Instagrammy

As of recent, I have become one with the more technological side of society. To an extent, and somewhat unwillingly, that is. I had to switch to a smart phone since my little pink guy finally kicked the bucket. But one upside: I now have instagram! Wee! 

1. First picture with all these handsome fellows is from work. The guys decided to have a Friday uniform--gray blazer, khakis, white button up and tie. You bet I jumped on that! 
2. Got Italian ice from Confetti in Costa Mesa one day with my friend, John. Delicious!
3. Third picture is actually from Valentine's day. I made all my favorite people edible valentines. Heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies. You can't really tell, but my real favorites got ones that were hot pink.
4. The last one, we were supposed to dress up in Oscar attire for work. I decided to look like an actual Oscar. Good ole' shiny goldness.

Follow me @tureeesuh if you like and leave links to yours because I'm a noob and don't have many people to follow yet.

K, have a wonderful day! It's almost the weekend! xx
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Wake up and smell the coffee

Okay, we are smelling a bit more than coffee over here. We are smelling a fresh start! Or at least I am. Sort of. 

I realized it's been more than a month since my last post. MORE THAN A MONTH! So here I am, making my best attempt at jumping back on board after my hiatus. This is partially thanks to encouragement from friends, and also thanks to a special little post from IFB, "How to Get Back on Track After a Blogging Hiatus." Hit me pretty close to home, you know?

Since you last heard from me, my life has been a vast jumble of changes. Some better than others. That and lots of coffee, school, work, shopping, and delicious food. 

With these changes though, I've been toying with the idea of starting over with a completely new blog. I've put so much work into despising life is so passe, but I feel like I can bring something better to the table now. The fear of starting over is always a difficult one to deal with though, in many cases. I suppose we shall see. Until next time!Miss you all so much!

In the Kitchen: Homemade Milano mint cookies

So I made these little chocolate-minty guys the other day. Frankly, I didn't like the recipe I followed for the shortbread cookie that much. Regardless, all together they tasted delicious, but I'll wait until I try again and find a better recipe to share it with you all. It also would have helped if I had a cookie cutter for them, rather than having all these mismatching little squares due to my cutting inadequacy, but that's a whole other story.

 

Have a lovely weekend! ♥

In the Kitchen: Peanut butter cup- stuffed chocolate chip cookies

I don't know if it's just me, but that title left me out of breath. Probably means I should be out running instead of stuffing my face with stuffed cookies. 

Honestly though, this isn't much more than another chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I will tell you- this is one of the best recipes I have come across. By best, I mean near perfect! The cookie ends up with a bit of the best of both worlds with a crisp outside and chewy inside. Definitely my go-to every time.

By the way, I'll admit, I was cheap. I didn't buy the name brand Reese's peanut butter cups. So sue me. I was not about to spend a fortune on the candies alone, especially when I found a smaller, generic brand, variation of them in packs of 8 for a dollar. Or, you know, you could spend the money and remind each person while they're eating them how expensive of a cookie they're eating. That's always fun.

Peanut butter cup- stuffed chocolate chip cookies:

Print this Recipe

Ingredients

yields about 14 cookies

• 1 stick of butter softened
• 1 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8oz chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sugar
•  about 14 peanut butter cups

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare cookie sheets with foil.

Cream together the softened butter and white and brown sugar together until smooth in large bowl.

Beat in the eggs one at a time.

Stir in vanilla.

Dissolve baking soda in hot water, then add to the batter with the salt.

Stir in flour and chocolate chips.

On foil lined cookie sheets,

Using about 1 1/2 tablespoon amounts of dough, surround the peanut butter cup on either side, one on each and basically mash the cookie dough around it. Make sure the peanut butter cup does not show. Now, this is just a basis of about how much would be needed to cover the peanut butter cup, but you can add more dough if you like and have a colossal cookie so that it will take a bit more time to reach the center treasure.
(This is evidently what I did with the one pictured. So so good!)

Place into the oven and bake for about 16 minutes or until edges are browned.

*There are so many variations of this cookie you can get creative with. Swap peanut butter cups for oreos, nutter butters, or my personal favorite idea, thin mints!

Have fun and enjoy! ♥

In the Kitchen: Toasted Coconut Macaroons

For the little holiday party at my house, I made it a point to bake everything myself. Whether that was a good idea or not, I'm still not completely sure. It required nearly an entire half day dedicated to baking these different cupcakes, cookies, and my favorite the coconut macaroons! Seeing that at the end of the night everything was gone, I suppose it was all very much enjoyed. or I could blame the fact that there were mainly guys at this little get together, but I like to give myself credit for the former a bit more. I think more than anything though, they enjoyed dipping the macaroons into the dark chocolate fondue I had set up.

