My views on food (literally)...

I haven't been really present on my blog lately, and that's about to change, or well, I should say I'm going to try to change that. Even though I've still been here, baking and cooking and such, I haven't really been up to photographing every detail and writing. I guess, I haven't really been all that inspired.

Anyways, I feel like I need to challenge myself, in everything. Whether it be photographing every little thing that I cook, to writing, to being more active, to doing something everyday that makes me get off my lazy butt. Anyways, here are a few snapshots of the food I've been eating and cooking in this hiatus, that I never got around to posting... 

market haul from my local persian market, rainier cherries are the prettiest!

more rainier cherries!

been really into healthy smoothies lately. on the left: banana + chocolate + date + almond milk. on the right: green monster with spinach + banana + pear + orange juice.

strawberries prepped for roasting.

moody strawberries after roasting.

cucumber-mint gin & tonic. beyond refreshing.

coconut cupcakes.

mini carrots roasted with fresh herbs and copious amounts of butter. mmm.

Oreo Cookie Cookies

An oreo is a cookie. An oreo in a cookie?

Seriously people; genius pure genius. I'm loving these new batch of interesting kitschy cookies and cakes that I've been seeing lately; they make me really, really happy. Basically this cookie is good... and large! As if good wasn't good enough (haha) but they are LARGE and good, double score!

These are choc full of cookie goodness, chewy interior, crispy interior and gooey chocolate. Really what more could you ask for. Although these babies are yummy, I must say, I don't think I'll ever find cookies as good as these two: here and here. Mmmm cookies.

Oreo Cookie Cookies

Yields: 20 - 30 cookies

Original recipe here.

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tbsn. vanilla

1 egg + 1 yolk

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

20 oreos, crushed

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, set aside. Cream together the melted butter and sugars until well blended. Beat in vanilla, egg, and yolk until light and creamy. Mix in sifted ingredients until blended. Add crushed ores and beat on low for a few seconds. Stir in chocolate chips then drop cookies 1/4 cup at a time onto prepared cookie sheets, 3 inches apart. Bake for 15 - 17 minutes or until edges are lightly toasted. Cool for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Kale Caesar Salad

I love dark greens, such as chard, collard or what have you may, but my most favorite is kale. It's not too bitter and is amazing cooked or raw. My favorite thing to do with it is simply make kale chips by tossing them in some s&p, then roasting it in the oven for a bit. Fixes my craving for something salty and crunchy while being healthy too! If that isn't a win, I don't know what is...

Another thing I love is a good caesar salad. If you've got a great recipe for caesar dressing, it's something to tuck into your recipe book to pass along to your kids and cherish forever. I'm pretty serious about a good caesar dressing. Anyways, kale smothered in a good caesar dressing plus some crispy croutons makes a great meal.

Wouldn't you agree?!

Kale Caesar Salad

Yields: 2 full servings, or 4 small servings

Original dressing recipe here.

For the croutons:

6 1" slices of crusty white bread, cut into cubes

2 tbsn. olive oil

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tbsn. fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

For the dressing:

2 anchovy filets, or to taste

2 garlic cloves, or to taste

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup half-and-half cream or milk

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsn. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsn. Dijon mustard

salt and pepper, to taste

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, or to taste (optional)

buttermilk or half-and-half, for thinning

2 bunches of kale, washed and dried thoroughly, torn into bite-sized pieces

shaved Parmesan cheese, to taste


To make the dressing, in a small food processor or blender, mince the anchovy filets and garlic together until finely minced. Add in the remaining ingredients and process for 30 seconds or more until well combined. Adjust the seasonings to taste and thin with buttermilk or half-and-half for a thinner consistency, if desired. To make the croutons, preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium-sized bowl, toss the bread cubes with the remaining crouton ingredients. On a large parchment paper lined baking sheet, toast the croutons until golden brown, about 10 - 15 minutes. To assemble the salad, add the kale leaves into a large bowl. Add croutons and parmesan cheese according to how much you like in your salad. Add enough dressing to coat, then divide among plates. There will be a lot of dressing left over!

Cancun Vacation Diary.

