a crisp and THE college

I think I have found my dream university. To be honest, this prestigious college was never on my top three list. However, after visiting the campus, breathing in the woodsy air and walking amongst the bundled up students, it just felt right. For the longest time, I thought that an urban college with a small campus surrounded by the greatest city in the country, also known as Manhattan, would be the best fit for me. Then, reality settled in and a variety of factors bothered me. Soon after, I visited the campus of the rural school. It's seriously beautiful, vast, and lush with thick trees. The only downside would be the intensely frigid weather. Then, as I baked some Nutella chocolate chip cookies for my friend and her mother who brought me to this campus, I realized that cold weather means a desire for warmth. A desire for warmth means turning on the oven. Turning on the oven means more baked goods. Yes. More baked goods. Sounds good to me.



My dream college reminds me of this crisp. Homey and rustic. I dunno how to explain it but they just go hand in hand. Rural colleges and rustic desserts. Now, about this pear cranberry crisp. It was my very first crisp. I never tasted nor baked a crisp before. As I took my second bite, I asked myself why I never did. It was sinfully easy; I'll be making this again, very, very soon.



Pear and Cranberry Crisp
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

filling:
5 Bosc pears
3/4 cup of dried cranberries
scant 2/3 cup raw or granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt

topping:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
scant 1/3 cup raw or granulated sugar
1/3 packed light brown sugar
heaping 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted

Peel, core, and dice the pears. This took me a whiiiiilllle. I'm slow; I apologize. Mix with the cranberries, sugar, and salt. Set aside

Combine the flour, two sugars, cinnamon, and oats together. Add in the melted butter and mix.

Pour the fruit mixture into an 8x8 baking dish. Top with topping and bake for 30-50 minutes until the juices are bubbling. Cool and dig in.

Notes: I would just dial down the sugar even more. Also, I would like to read the recipe correctly... I read "pecans" as "oats" and it wasn't until I put the dish in the oven when I realized it said pecans. Oats are good too. Really good, actually. The cranberries plump up with the pear juice. There's no doubt that I'm making this again. And again. And again.

banana bread and why my pictures are blurry

Before we move on to the banana bread, let me just flat out tell you that these are pics from my iPhone. After I baked these, I couldn't find my dSLR's connector to my computer so I was like "womp" and just took pics with my phone because I couldn't be able to upload the nice pics anyway. I was wrong.
I found my cord an hour after. Okay, cool. Moving on...

Banana bread is probably the simplest baked good The only words to describe it are moist and slightly sweet. I used this recipe from Orangette before and was bestowed with great success, even though I forgot to add the water and used only half of the topping. This time, after I followed the recipe almost word for word, it came out even better than before. How can you trust me? Well, I "accidentally" ate a 1/4 of a loaf. The loaf was magically sliced up into the slices, the cinnamon sugar beckoning me. Oops.



Usually, I prefer my sweet breads to have chunks of nuts. This time, I totally forgot about the bag of walnuts in my fridge. If you want crunch, add two handfuls of toasted walnuts. To be honest, I didn't need the crunch, after all! The crackly top (see below) satisfied me.



Look at that top! (You can see a few grains of raw sugar that didn't seep into the soft bread. Oops.) When you poke a toothpick through the surface, you hear the faintest crackling of the broken crust. Crackly crust and soft, barely sweet bread. Perfection. You'll be finding me cradled up with a cup of steaming tea and a slice of this every day. Much love and enjoy your week!

P.S. Only 15 Twitter followers from 100! Follow me on Twitter: @whatnicoleate

Notes: Substituted 1/2 cup of the AP flour for white whole wheat flour. Decreased the amount of sugar to 3/4 cup. Used 10 tsp agave instead of 12 tsp (1/4 cup) honey. 

an open letter to pancakes

Hey. 
We need to talk. 
I know I've neglected you and often said I hated you. I called you dry, flavorless, and unappetizing. I'm sorry, Pancakes. Pumpkin changed my mind about you. I've realized you can be slightly sweet and oh-so-tender with the right ingredients. I'm over Waffles and French Toast. Be mine. XO. 

