Shopping Wishlist

I have a complicated relationship with shopping. In real life, I subscribe to the "Fill up the cart!" philosophy. Especially at Target. ESPECIALLY if I have friends with me who'll say, "Why not? Get it!" That is very dangerous for me to hear. But online, if I find something I like, I very rarely purchase it. I pour over it for days, do as much research as I can, dissect the reviews, and then, after all of that, if I still want it, then I get it. Here are a few things I've been crushing on lately:

Red Flower Coasters from DecoyLab on Etsy // Quilted Picnic Blanket from Provisions by Food52 // Spiced Pomegranate Pear Molly Hatch from TeaGuys // Fairmount Park Telephone Salt and Pepper Shakers from Kate Spade New York

I just want them all.

The Making of a Monster (Cookie)

Sometimes, when you're looking for something to make, you just have to go classic. I found a recipe last week for something called a "monster cookie," which looked just like what we midwesterners would call a "ranger cookie" because of the M&Ms.

Whatever you call them, they're delicious, and I decided that that was my project for last weekend.

What's really great about these cookies is that, no matter what, monster cookies are always GIANT. And the secret to getting such a huge cookie, so big that you have to split it in half just to eat it? AN ICE CREAM SCOOP. Genius! (By the way, it should be noted that not only do I actually use ice cream scoops for cookies, I also use them to distribute cupcake and muffin batter. It makes life a little less hectic.)

These cookies didn't last long at my house, and I can't wait to make them again! They made for a great snack while I stayed up late this past week finishing two papers and four presentations with write-ups. College can be so exciting sometimes! (It was awful.)

Anyway, here was the result:

All in all, it probably took me about an hour and a half to make twelve huge, yummy, chocolaty cookies. (And like, three seconds to shove the whole thing in my mouth like no one was watching.)

What You'll Need:

• 1 and 1/4 cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (about 4 1/2 ounces) dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 cup (about 1 3/4 ounces) sugar
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1 cup M&Ms (I used dark chocolate M&Ms, because dark chocolate is all I have a taste for these days.)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Get the full recipe here!

HAPPY BAKING!

Strange Recipes: 1

Ham and Bananas Hollandaise.

I'd try it.

Thoughts?

Why I'm Sad to See Punchfork.com Go

If you don't know about Punchfork, this post will probably intrigue you, then devastate you.

A few months back, I was introduced to  one of the best social media platforms out there: Punchfork.com. Unlike any other site I'd ever come across in my life, Punchfork gave me something not many other cooking-related sites could: every recipe I could ever want in my entire life, and  guaranteed to be good. I firmly stand by the notion that there are no bad cooks, just bad recipes, and all of the foodies out there know as well as I do the astounding amount of bad recipes there are out there.

But it was not only that: once I found these recipes, all I had to do was make a free account, and I could save as many as I wanted, to get around to making them at any time. And with no limit to the amount of recipes you could save, I went crazy with the "like" icon. I think I've collected well over 500 recipes; Recipes, I'd like to add, that I would never have known existed, along with the unique and fantastic blogs they came from, if it had not been for Punchfork.

Recently it was announced that Punchfork has been bought out by Pinterest; a purchase that made sense, but I felt my heart sink. Half of Pinterest, as we all know, is recipes. They're not all good, but the pictures are always fabulous and they get repinned like no one's business. It only made sense that the creator of such a successful recipe social media platform, would get snatched up to improve one of the best social media platforms of ever. But it still makes me so upset.

Punchfork was everything that I needed to gain the confidence and motivation to stop being just a bystander in the kitchen, but a part of the action instead. It's clean, it's organized, it's unique, and it'll gone forever come March 2013.

All of you lovers of a great recipe take note: COLLECT ALL THE RECIPES YOU CAN! Who knows when a gem like Punchfork will come around again?

And as for Pinterest and its new additions: I'll give it a try, but nothing will ever be as special to me as Punchfork.com.

Cool Kitchen!

Seriously, how awesome is this kitchen?! It's simple, it's clean, those windows are both fabulous and genius, and I love that there are just the few hints of subtle retro flair.

So Many Things on the Wall

Check out this design from Elle Decor!

I love this look. I like the shade of green chosen for the walls (though I don't think I'll ever love green enough to paint MY walls that color), and I love all the different mirrors and pictures. I think it certainly takes a skilled decorator to pull off this look. It's hard sometimes decorating eclectically. If you bring in one piece that just doesn't quite fit,  it can throw off the whole design.

Also, not sure how I feel about the vases, but I think that they're so quirky, they'd grow on me.

Probably.

Most likely.

Champagne Macaroons

I'll be honest: I'm not a huge fan of macaroons. I would, however, be a huge fan of at least trying these champagne macaroons from Dana's Bakery! The concept is far too intriguing to pass up.

I wonder if there's also a recipe online...

Blueberry French Toast Sanwhich

Can we just talk about this for a moment? HOW DELICIOUS DOES THIS LOOK? And you know, this looks simple enough to make! I think I'll try it...

And I'll post my recipe for you all!