And My Week Keeps Getting Better and Better

I unwittingly deleted the photos of the next baked good for posting. Soooo, the recipe and photos will be posted ASAP. Thanks for understanding. :)

Peanut Butter Fills the Cracks of the Heart

Two weekends ago was a semi-sad one here in L-town for this kid. I had planned on going on a super fun retreat with my Campus Christians group, but had to stay home and work on a flippin' paper for a STUPID class. (Just thinking about this class makes me want to start throwin' punches. Grrrr.....)

I had a guy up-chuck and then proceed to pass out on my porch late Friday night. 911 was called, puke was cleaned up and I'm out a mop now, exciting.

And to add to the sadness...I dropped my iPod. :( As soon as it happened I was like, "GOO! NO, NO, NO, NO!" And as if it were a crying child, I scooped it up and coddled it. It turned on normal and relief came over me. Whew...Fast forward a couple hours later. I turn it on and it starts making a clicking noise and this shows up....


Damn.

It's sad, really sad, but my iPod is kind of a big deal to me. You have better chances of finding my iPod on my person rather than my phone. I listen to it on my walk to class through campus, working out and falling asleep at night. And now, I've got silence. Ok, not really, but you get the gist. I can no longer fall asleep to this. I can no longer rock out to this. I can no longer just chill to this.

Ok, I still listen can via my laptop, but you know, it's just not the same. (And carrying my laptop around campus like a boom box would just get darn tiring.)

So in the mean time, I'm borrowing an old iPod shuffle til a new iPod is acquired. And I'm eating these Chocolate Peanut Butter Crumble bars to mend my broken heart.


Peanut butter and chocolate. Chocolate and peanut butter. Need I say more? A better combination hasn't come along since, well, frankly I don't think a better combo has come along. Nothin' beats P.B. and chocolate. Nothin'. Well, maybe a working iPod...Nah.



Chocolate Peanut Butter Crumble Bars
adapted from Piece of Cake
makes 16

5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chips or chopped
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, soft but still cool
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup old-fashioned oats (not instant or quick-cooking)
1 egg, at room temperature
7 ounces (about half a can) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (crunchy is ok, don't use natural peanut butter)

Position an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with a strip of parchment paper or aluminum foil that will fit along the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan with a bit of overhang to create "handles" to easily remove the bars later.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs. Stir in the brown sugar, and oats. Put about a quarter of this mixture (roughly 1 1/2 cups) into a small and stir in the chocolate bits. Set aside.

Into the remaining three-quarters of the crumb mixture, stir in the egg until it comes together into an evenly moistened mass, sort of like a loose cookie dough. Pat the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan and pre-bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter until well-blended. When the bottom layer of the bars is finished pre-baking, spread the peanut butter mixture evenly over the warm layer. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate-crumble mixture evenly over everything and press down lightly.

Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 more minutes, until golden brown. The bars will feel very soft and not done in the center, but they will set as they cool. Let the bars cool in the pan for 10 minutes before running a thin knife along the edges and removing the slab to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cut into 16 squares. Store any leftover in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

"Thai" It! You Won't Be Sorry!

My mom came up a few months ago, so she could receive her Mother's Day gift from me. Guess what it was???
Not a card....
Not candy....
Not a macaroni necklace...
It was a super-fun cooking class! At my beloved Bayleaf! Ain't it cute?
The Bayleaf is a super cool cooking store here in downtown Lawrence. It has the niftiest kitchen tools and gadgets and absolutely precious kitchenware (& aprons!)
And they also offer monthly cooking classes. With cooking classes with the titles of "Apple Autumn Harvest" and "Pad Thai and Beyond" you know you're in for a treat, a delicious treat.
When I went in to sign up for a class it was a toss up between a Mediterranean class and a Thai class. Both excellent choices, but I personally knew the instructor for the Thai class and knew it would be a ball. And by golly, it was! We made Thai/Lao Egg Rolls with a dipping sauce and Thai Pineapple Fried Rice. We had a great time at the class. We made new friends and had a ton of laughs. And of course ate some tasty food. Enjoy the pictures and I highly recommend you throw a "Thai Night" soon with these fabulous recipes. ;)

As soon as we arrived at the Bayleaf we were put to work.

Mom got the job of pulverizing the peanuts for the egg roll sauce.