Here's a fact about me.
I used to strongly dislike pancakes.
(Yeah, I know. I have a [failed] pancake recipe here. That time I was having a WEIRD craving, thanks to Joy the Baker's mouth watering pancake recipe collection.)


Before I ate these glorious pumpkin pancakes, if you were to ask me the following questions - which of these choices would you like to eat or drink for breakfast? Pancakes or battery acid? - I would have chosen the battery acid.

news, updates, and muffins

Oh hi, how ya doin'? I'm all and well.

Okay, just kidding. I'm not. Being a teenager in this world seriously sucks. Maybe I'm just saying that because I have midterms in a couple of days and my skin is breaking out like crazy. I'm bereft of skin knowledge because my skin has never caused me any problems. I just do my daily cleaning routine and I'm good. Ugh, not anymore.

Hypothesis: If I stop eating foods filled with sugar, then I will have my old skin back. Does that make sense? Will it work? I can't help my stress; I can't even manage that ish. So, new diet it is. Hopefully I can stick to my new vegan diet. Oh God. I'm scared.

Oh, and the muffins you see above my lil rant? They're good. Not great. A solid A-. It's my fault though. I made crazy adaptions both by accident and on purpose. The first adaption was adding Craisins. THAT addition was good. The ones with Craisins were 10x better than the ones without. Next, I filled the tins with batter BEFORE they had time to rise. I thought the instructions said that they will rise in the tins. I'm an idiots sometimes most of the time. I also halved the topping amount. I bet they would taste better with more butter and sugar. What wouldn't? Another mishap was putting the batter into baking cups rather than a sprayed muffin tin. I made two without cups, just to experiment, and they held up better. Moister. My last mistake was over baking them(?). Maybe it was baking cups that caused this because the sans cup weren't burnt on the bottom like the ones in cups were.

Yeah, so take my advice and don't do the things I did. Except adding the Craisins. THAT, my friend, was a good move.

See ya on the flip side.

confessions and the best brownies ever

Confession #1. I used to hate, with a capital H, shredded coconut, bananas, and yogurt. I think it was textural thing. I've grown out of it, evident by my love for flaked & toasted coconut, banana bread (I made two different kinds on NYE, by the way) and banana cake. Also, fat free Greek yogurt? With honey? Uh, best "healthy" snack/quick meal ever.

Here's another confession. I was dreaming about these brownies in English today. (Sorry, Mrs. Cap!) While the class was murmuring about chapter seven in The Great Gatsby, my mind was absorbed with an image of brownie.

A sweet piece of dense heaven that has the richness of a chocolate bar. What would go on top? A salted caramel sauce? Mm. Oh wait, no heavy cream. Hm, what if something went inside? A cream cheese swirl? With... uh, hm. Coconut? Yes! Coconut and chocolate. Like those chocolate macaroons. Never had one though. 


And that's how this baby came into creation.

good riddance, two thousand and eleven.

2011 has been one of the most turbulent years for me.

Perhaps it's because 2011 is the year I turned sixteen.
Or because I had to balance doing schoolwork with studying for the SATs, sleeping, and exploring new culinary adventures.
Or because the Arab Spring occured. It kept me up some nights, thinking.
Or the Occupy (insert city name here) riots started, which also kept me up.

I went through both laughter and tears, blessings and curses. I made new friends and lost a very special one.

One of the most intelligent, frank, and funniest boys I ever had the pleasure of knowing left us on December 29th. For seventeen years, he bellowed his distinct laugh and made his friends and family laugh and smile with his antics. It was holiday break, time for relieved sighs and hours spent with friends and family. It was time to start fresh and anew. But three days before we rang in the new year, he passed away due to heart complications.

When I found out, I couldn't stop crying. He was one of my best friends two years ago. Although we grew apart, he still knew just what to say to make a girl smile. We had a social science fair we were both attending together in mid January. I was so excited to be with him again, to hear his hearty laugh, and to laugh at his jokes. I wanted to tell him the things I couldn't tell him two years prior. I was waiting for that fair. After I stopped the tears streaming from my eyes, the fact that I wouldn't see him at that fair wandered into my mind. The fact that I still had things to say to him made my heart pound against my chest. I was filled with regret but I was helpless at this point.

