I've been running around Ann Arbor for the last few weeks - between meetings, a weekend conference and interviews I've been busy. But I've also been baking up storm! Here's two "Italian" receipes -- they're super American but mostly just easy!

Meatball Calzones

My dad and brother love these - I made them once before school and when I offered to make them a few weeks ago when I came back for the weekend I was shocked at how excited my dad got. They're incredibly easy and quick! I always end up doubling the recipe because it only makes 4 calzones. 

1 can (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust

1 jar 24 oz. pasta sauce

20 frozen turkey meatballs (they come in a bag pre-cooked)

1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

1. Heat oven to 425 degees. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil. 

2. Heat up meatballs in the microwave until they are defrosted. Cut each meatball in half. 

3. Unroll crust on a cutting board and stretch dough to a 12-in. square. Cut in quarters so that you have four squares. Transfer to the lined baking sheet. 

4. Distribute meatballs evenly in centers of dough squares. Top each with sauce and 1/4 cup cheese. Fold corner to corner to form triangles. 

5. Bake 10-13 minutes until golden. Heat remaining sauce to serve on the side. 

(Recipe adapted from here)

Pizza Bread

The second recipe is much more of an appetizer/snack that is great for parties. I've made it twice now and it's been a huge hit both times. This honestly might be the easiest thing I've ever made, no joke.

1 can store-bought Pillsbury Italian or French bread

1 cup shredded Italian cheese

sliced pepperoni

marinara sauce for dipping

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unroll the dough so that it makes a large rectangle

2. Sprinkle with cheese (be generous!), top with pepperoni. 

3. Roll the dough jelly roll style and place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with foil. 

4. Bake 18-20 minutes, until the top is golden brown. 

(Recipe adapted from here)

I did a ton of baking this past weekend but I also found time in there to put together care packages for our troops overseas and go see the Michael Jackson Cirque de Soleil show! The show was AWESOME. It was my first Cirque de Soleil show and I definitely wasn't disappointed. Back to volunteering - here are few quick snapshots of the packing party put on by Desert Angels, Inc. It was nice to see so many people come together to support those who have sacrificed so much for us. 

 

As I said, I did quite a bit of baking - and most of it was dessert, of course. However, I did manage to make a little "real" food, too. This recipe is one that my mom randomly sent me last year. It's cheap and a perfect staple for breakfast entertaining, especially because it looks (and tastes) like you put a lot of time and effort in!

Baked Eggs in Bread Bowls

8 crusty dinner rolls

8 large eggs

1/4 cup chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley and chives

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Salt, pepper, garlic salt

4 tablespoons grated parmesan

1/4 cup turkey sausage (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice off the top of each roll and remove some of the bread, making a hole large enough for the egg. Arrange on a baking sheet, but save the tops for later.

2. Crack an egg into each roll, top with some of the heavy cream, herbs, and sausage. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Sprinkle each roll with parmesan cheese. 

3. Bake until the eggs are set (but still slightly runny) and the bread is toasted, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. After 20 minutes, place the bread tops on the baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Place tops on rolls and serve warm!

*A few notes: 

Don't over-bake the eggs - next time I would do mine a little bit less (I ended up leaving mine in about 30 minutes) but the eggs are not supposed to be firm and will jiggle slightly. They were still delicious, but the bread was a little too crunchy at 30 for my preferences. 

These are great for being creative - change up the cheese on top, add different herbs or spices, or even add prosciutto or ham. 

(Recipe adapted from here)

Ohhh man are these brownies good. Today was the first time I ever made brownies from scratch! And it wasn't hard at all. Food legend David Lebovitz concocted these and I've been wanting to make them for about a year, so I took fall break as my chance to do it.

Warning: they are incredibly rich. But so, so delicious.

Dulce de Leche Brownies

8 tablespoons salted butter, cut into pieces

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/4 unsweetened cocoa powder

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1 cup dulce de leche (it comes in cans in the baking aisle at the store)

optional: 1 cup toasted pecans or walnut, chopped (I hate nuts so I opted out!)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil that covers the bottom and reaches up the sides. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil with butter or non-stick spray.

