Fruity Pebble Krispy Treats

I made a new friend in StL who's from Toronto! Ran's girlfriend, Jess, came to visit at the same time I did, and since all the med students had a neurology exam this week, we got to spend a lot of time together. She is one of the sweetest girls I've ever met, and so cute! We made monkey bread (will post on that later) and fruity pebbles krispy treats for funsies. We also made art with Hao and Ashleigh, which I will post pics of later...

Basically, Jess and I played with our food. And it was fun. Except I couldn't eat it because it was too sweet. I'm shocked at how much everyone was even able to finish. It was my first time eating fruity pebbles cereal, and I think I prefer rice krispy treats. I also know my bff J is gagging as she reads about this dessert right now, haha.

Mango Pie

This dessert is my mother's recipe and very sought-after. Everyone who has ever tried it has become a fan. It's light and delicious and you'll find yourself craving more. I have yet to meet a person who hasn't liked this pie!

My mom used to make this for office parties and any special occasions. Since the recipe makes three, I know people who have impressively been able to eat half of one in one sitting. I started to make it for my friends and a few swear by it now and bake this up more frequently than me.

All you need is a blender and a measuring cup :)

Soulard Farmer's Market

I'm in St. Louis again. And so we went back to Soulard's Farmer's Market. This time, I remembered my camera!

I like how this place is set up. It's just two really long aisles that are outdoors but covered and they criss-cross in the middle. In the middle there are a bunch of little shops that sell foods.

A Key Lime-y Pie!

Every couple of months, I crave a slice of key lime pie. Publix has such a yummy one! I love that it's available by the slice too... It's so citrusy and bordering on sour, I love it.

A Busy Festival Weekend in the ATL

                                                                                   Piedmont Park

This weekend in Atlanta was the Dogwood Festival, the Atlanta Bake Sale, the return of Freaknik, the Sweetwater Beer Festival, and a couple of other things as well. 

This made it just a tad... traffic-y everywhere!

But it was still a good time. So I had heard there was going to be a bake sale run by food bloggers for charity. I really really wanted to participate but couldn't get into contact with the person in charge until Friday night at 9pm. I was supposed to drop off the goods at 8am in the morning! I considered not doing it, but then I reconsidered that. I figured it'd be a way for me to meet other food bloggers, and have people try some of my stuff.

Baking for Beginners

"Cooks and bakers are distinctly different creatures. Cooks are the jazz musicians, bakers and pastry chefs are the classical pianists."

-Michael Ruhlman  

I hate cooking but I love baking. I think baking is more like a science. If you mess with the recipe here and there, it can seriously screw up your results. Cooking is more laidback... I can see why HLi and Joe love it so much, it fits them. I know I will have to and do want to learn various Indian recipes someday, but for now I much prefer learning to bake!

Now that I bake my own favorite desserts, I don't know why I didn't do it all the time. I mean, sometimes it's nice to just buy a key lime pie or a cheesecake that I'm too lazy to make, but for the most part, knowing exactly what's in my desserts makes me happier. I mean, of course it's unhealthy either way but as long as you eat in moderation, it's all good!

It's way too easy to bake a cake without needing a cake mix; it's nice to use fresh ingredients, and there's something cathartic about standing in the kitchen with a mixer and following directions. And feeling a stronger sense of accomplishment after knowing the work you put in, in my opinion.

A trippy collage of the cake section in the store... so many choices!

HEALTHY Muffins and Brownies?

I've been experimenting, trying to make slightly healthier desserts since summer is rapidly approaching...

I made brownies where I swapped most of the flour with whole-wheat flour, and cut the butter content in half. I also put in dark chocolate chips in the batter. It turned out so yummy! The whole-wheat flour made it slightly denser, which means you feel way full after just one.

Square Fairy Cakes

Haha, square fairy cakes. That sounds funny...
Anyway, this past weekend, I went shopping with my mom and sister. We wandered around the regular stores, and at TJ Maxx, I found this!

I get excited about baking products. This includes baking pans. I don't know why I really NEED this square pan, but I just do. Square muffins! Square cupcakes! Square tarts! SQUARES!

I kicked off the evening by trying out a simple cake recipe. I just wanted to see how the pan held up. It's so sturdy, and heavier than my other pans. It's so awesome and pretty... I'm in love. Whatever you do, don't tell my mini muffin pan.

Mo-Mo Cakes

 In honor of another old friend's birthday, I decided to make her favorite kind of cupcakes. Chocolate ones with chocolate cream cheese frosting!

Yellow Fever and Playing with Food

I love these Taro wafers. I may be brown on the outside (I'm more like a lightish/pinkish honestly) but I'm totally yellow on the inside. I've had yellow fever for most of my life; I love all things Asian!

Living in the 'burbs was great if only for the proximity of Buford Hwy, the long stretch of all things deliciously Asian. I miss my dim sum, and pho, and Banh Mi sandwiches... my favorite Mee Goreng noodles, dan (egg) tarts, bubble tea, and Korean BBQ ribs (galbi!).

Pecan Cinnamon Sticky Honey Buns!

I have a funny story.
Joe (JBS) and I have been together nearly 2 years, but we've been friends for almost 6 years! I first (officially) met him junior year of high school. He was in my lunch group; 6 or 7 of us would always eat lunch together and instead of going to the cafeteria, we took over an old chemistry teacher's class. I don't know why she let us eat there... or why Joe and Mu once ate off the floor there... but it was fun. We even built a makeshift fort near the microwave. Good times.

Brownies, brownies and my war with pollen...

I just want to say, my immune system is stupid. After 15 years of living in Atlanta, my body has finally lost the fight to pollen. I haven't had an allergy test yet but I wake up severely congested every morning and am sneezing for no reason. I used to love spring, but not like this! Sigh. Now I truly feel bad for people with severe allergies.

In other news, I love love love mint and chocolate combined. I know a lot of people don't, but I do. There's just something about it. I love the minty aftertaste! Anyone who knows me, knows I'll try anything mint chocolate. I've tried so many different ice creams, chocolate bars, cakes, etc. My favorite is the Ghiradelli mint chocolate square. I don't like the mint infused into the chocolate, I want to see the mint! My least favorite is After Eights and York Peppermint patties. They're not bad, but I feel like the mint overpowers the chocolate... I have this weird thing about balancing the flavors in my mouth...

Carrot Cake for Easter!

I attempted to make a carrot cake a few days ago for Easter... you know...
bunnies --> carrots --> carrot cake! Actually, carrot cake was one of my first posts ever on this blog. The picture was so so unappetizing. I've come a long way.

Food Photography Shoot

So this week, I got to sit in on a Krsytal's photo shoot with Carlos Garcia, this really amazing food photographer in Atlanta, GA.

 One of his other food shots.... I think for Cinnabon... looks amazing

For those of you who don't know, Krystal's a fast food restaurant in the US. They specialize in serving small square burgers, kinda like sliders. They're starting to sell more, like wings and desserts, which is why Carlos had to photograph them for ads.