Toasted Coconut Macaroons:

Print this Recipe

recipe adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients

yields about 35 to 40 cookies

• 4 large egg whites
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 12 ounces sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
• 2  (3 ounce) milk chocolate or dark chocolate, or whatever chocolate you prefer (optional)

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place coconut on a baking sheet, spread out evenly and place in the oven.  Return to the oven every five minutes to stir the browning coconut.  Once evenly browned, after about 15 minutes, remove the the oven and allow to cool.

Whip egg whites and salt until they become white and begin to stiffen, preferably with a mixer with whisk attachment. Add sugar in 3 parts. Continue to whip until the egg whites are very stiff. Fold in toasted coconut.

On parchment lined cookie sheets, drop a teaspoon of the mixture leaving 1 to 2 inches around each cookie. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The outside should be golden brown but the insides should still be moist.

*Optional Ready Done Chocolate Dipping- Place chocolate chunks in a heatproof bowl.  Place bowl over a pan of simmering water so that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the simmering water.  Allow to melt.  Stir until loose and creamy.  Partially dip the macaroons in the chocolate then allow to cool and harden on a parchment lined sheet.  You can place the pan of chocolate dipped cookies in the refrigerator to speed up the hardening process. 

Enjoy! ♥

S'more Cupcakes and baking in boots

S'more Cupcakes 

print recipe here

Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pans
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup nonalkalized cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/4 cup milk

Preheat to 350 degrees F. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Beat the butter at medium speed until smooth, for about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and slowly add the sugar. Continue beating until light and smooth, for about 4 minutes. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat at medium speed for 1 minute more. (Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl again, if needed.) With the mixer running at medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Combine the water and milk in a saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer at low speed, add the flour mixture, about a 1/4 cup at a time. Carefully pour the hot liquid into the batter. Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a large rubber spatula, finish combining the batter until smooth. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Lightly drop each pan onto the counter to settle the batter. Pour batter into paper lined cupcake baking pan.

Set the pans on the middle rack in the oven. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool the cupakes, in the pans, on a rack for 10 minutes.

Frosting:

• 2 cups  mini marshmallows
• 4 oz  semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/4 cup  milk
• 1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
• 1 Tbsp.  unsweetened cocoa powder 

Cook 1 cup of marshmallows, chocolate and milk in large saucepan on low heat until marshmallows and chocolate are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring constantly. Pour into large bowl and cool for 30 min.

Whisk Cool Whip into marshmallow mixture; spread onto cupcakes. 

Top the cupcakes with remaining marshmallows. I also added some crushed dark chocolate to the top of mine and a graham cracker to the top to make sure it authentically represented as a s'more cupcake. Add onto it however you please. ♥

And yes, I did all this baking while looking absolutely ridiculous in combat boots and a pale yellow floral apron. Hardly something to brag about, but hey, to each their own! ♥

In the Kitchen: Brownie Cookies

 Brownie Cookies: 

Print this Recipe

recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

yields about 30 cookies

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chopped or in chips)
• 3 Tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (regular instant coffee powder will also do)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Cooking Instructions

In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate and butter.  To avoid heating the chocolate too much and possibly burning it, the best method is to heat till the butter is melted and the chocolate has partially melted, then remove from the heat.  Stir till completely melted.

In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs till they’re thoroughly combined. Best if done by hand with a wooden spoon since you don't want it over-mixed. Add the hot melted chocolate, then stir in the remaining ingredients, including the chocolate chips. Refrigerate the batter like dough for 1 hour, to make it easier to handle.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Lightly grease (or line with parchment) baking sheets.

Drop the cookie dough by the tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.   Allow about 2″ between each.

Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, until their tops are shiny and cracked. The point is, you want these baked all the way through, but just barely; additional baking makes them more crisp rather than chewy.  Once you remove the cookies from the oven, you can leave them as is, or add your own little touch to them with whatever you wish. To add a bit of something to all that chocolate, I included some almonds for example. Wait 5 minutes then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

It's funny because I actually didn't decide to wear this apron because I was baking, but rather, I decided to bake because I wanted to wear this apron! My grandmother's on another little rampage again with making them and she made me this adorable colorful one with the sweetest heart shape! I don't know who wouldn't want an excuse to wear something this cute!

So here's a little tip off to you dolls: you may be getting the chance to get your very own in the very near future. More deets coming soon. ♥

Yogurt Styling

These pictures are sort of late, which explains why my friend Nicole is wearing a cardigan while the heat wave in Southern California is going on. Either way, I will introduce you, this is my little friend, Nicole. Isn't she cute? We made a stop at Yogurtland not to long ago to stuff our faces with creamy, cold deliciousness and enjoy some girl talk  to catch up!

