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By Adrianna, July 28, 2010

Raise your hand if you have a coffee addiction!

Whoa! A heck load of you raised your hand. You know what, I used to be ashamed of my coffee habit, vowing every few months to go on some cleanse to nix it, but I’ve read the reviews and coffee is healthy for me (antioxidants, people).

There are actually nights where I go to bed looking forward to the next morning’s cup of coffee.  I’ve finally come to terms with my addiction and am no longer ashamed. In fact, I recently told myself that I was going to find new ways to implement it in food I love. First way? Mocha Popsicles! Shut up…yes, they’re so amazing. So amazing that on my way into work, I dripped one all over that oxford blue shirt you see in the picture.  (By the way, this is a very common occurence with me.) Thank heavens I use my trunk as a 2nd closet. I’m proud to say that I actually had ample choices to change into! Woo hoo!

Let’s talk popsicles…

They have super strong coffee in them. They have chocolate.  And sweetened condensed milk. Basically, these Mocha Popsicles have every awesome thing ever created.  Except cheese. But that’d just be weird.

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By Adrianna, July 22, 2010

Have you ever noticed that people are straight crazy about how they make their cornbread.  Here are a few proper cornbread do’s and don’ts that I’ve heard over the years:

Do’s: Baking cornbread requires a cast iron skillet. Grease the hot skillet with bacon grease before adding batter.

Don’ts: Never add honey…or sugar…or splenda. Never sweetener. You don’t need to add kernels of corn, just cornmeal. Don’t add frilly stuff…like fruit, particularly pretty blueberries.

People get stressed out about their cornbread. I understand. Trust me. I do. Tradition is a tough thing to break.  And this cornbread breaks every cornbread rule in the book.  It has a 1/4 cup of sugar . Not a ton, but it’s definitely there. I added fresh blueberries, which is so, SO wrong! And I used butter instead of the traditional bacon fat to grease the skillet. But I’m okay with being wrong sometimes; especially when doing so results in a delicious, moist, slightly sweet, cake-like cornbread that is perfect for pairing with dinner or a cup of coffee.

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By Adrianna, July 15, 2010

Scones! Milky tea! Big hats! Fanciness! Pinkies in the air!

These are all of the things I think of when I hear ‘Tea Party’. So when my friend Johnna was gifted a tea set that’s been in her families for generations, we thought we might break it in with a little tea and our lady friends. Heck yes, tea party!

Wanna get your tea party on? Ooooof course you do. Here’s are a few suggestions for tea party success:

Grab one of your bestest friends in the whole wide world, ’cause you’ll need company when making the grocery list, the shopping, the cooking and cleaning.

{Image via The Cherry Blossom Girl}

Continue reading 'How to Throw a Tea Party'»

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By Adrianna, July 9, 2010

A few things I will gladly admit I’m not good at:

Cutting my own bangs. It’s true. I tried it a few days ago because I was too lazy to drive 5 minutes to my hairdresser for a trim….aaaand now I’m grateful bobbi pins were invented. Not good at cutting bangs/fringe. Check.

I’m not good at moving furniture, lifting heavy boxes, using a drill, etc.  Last week I tried to hang curtains and broke out in a sweat which lead to lots of cursing. I’m convinced that this is why boys were invented.

Lastly (because I’m just about perfect at everything else), grilling stuff. There are so many variables with a charcoal grill. Where is the hottest part of the grill?  When are the coals hot enough? Why is there so much stupid smoke? Dangit, there isn’t a thermometer on the cover…blah blah blah. So basically what I’m saying is that this Grilled Breakfast Pizza stressed me out. But I did it. And it was totally worth it. And since I lived to tell about it, I can tell you exactly what you’re not supposed to do and everything you should do so you end up with an amazing pizza. Ready? Annnnd let’s begin….

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By Adrianna, July 3, 2010

If you’re looking for a party in your mouth, look no further. Please meet my new infatuation: grilled fruit.  This recipe is by far the most impressive dessert I’ve had in quite some time, while simultaneously being the easiest and quickest. What really makes this special is the contrast of flavors going on.  First, there’s the hot and cold action due to the ice cream with the just-off-the-grill -fruit.  And then there’s the bite from the balsamic vinegar, the hint of olive oil, and the awesome sweetness from the ice cream, fruit and honey. This is definitely a super special recipe.  So if you’re not in the mood for slaving over the perfect pie crust, then this is an awesome alternative.

