Bake Sales

At NYU, they're really popular with the clubs. I really have no idea why, since I rarely see people buy anything from them...I certainly never do. Odds are, I have made/could easily make what they're selling, plus I just don't really eat sweets. However, NYC banning homemade goods is ridiculous. So what if you can't know the exact calorie count? Schools now can only sell things like Doritos. Really, NYC? Really? That sounds totally healthy, much better than banana bread or oatmeal raisin cookies.
Thankfully,  NYU hasn't gotten that weird-yet. So last night I was roped into baking cookies for Tisch New Theatre's bake sale today. I used to be on the board, but for a myriad of reasons I am no longer involved. But several of my friends are, hence my baking for them. Except wait! The bake sale was moved from campus to one of the acting studios. And they wanted me to bring my cookies there. Ummm no. I don't have an extra 45 minutes to do that. I though my favor was done with the baking. Apparently not. I did actually put my foot down about it (yay not being a doormat!) so I now have about 3 dozen coconut chocolate chip cookies. Come and get 'em!
On a completely unrelated note, it's finally stopped raining! I am so excited, even if it's not actually sunny... :)
xoxoxo

It's offically spring break!

And yes, I'm spending the first night of it watching Casablanca and tooling around on the internet. For some reason I was pooped at the end of work tonight!
Yesterday I made some chai shortbread cookies with chocolate decoration. They're based on this recipe...all I did was add some chai spices (until...it seemed right? I'm so precise, I know) and then melted chocolate in a makeshift pastry bag (ie ziploc baggie with a corner cut off). I'm basically obsessed with chai in every form-straight tea, lattes, anything chai-flavored. So last year when I found chai spice, I decided it would be in everything I make...a goal I've been quite successful in. Now, decorating...not so much. I think I need more practice...

Mmm chai. I might actually eat some of these instead of giving them all away, ha.

That's all for me, folks. I'm going to continue avoiding this nasty, rainy night by curling up in my bed watching movies. Oh how I love spring break :)

xoxoxo

Snow Day

We had a snow day yesterday woohoo! I mean, I was already on campus when they decided to cancel classes after 12:30, but hey...I'll take it. I used the time to mail my Valentine cards, put together the box for my Valentine (ie my fabulous mommy), do laundry, cook a real dinner, and bake cookies! What a productive day :)

I made pan fried tofu and rice with green curry sauce. Yum. It really needed some bamboo shoots but good job, Trader Joe's, on your green curry sauce.

The cookies are kind of an amalgamation of whatever I had in my pantry. Hence they are chai-toffee-chocolate chunk...thankfully a good combination of flavors. A friend of mine who lives in the dorm and my RA both stopped by and enjoyed some, as well as my roomies and another friend who came over today.

Oh and while my good camp friend Danni was visiting we made some delicious sun dried tomato risotto and arugala-goat cheese-pecan sald. Mmmmm.

Today I got to make some paper flowers for Valentine's Day :) Mark (a friend from church) and I went to Kate's Paperie in Soho, where they were having a demo on how to make them. I am quite possibly the least crafty person out there, but even mine didn't turn out too badly.

I have such an intense love-hate relationship with Valentine's Day. Love everything about it except being alone. But hey, my friends and family are so great I don't even mind that so much.

Oh, p.s. I got my beautiful new coat. :)

image

Except mine is not slouchy like that...it is very fitted. I love it.

I really need to learn about food photography

So far this year I've made:
pumpkin pies

• no pictures, but I took one to a party and it was well-received, as was the one Mom and the bro ate
• recipe from the can of pumpkin and pre-made crusts. It was New Year's Day...no way was I making crusts from scratch.
  

sun-dried tomato, asiago, and parmesan risotto

• also no pics, also well-received by myself, Mom and the bro
• recipe loosely based on this mushroom risotto

crème brûlée french toast with "mimosas"

• OMG so delicious, but sooo sweet. I haven't been able to eat a dessert since.
• based on this recipe, although Mom refused to buy Grand Marnier for one brunch, so I substituted more vanilla and a few drops of orange extract

• for the "mimosas" we used orange juice (duh) and sparkling water...we all needed to be driving afterward...so yeah, no champagne.

chocolate chip-heath cookies

• Some of my friends from Ann Arbor Civic Theatre and I often get together for movie nights when I'm back in A2, and I have become the official baker. I don't think they'd let me in if I came without baked goods...so I threw these together in about 10 minutes. Literally. 
• Again, based on a recipe, but we didn't have nearly enough chocolate chips (which is strange, cause I feel like I'm always buying them...) so I added in some heath chips as well. I also like to change a little vanilla for almond extract because I just love the flavor.