen.


3. samoa cupcakes from bakers royale.


4. oreo cupcakes from bakergirl.

baked alaska

i've always wanted to attempt the creation of the notoriously complicated baked alaska. it's intimidating. but with the company of another person, i think i could make it through all of the mixing, piping and finger-licking. i think the hardest part would be choosing who i would want with me. i'd need someone who could sit on a stool and and listen to me, unaware of my subtle commands. someone who understands the little things in life, and can converse about them for 24 hours. i want someone who will lean against the counter with me and eat one when they're finished. someone who will share the profoundness of my pleasure.  any takers?

1. orange chocolate baked alaska
2. almond mocha fudge baked alaska
3. baked alaska mint chocolate cupcakes
4. pumpkin baked alaska
5. coconut cranberry baked alaska

finally

it's officially winter break!

these gingerbread structures are an ode to all living conditions. sweetest hobo forts i've ever encountered.

this year, i want a trailer trash xmas.

gingerbread homes from cool stockholm site

cupcakes to make you lots of friends.

I brought these cupcakes to a thanksgiving dinner and the crowd went wild. they are deeply sinful but simultaneously the most heavenly thing to meet your taste buds. the recipe for these pumpkin spice cupcakes with mini cheesecake centers and nutella buttercream frosting can be found from my new favorite site: bake it in a cake.

cool food

dinner by color and brain food by house of origin.

pizza

global pizza from tiny urban kitchen. super rad.

thanksgiving cupcakes

this will be my thanksgiving dinner contribution: a mini pumpkin pie baked in a cream cheese vanilla cupcake topped with cinnamon buttercream frosting.  if it sounds too good to be true, you can see the recipe for yourself.

mint chocolate brownies

Brownie Layer:
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt


Mint Layer:
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
green food coloring (optional)

Chocolate Ganache:
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup cream


1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) . Have ready a 9 x 9 inch square baking pan that has been lined with aluminum foil across the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan. Set aside.


2. Brownies: melt the butter and chocolate. Stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (with a wooden spoon) after each addition. Stir in the flour and salt and beatuntil the batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan. Pour the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan.


3.Bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to completely cool.

Mint Layer: Beat all the ingredients until smooth. Add a few drops of green food coloring if you want the frosting green. If the frosting is too thick, add a little extra cream. (The frosting should be just thin enough to spread.) Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled brownie layer. Place in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes or until firm.

Chocolate Ganache: Melt the chocolate and and cream. Allow to col about 15 minutes. Stir. Spread over the mint filling and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

vanilla and chocolate chai cupcakes

me and my awesome friend sam made the best homemade cupcakes ever today. i stole the recipe from
dessert first. sam and i used butter pecan frosting, sprinkles and m&ms to decorate them. we made the little chocolate ones into little hostess hoho's and other cute stuff.

frozen fun time

i was babysitting this evening and one of the kids begged me to let him make a smoothie for desert. his mom warned me he did this all the time. his sister warned me, behind his back as he tore apart the kitchen in search of the blender, of his peculiar concoctions. and i thought well, the kid does this all the time he must know what he likes. well, he did and he didnt leave anything off the list.

conrad's smoothie:

(also called frozen diabetes in a cup)

a cup of vanilla ice cream

half a cup of syruped peaches

a cup of frozen watermelon

1 red otter pop

1 orange otter pop

1 blue otterpop

1 tbsp cinnamon sugar

for the more health conscious, i'll add an alternative. i attended an italian cooking show last night taught by an amazing vegetarian foodie. for desert we learned how to make italian sorbetto...sorbet as us americans know it. incredibly healthy sorbet.

mango sorbetto

recipe by the blonde vegetarian

3 cups peeled mangos (about 4 mangos)

1 or 2 large limes (zest and juice)

2 cups crushed ice

2-3 tbsp mild agave nectar

1. cut up mango and freeze until solid

2. put frozen mango in blender at high speed and zest limes. squeeze juice from limes. add zest and juice. add agave nectar and 1 cup ice.

3. blend til smooth, not runny. test for flavor and sweetness balance. add more agave nectar if you want more sweetness, add more lime if it needs more "kick." add 1 cup of ice. blend againg til mixture is very thick- like a milkshake.

4. serve immediately. garnish with mint of fresh berries.

*if it's too soft put it in the freezer for a while or pretend it's a smoothie :)