breathe and bake.

Oof.

New template. New blog focus. I'm excited.

Since I lack a serious sense in fashion, I am making it a goal to write at least one post a week that includes some fashion ideas/styles/outfits. I will attempt to put together something new each time from my closet .... dun dun dun.

Food posts will continue.. I am seriously trying to make this blog thing a priority ! I've got some good ideas, as well as a lot of room in my brain to learn. You guys can help me with that.

.....whoever you guys is.

My tums gurgling. I may or may not be hungry....at 11:43 am.

I am extremely sick today ! I need some help with how to post my pictures without them looking so tiny. Do I need to use a photobucket account ? Everytime I use the "add image" link on blogspot, it makes it so tiny ! Any blog help is welcomed.. I'm fairly new to it all.

As I was searching for new templates, I was reminded of my days on Xanga. Did anyone else use Xanga in their adolescent years? I was obsessed with the site. And AIM. AOL. Hahah. How time changes......

intuitive.

It's time I took control. I weighed 89 pounds when I came home from France. I am now at 105. This is great. But I find myself slipping into old habits... I've actually become one of those people who will deprive myself of food during the day, but then at night, when I'm feeling good about myself, I just binge... on whatever. I don't even know what I'm eating. I don't really taste it.

This has left me feeling miserable. I also have quit working out. This has left me feeling terrible. Today, I surrender myself to God. I surrender these food and health obsessions to God. I just want to eat intuitively and not give it a second thought because... the first thought is the right one.

Please, do this.

Coffee..

Mornings are fantastic ! Tiramisu flavored coffee is even more fantastic.

Tiramisu coffee with Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer is....

I have no words.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I am so uncreative. I have some pumpkin leftover from the chocolate chip pumpkin bars I made the other night (which were amazing, recipe to come). I could incorporateit into some yogurt.. or some oatmeal... but.. I don't really like either of the combinations too much. To be honest.. I'm not a Huge fan of oatmeal. Don't get me wrong.. it's food, it's nutty, I like it.. but I don't Love it. Why is this ? I do have to say that overnight oats with raisins are outstanding.. It only took me a year to make them.

Today was an old standby...

plain yogurt, an apple, some crushed wheat flakes, and cinnamon.

Obviously.. I ate some more flakes from the box post yogurt consumption.

Today.. I will train to be a waitress. I will get my nose pierced.

cole slaw

good cole slaw

1/2 head cabbage

2 apples

2 carrots

2 tbsp mayo

lemon juice (of one lemon)

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp poppyseeds

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

salt/pepper

Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 (minus 2 tbsp) white sugar

1/2 brown sugar

5 tbsp butter

2 tbsp shortening

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

(cream together)

mix together..

1 cup oats

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

mix all together

smash about a cup of peanut m&ms

mix in with dough

bake at 350 for 10 or 12 or whatever minutes

Banana Cream Pie.

Holy moly.

I just... I feel like my taste buds were just given a hand shake.

Listen to my tale.

There they were, four bananas, hanging from a... banana hanger. For days neglected. Easter made their existence unknown and/or forgotten. Spotty, they became. Into a pie, I made them.

Good story. Thanks.

For real, though. I debated on making some banana bread or some banana bars but... I felt a pie was in order because the last bananas I used in baking some bread didn't get eat. Pie stands no chance in my abode.

I found a few different recipes and just did what I thought best. And... nom nom nom. Ta-da.

Banana Cream Pie

yours truly.

Chocolate Cookie Crust...

1.5 (or so) cups of smushed chocolate cookies (I used a cheap off brand of oreo's. D-lish).

3 tbsp melted butter

mix it all together, press into a 9 inch pie plate, bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. take out and cool it.

ok?

Le Pie....

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups of milk

3 egg yolks

2 tbsp butter (or margarine)

1.5 tsp vanilla

3.5 ripe nanners

combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. add in the milk while whiskin...with a whisk. Do this until it thickens and almost begins to bubble. Take off the heat. Add a little bit of that into your three egg yolks that you've whisked previously in a small bowl. Then add that yolky mixture back into the pot. Cook for about 2 minutes on the heat again. Remove from heat. Throw in your vanilla and butter (or margarine) and mix it. Let it sit while you slice up your bananas.

Place a layer of slices bananas on top of your cooled crust. Mix in the remaining bananas with your puddin mixture (I kinda mashed mine all together. It was chunkay...yet... smooth). Pour atop your crust. Let it chill on the counter for like...30 minutes. Then cover it and put it in the fridge.

I topped mine with some leftover cookie crumbness goodness. When I ate a piece, I dolloped some whipped cream on that beach and ate it.

Seriously? Delicious. Why would I ever make a banana bread when I could make... a banana pie?

Also, I need to remind myself to not eat any kind of beans past a certain time. Say... 2 or 3 in the afternoon. I ate them as my taco filling last night about 7:30 and my stomach has been so.. Off since.

Word... to the wise. Don't eat beans past 2 !

Easter. & Why I love my mom.

Today was beautiful. Everything about it was beautiful.

I woke up at 7. Ate some fruit and yogurt. Got coffee and some cantaloup at Panera with my parents and headed to church. Today was the first time I've been to church in a long while (I need to change this). I went to my grandparents and spent the afternoon eating good foods and playing golf (or trying).

A cake was requested to be made by me from my grandmother, so bake a cake, I did.

I used this recipe by the Bakers Daughter.

It was perfect.

Except, I need to share with you a tip (incase you plan to make this cake).

let the dang thing cool in the pan.

I failed to leave it in the pan long enough and my first layer fell into two pieces. I was... mortified. Luckily, mom's are smart and wonderful and all knowing and...... she fixed it.

I just stood there, looking at it in complete aw. I walked away and when I came back, it was some-what together again on a nice place, with the other layer cooling on the rack in one perfect piece.

The pushed together layer was the bottom layer.. because my mom is amazing.

In addition to the Lemon Raspberry Cake, I baked some inside-out-carrot-cake-cookies, at the request of my father.

Everything was delicious. For lunch, I filled up on bean salad, vegetables, fruit, and a small portion of 3 desserts. When I said I filled up on, I mean I ate until I was content. On holidays like today when we have a gathering at my grandparents, I usually tend to over-indulge. Today, I avoided that and I'm feeling really good right about now. I could have done without the jellybeans, but.... it's Easter. Maybe it was a necessity. Maybe... it wasn't.

I woke up to a huge array of candy and some beautiful (deep purple) flowers. When I say huge array, I mean.... I'm almost certain it would take me at least (realistically speaking) 1.5 years to finish this on my own.

Good thing my dad loves candy. I wouldn't be surprised if the stash was clean in two weeks.

My grandparents live right across a field, so we headed home about five. I walked some left over cake to the neighbors and spent some time with Candy, looking around her garden (which is ridiculously beautiful. I want a peach tree).

I was just feeling the need for some green so I plated up some spinach, three spears of asparagus, and some salsa. I'm drinking coffee and watching the Lord Of the Rings. I ... am happy.

I wish days like this happened more often. Though, if they did, I'm not sure they'd be so desirable.