My latest vacation was nothing short of magical and filled with awe-inspiring views, have a peek for yourself :)

{heading out to isla mujeres and couldn't take my eyes off the turquoise waters}

{sun, sun, and more sun}

{my fave sunnies ever + delicious pina coladas = lovely mid-day siesta}

{rented a lensbaby composer for the trip, super dreamy and magical!}

{my family loves street side coconuts}

{pina con chile paletas - too bad they weren't as good as the ones I've had in LA before though...}

{beach bliss}

{sunny palms}

{always living for that pink sky}

{swimming and kayaking through stalagmite and stalactite caves makes for an adventure-filled day}

{driving towards adventure}

{my sister & I practicing our synchronized jumping at chichen itza, one of the new seven wonders of the world}

{chichen itza, too bad they don't let you climb it anymore...}

{sister & i at the ruins}

{a cenote, which are a result of limestone bedrock that has collapsed to form a large sinkhole. something from my dreams, basically.}

{local kids diving into the cenote}

Guava-Orange Margaritas

I'm heading to Cancun this Sunday and even though it will not be an escape from this wretchedly hot weather we've been having in Southern California, at least I'll be greeted with crystal clear waters and the luxurious amenities of an all-inclusive resort. All I can say is, I'm going to be drinking a lot of girly, tropical drinks and no, I'm not ashamed to admit it. You know what they say... when in Rome, or in this case... when in Cancun.

Anyways, I can't wait for bottomless margaritas and pina coladas, and hopefully they'll be as tasty as this margarita here ;)

Guava-Orange Margaritas

Yields: 8 1/2 cups

Adapted from here.

2 cups orange juice 

2 cups tequilla

1 cup grand marnier

3 cups guava puree

coarse sugar, such as turbinado, for rims

Combine everything in a large pitcher. Refrigerate until chilled. 

Adoravel Pt. II

We added bunches of new stuff to the shop! Check it out :)

You can get everything here.

savai | cube-shaped champagne beads on gold plated chain with gold plated bars accents

simplicidade | gold plated chain rings

callia | layered mixed metal necklace of gold plated chain and silver plated bars

millieu | chain and bead rings (in graphite and mint)

* also available in fern, gold, jet and silver.

lingua | morse code initial bracelets made of silk cord, gold plated bars and gold plated beads

{letters 'l' on top, and 'm' on the bottom}

petra | a delicate gold leaf on gold plated chain

la paz | mini gold hammered pendant on gold plated chain

daphnia | coral and gold beads hanging on gold plated chain

diptico | gold plated bar and hanging thread of rhodochrosite stones on gold plated chain

{me wearing the diptico}

prelude | miniature rose-colored fresh water pearls on gold plated chain

tarvisio | hand-forged, hammered pendant on gold plated chain

{me wearing the tarvisio, layered with the savai}

Peach Cobbler Cupcakes

I seriously cannot believe it is already August; where has the time gone? It's amazing how at one point, summer felt so far away and in an instant, it's gone in a blink of an eye. I'm still looking forward to my vacation at the end of the month though - it seems like it has taken forever to come. 

I'll be going to Cancun, which I wasn't all too excited about at first because it's a little cliche and overrun with tourists, but I decided I was gonna make the best of it. I started researching all the awesome places to go, like here and here and here, and now I find myself incredibly excited. Underground caves? Yes, I'd like that, I'd like that very much. A fine example of why you shouldn't judge things too quickly.

Anyways, I'm pretty sure I made these last summer, goes to show how much of a procrastinator I am. But since it's summer now, these cupcakes are perfectly fitting for the season. We actually have gorgeous peach trees at home, both yellow and white, so I love baking with them. These cupcakes will inhabit your dreams, they do mine, while I reminisce about eating them last summer...

Full of fresh peach chunks and a tender cake, then topped with a crispy-crunchy top. On top of that, a fluffy frosting made of pudding mix! I wanted to try something new and I'm glad I did. It's perfectly rides the line between being too sweet and not sweet enough and it's velvety on the tongue. Definitely a home-y, comforting little cake.

Peach Cobbler Cupcakes

Yields: 16 cupcakes

Cupcakes adapted from here. Frosting adapted from here.

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cup peaches, skins removed, roughly chopped (about 2 medium)

For the crumble:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

For the peach-pudding buttercream:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 stick salted butter, room temperature

1 pkg. white chocolate instant pudding mix

1/2 - 3/4 cup heavy cream (depending on how thick you want your frosting)

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of cardamom

1/2 cup powdered sugar (or more depending on your taste)

To make the crumble, mix everything in a bowl with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with liners and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices in a bowl. Beat the butter and sugars in a stand mixer for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Mix in the flour mixture until just combined. Fold in the peaches. Fill the cupcake liners 1/2 full. Sprinkle each cupcake with about 1 tbsn. of the crumble mixture. Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

To make the frosting, in a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and silky. Turn the speed to low and add the pudding mix, when incorporated, slowly add in the cream, a little at a time. When fully incorporated, bring the speed up to high and beat for 5 - 7 minutes this ensures you beat the grit of the pudding mix out). Turn the speed back down to low and add the powdered sugar, tasting along the way. When it is sweet enough to your taste, beat again at high speed for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and spices then bring the speed back to low and beat for 3 minutes longer.