Crush those nuts! Crush those nuts! Haha, that made me giggle.

This is the delicious filling of our Thai/Lao Egg Rolls. It's got cabbage, carrots, vermicelli noodles, mmm......Mom and I talked about just eating this straight from the bowl and we kinda did.

And now to assemble...Place about a 1/4 of a cup of filling on a wrap.

Slap some egg wash on the sides, it works as an adhesive so the roll can stay together.

Nice...

Then you bring the bottom up...

And add more of the egg wash.

Bring both pointy ends (left and right) in and start to roll up, nice and tight.

And...

Voila! Picture perfect.

This is Dawn. She was our instructor. I worked as a TA for her in one of her English classes on campus a few semesters ago. She's a fun lady. You'd like her.

Plop, plop...

Hungry yet?

Just call her the "FryMaster."

Frying egg rolls! Everywhere!!!

I think it was here that I called "dibs" on about five of these babies. "And I want this one and that one and definitely this one."

Check out the dipping sauce! Holy smokes! This sauce has it all. Sweet, spicy, tangy, savory...please and thank you.

First bite. Oh yeahhhhh.......The technique is to take a bite out of the roll, then pour the sauce straight into the roll. Seriously, the only way to eat it.

And then Dawn started the best rice I can honestly say I've ever eaten and that's a ton of rice, folks.

I want some. I want some NOW.

Thai/Lao Egg Rolls and Pineapple Fried Rice
adapted from Dawn Haverkate-Ens

Eggroll Filling (make early in the day or a day ahead: must cool before using)
2 Tbsp oil, divided (Canola or peanut)
3 1/2 cups grated carrots
3 1/2 cups chopped cabbage
7 oz. pkg of vermicelli noodles (bean thread), soaked in a bowl of water until softened (about 10 min) and cut up with kitchen shears
4-6 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, drained and minced (discard the hard core)
1/2 lb. ground/minced pork
1 1/2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 bunch of green onions, chopped into small pieces

Heat wok over medium high heat. Add 1 Tbsp. oil, swirling to coat sides of pan. Add minced pork and fry until done, breaking apart into small pieces as you do so. Put meat in a bowl and set aside.
Add another Tbsp. of oil to the wok and heat over high heat. (Adjust heat as needed in the cooking process. A flat bottom wok may not require high heat all the time, depending on what you're cooking in it.) Add chopped cabbage and carrots and stir fry until they have lost volume and give up much of their water.
Add the drained noodles, 1 1/2 Tbsp. oyster sauce, 1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. white wine vinegar, and 1/2- 1 tsp. sugar. Stir fry until the noodles are cooked (they will become transparent). Add back the pork and add the minced shiitake mushrooms and chopped green onions. Add generous amounts of freshly ground pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary to make it more salty, sour or sweet. (soy or salt, white wine vinegar, sugar)
Making the Eggrolls
Thaw eggroll wrappers before using (about 1/2- 1 hour). You will need to purchase frozen wrappers labeled as "Spring Roll Shells/Wrappers" in an Oriental Market.
Fill and roll the eggrolls as directed, using a "glue" of approximately 1 egg plus 1 1/2 tsp. water whisked together. (Make more "glue" as needed.) Set on cookie sheets and if necessary put a towel over them to prevent them from drying out too much.
Preheat oil in a wide deep skillet in enough oil to cover them, keeping the oil at 365 degrees. Drain on a paper towel or cookie rack over a cookie sheet and keep them in a warm oven until serving (if desired). Serve with flippin' delicious dipping sauce. Below!

Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
4 cloves garlic
1-3 serrano chilies (or Jalapeno)
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce
crushed roasted peanuts

Boil 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar in a small pan until sugar dissolves. Cool.
Closer to serving time, add 1/4 cup fish sauce and 1/4 cup lime juice. Pound 4 garlic cloves and chili with a little salt in a mortar until you have a paste. Add to liquid. Taste and add salt if needed. You may add more fish sauce, lime juice, or chilies to balance the flavors. (If adding more garlic or chilies, mash them before adding).
Place in small serving bowls and top with crushed peanuts when serving.