3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate pieces, stirring constantly over low heat until it melted and combined. Remove from heat and add the cocoa powder, stirring until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, then add the sugar, vanilla and finally the flour. Mix in the nuts, if using.

4. Scrap half of the batter into the pan, then drop half of the dulce de leche, evenly spaced, over the batter and swirl gently with a knife.

5. Spread the remaining batter in the pan and drop spoonfuls of the remaining dulce de leche on the top of the batter, swirly gently again.

6. Bake for 35-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Enjoy!

(adapted from David Lebovitz)

     Earlier this week I made one of the best desserts ever. It is like summer, booze and crepes rolled into one (although pretty light on the booze part). What is this delicious dessert? A strawberry-amaretto dutch baby.

And let me tell you... It's so good with a little bit of cool whip. Or with ice cream. Or by itself. It's great for brunch or dessert, and its so easy. You do need a food processor though, heads up. 

Strawberry Amaretto Dutch Baby

For dutch baby:

3 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

confectioner's sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the first five ingredients in a food processor and process until mixture is smooth and larger in volume (about 30 seconds). 

2. Heat a 10-inch bast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pan - but only until it no longer foamy. Remove the pan from heat, pour the batter in and immediately place in the oven. 

3. Bake for 15-20 minutes, making sure not to burn the sides (mine was done in about 17). Remove from the oven; the sides will shrink as it cools. 

4. Top with strawberries and dust with confectioner's sugar. Serve immediately.

For strawberries:

2 quarts fresh strawberries, sliced

1 tablespoon (or more to taste) sugar

4 tablespoons Amaretto 

1. Place sliced strawberries in large bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and stir gentle. Refrigerate for at least a half hour, allowing the sugar to bring out the juices in the strawberries. Add Amaretto. Serve immediately with the dutch baby. 

Enjoy!

     This past weekend marked the first birthday of my blog! It seems a little crazy that I've been doing this for a  year, but it's nice to see how far I've come. I originally started this after having a horrible five months and it's nice to see how I've grown in a year. Although I don't devote nearly as much time to this as I'd like, it's still something that I connect with a lot and hope to continue with in the future. So whether you've read this once or every time I post, thank you!

     Tonight I made chicken marsala for my family. I've had a few marsala recipes saved for a while now, so I started with this one. It was pretty good! I'm going to try a creamy pasta version soon but this was definitely a great recipe for a traditional marsala. Although I have to admit, I thought it was a failure at one point because I didn't use "thinly sliced" chicken and had to put it in the oven to cook it more. This is why I should read the recipe before I start...

Chicken Marsala
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. marjoram leaves
1 tsp. minced onions
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. basil leaves
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/3 cup flour
6 THINLY SLICED boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 tbsp. butter, divided
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 package (8 oz.) sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup marsala wine

1. Mix flour, minced garlic, marjoram, minced onions, salt and pepper in shallow dish. Reserve 1 tablespoon flour mixture for later. Coat chicken with remaining flour mixture.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Cook several of the chicken pieces 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove from skillet. Keep warm. Repeat with remaining chicken. Add mushrooms to skillet; cook and stir five minutes or until tender.
3. Mix broth and reserved flour mixture. Add to skillet along with wine. Bring to a boil, stirring. Stir in remaining tablespoon of butter and basil; cook for 2 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Spoon sauce over chicken to serve, sprinkle with parsley.

     I've been in a rut lately. So I've started to force myself to do things, and one of those things is cooking something other than dessert, which we all know is my weakness. I'm incredibly picky (my hatred for most vegetables makes cooking a little difficult), so when I found this recipe for creamy chicken taquitos I got really excited. And they're not all that bad for you since they're baked. I skipped the cayenne pepper because I couldn't find it at the store, but next time I'd be sure to add it - they needed a little more of a kick. A few alternatives I might try: salsa verde (or just spicier salsa), cilantro instead of parsley, or pepperjack cheese. Overall, very good though. My brother gave them an 8/10 and requested I add the cayenne pepper next time, so definitely don't skip it!

Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos
3 oz. softened cream cheese
1/4 cup salsa
juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with the salsa, lime juice, cumin, chile powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic, parsley, scallions, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Fold in the chicken and cheeses. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
3. Warm the tortillas according to package directions until soft.
4. Spoon 3 tablespoons of chicken filling onto the lower third of each tortilla and roll tightly. Place seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
5. Spray the taquitos lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt. Bake 15 minutes, or until the tortillas are golden brown. Serve with salsa, sour cream, or guacamole!

Source: Sweat Pea's Kitchen

     A few weeks back I made Brown Eyed Baker's chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars. Such a long name, but so so good. It makes an 8x8 (good thing it wasn't any bigger or I'd have eaten even more) and I made them one weekend at home -- they were gone the next day. If you love cheesecake and you love cookie dough, you'll undoubtedly love these also. They're a little messy to cut, though!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

For the crust: 

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 8 whole graham crackers)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the cookie dough: 

5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the cheesecake filling: 

10 ouces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the chocolate drizzle:

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vegetable shortening

1. Preheat over to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking pan, line with parchment paper; butter the parchment paper, set aside.

2. Stir together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. 

3. To make the cookie dough, stir together the butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in the flour, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes), and then roll teaspoon-sized balls of dough and place on plate; refrigerate the plate of cookie dough balls while you prepare the cheesecake filling. 

4. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla extract, beating until thoroughly combined. 

5. Remove the cookie dough balls from the refrigerator and toss with 1 teaspoon of flour. Drop into the cheesecake filling and mix together. Pour the filling into the cooled crust, coaxing the filling into the corners and sides. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cheesecake filling is set and doesn't jiggle. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours. 

6. Using the parchment paper as handles, lift the bars out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into squares. Combine the chocolate chips and shortening in a small bowl and microwave for 1 minute at 50% power and stir until smooth. Drizzle over the bars and allow to set for about two minutes.

     As my love for candy begins to take over my life (thank you to my roomie who put not one, but two bowls of candy out on the table last night), I am continually grateful to have a boyfriend who loves dessert and candy as much as me because he keeps me from eating it all myself. So for Valentine's Day, I thought I'd try out this recipe for one of my favorite candies turned dessert - Brown Eyed Baker's Peanut Butter Cup Bars. After quite a bit of backtracking, I found that it's been passed around the blogosphere but originated from allrecipes.com. Anyways, they are AMAZING. I hope you like peanut butter and calories. Definitely try them! You can always make them for someone else and then save one for yourself :)


P.S. They're no-bake! That's the best part. 


Peanut Butter Cup Bars

½ cup unsalted butter
1¾ cups powdered sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup unsalted butter
½ cup milk chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)

1. Line an 8×8-inch square pan with foil, leaving enough to hang over the sides, then butter the foil. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt the ½ cup of butter over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs until completely combined and smooth. Spread the peanut butter mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

3. In the now-empty saucepan, melt the ¼ cup unsalted butter. Add the chocolate and stir until almost completely melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until completely melted. Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer and smooth into an even layer.

4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set. Remove from the pan using the foil overhangs and place on a cutting board. Use a pizza cutter to slice into 16 bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

     After seeing a similar recipe on Rachel Wilkerson's blog, I had been wanting to make toscana soup. My mom ended up having a great recipe from ages ago (seriously, it was the 1997 Ladies' Home Journal recipe) and I LOVE it. I've eaten it the last four days, hah. 

Toscana Soup

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Bake 3 links of Italian sausage on jelly-roll pan 15 o 20 minutes. Drain on paper towels; cool. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. 

2. Cook 3/4 cup chopped onions and 1 slice bacon, diced, in a saucepan over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in 1-1/4 teaspoons minced garlic and cook 1 minute. Add 1 can (13-1/4 or 14-1/2 oz.) chicken broth, 2 cups water, and 2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer 25 minutes until potatoes are tender. 

3. Stir in 2 cup thinly sliced fresh kale, 1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream and sausage; cook 5 minutes. 

Makes 6 servings. 

