Lovin' From the Oven

It’s just been one of those days..

by 8 Comments

…You know, one of those days where you don’t want to do anything, one where you just want to lay in bed all day and watch movies, one where you just never want to change out of your PJ’s. Well, today was that kind of day. I had just finished planning a spring break trip for 10 people to Lake Tahoe in three weeks, studying for a quiz, and listing/shipping out all my Ebay items. What better way to reward myself than with chocolate cake? Oh, I know! Let’s add ice cream, maraschino cherries, chocolate syrup, and caramel sauce and call it a day. 😉
I must admit that the chocolate cake was made from a box– hey, I told you it was one of those lazy days! Even though it was baked from a box, it still satisfied my chocolate craving. Sometimes that’s all you need– a good ol’ box mixed cake topped with spoonfuls of cake batter cookie dough ice cream, cherries, and syrup. I cuddled up in bed with my chocolate cake sundae and started reading Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, Pioneer Woman’s tale of how she met her husband. Once I started reading, I was hooked. I probably spent a good hour, if not more, going through chapter by chapter reading this amazing love story. My boyfriend thought that I was being a sappy/typical girl for “aww-ing” at the end of each chapter and spending so much time reading romance stories. WARNING: Once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop (Not to mention that her food blog is also very inspiring and well worth your time)! So if you have time, I’d recommend reading her story from beginning to end. It truly shows how amazing love is and it’s capacity.
So, sorry there isn’t a recipe for today.. But stay tuned for my next post, for I assure you there will be a recipe. I’ll be blogging about cupcakes and doing my very first giveaway in celebration of my 100th post! Hooray!

Thick & Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

by 16 Comments


The ingredients that I usually bake with are the ones that are the most popular with my boyfriend, the one who eats the majority of my baked goods: toffee, chocolate, & candy. I rarely bake desserts that contain the ingredients that he hates: oatmeal, coconut, & raisins, (He also hates eating any and every vegetable, so don’t even get me started on that) primarily because they’ll never disappear. I know what you’re thinking… no coconut = no Samoas/Caramel Delights Girl Scout Cookies! How can you live?! I don’t know how he does it because I don’t think you’ve lived until you’ve eaten one of those cookies. They’re pure heaven in a box. Okay now I’m just getting a bit carried away just thinking about them, so back to my story…

Luckily for me, my mom requested a “healthier” cookie when I came home last weekend and I had the chance to bake something out of the norm for me. She requested something with oatmeal, and left the rest to me. Oatmeal raisin cookies it was! I used golden raisins instead of purple raisins and will never go back. They make the cookie much more moist and flavorful. You may not notice a difference, but I do! This cookie also didn’t spread much, so i’d recommend flattening them out and shaping them a bit prior to baking. This recipe is adapted from the Quaker Oats Oatmeal Raisin recipe found on the lid of their box. It makes a heartier and chewier cookie than the original. I put walnuts in half the batch and left the other half as is. The verdict? They’re both equally tasty. My mom loved them and they disappeared within 2-3 days.

I’m at my 97th post right now, and 3 more makes 100! Stay tuned for the 100th post because I’ll be having my very first giveaway! 🙂

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2-3/4 cup golden raisins (depending on your taste)
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins (& nuts if using them); mix well.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Blueberry Muffins

by 7 Comments


I’ve been on a blueberry binge lately.. eating them everyday- whether frozen by itself or in my yogurt. My boyfriend got me addicted! My mom had some fresh blueberries at home so I decided to make some muffins. I’m not really a fan of muffins, cause as my sister says, “Muffins are retarded cupcakes.” If I had to choose between a muffin and a cupcake, I’d take a cupcake every time, which is probably why I rarely bake muffins. I made these for my boyfriend, but forgot to take them over to his house when I went, so these babies were left at home!

The taste was absolutely perfect, not too sweet, but sweet enough. The turbinado sugar on the top was definitely the icing on the cake. The blueberries baked perfectly, and the top rose beautifully. The only thing that irked me a bit was that they were a bit dry. The next time that I make these, I’d recommend adding a cup or so of plain vanilla yogurt to moisten up the texture a bit. That, or possibly lower the baking time/temperature. I also left out the lemon zest on half the batter and it turned out fine. I actually think I prefer it that way!

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries (you can use frozen, just make sure that you dry them as best you can)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1-2 tablespoons turbinado sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper muffin cups and spray with Pam.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, toss the blueberries with about 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture. This will help them to stay afloat in the muffins instead of sinking to the bottom. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using your paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well, then mix in the vanilla extract.
6. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until moistened. Add the milk and beat just until combined. Do not overbeat!
7. Lightly fold in the blueberries using a rubber spatula, careful not to squish them. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups so that each one is 2/3 full. Sprinkle your desired amount of turbinado sugar over the batter in each muffin cup.
8. Bake until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack or another surface to cool. Remove muffins from pan and let cool completely.

Sidenote: I know this is totally unrelated to my blog but I’m desperate! I’m trying to find someone to take over my lease at my apartment in LA so that I can move back home due to financial troubles and just commute to school.. if you know anyone that needs a place to live in west LA, please contact me! The apartment is great, for more info, go HERE. Thanks!

Categories