Cinnamon Roll Cookies

These. Cookies.

Gorgeous. Delicious. Looks great in moody lighting. What's there not to love? The original recipe comes from Diethood, a great blog full of delicious foods and pretty pictures. Plus, she has my name.

I personally had great success switching the flour for wholewheat, and playing around with different sweeteners. I'm sure the original recipe is just as great, though. I just find it difficult to adhere to rules of any sort. Creativity is best, right?

So, go make these cookies. Like, now. You won't regret it ;)

Fish Tales

Secret's out. I'm a mermaid. *insert seashell emoji here*

Yes, my hair is blue. Judge if you must. But remember it's what's on the inside that counts (at least, that's my excuse to any potential employers) Really though, I quite like it. Not sure how long it will last though. Already I've stained multiple pillow cases, shirts, my neck, etc. It wasn't a planned color change either. Well, the color change, yes, the blue...not so much. I was aiming for blonde. *crickets*

I completely missed - obviously. Horrified, I stood in front of the mirror that day staring at hair that was no closer to being blonde than my cat (he's orange). Fate was kind though, and my glare happened to fall upon a rejected bottle of blue semi-permanent dye; it dating from way back when I first started this hair coloring journey. It seemed good enough at the moment. I'd never had blue hair before. I also had never attempted using semi-permanent, totally wash out-able, hair color all over. 

Spoiler alert - never use semi-permanent, totally wash out-able, hair color all over.

After painstakingly painting it on (thanks,mom!) and staining multiple towels in the process, I was finally able to rinse it out. And rinse. And rinse. Thirty minutes later, the hot water was gone and I was once again standing in front of the mirror staring at hair that was no longer orange. 

It was teal. And yellow. And green. And navy blue. And every other color that could possibly come between. It was bad. Never fear, though! This story has a happy ending. A quick trip to Walmart, another 45 minute hair coloring process, and I had beautiful aqua hair...and scalp. And ears. Don't dye your hair happy colors if you don't want your skin happy colors, too! 

Also, if you've never taken a picture with a chicken, definitely give it a try!

Homemade Oreo's

Guys. I've done it. I've made Oreo's. My baking career is done. 

No, but seriously, these taste amazingly like the real thing! The pure sugary goodness sandwiched between two crispy cookies.

Perfection. In cookie form.

Without all the preservatives. Heck yeah!!

*Please note that these are NOT healthy. I will be working on that recipe soon.

(recipe to be added soon)

Banana Nut Bread

Banana bread seems to have found its way into the hearts of all. It has the ability to bring back warm childhood memories of the pleasant aroma that fills the house while it bakes to perfection. Everyone seems to perk up in anticipation for the time to slice into it. 

Of course, everyone has their preferred mix ins. There are the nut lovers, and the chocoholics, and the ones happy with just plain and simple. And then there's the texture. Some love a moist bread with a heavy banana flavor, while others prefer it drier, with a mere hint of banana. 

And then we come to the best part. The topping. Whether it be a sticky glaze or a simple crunchy coating of sugar, the top is always the best part. Banana bread has to be one of the most versatile foods out there.

I personally have always enjoyed my banana bread studded with as much stuff as I can find. Walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries...the list could go on and on. The top always has to have some sort of mix of nuts and sugar. The perfect crunch to go with the super sweet and soft insides.

  

Banana Nut Bread

 makes one 9x5 loaf

[recipe to come soon (still tweaking some ingredients)]

Fried Tofu

Today I had a very minimalistic lunch. Fried tofu served on a small (very small) bed of lettuce, with a side of boiled eggs. I’m still not big on lettuce, even when it’s covered with some very simple yet oh-so-yummy fried tofu. It’s not that lettuce has ever done anything wrong. There are no sad or terrifying backstories to explain why I have such a dislike of those big green leaves. To be quite frank, I think it's just that. Why eat a bowl full of leaves when you can have a bowl full of chocolate??

Yet still, I continue to give it many chances to redeem itself. I've tried many different brands, but haven’t really attempted cooking it. Can lettuce be cooked? I suppose that would defeat the purpose of a salad. Maybe I should try to find a dressing I find appealing? And then cover those crispy, earthy leaves until they become a big soggy mess. That..doesn't sound too delicious. I think I'll just stick to using it as a pretty background for the real good stuff.

But if you enjoy salads, and anything fried, you'll probably fall in love with this easy recipe [and feel free to change out the lettuce for any other type of greens your heart desires (unless your heart doesn't desire greens, then feel free to switch it for chocolate)] Enjoy!

Fried Tofu

 serves 2

1/2 block extra firm tofu
4-6 tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste (completely optional; tastes just as good without!)
1/2 cup lettuce

~Bring a pan to high medium heat, add half the soy sauce.
~Slice tofu 1/2 inch thick and place on paper towels.
~Press tofu dry between two paper towels. Remove and use fresh ones if necessary.
~By now the soy sauce should be bubbling and drying out around the edges. Add tofu to pan.
~Fry for a few minutes on one side, and then flip. This part is really all about preference. (Whether you like your food fried to the point of blackness, or barely golden brown, its completely up to you!)
~Once a golden brown, remove from pan and place on top of a bed of lettuce.
~Serve with a side of boiled egg or fresh fruit.

Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies

Black bean brownies are certainly not a new thing. I'm sure by now you've seen a million different recipes for this so called "healthy dessert". But the truth is, most of those recipes call for butter or sugar (sometimes even flour which completely defeats the purpose of a bean brownie). Completely unhealthy.

I'm here to tell you today this doesn't have to be the case. You can have bean brownies that taste good and are good for you!

I fell in love with this recipe the very first time I made it. Especially when I switched out the oils for raspberry extract. Oh. My. Stars. They were amazing.

My tip to you, is if you're using a mediocre food processor that likes to leave behind the skins of the beans, strain the batter!! This is very important. No one, and I mean no one, wants to get beans stuck in their teeth when they're eating a brownie. Not good.

If the batter seems a bit too thin for your taste, feel free to throw in 1/4 cup of flour (I personally have had great success with buckwheat). And extracts make these taste 100% better. Trust me.

So, grab that dusty can of beans out of the back of your pantry and try these out for yourself!

Gluten Free Black Bean Brownies
 makes one 9x9 pan

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 large eggs
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup chilled coconut oil (not melted)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
few drops of raspberry extract (or any other extract)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
      powdered sugar (optional, for topping)

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
~Place all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in food processor and blend until smooth.
~Stir in chocolate chips.
~Pour batter into a greased 9x9'' pan.
~Cook for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
~Let cool, dust with powdered sugar, slice, and enjoy!

Blueberry Pancake Cake

Uh-oh. I see a trend starting. Ever since that carrot cake pancake cake, I have to eat my pancakes in cake form. I don't know why. Maybe because it just feels so fancy.

Or maybe because I feel like I'm actually eating a rich,decadent cake and that is so not healthy, so I feel ever so naughty eating it. Like a child sneaking cookies. Either way,I know I'm going to be doing this every time I eat pancakes now. Of course,doing this in a restaurant may get me  a few odd looks...

Do these colors remind anyone else of Sullivan from Monsters Inc.? No? Just me? Maybe I'm just too excited for the new movie coming out..