Grieving is a such delicate topic, laced with intricate feelings. It is reflects different on everyone; it is an unique experience. I never had to grieve before. This was the first time a loved one of mine passed away. Parents' of close friends have passed away and my heart ached for my friends. I cried for them. Baked for them. But I never used a whole box of tissues in two nights, like I did on December 29th and 30th.

The end of 2011 was a terrible one. I couldn't ask anything worse. The start of 2012 wasn't dandy either; my emotions was still ripped and raw from his death.  My heart still pounds quickly when I hear or say his name. Instead, my friends and I refer to my friend as "he" or "him". Half of the world is male and yet when I say "he" or "him", my friend understands me, and vice versa. You know what's beautiful? More than 400 people came to a memorial service at our high school. Knowing that some many people love and care for him makes me smile uncontrollably. He touched so many hearts in his seventeen years. He was something special. I will never forget his sweet smile or his hearty laughter. Unexpectedly, I learned lessons from him. 1) Live every second like it's your last. 2) Speak up and say what's on your mind because you never when the person you want to say it to will disappear. I will keep his memory with me forever. However, I must plow through life, complete my goals, and celebrate my achievements. I can't linger like this anymore. By regretting and dreaming, I bring my own tears and heartaches.

When I got my appetite back, I ate a plate of makeshift penne cacio e pepe my mother made. (That lady has a gift with Italian cuisine, I swear!) The next day, I made it again and had two bowls for breakfast. Although it wasn't exactly the same cacio e pepe you saw here or here, it was simple, delicious, and filled with just enough unami to make me sigh. Oh carbs, how I love you so! Here's a recipe that might make you laugh due its simplicity.

a "first" fest

Here are a few things I learned this year: AP chemistry will kick your ass if you don't study. Sharing baked goods will give you a lot of hugs. Arepas are Amazing, with a capital A. A few good friends is all you need. Instagram is the best app because then you don't have to do a tedious ritual in order to upload pics from your DSLR. Speaking of apps, Temple Run is addicting. You don't need to have a hand mixer to make cake. Your first cake will turn out fine.

monday pick-me-ups | spiced and candied nuts

(adapted from smittenkitchen)
Ever since I was little, my mother included tree nuts and broccoli into my supper. As as young girl who had a voracious appetite, I didn't care what the substance was on my plate. If I could eat it, good. I'll eat it. So I did. I suppose my love for tree nuts started then.

I adore nuts with chocolate. With green beans and garlic. In warm cookies. In oatmeal with cinnamon and brown sugar. But the simplest preparation is to roast them. Well roasted almonds are one of my favorite snacks. They become a whole different flavor when roasted. They are deep, complex, and sweet.

Dry roasting almonds has become second nature to me. My mom has done this ritual since I was a tot. But roasting them with cinnamon, sugar, salt, and paprika? Whoa, buddy. The extra crunch from the sugar shell is just magnificent.

This recipe can be adapted to any nut and a variety of spices. I can't wait to play with different flavor combinations!

monday pick-me-ups | furiyake popcorn

You like? I think I'm starting a new Monday series - pick-me-up Mondays. Because everyone needs a pick-me-up on the dreary Mondays that haunt our lives. Seriously. Every Monday I will try to post a quick snack recipe that you, my dear reader, can make on Monday to, well, pick you right back up. Snack on this flavorful popcorn all week. You won't get sick of it. If you do, have no fear! Next week, I will have a new, mouth watering snack recipe for you to try! Til then, snack on, my Monday haters, snack on.

Note: I messed up on the second slide. It would be 2 tablespoons of white corn that would make 3-4 cups of popcorn! Please take note. Also, I know the watermark-like "bread and silk" tags look horrifically tacky, especially because they are so close to each other. I'm new-ish at this Photoshopping business. Please bear with me!

double trouble

You look like you need a cookie. A warm, chocolate cookie with crunchy walnut bits and gooey dark chocolate chips. I apologize, non-chocolate lovers (if you guys do exist) because this post is all about the double chocolate crinkle cookie. Once upon a time, it was just a chocolate crinkle cookie. Then, I vamped it up with just a couple of ingredients. Really simple and swoon worthy. The only con is that if you live in a house of four, like me, these chocolate morsels will disappear in a matter of days.

scrambled pancakes are happiness.

