Chai Pie

If you follow me on Snapchat, you're aware that I baked kind of an obscene amount over the course of Thanksgiving. The final count ended up being 4 pies (pumpkin, apple-cranberry, chai spice, and Kentucky derby) and one chocolate cheesecake. Also apparently no one communicated this to the rest of the family, so we ended up with 8 pies and a cheesecake for 17 people. Oh well. Also, wait until you see how much I bake at Christmas. It makes Thanksgiving look like amateur hour.

Anyway, this recipe is for the chai spice pie. There's only one picture because I sort of forgot to take them and also wasn't expecting this to turn out that well. But here we are.

I sort of love baking pies lately. I love baking everything lately, and it's a favorite hobby of mine. It keeps my hands busy, it's repetitive to a certain degree, and I've been doing it forever, so it brings an amount of familiarity which is calming to me.

In other news, has anyone else seen Moana? I went with my fiance, siblings, their significant others, mom and grandma. Let me just tell you, going on a "triple date" with your younger siblings and their boyfriend/girlfriend is a FUN time, especially when you're engaged and they've been dating for like a month. My mom told me to act as a chaperone, and I thoroughly enjoyed that task.

The movie is pretty good though too. I loved the music and the setting, and Moana herself is likable. I also just thought she was beautiful and love that she has a realistic body type, especially compared to some of the classic princesses.

In other news, the Beauty and the Beast trailer played and I cried. Emma Watson is playing another of my childhood role models and that makes me really emotional.

Okay, that's enough rambling for today.

Chai Spice Pie
Ingredients
2 sleeves cinnamon graham crackers
1 stick salted butter, melted
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves
2 1/2 cups heavy cream

1. Crush the graham crackers into coarse crumbs, then drizzle in the melted butter. Stir to combine, then press into a greased pie pan. Refrigerate as you make the filling.
2. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and spices in a medium bowl.
3. Microwave the milk until hot, then slowly stream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
4. Gently pour into crust. Some of the crust may combine with the filling, this is totally okay.
5. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Filling should be set. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!
   
   
   

Asparagus, or Why I Shipped Cookies to People I've Never Met

Hi. If you're American, I think we can all agree that the last week has been a little rough. Regardless of who you wanted to win the election or who you voted for, I think the ensuing fear and hate has been pretty grating and exhausting for us all. I'm about ready to leave Facebook forever.

The election stress and upset has been especially difficult for me and many people I know because I/we are volunteers for Crisis Text Line. Crisis Text Line is a free, national service people are able to text when in crisis and be connected with a trained counselor. On election night and for several days after, we experienced quadruple the usual traffic. Volunteering with Crisis Text Line has made me a better person, and I love it so much, but it's exhausting at times. Whether you think the fear many people experienced as a result of the election was warranted or not, those people and their emotions are very real. I talked to dozens of texters who were terrified of the future and hurting.

Which brings me to cookies. The Crisis Text Line community is so good, y'all. A lot of us were having a rough week. Being there for so many people who are hurting takes it out of you after awhile. But a truly beautiful thing happened. Our Facebook group page was suddenly inundated with posts by my fellow counselors offering all sorts of comfort to each other--everything from meditation videos to personalized playlists. This warmed my heart so much. To pay it forward, I made my own post offering cookies and brownies to anyone who sent me their address. Baking makes me so happy, and I'm constantly looking for people to give love in the form of sugar and chocolate. Today I went to the post office and shipped cookies to eight people I've never actually met. These people are so amazing. They dedicate their time to helping others and spreading positivity, both to texters and to each other. In my book, that deserves to be celebrated. Share cookies with the ones you love, y'all. It'll warm your soul.

If you're in crisis, text Hi to 741741. Crisis Text Line is available 24/7.

Bacon Asparagus
Ingredients
1 lb asparagus, with the woody parts cut off
8 strips of bacon, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
dash of red pepper flakes
2 tbsp salted butter

1. Fry the bacon until crisp over medium heat in a pan (I like cast iron skillets).
2. Add the garlic to the pan, stirring constantly. Garlic cooks fast so be careful.
3. After about a minute, add the asparagus and toss with the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until brighter green and tender.
4. Add the breadcrumbs, red pepper, and butter. Stir constantly until butter is melted and breadcrumbs are lightly toasted. Enjoy!
   
   
   

On Language Learning (and Cookies)

Forever my love

For those of you that don't know, in addition to my psychology degree (and 85% of a biochemistry degree...lol), I'm working on a Spanish minor. Learning a language, especially in school, especially as an introvert who doesn't like talking in big groups, especially classes, is weird. There are moments every day where I feel pretty fluent. Moments when my Hispanic residents are on the phone with their parents and I actually comprehend the conversation. Moments when I'm writing an essay and thinking in Spanish and it just flows.

