Apple Cake and Other Nice Things…

Is it just me, or is this week flying by? While sitting in class the other day numbly mulling over bleak facts such as : I have approximately 8 projects to complete in the next few weeks, and oh yeah, an oral exam in spanish, I realized there is a surefire equation to improving an otherwise awful monday. It’s nice to have a solid equation to rely on sometimes.

Sucky Monday (or any day really,) + any of the following things:

1. Wearing borderline ridiculous red pants (any of these should do nicely.)

2.  Having a delish breakfast to wake up (such as Baked Banana Oatmeal)

3. Pilates! I’ve gotten obsessed, because you can easily work out this way at home with zerooo equipment, and no obnoxious musclehead guys throwing weights around and grunting. Aren’t those the worst? (This site is the awesome for at-home Pilates routines.)

4. Making this cake (keep on reading…)

= a MUCH improved weekday. It’s a mathematical certainty.

I guess a good blogger would be making cakes like this everyday, and posting as soon as it popped out of the oven, all the while having perfectly cute, pinterest-worthy nails, but sorry…this is real life. I totally made this cake like, um, November-ish? In real life I’m eating salads and lettuce wraps all week in a determined attempt to actually stick to the Passover diet that I usually cheat horribly on each year. For those of you without a temporary carb restriction on your life, bake away please!

Apple Cake

Adapted very slightly from Smitten Kitchen

5 apples, I used organic honeycrisp and they were wonderful
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar

2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean

There you have it - the perfect weekday cake, especially with a cup of tea.

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Forever 21

     Or, as I should say – finally! It’s funny how life works out – I distinctly remember saying, half my life ago or so, how once I turned 21 I would only have one more year to shop at Forever 21, because how lame would it be to shop at a store called that when you were 22?! How ridiculously old, I thought. Well my little former self, not sure I’m gonna be sticking to that plan…hate to break it to you. I can’t imagine giving up my favorite source for all things cheap and of-the-moment in just under a year from now.

In the spirit of getting old, I’ve spent this St. Patty’s day, the biggest drinking day of the year, not guzzling green beer, but sleeping in and listening to Mika and Lily Allen, which reminds me of my senior year of high school, which makes me feel extremely old. Which I guess I am now, right? Remembering that wonderful, carefree summer before my senior year when I lived at Wakulla Springs and listened to “Grace Kelly” by Mika and Ratatat’s “Wildcat” every waking moment really makes me feel ancient, and it seems crazy that highschool should seem soo long ago.

First legal night out on the town...whoop whoop!

Sinfully good (vegan!) chocolate cake with ganache...

Birthday treat mani. One of two in my life..I'm fancy like that.

B-day dinner heels are a must

Hope you all had a happy St. Patty’s Day and Happy Birthday to all my fellow Pisces out there (is it just me or are there a crazy amount of Birthdays in March? Popular month!)

Think Pink

Yikes…averaging one post a month is pretty lame eh? Promise I’ll work on that…

January is allegedly the most depressing month of the year; grey and dismal,  drenched in gloom and already-fading resolutions, but all in all it didn’t seem too painful to me. Though I realize of course, this might be different if I lived in a part of the world where winter meant cold weather (not sundresses and flip flops.)

Cruising right along into February, I’m a tad puzzled on the whole boycott-Valentine’s-day attitude that seems to run rampant this time of year, inspiring certain local bars to thrown annual “Valentine’s Day Sucks” parties, and candy companies to stamp mean little jabs onto candy hearts. Seriously…if you’re really angry and bitter about love and all, a pastel candy heart with “Jump In a Lake” written in food dye isn’t going to do the trick. (However, might I recommend kickboxing – my new favorite thing, which might just help.)

I for one, will be eating as much chocolate as possible while wearing lots of pink – nothing awful-sounding ’bout that! I’m taking a leaf out of Amy Poehler’s book this year and celebrating “Galentine’s” Day with my best girlfriend! It should be, as Amy Says (on Parks and Recreations,” a national holiday. Lets make it happen people!

Joy The Baker has the perfect rose flavored cupcakes - good for your gal date and yourself of course!

Jason Wu for Target has some pretty Galentine's Day appropriate blouses, in pretty soft pink.

How amazing would it be if pink Repetto flats were at all affordable?! I want one in every color...they look like candy:)

Of course you'll need a fab updo for a night out with your date, gal or otherwise. This one's super girly and pretty, no?

And there's no better time than G-Day, as it will now be known, to rock the super red lips. Even if you're a little weary of the fire-engine red trend, this holiday's the perfect excuse to give it a go.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Galentines or Valentine’s day, filled with chocolate and the people they love, whether it’s a best friend, a significant other, or a box of candy and a ticket to see The Vow with Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams (don’t judge me, it’s totally on my planner.)  xoxo

Year of the Dragon

Do you guys ever read your horoscopes? I kinda do… I’m not saying I base my life decisions on the fact that a Thursday might be a bad day for financial decisions for a Pisces, but I do check up on mine from time to time.  The beginning of a new year seems like an especially good time to do so, and mine mayy have been just a tad creepily spot-on. “You may experience some kind of radical peak around the full Moon eclipse in June impacting your career house.” Um yes…big changes are scheduled for June actually. “The second half of 2012 could have you consumed in a hunt for a new home” Funny….I’ll be moving into a new house in August. And so on and so forth…one bizarre accurate prediction after another. Creepy. Read your 2012 horoscopes people…it might get weird.