Continue reading 'Grilled Nectarines + 4th of July Food'»

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By Adrianna, July 1, 2010

“Millions of peaches, peaches for me, millions of peaches, peaches for free”…(on a sammich!). Umm…do you remember this song? If not, apologies for 90s reference. I love the 90s…and peaches. I love peaches when they’re in season. Heck, I love peaches even when they’re in a can. I love, love them in salads, and on their own. Not while driving, though. I always end up with a sticky steering wheel and a pit that I don’t have a place for. Even though my teachers in school always told me I could throw it on the grass, I feel bad. It’s still technically littering since it’s not going back into the earth for a few weeks, ya know?

Anyway, back to peaches…I especially love them on this sandwich. I’ve eaten this sandwich a bunch of times, but each time using pears, but since peaches are in season right now, I figured I’d put them to good use. And I think it turned out pretty great. Pearhaps you should try it!

Continue reading 'Peach and Tallegio Panini'»

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By Adrianna, June 25, 2010

I have a few questions for all you lovely people.  If you can answer them, I’d be forever grateful.  You see, when I’m really bored (or not), I think of questions that I wish I could ask someone, but since I’m not sure who that “someone” would be, I’ve decided that it may be one of you….

When was the first cake baked?

Who baked the first cake?

What did they consume, i.e., drugs, alcohol, love, etc. that gave them the fantastic idea of mixing flour, butter, sugar together?

Did it taste good upon their first attempt?

If it did in fact taste good, did they then get massive amounts of marriage proposals?

Who took a cucumber and put it in vinegar and then called it a PICKLE?

Who’s dang bright idea was that?!

And why isn’t that person a national hero?

Why isn’t that person’s face on their country’s currency?!

If I ran the world, that dude or lady’s face would be on the nations currency.

And then, who’s amazing idea was it to put it in batter, fry it up and called it a Fried Pickle Chip. Answer: a genius, that’s who. A genius.

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By Adrianna, June 21, 2010

Growing up, I was a total tomboy who had to be bribed with candy to wear dresses, or fancy shoes, or anything remotely girly. And even now, I wouldn’t consider myself a super girly-girl. But every now and then, I totally give in and embrace it.  Case in point: Thursday night a friend scored tickets to the Twilight premiere, and yes I’m going. I have this weird love/hate thing with the Twilight series and am sort of excited to laugh my way through the movie.  I’ll be doing what any normal person would do at the premiere:  tweeting pictures, of course.  So if I end up getting tackled by some security dude, I’ll just blame it on all of you…

Back to cupcakes…these things taste down-right pretty;  they’re baby pink, paired with cream cheese frosting, and topped with shredded coconut. Try them. Embrace your girliness for gosh sakes, even if you’re a dude. Trust me–they’re worth it.

Here are a few other girly things I’m loving right now…

Continue reading 'Pink Lady Cupcakes'»

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By Adrianna, June 16, 2010

Dear Recession,

I hate you I dislike you. I think it’s time for you to go away now, don’t you think? Look! I made you oatmeal cookies…think of it as a parting gift of sorts. So leave…now. You’ve caused nothing but trouble ever since you arrived and everyone is sorta tired of your face.

And to all you people that caused this, you sort of make me sick. My friends can’t seem to fund their movies, or get money for their art projects.  A bunch of my favorite restaurants and boutiques have closed their doors, which in turn has lead to a whole bunch of people now working jobs they don’t like just to pay the rent (and that’s if they can even find a job) all ’cause of you. People have shed a lot of tears, families have broken up, and overall, you’ve just made life a whole lot harder for a whole lot of people.  Sooo…I’m thinking you owe us something, dontcha think?  I think you owe us some cookies…I mean, it’s really the least you could do.  It certainly won’t make us forget, but you know, we’ll call it an olive branch.  And since  I’m pretty confident you can afford it, I’m demanding you put some bacon in those cookies, and I think Valhorna chocolate chips are also in order (see below for example).

So dig into your bonus-filled pockets, put on a cute, little apron and get baking. You suuure do have a lot of cookies to bake.

xoxo,

Adrianna

Continue reading 'Depression (or Recession) Era Oatmeal Cookies'»

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By Adrianna, June 10, 2010

In my humble little opinion, limeade always trumps lemonade. Always. Why? Well…I’m not exactly sure; maybe it’s the extra kick of sour, or maybe it goes back to the times I used to eat whole limes with my Mom while watching bad daytime television. It was our little secret, because if you tell someone you eat whole limes while watching Jerry Springer, judgement ensues. Trust.

I wasn’t introduced to limeade until I had to go on a grocery run for my best friend’s grandmother, Mimi. She’s a badass of a woman who’s never afraid to speak her mind. She’ll tell you the cheap wine you bought sucks, or that the bread you took too long to bake is as hard as a rock. She also plays beer pong like a fratboy (seriously). Can you tell that I like her…a lot? Mimi’s turning 90 years old in September and she’s demanding a party, and I couldn’t agree more with her.

