What Im Loving On Pinterest

Source: theglitterguide.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Love this look. Still on the hunt for the perfect pair of white jeans.

Source: preebrulee.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Ughh. to lust ..

Source: killtoshoot.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Bulldogs own my heart.

Source: Uploaded by user via Ashley on Pinterest

If only I could knit. This makes me think of my new baby cousin and my niece.

Source: facebook.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I just think this would be cool. See them in butcher shops often. Would love to have one to tuck on the back of a pantry dooor.

Source: madmanis.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Love these nails.

Source: en.wikipedia.org via Ashley on Pinterest

Again . The bulldogs steal my heart.

Source: Uploaded by user via Ashley on Pinterest

My dream kitchen , or at least part of it. Of course I'm after the bench.

What are you loving on Pinterest lately?

2012

Happy New Year !

Carrot Cake Confessions

 

I have a carrot problem .

There, I said it .

I buy too many carrots. I eat too many carrots. But I never really bake with carrots.

I was considering making an apple cake but was inspired to try something different . This recipe is a mesh of about 4 recipes. It is so altered ( as are most of my recipes ) because I am too stubborn to go to the store for ingredients I don’t have ,  that there is no point in linking to the original recipes . It would only cause confusion.

Make this when you have the urge to bake but are living in a chocolate free ( and sad ) house

Make this when you need something different on your counter and on your fork

.

I let this cake cool over night and iced it with a basic cream cheese icing. It makes one layer of a round cake pan or a small square. You could easily double the recipe to create a layer cake.

This cake is too delicious for me to explain .

But the proof is in the pictures. I was so eager to taste this cake , I forgot to photograph it until I had already sliced into it. Unfortunately I do not make Pacman shaped cakes on purpose.

 

 

Carrot Cake

• 1 cup peeled , steamed and pureed carrots  
• 2/3 c. margarine or butter
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/2 c. packed organic brown sugar
• 2/3 c. white sugar
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 t. cinnamon

METHOD :

Preheat oven 350

1/ Peel and slice into large hunks a few carrots. I used about 6 large ones and ended up with about 1 3/4 cup . I fed the leftover to the dog

Place in steamer basket . When soft, remove and puree. Set aside.

2/Cream together butter , pureed carrots and sugars. Add vanilla and water.

3/ Mix in cinnamon, salt , baking soda, baking powder and flour. Do not over mix.

4/Spread into a greased or cooking sprayed pan ( 8x8) I used one 8 inch round cake pan and bake 15-25 minutes ( depends on your pan ) .

The Upside of Apple Picking

 

Every year around this time , the local farms we’ve been getting fresh corn , bushels of beans and beautiful tomatoes , start to wind down and the bright colors of summer are replaced with the lush Autumn hues of apple trees and pumpkins.

My boyfriend has always apple picked with his family . Baskets and baskets full , just waiting to be sliced into a pie , or slathered with peanut butter.

I am new to this apple picking business and of course was excited .So excited I didn’t want to stop picking and ended up coming home with far too many .

On this particular Saturday , the chill in the air and the sight of the leaves changing colors urged me to do something with my bounty .

I based this recipe on my  Apple Cinnamon Muffin recipe and altered it to what I had on hand and what sounded good.

The result is a super moist ,fruit filled and cinnamon scented coffeecake like muffin . They are great with a cup of good coffee and would be awesome with vanilla ice-cream or packed in a school lunch bag.

Make these today . The smell alone is worth it.

Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins

1 cup white organic flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 tbsp sour cream ( or 1/2 cup milk or yogurt)

1/3 cup saffflower oil

1 egg

1 1/2 cups finely chopped apple

Heat oven to 375.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, oats and cinnamon. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until flour is moistened. Spoon into muffin liners or greased muffin tray. Bake 18-23 minutes.Let cool.

Random Breakfast Food, Random Post

 

The ever present bagel.

My love . Paired with my other lover. Old cheddar.

 

And again . Just because it ‘s so pretty .

Maybe I just love melted cheese. Probably, considering every food photo I see that involves melted cheese leaves me needing to make that recipe right now!

Cheese and bagel love aside , I also rekindled another love.