But. There are also moments where I just feel (for lack of a better term) like such a freaking white girl. Which I am (mostly Swedish and German. that's about as white as it gets.). Moments where mi profesor asks me a question and all I can do is blush and mumble "qué?" Moments when I'm lost in class, or one of my group mates (who are all Hispanic and actually bilingual) speaks so fast that it just sounds like a blur to me. Or sometimes I fumble the present tense. It's great. My pronunciation gets weird sometimes, and as someone who has spent my entire life in the south, the fast, staccato rhythm is hard for me.

Language learning is weird, and it gets weirder when you transition into classes that trust that you're competent in the language, and focus on just teaching you literatura y cultura. Your ideas and thoughts actually matter more than the proficiency with which you communicate them. This is intimidating. Learning how to BS an essay about literature in a second language is weird and funny and makes me feel a lot more fluent than I probably am.

So why learn Spanish? It started because I was dead set on med school at U of Miami, and in Miami, you'd better be able to habla. At some point, I actually did fall in love with the language, and more than anything, I'm honestly in love with the idea of being bilingual. The idea of being able to communicate effectively and relate with more than one group of people is so appealing to me, which is why I love culture classes so much. Maybe that's and idealized version of things, but I like it, so I'm sticking with it.

También: I thought about writing this post in Spanish, but I have a little bit (okay a lot) of fear of judgment when it comes to my proficiency. So instead you get a post in English with awkward uses of Spanish vocab. Sorry.

S'more Stuffed Giant Cookie
Ingredients
2 sticks of butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips
3 milk chocolate bars
3 graham crackers
1/4 cup mini marshmallows

1. Stir together the butter and sugars.
2. Add in the eggs, vanilla, soda, and salt. Mix until smooth.
3. Stir in flour.
4. Gently fold in the chips.
5. Press about half the dough into a 9-inch round pan.
6. Add a layer of graham crackers, then another layer of chocolate bars. Top with the marshmallows.
7. Carefully spread the rest of the dough on top.
8. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Top will be dark golden, middle will be gooey. Enjoy!
   
   
   

Things I'm Loving Lately

College got me like

Things I'm Loving Right Now

1. Earl Grey and English Breakfast tea
2. Community
3. Andie Mitchell's cook book, Eating in the Middle. The recipes are as amazing as the philosophy behind them.
4. Twistee Treat. If you follow me on Instagram you know that I drove there Sunday night to try it.
5. La Tienda. It has my heart forever.
6. Bagels. Yes, I work in a bagel shop, but they're suddenly extra appealing.
7. Rent
8. Baking. I can't stop.
9. Roasted veggies
10. Julia Child
11. This pasta. I made it last week and then ate it forever (seriously, I made way too much).
12. Urban Decay liquid liner (in RED!)

A Birthday Cake for Mom

Hi Mom.

I know you'd probably prefer I celebrate your birthday with fewer carbs and a little less sugar. I could've made a nice salad with steak and quinoa, topped with some strawberries (good idea, we'll revisit that one). If you were going to eat a cake, you would've preferred carrot. But I thought something new could be fun.

Dusted with cocoa powder

So instead, we have a perfectly moist chocolate cake topped with peanut butter frosting, not too sweet, but salty, with crunchy little granules of sugar. And I drove it down to Tarpon to surprise you and eat dinner by the sponge docks. Happy birthday, Mom.

This makes me weirdly aware of how rarely I take horizontal pictures

Fun fact: I'm a terrible example as a baker, which means I don't actually measure ANYTHING. Unless I'm making something really finicky, I kind of just eyeball everything. Oops. It's worked out so far.

Chocolate Cake and Peanut Butter Frosting
cake
I used this recipe

frosting
1 stick salted butter
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1. Microwave the butter and peanut butter for 45 seconds. The butter will be pretty much all melted, and the peanut butter will be stir-able.
2. Stir in both sugars and the salt until smooth.
3. Spread on cooled cake or eat with a spoon. Enjoy.
   
   
   

The Blog is Back!

I made pie. And it looks a mess, but that's okay because I'm mostly just excited to tell you that I'm back and I love food and cooking and sharing food with the people I love.

So, this summer I ended up disappearing because I was studying for a cute and fun little test called the MCAT. Ha. No. I did study for and take the MCAT (no score yet), but it wasn't cute or fun. I think the test went well, but getting to test day was mostly filled with frustration, crying, and too much coffee. (oh yeah, if you follow me on Insta you know that I like coffee now. not sure what that's about, but.....).

Anyway, here's some thoughts on the MCAT, medicine, and life in general. 