Hi lovely. You promise you won't judge me? I screwed up pancakes. Yeah. Pancakes. I was surprised too. The pancakes kept getting stuck on the cast iron pan. I ended up just... well, scrambling them like they were eggs. Before I took a bite, I was expecting the worst. Instead, I got a creamy, flavorful mouthful of bliss. Although they aren't the prettiest plate of brunch, I took them to my Mac and watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother. I was laughing at Marshall's recitation of "The Raven" in between bites of my scrambled pancakes. This was happiness. In that moment, I was glad there was something funny before my eyes and something delicious in my mouth. It took my mind off the loads of work in store for me. Total bliss.

a toast to toast

Give me a choice between a few slices of bacon and a chunk of a baguette, smeared with strawberry jam and pat of butter, and I'll choose the latter. While some people take pleasure in eating ginormous hamburgers sandwiched in between deep fried bacon grilled cheese (ie. these guys), I prefer simpler alternatives. Bread. Toast. Pasta. With butter. With jam. With olive oil and garlic.

So basically, I love carbs. Its pure comfort food to me. When I feel stressed out, overwhelmed, or hungry, I reach for it. Its a problem, yes. But I'm working on it!

Today, in particular, I wasn't having s great day. When I got home, I was hungry and needed something to fuel me up quickly because I had a volleyball game in two hours. I was in no mood to wash a ton of dishes and pans. I glanced toward my counter and saw a glass Pyrex filled with bread slices. (Specifically, bread that my momma made the night before and cut this morning to make me my lunch.) I toasted a slice right up and decided to see how many different kinds of open faced sandwiches/ toasts I could make. I made three.

letting go of the last bits of summer

Ah, the end of summer. It has always been a sad part of the year for me. No more delicious popping-out-of-its-skin stone fruit or refreshing watermelon to look forward to after a long day. No more excuses for gorging on more pistachio ice cream ("It cools me off!") or making salads for dinner ("It's too hot to cook."). At the same time, I have a lot to look forward to: pumpkins, denim jackets, camel colored suede, cinnamon infused desserts, warm hot cocoa, Thanksgiving. Even though I was always sullen about summer ending, autumn's arrival is something to celebrate. Let's celebrate with good food. Goodbyes are easier with food, don't you think? Let's cook some summer-y dishes to use up the last of the produce and our longings for summer food. Let's look forward to autumn.

There are those dishes that you would prefer to eat only in the summer, right? For me, its those salads with mayonnaise based dressings, the ones that are sweet, slightly tangy, and have little bits of crunchy surprises, that call for me during the summertime. This broccoli chicken salad is seriously the epitome of what a easy summer side dish is to me. Its simple and tasty. It has a medley of different flavors that meld together effortlessly. Its summer time, and the living should be easy. Take sips of ice cold Coke in between bites of this magnificent salad and other barbecue staples. The only regret I have with this salad is that I discovered a few weeks before summer comes to close. I wish I had time to eat more of this... Anyway, enjoy!



broccoli chicken salad 
inspired by Whole Foods' Broccoli Crunch
serves 4-8

2 - 2 1/2 heads of broccoli
2 1/2 tsp sugar
3 oz vinegar
4 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 medium onion
2 - 4 chicken breasts, boiled or grilled
2 oz pecans, or any other nut
4 oz raisins, or any dried fruit

First, make the dressing. Dissolve the sugar into the vinegar, mixing every few minutes. When almost completely dissolved, add the mayo and mix well. Cut the broccoli into florets. Wash then blanch them in heavily salted water for a few seconds, immediately dumping the florets into water and ice. Drain and toss with the dressing so it can soak up flavor.. Dice the onion. Add them to the broccoli. Toast the nuts. While they are toasting, dice the chicken into bite size pieces. Add the chicken into the bowl. Set aside the nuts to cool for a bit. If they are pecans or any other large nut, chop into smaller pieces. Toss in the nuts and dried fruit. Dried cranberries and raisins can be used whole. Apricots, and other fruit in the same size range, should be diced. Toss everything together. I like it much better when it is served immediately. The flavors are more vibrant. However, this salad can be chilled. Try to savor this dish within a day or so. Enjoy.