Continue reading 'Watermelon Limeade'»

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By Adrianna, June 3, 2010

Whenever the cafeteria in middle school served corn dogs, I was super psyched.  And every time I’d go to the State Fair, getting a cotton candy and a corn dog was a total must.  But nowadays, after having watched a lot of food documentaries, I kinda steer clear of them.  I love corn dogs.  I love hot dogs.  There’s seriously nothing better than a grilled hot dog in the summertime.  But those pesky undercover videos of people making hot dogs?

Gross city.

But I have a solution for all you lovely people: Homemade Corn Dogs! Yep! This way you can use any dog you like: veggie hot dogs, all beef hot dogs, Hebrew National hot dogs, grass-fed hot dogs–whatever you like. The world is your oyster.

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By Adrianna, May 28, 2010

Lovelies! It’s Summer, aren’t you excited? I am, and this is coming from the girl who writes love letters to Winter.  This week the anticipation for Summer hit me like a ton of bricks.  I’m having a fun-filled Memorial weekend with Sex and the City 2 (despite the bad reviews), a screening of Purple Rain at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, BBQs, a birthday party, and I also plan on setting a bit of time aside to down a few of these cute little milkshakes.

Summer has got me so giddy that I thought it was time I roast some marshmallows (over my gas range) and throw them in a blender with vanilla ice cream–it’s absolute craziness.  I think you should be crazy too.  It’s only fair.

Continue reading 'Stand’s Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake'»

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By Adrianna, May 24, 2010

I never had “cool” cereal growing up.  My parents jumped on health-freak bandwagon in the early 90s and never looked back.  They bought a juicer, and soon we were drinking lunch; they started boiling cabbage and making these weird soups; we never had real milk anymore, it was all rice and soy milk.  Obviously, at that moment, I knew the potential for mornings filled with Captain Crunch and Corn Pops were long gone. It really put a cramp in my sleepover style since the morning after all of us girls were subjected to a few boring options: Kelloggs plain, boring as hell corn flakes, or my Dad’s buckwheat pancakes.  Yeah, not bisquick with Aunt Jemima syrup, but buckwheat pancakes with real maple syrup.  Now, as an adult, I’d leap at the latter, but when you’re nine and donning Care Bear PJ’s with three of your best girlfriends, the former is where the fun is at.   So when I picked up Kim Boyce’s Good to the Grain, I was a little hesitant.  Is everything gonna taste mealy? Is it going to taste too grainy, and all “healthy-like”? Are the muffins going to weigh 10 lbs? I’d baked with whole wheat flour and oat flour before, but my experience was really limited, and associated those types of flours with being healthy, something that of course I’m concerned with, especially in the month of May when the possibility of being in a bathing suit is one wretched heat wave away.

Continue reading 'Quinoa and Beet Pancakes'»

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By Adrianna, May 19, 2010

For the most part growing up, I was a pretty good kid.  I never got in huge trouble or needed long-term grounding.  But on the few occasions when I did get sent to my room for a few hours, I remember it really hurting my feelings.  My first instinct was to make my parents “pay” for being so mean to me, so I’d usually find myself mumbling, “Well, fine…I’m just…I’m just…gonna run away!” I always dreamed about the moment when my parents realized I’d skipped town and how bad they’d feel about being mad at me in the first place.

I had a really romantic image of what running away was, and I blame it all on Snoopy.  He had that perfectly straight tree branch with the blanket wrapped around.  It probably contained all his prized possessions.  Whenever I envisioned packing my own little knapsack, I thought of all the cool stuff I’d take with me. Like my Cookie Monster! And some UNO cards for entertainment, some Capri Suns for when I got thirsty and some flaky biscuits for a snack.  

Continue reading 'Chipotle Cheddar Drop Biscuits'»

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By Adrianna, May 14, 2010

I find this strange enjoyment with ringing myself up at the grocery store’s self-checkout.  I love pressing the touchscreen, looking up produce numbers, and scanning each product’s bar code. After thinking about it for a bit, I realized it all goes back with my ambitions as a kid to be on Supermarket Sweep.  Do you remember that show? Oh my, how I wanted to wear one of those brightly-colored sweatshirts! And those gigantic name tags! Oh and my strategy. Umm…can we talk about the strategy that went into that game? Everyone knows that you go for the most expensive stuff in the store first. Like the turkeys or hams. And then you grab all the over-the-counter drugs, and then you move to the cereals or liters of soda. Man, they really need to bring that show back. It’s so 1990 in the most awesome way possible.

Continue reading 'Lemon Pizza'»