One of the main topics of our conversation was- as her "stylist" as she refers to me- what she would be wearing for high school homecoming dance! Now, at this point she already had a dress from a previous event she went to, so I just worked off of that, but gave it a completely different look from her original plain black kitten heel pumps and long pearl necklaces, something far less typical and a bit more edgy (Not to say typical isn't cute).

I'm also going to be doing her make up that day and decided on a smokey cat eye. I don't normally wear too much make up on the daily, but I was on a bit of a make up trip during the summer and the summer before and ended up learning a lot. So now I end up doing make up for dances, which is actually a lot of fun! On the on the other hand, I'm not that good with hair, but I was thinking a tousled up do. Any ideas to help a girl out? Let me know what you think! ♥

this is not a test- she & him 

In the Kitchen: Jungle Boogie bars

So here's another little something I picked up from my cookbook, The Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook. I told you it would be back! Mm but let me tell you, it was delicious. With everyone in my house, it was gone within a couple of days. I'm not sure if that's saying much though? What  can I say, I have a horrible sweet tooth.

Jungle Boogie Bars: 

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 2 cups maple syrup
• 6 oz firm silken tofu (aseptic package)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 cup saffower or sunflower oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 tbsp vanilla

Cooking Instructions

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix flour, oats, baking powder, salt almonds, coconut, and chocolate chips together in a large bowl. Puree maple syrup, tofu, banana, oil, shortening, and vanilla in a blender. Combine all ingredients. Pour mixture into an oiled 13x9 inch baking pan, and bake 35-40 minutes. Let cool before cutting. 

I hope you all enjoy. ♥

In the Kitchen: Peanut Butter Parfait

Do you dolls remember the other day when I mentioned this vegan restaurant called Native Foods and the incredible food they had? Well I actually bought the restaurant's cookbook called "The Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook" from the wonderful chef Tanya Petrovna. It's available on Amazon if you want to check it out here. It really is worth it and I know I will be constantly referring to it! I was a bit disappointed to find that they hadn't included the recipe for the peanut butter parfait that I loved oh-so-much! But a recipe for a delicious key lime parfait was included, so I decided to switch around the ingredients and whatnot, and wala! you sweets now get the recipe first hand from me!

You and your tastebuds will forget that this little dessert is actually healthy! Desserts, healthy?? And they taste good!? What is this nonsense??

 

Peanut Butter Parfait: 

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 oz soy cream cheese
• 12 oz firm silken tofu (I used soft silken tofu, which worked out just as well.)
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter

 

In a blender, put in soy cream cheese, tofu, soy milk, sugar, and peanut butter. Puree until smooth and well blended. Pour mixture into six 8-ounce parfait glasses or wineglasses. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Serving Suggestions:

• Add chocolate syrup to make it into a peanut butter- chocolate mixture.
• Add a small amount of granola and bittersweet chocolate chips on top of your parfait.
• Add sliced bananas or fruit of your choice to the bottom of glasses then pour parfait on top.

Blooming flowers waltz before me

To sum up this weekend: it went very well. Saturday alone was well spent with my friend, Oscar. We decided to have our own little photoshoot, or as he preferred to call it, a photo op. I'll just say it was awkwardly fun, because I always feel so odd in front of the camera for some reason. You'd think by now I would get used to it!

A major plus was that we got to put his brand new Canon Rebel TSI to use, which was fantastic! You have no idea of how jealous I am of him for it. The whole shoot took a bit getting used to, but it was so much fun! The only thing I did end up noticing, was that he is definitely more photogenic than I am!

And yes, I tripped, hence the face. Walking on rocks in heels does not work out so well, but that's no new news.

I'll be adding pictures of him in a separate post because I have something planned for it. They'll be worth the wait, especially since they came out significantly better than mine.

After our photo op, we were in absolutely famished. Honestly, I'm just in the mood for exaggerated expressions, so in other words, we were simply hungry. Headed off to one of my usual favorite places, the Gypsy Den and spent the rest of the day wasting time at his house and sipping lemonade to pass the hours with the hot heat settling over these summer California days.

currently listening to: hometown glory- adele

Don't forget to make your entries for the  Crossbody Candy Giveaway!

Stop and taste the roses.

This message above was the start of my lunch date with my grandma and I at The Camp in Costa Mesa. I would say it's genius how they put a different message on each parking spot. Our first stop for the day was Native Foods, which is a lovely organic/ vegan/ vegetarian restaurant with an incredible menu. You will definitely get my recommendation to this place.

This is my grandma in heaven with the peanut butter parfait I made her try, because it is oh-so-delicious! We completely shared the same reaction to it.