Cereal .

Oh lord. I know a lot of people have issues with cereal . Some people cannot stop at one bowl so they simply don’t buy it . Others are rigid about the nutritionals and will only eat a specific amount , in an attempt to ward off any attempts at cereal overdose.

I however do not have a cereal problem really, but for probably 10 years I haven’t eaten it or purchased it ( aside from granola used for yogurt or baking purposes ) purely because it doesn’t do anything for me , fuel wise. I feel exactly the same after eating a bowl as I did prior , only with a sloshy stomach because of the milk . Does not quell the hunger beast .

While the cereal lover was beautiful , I don’t think I’ll be partaking in the cereal daily . So my bagel and cheddar need not worry .

I ‘m not one to scoff at too many lovers so I thought it would be nice ( although horridly sunny at 9 am when these photos were taken )to bring in some banana blueberry muffins.

 

Horrible lighting and thus photos aside, these muffins were soo good and just what I wanted with a mug of green tea.

I used fresh blueberries I had in the fridge and adapted a recipe I found online . I ended up with this : ( well and yummy muffins)

Banana Blueberry Muffins

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 
• 1/4 cup wheat bran
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Becel Light ( you could use Smart Balance or something similiar or actual butter )
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ripe bananas 
• 1/3 cup banana yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen blueberries

Cream together sugar , becel and maple syrup .Add in egg , mashed banana and vanilla and yogurt.

Mix together dry ingredients , and slowly add to wet. Stir in blueberries. Spoon into greased or papered muffins tins. Cook at 350 for 10-16 minutes or until tops are golden . Removed from pan immediately and set on wire rack to cool.

Now I want a muffin . And a cuddly dog who makes funny faces.

Questions  :

1/ How do you feel about cereal ?

2/ What’s your favorite breakfast food?

Yesterday’s Bread and Breakfast

I started my day with a cheddar and herb bagel with melted Havarti and some peppermint tea.

The bagel was large AND in charge. Superstore’s bakery section rocks.  Lipton’s peppermint tea because my stomach was iffy and its the only tea I've found and liked that has a string . String is very important

Then after mucho time wasted on Twitter , I thought about the bag of pumpkin I had froze the last time I opened a can of it.

And I made …

Pumpkin Bread

 

Ingredients

3/4 cup ( plus a little bit more ) of Pureed Pumpkin . ( NOT pumpkin pie filling )

3/4 cup  Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Butter or Margarine

2 Eggs

2 cups of White Flour

1 tbsp of Baking Powder

1 tsp of Cinnamon

1/4 tsp of Salt

1/2 cup – 3/4 cup Chocolate Chips ( depends on your preference. you could leave this out )

Combine, sugar, butter, eggs and pumpkin

Mix dry ingredients together separately . Mix dry into wet.  Into a greased or sprayed or non-stick loaf pan , spread batter/dough evenly .

Cook at 350 for 25 minutes .

A Couple Yummy Grocery Store Finds

Asian pears .

Huge and juicy.  Lily eats the core and loves it .

Spring rolls.

Oh god . These are delicious and slowly becoming a bad obsession .

 

Just look at the nutritional stats. Or maybe don’t . Just eat them . They are that good.

What’s your favourite way to use up pumpkin ?

Best grocery store find lately?

Thankful Thursday

 

The Daily Balance amongst other blogs have inspired me to take a moment and be thankful for some of the little things AND the big things in my life .

• I ‘m thankful for all things Hello Kitty. Her bling makes me smile every time I look at my phone ,necklace and the embarrassing amount of Kittified swag I own.
• I am thankful for my own relatively good health , and the inspiring strength of  those close to me with not so good health .
• I am thankful for CHEESE of many kinds. Recently I’ve gotten really into different kinds of cheeses and have been enjoying many a cheese plate.
• I am thankful for options , choices and decisions . I don’t always like making them but I am thankful I have the opportunity to do so .
• I am thankful for blogs and the bloggers who write them . Reading them keeps me sane on my breaks from studying and jobsearching .
• I am thankful for friends and family who push me when I need it without acting like they are pushing me. you know who you are 

What are you thankful for this Thursday ?