Vietnamese coffee popsicles

I'm a weirdo. I like cold things in cold weather. I like to eat ice cream slowly and cold weather makes that possible.

So, let's make popsicles, OK?

Sweet, caffeine-providing popsicles.

My brother, the hand model. 

Spicy stuffed bell pepper soup

There are times when I find myself marveling at how I've mastered the Art of the Last-Minute Meal. You know, the ability to look in your fridge, take immediate mental stock of it, your freezer, and your pantry, and figure out what might make a decent meal. Witchcraft.

Bell peppers of all colors must be really in season somewhere in Mexico, because the grocery stores are filled to the brim with them and they're all on sale. Red, yellow, orange, and good old green--they're all delicious. Green bell peppers are good when I don't want something sweet, but I like the taste of the warm-colored bell peppers. I think they're also better for you too, richer in beta carotene and vitamin C. I went a little nuts and bought six of them a week ago, thinking I'd be healthy and eat one each day as a snack or veggie side to a meal. HAH. HA. HA. HAHAHAH. I was so optimistic though!

Pumpkin banana muffins with a cinnamon swirl

Okay, so after making the pumpkin oatmeal, I had about half a can of pumpkin puree left and I felt compelled to use it. I know, what was I thinking? Pumpkin is not a favorite thing of mine, but I don't like to see it wasted. I also had a ripe banana and it too needed to be put to use.

Enter muffins. Sweet, sweet muffins with a sweet, sweet cinnamon swirl. All brown sugary and autumnal. Yes, autumnal. What can I say? I gave into seasonal flavor madness and now have TWO pumpkin recipes on my blog. You gotta problem? Take it up with the Self-Taught Bakers Union. They'll get to it, right after they address our obsession with steel-cut oats and sea salt. Godspeed.

Granola

You won't hate me if I say I like raisins, will you? . . . .

FINE. I DIDN'T NEED YOUR FRIENDSHIP ANYWAY. TAKE YOUR RAISIN-LESS EXISTENCE AND TAKE A HIKE.

Please, come back. I didn't mean it. I say crazy things when I'm hopped up on raisins. They're powerfully sweet, aren't they? I like them because they remind me of childhood. In school, they'd give us those little red Sun Maid cartons in order to give kids a "healthy" option when snacktime came. This meant that I was always lousy with raisins, because, believe it or not, there are a lot of kids willing to give up their raisins to the crazy raisin-eating kid with stirrup pants and really wide eyes from all the sugary dried grapes she's just ingested.

This is all a minor anecdote that is meant to explain why I put raisins in the granola. You certainly are under no obligation to do so, but I recommend it. You can use any dried fruit you want--cranberries, apple slices, mango, currants, blueberries, banana chips. Heck, you can even skip the fruit, if that's not your thing. Add chocolate chips instead. That's the same, health-wise, right?

For this recipe, I use a great raisin medley from the grocery store that has great big purple raisins, golden sultanas, and a couple other varieties. I've definitely graduated from those small purple sugar pills in the tiny red cartons.

Yes, ENOUGH WITH THE RAISINS ALREADY. NO ONE CARES. I get it. Moving on . . .

Baked pumpkin oatmeal

Hey, this is me, giving into the seasonal pressure of cooking with pumpkin. As a rule, I avoid pumpkin-involved things, but that's mostly because the pre-packaged stuff is overly sweet or artificial-tasting. I can't handle it.

This recipe, however, is always a winner. Baked pumpkin oatmeal. I made a big batch and I ate it for breakfast for the next week. I mean, I kinda got sick of it by Thursday, but I'm the type that craves variety.

Chipotle cheddar scrambled eggs with onions and peppers

I like spicy things, as you may well know. When I eat food with people who also like spicy food (or will, at least, tolerate it) then I usually end up going a little wild with the pepper/red pepper/gochu garu/hot sauce. I tell you this, because I want to be admired for my restraint in this recipe. I only used one chipotle pepper and only added a quarter of a teaspoon of black pepper. Does that not deserve a pat on the back, friends?