On that note, 2012 has such a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Good things are in store. 2011, while I won’t go so far as to say I hated it, was just a warm up for 2012. It’s the year of the dragon! 2011 was the year of the rabbit…you decide which sounds cooler and more promising.

2012’s got some big stuff on its plate. I’m making plans. I plan on showing this year who’s boss.

looking forward to a change of scenery in 2012...

100th anniversary of the Titanic = re-release of Titanic in 3D. April is going to be awesome.

In 2012, buy some kickass shoes that make you 7 feet tall! Embrace your absurdly giant stature.

2012 seems like the perfect year to class things up a bit. I'll be making an attempt.

 

Fun fact: At the ripe old age of 13 or so, I was completely paranoid about how old I was getting.  Rather irrational I know, but I dreaded birthdays, New Years, freaked out about taking the SATs, panicked about what to do when I graduated from college….it was pretty bad. This year (although the post-college issue is not yet solved,) I can finally say I’m getting better about living in the moment and taking things a day at a time, which is what I intend to do in 2012. What exciting plans are on your horizons? I hope lots of good change is headed everyone’s way this year:)

 

Holly’s Apartment

There is just something about Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The book, the movie, anything to do with Holly Golightly – I’m just completely obsessed with it. So you can see why I got ridiculously excited and had to share when I found out Holly’s New York apartment from the movie is up for sale!! That’s right, for a mere $5.85 million, you could live right where Ms. Golightly threw her wild cocktail parties (complete with the foot long cigerette holder,) drank champagne with Paul (while Cat watched from his perch,) and kept her collection of alligator shoes and black dresses. How I would love to spritz on perfume (kept in the downstairs mail box of course,) and dash outside to hail a cab. Quel fabulous!

http://curbed.com/archives/2011/12/09/holly-golightlys-breakfast-at-tiffanys-house-for-sale-1.php

*So apparently most of the interiors were filmed on a sound stage, but whateverrr…a girl can dream. If i had 5 or so million dollars to spare I would simply redo the inside (complete with sparse furnishings and an bathtub couch) to look just like her apartment.

If you could live in any movie/book character’s home, whose would it be? Personally, I’m quite sure that living in Holly Golightly’s apartment would be enough to keep away any case of the mean reds (or blues) for me!

Downton Abbey Vogue

Is there anything better than a dramatic, British period drama set in the Edwardian Era? Because if so, I haven’t found it.  Obviously I’m talking about Downton Abbey, which I am massively obsessed with. (Thankfully they’re releasing a Christmas special, which I can’t wait for!)

Recently the three actresses who play the dramatic and catty Crawley sisters were featured in both Vogue and Vogue UK and the photos are gorgeous, needless to say.

Who’s your favorite Crawley sister? Despite her brattiness, I can’t help but feel for Mary, even though she is incredibly stuck on herself, I felt sorry for her through all of season 2 (which I stayed up late watching online, I couldn’t wait till January!)

Perfect Autumn Bread Pudding

I do believe that bread pudding is just one of those unfortunate foods whose reputation precedes it – quite like oatmeal, which much like this bread pudding, is actually way better than most people assume (unless it’s that salty nasty instant crap, in which cause I can understand the bad rep.) Fun fact: I will be attempting to convert my madre to an oatmeal fan tomorrow morning, I’ll let you know how that turns out.

photogenic? no. delicious? why yes!

Bread pudding just really doesn’t sound  at all appetizing, again, like oatmeal, but since I had just the exact right amount of leftover pumpkin puree going to waste in the fridge, and because I’m in the mood for all things pumpkin this time of year, I decided to give it a shot. Very good move on my part.

Question: who in their right mind makes BREAD pudding the same day they decide to take it easy on the sugar and carbs? Answer: apparently people like me – aka people who think deserts trump diets.

Moral: Get over your fears of soggy cafeteria bread mush (ew) and try this recipe – its light, cinnamon-y and perfect for fall, just like a combination of pumpkin pie and baked french toast, and there’s really nothing pudding-y about it, I promise. Perfect for chilly nights with a nice hot cup of tea – I’d say it’s for sure a keeper.

What are your favorite fall deserts? I’d love to hear:)

Dairy Free Pumpkin Bread Pudding

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 ¼ cup unsweetened soy milk (up it to 1 ½ for a slightly moister pudding)

3/4 cup canned solid-packed pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (or more to taste) teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
5 cups cubed (1-inch) day-old baguette or crusty bread
3/4 stick Earth Balance butter melted

Grease an 8×8 glass pyrex dish by melting ¾ stick Earth Balance vegan butter in the oven. Take out of oven and toss cubed bread in the melted butter. Stir together all remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and pour mixture of bread crumbs, coating evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until custard is set.