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
2 Tbsp. cooking oil (Canola or peanut)
7 garlic cloves
1/2 cup pork, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chicken, thinly sliced
1/2 to 2/3 lb. shrimp
pinch of salt (for meat)

1 1/2 cup pineapple, cut into small pieces (PLEASE use fresh!! Tastes so much better.)
6 cups cooked rice, cooled and kept in the refrigerator at least overnight
3 eggs

2 tsp. yellow curry powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. or more ground white pepper
3 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
red or green jalapeno pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (optional)

1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Put the rice into a large bowl and pull it apart so that there aren't large chunks. Set aside. Be sure all of your ingredients are within easy reach of the cooking area.
Set wok over medium high heat. Add the oil, rotating the wok so that it coats the sides. When the oil is hot add the garlic and stir fry briefly, until it is aromatic and golden.
Immediately add the shrimp, chicken and pork and stir fry until the meat is almost done.
Create an open space in the bottom of the wok, add a small bit of oil, add the eggs and allow them to cook until they set up a bit. Then stir them as they cook. When they are about half done add the rice and pineapple and mix quickly.
Add 2 tsp. curry powder, 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. ground white pepper and 3 Tbsp. fish sauce and mix well, continuously turning the rice mixture over. Add chopped green onions, red bell pepper and jalapeno pepper (if using).
Add raisins and cashews. Finally, add the cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Well put, Mr. Shaw, well put.

The Ghost of Haircuts Past

So I got a haircut.


You really can't tell.

When it comes to my hair, I'm quite particular. I believe this is for a couple of reasons. The first being that hair is like an accessory. Much like that cute bracelet you got for your 16th birthday or those earrings you stole borrowed from your friend, they tie outfits together and make us look dang cute. As does our hair. "Will I rock a side-pony or long, wavy locks with the new sundress?"
See, an accessory.

The second reason I'm cautious with my mane is because of all the traumatic haircuts I've put myself through. Lets travel back and visit myself as a 6th grader. Towering over most of the boys in my grade, gangly as heck, thick glasses, and in desperate need of braces, I was already going through enough awkwardness. But it got worse. During my yearly visit to the beauty shop, my mom suggested I get bangs.
"Oh Allison, I saw (insert some high school girl's name) the other day and she just had the cutest bangs!"
"Um, ok?"

Thirty minutes later with a pile of my hair on the floor, I was regretting what just happened. Oh dear Lord, I was awkward to begin with, but had now taken the title of Queen of Awkward in my middle school. It was a rough few months growing them out, but it eventually happened. Now fast forward a few years later. I'm in high school, my hair has successfully grown out, I'm now the proud owner of contact lenses, my teeth don't look like a roller coaster going up and down, and most of the boys tower over me. And my hair looks pretty dang good. So good, people nicknamed me "Pantene." Haha, I know. I kept my hair long and beautiful. Fast forward a few years later again, last May to be exact. My hair had gotten ridiculously long, frustratingly long, that if I could get a hold of some scissors I would chop it off on the spot. I ran into the beauty shop, threw myself in the chair and said, "Chop it off! And I mean short!" And she did. And about 10 inches came off. And it looked good and I liked it....for three freakin' days. I missed my long, flowing locks. My friend had just done the same thing and we were both in the same boat. We vowed to never chop our hair off every again and if one of us tried to, the other would heroically stop them.

And now, here I am. Still growing my hair. Today's cut was just a lil trim and some side-bangs. If you are thinking about getting a haircut, lemme give you some advice. Sit down, look at pictures of your beautiful hair, and ask yourself, "Is this really what I want?" Then eat these cookies to help you make your choice.

Good luck, don't do anything drastic and remember hair is an accessory.


Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Savory Sweet Life
makes about 2-3 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups (12 oz) all-purpose flour (The original recipe calls to weigh the flour, but I don't think it's really necessary.)

1 tsp. smallish-medium coarse sea salt (It's sooo important to use sea salt!! It gives the cookies great flavor. If you only have table salt, cut the 1 tsp. down to 1/2 tsp.)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until it is nice and fluffy (about 3 minutes on medium-high speed). Add both eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour until cookie batter is fully incorporated. Finally add chocolate chips until well distributed. The cookie batter will be somewhat thick. Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 11-13 minutes until the edges are nice and golden brown. Remove from heat and allow the cookies to stay on the cookie sheet for an additional 2 minutes.