If you saw the hot freaking mess I was during Spring semester, you're probably wondering how and why I ended up studying for the MCAT anyway. Well, here's the thing. I never really stopped wanting to be a doctor. I had an exceedingly rough Fall of my junior year, and emerged with a new major and a whole lot of sadness in my heart. Basically I felt like I'd failed at being a biochemistry major and a premed and was, honestly, worn out and tired of spending every second of my life in the library with anxiety and exhaustion clouding my brain. Science, particularly medicine, had come to symbolize everything I wanted and couldn't achieve. 
In a lot of ways, I stopped thinking I could do it. But it never left my mind. Thinking about doing something other than being a doctor, while exhilarating at first, terrified me in more than a "fear-of-the-unknown" kind of way. It hurt a lot.
Finally, after a semester of watching my wallow, my mom gave me a piece of mom-wisdom in a Mexican restaurant, and I cried and decided to try again. The mom-wisdom? "You're selling yourself short if you just walk away from this and don't even try. There's no reason why you can't be a doctor as a psych major." Thanks Mom.
And then, something amazing happened: I realized that I actually like science. I actually love the human body. I love knowing how metabolism works. And, weirdly, I kind of love studying (when I'm not caffeine crazed and hyper-emotional). I was studying because I wanted to, and taking the MCAT because I wanted to. And it felt so good. I remembered why I wanted to be a doctor in the first place.

On test day, I walked into the testing center feeling more peaceful than I would've thought possible. The test was my victory lap at the end of 4 long months of hard studying. It was the cherry on top.

And so, pie. I made it awhile ago, I know peaches aren't really in season anymore. But please appreciate it anyway. I'll have something a little more seasonally appropriate soon.

Blueberry Peach Streusel Pie
Ingredients
crust:
12 graham crackers, pounded into crumbs
1 stick of butter

filling:
4 peaches, cut into chunks (I didn't peel them)
3/4 cup blueberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp corn starch
juice of 1 lemon

streusel:
1/2 cup oats
1/2 stick of butter
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

1. Melt the butter and stir in the crumbs. Mash into a greased pie pan, making sure you get the sides. Put into the fridge while you make the filling.
2. For the filling, gently combine the fruit with the other ingredients. Let sit for 5 minutes so the fruits can release a little juice.
3. Add filling to the pie pan.
4. To make the streusel, melt the butter and stir in the other ingredients. Scatter on top of the pie.
5. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. If the top starts to burn, cover it with foil. We ate this with whipped cream, but vanilla ice cream would be pretty amazing too. Enjoy!

Burrito Bowls

Basically I made homemade Chipotle. Only not exactly, because I like mine better. And it's on quinoa. Which is better than rice.

For anyone who wants a laugh, you should've seen my snapchats while attempting to make rice. I was prepping it ahead so I could make this for dinner because yum.  Buuuut here's the issue: I have control issues. Rice requires that you bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, put a lid on it, and then WALK AWAY. For like an hour. You have to just WALK AWAY, ignoring your precious rice and just trusting that it will grow up and become rice. This is not something that I excel at.

So yeah. These burrito bowls have quinoa instead, because quite frankly I like it better, it doesn't take as long, and it doesn't stress me out as much. So much better. Also I think it might be healthier? Or maybe that's just me. Next time you want to tell me I'm a good cook, please just remember that rice stresses me out to no end. Anyway.

Honestly, you could just forego the quinoa and chicken altogether and eat the guac and pico with chips. But um, that might ruin the nice, healthy, balanced vibe we're going for. And you need the protein. Or, um, I do. So yeah, make the chicken and quinoa. Then just stir it all together. Or I guess if you like stuff better separate, you can leave it like that, but.....I'll think you're a little weird. Sorry.

Quinoa Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
guac
store bought or this recipe

pico
3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, minced
2 ears of corn, cut off the cob
1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of one lime
salt to taste

chicken
1.5 lbs chicken cutlets
1 can chipotles in adobo
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp honey

2 cups quinoa, cooked (I cooked mine in vegetable broth but that isn't mandatory)
1 tbsp butter

1. Make the guac, unless you're using store bought.
2. Make the pico by combining all ingredients in a bowl and gently mixing. Cover and put in fridge while you make everything else.
3. Prepare the chicken by seasoning with the cumin, then pour on the adobo sauce and some of the chipotle peppers, chopped. Drizzle on honey, then turn the cutlets a couple of times to totally coat. Refrigerate for an hour.
4. Add the chicken to a pan over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, then quickly slice.
5. Mix the hot quinoa with the butter.
6. Serve in your preferred ratio, and enjoy with tortilla chips or just a fork.