Apple Cake

Although I do love summer food, and will no doubt be missing it within a matter of weeks, at the moment I feel like fall is the perfect season for baking and eating. Pumpkins, sweet potatoes, warm apple cider, hot oatmeal in the mornings…I think I’d be A-okay with eating warm hearty food for the rest of my life.

There’s just something about this cool weather that makes me want to curl up in a chunky sweater, sip on hot tea with honey and read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Edgar Allan Poe. Random I know, but apparently my literary tastes fluctuate with the seasons as well. (Even random-er: the Legend of Sleepy Hollow will forever remind me of the Halloween episode of the children’s show Wishbone from the 90s. Anyone remember that? Best show EVER.)

Anywho, back on topic, apple cake is pretty much the perfect fall desert. I made this a couple weeks back when I was still in the thick of it with my pneumonia/sinus infection/broncitis episode, when the urge for cake was all that could pry me from my death bed. (I’m not even being that dramatic.) And it was totally worth it, let me tell you. Which makes me think, if a household of sickies can demolish a cake in 2 days flat, imagine how good it must taste when you’re well. Maybe I should make it again to see…couldn’t hurt.

What’s your favorite fall/winter desert?

Sunday mornings…

Are the one day of the week I can sleep in past 8, are designated “homework days”, are a time to lounge around in pajamas all day, play with my kitten, eat a sugary breakfast, clean my room that has been getting increasinly filthier throughout the week, NOT stuff my feet into pointe shoes, put on my work uniform, or lug around 45 pounds of textbooks in my backback. In short, sundays are now the best day of the week for me.

Sometimes I can’t believe how lucky I used to be….seriously, I spent a solid 95% of my K-12 years in ratty, worn-in, comfortable pajamas. I slept till 9, okay maybe 10, like every day. I did my schoolwork at night because that’s when I worked best. Sigh. I had it made. Sometimes during the week lately, when I’m already done with all of my classes by the time I would have been just waking up back in highschool, I reallyyy miss those days. And I totally see the allure of the FSU “uniform” that I swear every single sorority girl wears to class: sweatpants or leggings tucked into uggs, or flipflops in the summer, hair piled on top of the head, FSU hoodie, preferably accompanied by gigantic sunglasses and a tall frappuchino. I definitely see the appeal…real clothes at 6am just seem so innapropriate.

However…since I’ve promised myself to make an honest effort to look as un-slob like as possible this semester, I have to find my comfort in other forms. Such as sleeping in till the luxurious hour of 9 on sunday mornings, and then waking up and making these pancakes. They’re dense, moist and cakey, and thanks to the wheat flour and lack of (much) sugar, they feel so much healthier than your standard buttermilk pancake. So for those of you out there that have to (or chose to) wear uncomfortable, nice looking clothes, and have to wake up at 6am every day of the week, I’d say you earned yourself some pancakes. To those of you who still get to sleep in till 10 everyday and stumble to your 11 am class in pajamas…I hate you. Not really, but seriously people…it’s college, put on some real clothes.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Pancakes

recipe from sarahjio.com 

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar (optional, I use about a teaspoon at most)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
A sprinkle of nutmeg (all you need is a little)
1 egg
3 tablespoons canola oil (or any vegetable oil, or just use butter)
2 cups plain soy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large banana, mashed

Note: You can also add other fruit, such as blueberries if you want. Surprisingly the banana and blueberries flavors don’t clash at all, so add away.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and spices. In a seperate bowl combine wet ingredients, and mashed up banana (no need to mash the heck out of it, just enough to get rid of the large clumps that don’t cook through very well.) Combine the wet and dry ingredients, stir together. Heat skiller over medium high heat, and cook pancakes until golden brown. These are great to make ahead and freeze for later. Just pop them in the toaster and you can have pancakes any day of the week.

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Reading Mission: Accomplished

At the beginning of the summer, I made myself a list of goals on a sheet of notebook paper and pinned it to my bulletin board where it couldn’t be ignored. At the top of the list was “read at least 4 novels just for fun” – something I hadn’t done in an embarrassingly long time, despite the fact, and also due to the fact, that I am English major. People tend to think that English majors sit around and read Hemingway novels all day I guess, when really, between all the books and power points I have to read for class, I’m hard-pressed during the school year to find time to read anything that I’m not being tested on. Sad but true. Until this summer, the last time I had read much of anything just for fun, was probably in my gap year between highschool and college. Let me tell you though, if getting some intense reading is ever your summer goal, may I suggest breaking a bone? Seriously, nothing like a cast that can’t get wet to keep you out of the pool, off the beach, and glued to a book. I ended up surpassing the original goal of 4 and reading 6 novels this summer..I surprise myself sometimes.

Here are my picks of reading for this summer. Widely varied as you can see, but I enjoyed each one from cover to cover and definitely hope to find a little time in between the stacks of homework this semester to actually read, just for fun.

from top left, clockwise: Stay, The Violets of March, The Help, The Sun Also Rises, The Dirty Life, Water for Elephants

What are you favorite summer reads?