hard days night...

Pinterest is addicting - I swear it was made to be like a little drug, just a few clicks of pretty things, and you want to start making things, and cooking, as well as feeling fashion inspired and travel-jealous. I saw these chocolate chip cookie bites made of chickpeas and was inspired. Time to pretend to be a chef again. The cookies were very good, but my process was well a bit flawed. I didn't remember that I threw away my absolutely terrible can opener- but hadn't yet replaced it (and still need to do so as of this post). Which left me using my multipurpose tool to open up the can of chickpeas- which was not very glamorous. God save me if I ever have to open canned goods in the woods - it will be easier for me to catch squirrels for dinner. So 20 minutes of struggling with opening a single can, and then loading everything into my blender to churn it into batter- well the blender was broken (I really need to mix margaritas more often, that wouldn't have happened if I drank more frozen drinks at home), so instead of processing the mixture, I used my potato masher to do the job. I am laughing at myself because this really should have been a 30 minute project, tops, including the 10 minute baking, instead my lack of working tools made this take over an hour. Oops- next time make sure not to only have all the ingredients but working normal household items as well. Hopefully, I remember to pick up a can opener soon.

can opener is a must for any canned good

(top picture from Texanerin, the last two are my own)

my little sugar

Last week was full of gluten free treats at work- a cupcake from The Little Cakes (slowly becoming my favorite cupcakes in New York) and a macaron from  Bouchon Bakery. Both are things I very rarely treat myself with, so imagine my surprise when both showed up at my desk last week.  I am truly very lucky to have people who think of me (and my allergy needs) when bringing little treats to work - both totally made my week just that much sunnier!

tastes good cause the candyman thinks it should

Homemade treats are a big part of the holiday season, and I was inspired to try making peanut butter cups from scratch from reading this blog. And truth be told hers look way more professional then the ones I made - however I am sure they taste just as good. I used this recipe by modified it slightly by using milk chocolate chips instead of candy bars. The nice thing is the peanut butter cups don't take much time to make, and set very quickly the refrigerator for enjoyment within an hour of beginning the process. The downfall is I have the skills of a five year old when pouring melted chocolate into cupcake tins, and ended up covered in peanut butter and chocolate. I am looking forward to making these again for holiday treats in December for friends, family and coworkers.

seas of cheese

Homemade macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods. In order to master this dish, one cannot be afraid to use too much cheddar, or any other cheese for that matter. Since I make mine gluten free, I use Parmesan cheese to thicken the rue instead of flour, which gives the mac a different kick then just using one type of cheese. My personal recipe includes, boiling milk, about 8oz of cheddar cheese, and throwing in any other types of cheese in the fridge - think American, Provolone, Mozzarella, even cream cheese, along with a little bit of salt and pepper to taste. The cheese shouldn't be too thick, but not to watery either - which is where the Parmesan helps to create the correct consistency. While mixing your cheese sauce over a low heat, make sure that you are boiling your pasta as well. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, and then mix it in the cheese sauce. Finally, pour into ramekins to bake in the over for about ten minutes at 375 - the cheese should be bubbling a bit when done. Allow the dishes to cool for about five minutes and then enjoy.

looking through a glass onion

A delicious treat, made from this gluten free pizza mix, an onion flat bread adapted from this recipe. I was in the mood to try some thing new, and stumbled across this bread and thought well this doesn't seem too difficult. Sometimes, trying new things cannot be too big of a process, and something simple will actually get done. I think regular pizza crust might be more crispy compared to the gluten free, but this was a nice treat with the caramelized onions, and I love fresh bread. I think when I make this again, it would be good to dip in tomato sauce as well - or might be tasty with a little pesto mixed in as well.

c is for cookie

When your gluten free, oreos are no longer an option, and baking from scratch is not always the simplest (the variety of flours needed is immense). Tate's Bake Shop offers some great gluten free items, including several types of cookies. I love the chocolate chip ones, and a bag can last about 2 weeks in my apartment (I am not sure why the self control, but hey I'll take it).