Monthly Archives: March 2014

Classic Guacamole

March 30, 2014

Ever since moving to the UK, people have asked me what I miss about living in California.

3. The weather (duh!)

2. My family/ friends (of course!)

1. Good avocados. Can you believe that there are whole nations of people that don’t know what an avocado that has been ripened to perfection tastes like? Unbelievable.

But I’ve done my best, scouring the shops and the produce sections for maybe, just maybe one great avocado that could make me complete. Luckily I found 4 last weekend! I had just hit the avocado lottery!

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Simple Roasted Tomato Salsa

March 23, 2014

Mexican food reminds me of my college days. I went to school in San Diego, a beautiful beach city where 18-22 year old run wild and the sun shines almost every day of the year. One of the great things about San Diego is the amazing Mexican food. Being about 20 minutes from the Northern border of Mexico, San Diego is hugely influenced by the culture of their southern neighbors.

Living for about 5 years in this city made me somewhat of a salsa snob. It cannot be too sweet (a culinary sin!) or watery (just yuck!) or chunky (unless it’s Pico de gallo, duh) and it has to have the right balance of heat. This is so easy to achieve I have found when you roast your ingredients first. Keep it simple and in less than 30 minutes you have a beautiful, simple Roasted Tomato Salsa that is just as good as your fav Mexican restaurant and is even easier to make than dinner out.

I love seeing the charred, black flecks in the salsa. That’s pure flavor that can only be achieved by the all important first step: roasting the ingredients.

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Borough Market in an Instagram

March 19, 2014

Last weekend I went to the biggest food market in London: Borough. It is a market unlike any other I have ever been to. Even quite early on a chilly Saturday morning, the crowds were heaving and the busy merchants buzzing about their market stalls, all selling beautiful goods to their eager customers. Sounds great, right? Well on paper it is great. I have been about 3 times before and after each visit I always say the same thing, “The food was great, but it was just so crowded!” And it’s true. But I guess there wouldn’t be so many people flocking to a place that was just okay, would they? So, here it is, Borough Market in an Instagram.

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Loaded Oreo Cookie Bars

March 12, 2014

I moved to London over 4 years ago. Fresh out of college, I made the leap across the Atlantic for the one reason that any girl would do something so life-changing: love. All these years later, I haven’t looked back. I’ve been exploring a new city, enjoying a new life and trying new things (like this blog!). London has become my second home, but as the story goes, when you least expect it, life changes. A few weeks ago I found out that we would be moving away from London. I have given notice at work, we’ve found a new house and cardboard boxes are piling up around me as I write this. (As long as it doesn’t block out my Netflix, Orange is the New Black is BRILLIANT.) Anyways, a new page in the story is about to be written…

When I think about moving, I get stressed. When I get stressed, I need comfort. When I need comfort, I bake. But most of the time when I am stressed, I don’t really want to spend hours in the kitchen. That’s when I look in the cupboards: butter, egg, brown sugar. All the basics are already here! All I need is one big mixing bowl, and it’s blondie time! BTW It’s the same base as my Perfect Peanut Butter Blondies, and if you’ve had those, then you know how AMAZE these bars will be!

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Mini Powdered Sugar Donut Muffins

March 5, 2014

I’ve never been the biggest fan of donuts; but mini donuts are a different story. What is it about miniature foods that has people eating and craving things that they normally wouldn’t? I’ve seen mini burgers and tacos on restaurant menus, while teeny tiny cupcakes are now a bakery staple. Maybe people think that because they’re smaller, they’re not as much of an indulgence. That doesn’t really matter to me because, let’s face it: miniature foods are just damn cute.

I’ve seen Mini Powdered Sugar Donut Muffins before. They were all over Pinterest a while back. I added them to my ever growing, never ending list of things I want to bake and I finally got around to making them last week. Boy, was it worth the wait.

Like I said, I’m not the biggest donut fan, but I’ve always had a soft spot for those little powdered donut holes that came in the white and blue box. We had them in the house sometimes when I was growing up. I really enjoyed the messiness of them more than anything. White-tipped fingers and sugary mustaches were a favorite past-time. The crumbly, softness of the sponge with the snowy, powdered sugar surrounding is such a great combination.

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