Yeasted waffles (risen waffles)

Until I started searching, I had no clue that people put yeast in waffles. Yeast was one of those scary ingredients that I didn't mess with for a long time. I had a bad first experience making bread with old yeast that ended up not activating, and it took several years before I felt like I could trust it again. I decided to take the risk this past weekend. Twice!

Feast, vegetarian brunch edition

Jenn and Atyya, two of my favorite people from grad school, came over for brunch this weekend and I wanted to make some really good food, a meal to test out my tiny kitchen. It's the first time I've lived alone in five years and I like having my own little space to share with just one little dog.***

So, what did I do to celebrate living in my new space and reuniting with my DC-area friends? I made waffles. And pumpkin oatmeal. And chipotle cheddar scrambled eggs with bell peppers and onions.

Yeah, it was a lot of food for just three people, especially since we weren't also planning on going into winter hibernation directly after eating. BUT. I wanted to put my kitchen through its paces and I like having leftover waffles that I can freeze and eat during the week. The leftover oatmeal got stored in little containers and will be toted to work for a few delicious breakfasts this week. There were no scrambled eggs left.

The waffles were not just any waffles. They were yeasted waffles. Waffles that fermented! Waffles whose batter smelled suspiciously like beer and had to sit out on the counter overnight! Crazy waffles. Crazy DELICIOUS waffles. The BEST WAFFLES I'VE EVER EATEN.

In addition to the waffles, I conceded to the season and made pumpkin oatmeal. This is one of the very few pumpkin dishes that I can eat and actually enjoy. I think it's because the steel-cut oats make the pumpkin texturally interesting. 

Finally, for something salty, I made chipotle cheddar scrambled eggs with bell peppers and onions. It was an excellent accompaniment.

We ate and talked and ate and talked some more. It's surprising how much catching up there is to do after only a few months. We were stuffed. Filled to bursting. Ready to fall away into blissful food comas. Brunch, y'all. It's what's up.


***Speaking of the little dog:

Buster is currently living it up with my parents, while I settle into my new place and get a routine going.
I am told he is enjoying the occasional scrambled egg for breakfast and chicken or beef for dinner.
Dog food? Yeah, my mom doesn't think it's nourishing enough on its own. DON'T GET ME STARTED. 

Look at this spoiled little mug. He sneaks onto the bed and uses my mom's pillows!
And he has the nerve to look annoyed that the camera woke him up.

He will be back with me soon enough though. A time of little doggy reckoning.

Cake batter fudge

I am the first person in line to throw serious shade at white chocolate. It's too sweet! It's not real chocolate! It crushes dreams and dims souls! . . . Okay, so maybe not the last thing, but you know what I mean. If only they didn't call it white chocolate, maybe I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand as the lesser chocolate, the pale (ha!) shadow of a more glorious form. Comparing white chocolate and dark chocolate is like comparing tomatoes and oranges. You're gonna be disappointed if you expect them to satisfy the same needs.

Why would I even attempt to use white chocolate as a base for fudge? I have a hell of a nerve, right? Yes, it's true, but I also have a wonderful friend who recently got herself knocked up, and I needed white chocolate in order to replicate cake batter in a way that wouldn't pose a hazard to her new uterine passenger. Raw egg consumption is generally frowned upon during pregnancy, so I thought I'd try to figure out a way to replicate a cake batter that I could mail halfway across the country. I chose cake batter, because my friend is that person who would (pre-pregnancy) much prefer to eat cake batter and cookie dough, instead of an actual baked good.

Twice-baked potato (forage)

Since moving into both a new apartment and new job, I haven't exactly had the time or energy to cook something involved. Now that I'm mostly unpacked and my job--while still overwhelming in its newness--is moving to a manageable level of chaos, I think I'll have some time to cook and bake. They may be less intense things for awhile, as I continue adjusting to being on my own again. This twice-baked potato is the result of a lack of energy to cook something labor-intensive.