One of the most gorgeous little creations I have ever laid eyes on with rose petals trickled across a fluffy creme colored frosting. It hardly looks edible, though I can officially say I ate actual roses for the first time this day. I'll admit, I'd rather look at them than eat them though. Definitely an interesting first time experience with this cardamon rose cupcake, and surprisingly delicious. 

After we filled ourselves with organic-deliciousness, and I decided that buying the restaurant's cookbook is a must, we drove a ways down to San Juan Capistrano mission, specifically for the summer course I'm taking.

 The architecture and the gardens there were absolutely stunning. It is bizarre that this was all built two centuries ago.

I actually had my red boater had on earlier in the day, but after my grandma insisted that I looked like I was heading to a derby, I decided to leave it behind in the car to avoid any odd judgments to accompany my her's.

 

 So the moral of my long, image heavy post is: "eat your vegetables."

currently listening to: i wanna be your dog- the stooges

Sweets, Frills, and Tea Time

Being the lovely ladies that you are, I'm sure you dolls all love having an excuse to get dressed up and put on your most darling Jeffrey Campbell bow embellished heels as much as I do! And what better occasion on these cozy spring days than a tea party! I know you all must be picturing those childhood days when you would sit across from your favored stuffed bear whom was clad in just as fanciful clothes as you had prepared yourself in, sipping your invisible tea with your pinky high up in the air. And of course, the higher, the fancier!

Though that does sound charming for the child in us, what I am talking about is the true elegance of a tea party. With napkin holders, name cards, and your very best china. Not to mention the darling little edible delights, cute enough be decoration, but far too delicious to let go. Delightful lemon cookies, delicious cucumber finger sandwiches, fabulous fruit tarts, and some scrummy buttered scones, just to name a few. ♥

Dressing up is the greatest part of the whole occasion, so treat yourself to the cutest number in your closet, or  even pick yourself up a white ruffle adorned dress that would make any wardrobe jealous!  Slip some delicacy about your hands with a pair of white poise gloves that will bring a feminine charm that you never knew possible. But of course, we can't forget the proper tea party etiquette; removing your gloves to dine is a must. 

Tea Party Etiquette: To stir your tea, swish the tea back and forth, never hitting the sides of the cup. Never leave the spoon in the cup, but gently rest the spoon on the saucer, behind the cup on the right side under the cup handle. 
But of course, being the slightly rebellious ladies we are, rules are meant for breaking most of the time, so serve, stir and sip as you please with plenty of laughs to go along.

Don't forget to take plenty of polaroids to savor the charm of the day in your memories forever. ♥

Who doesn't enjoy the elegance of a tea party? To satisfy your love for such sweet events even further, I have decided that once a week, I will have a feature on tea parties and ideas for them, whether it be recipes, outfits, or other relative DIY's. I was also taking into consideration a weekly fashionista spotlight post, just like my recent, Fashionista Spotlight: Olivia Palermo. What do you dolls think of this idea? I would love to hear your opinions!

these memories

My friend, Brenda,  finally sent me the pictures I had taken with her camera from her birthday a few weeks ago. :)

For her birthday we decided to go to open mic night at the Gypsy Den, and I have to say, it was a wonderful experience! All of those who performed were truly amazing. SO much talent! The accompaniment of some delicious cheesecake and a hot mocha definitely made it even better, along with our extensive catching up and random talking between each act.

They Gypsy Den has to be one of my favorite places. It has such a comfortable, warm atmosphere and it's simply glorious inside. Plus, the food and whatever else you may order to your heart's desire is fantastic! You can't go wrong with it. I sound like an advertisement for the place right now, but that's not my intention. I just really like it. The open mic nights and other occasional performances are always lovely to sit through while sipping your coffee.

Of all the performances that night though, I loved the one shown in this picture. I had recorded a part of it, but my friend was unable to send it to me because the file was too big. As soon as I get it though, I'll make sure to post it! I think what made it so much more lovely was the fact that they were engaged doing this duet together. It was so sweet. :)

 So I have to say, if you're ever in the area down in southern California, I would definitely recommend to take the time to make a stop at this place. And if you would like someone to accompany you, I would be more than happy to be that person. :)

For more info go to their website: Gypsy Den Cafe

currently listening to: thank you for the love- ashlee morton

(I specifically posted this song because this lovely singer will actually be performing at the Gypsy Den this Friday and I can't help but love her voice.)

it all goes, it all goes by

went to this new little japanese place in anaheim hills today called Tokyo Love with my stepsister. i know its not a real restaurant, and i actually didn't try to the food, i did try the strawberry mochi ice cream. along with it being delicious, it was so cute!

i have to say, i have taken a great liking to japanese culture, not just because of some little japanese takeout place though, just to clarify.

currently listening to: come on come out- a fine frenzy