Quiet, but not gone.

Oh, blogosphere.

Infamous "New York Times" CC Cookies

     My most sincere apologies. It would seem that I am doing a terrible job of keeping up with you, despite my best intentions.  It's like any habit--you let things slip once, then twice, and then all of the sudden the habit overwhelms you.

Fruit Crumble bars

     In this case, my habit is "not updating". I actually have seven--count that, seven--recipes that I could have been sharing with you since the beginning of August, and a couple waiting in the shadows to be made.

Fruit Crostatas and Back to School

     Ok, so this title is slightly misleading. These pint-sized fruit crostatas actually happened several weeks ago, I just never got around to uploading them. Shocking, right? Me, being lazy?
     Never!  Oh, alright, maybe.  In any case, this recipe and (the next few to come) were made about 2-3 weeks ago in my final efforts to crank out new tasty treats before I became bogged down with homework, dancing (ps, I do ballroom dance. Whoo!) and, if time allows, a bit of a social life!

A honey vinaigrette for a Fancy.Dinner.Party.

     Oh gosh, I'm getting behind again.
It's not that I haven't been in the kitchen lately, as in other weeks...it's that, frankly, I've been a bit lazy about posting.  But I've got about 4 recipes I need to get up & posted, so I'm going to try & crack down a bit tonight, especially because I'm planning to try out at LEAST 3-5 more this week. School starts the Monday after this for me, and I won't have as much time to fool around then--there will be a lot of casseroles & quiches starting soon I'm guessing; the sort of thing you can make in large quantities and then eat for the rest of the week when you're too on-the-go to make anything else.

     So, here's to one last week of making anything I want, eh?  Let's start off with a little thing I made a couple of weeks ago for a friend's birthday party--she decided to have a very fancy dinner at her house rather than a large gathering with pizza, etc...she covered appetizers, the main course, side dish, & dessert, but asked if I'd lend her a hand with the salad course.  Not having anything in my "salad" recipe index as of yet, I was more than happy to oblige!

Quinoa Cakes/Patties--A new addiction!

   

     Recently, in my frequent/habitual/stalkerish browsing of the baking/cooking blogosphere, I've been able to pick out several trends that just about everyone tries.  One of them is the New York Times' proclaimed "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever" (which I will be trying later this week.)  Another is varying curry recipes from India...it would seem many people are addicted to Indian food these days?  Health trends are flying everywhere too--from gluten free to vegan diets, the internet community is ALL about sharing these recipes--which leads me to my new found love, quinoa.

God bless farmer's markets: A "gourmet" Grilled Cheese!

     I have recently taken to spending my Saturday mornings haunting the local farmer's market.  This has proved, in my opinion, to be a very wise decision for health and flavor reasons, although it is slightly detrimental to my wallet, as things tend to be a bit more expensive there.  (But hey, farmers have got to make a living, right?)
     The farmer's market in my college town is, honestly, quite large--it can take up to 30 minutes just to walk around and try to LOOK at everything, much less do close inspections & purchase!  Not to mention the sideshows of booths set up, live music, and of course, the pre-made food section for those wanting a delicious breakfast sandwich or cinnamon bun to start the morning off right. Mmm.
     Anyway, after my first venture there a couple of weeks ago, I used some of my delicious, fresh purchases to create myself a tasty little afternoon delight--this grilled cheese made with Swiss Honey Bread, Wabash Cannonball Cheese (a specialized goat cheese), and thin Fuji apple slices! Delicious.

Almost (but not really) sick of desserts: Peach and Cherry Crisp

     The third (and final) dessert I was baking last Wednesday was a personal dish--not in the size, although I did make it much smaller, but more so in that I was headed home for about 4 days, but my kitchen had quite a few fresh fruits lying about.
     Now, whatever was I supposed to do with those?  Hmm...perhaps a delicious, healthy(er) fruit crisp!  Why yes, yes, that DOES sound delicious, doesn't it?

And so it was.

Kitchen Rookies: Hints, tips, and instructions

-Page coming soon!- :)