     My mom visited me this past weekend and brought me some delicious cookies - so delicious that they were gone by Monday. Seriously. And she came Saturday. I told you all I have no self control. But anyways, I rationalized eating them all by telling myself that they're healthy because they have applesauce and oatmeal in them. Anyways, I suggest you try them. They are super moist and clearly good because I only eat good things, hah. 

Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies

1-1-4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix the above ingredients till smooth.  Add 1 cup oatmeal and 1 cup applesauce (my mom used cinnamon).  Drop by tablespoon on greased cookie sheet.  Bake about 15 minutes at 375 degrees.  Makes about 2 dozen.

     Today is the first day in over a week when I've had a chance to sit and just hang out by myself. I've been constantly doing homework and going to meetings, so the first thing I did after class today was make salad dressing. Sounds weird, I know. I got the recipe from a Katie Lee Joel cookbook that my aunt had, and I have to say, it's pretty good.

KLJ's Salad (that I forget the real name of)

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast (I use pre-cooked chicken)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

4 pieces of bacon

1 ripe avocado 

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use fat free) 

1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
bibb lettuce

Put the chicken in a baking dish, season and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes. If you use pre-cooked chicken, ignore the first step. Combine avocado, lemon juice. Add chicken, bacon, mayonnaise, scallions, mustard, parsley, salt and pepper. Put over lettuce.

     On my first night back at school, I made loaded potato soup - quite an ambitious plan I had considering I didn't get back until around 5 and had to unpack all of my stuff. I somehow pulled it together and made the soup in about a 25 minutes - and it turned out pretty good. When I first ate it though, I wasn't sure how I felt, but I just had it again for dinner tonight and adding a little sour cream and some spices gave it a lot more flavor. Then again, I always put an unhealthy amount of salt on things - my boyfriend had the soup and he liked it a lot without any salt or spices added. Next time I'd probably add a little garlic but I'll definitely make it again because its relatively easy and quick. 

Loaded Potato Soup

4 (6 oz.) red potatoes

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup pre-chopped onion

1 1/4 cups fat-free chicken broth

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk, divided

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 bacon slices

1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4 teaspoons thinly sliced green onions

Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on high 13 or until tender. Cut in half; cool slightly. While potatoes cook, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, saute 3 minutes. Add broth. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk; add to pan with 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil; stir often. Cook one minute. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream, salt and pepper. Cook bacon (I used pre-cooked that I just had to put in the microwave). Crumble. Discard potato skins and coarsely mash potatoes into soup. Top with cheese, green onions, and bacon. 

     My family tried out this new recipe the other day and I thought I'd share... It's quick to make (only takes 10 minutes to cook!) and taste great. My mom said that next time she'd try a different kind of cheese, but I loved the goat cheese. Either way, its an easy recipe to alter if you want to switch things up!

Asparagus Chicken Roulade

4 (1 3/4 lbs. total) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and ground black pepper

4 tsp. Dijon mustard

8 slices prosciutto

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

8 asparagus stems, cut into 2-1/2 inch pieces

1. Heat broiler to high with rack 4 inches from heat. Line a baking sheet with foil; set aside. 

2. Slice chicken breasts horizontally into 2 thin pieces. If necessary, layer between sheets of plastic wrap  and pound to 1/4  inch thick. Lay breasts, smooth side down, on work surface; season with salt and pepper. Spread each with 1/2 tsp. dijon. Layer with prosciutto, goat cheese and asparagus. Roll up, starting at the wide end of each breast; place on the baking sheet, seam side down. 

3. Coat lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with pepper. Broil until chicken is cooked through and tops are golden, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. 

Serves 4; 337 calories per serving

     The best part about the holidays is the food, hands down. Lucky for me, I've taken advantage of all of the great food since around Halloween (when the famous pumpkin cheesecake was first discovered) and I haven't stopped since. I'll be paying for my excessive eating come January, but until then I plan to stuff my face and enjoy every minute of it. What better way to begin my break from school than to make Christmas cookies? My mom made these a few years back for one of her annual Christmas cookie parties (shout out to my mom!) and I'd been hoping she'd make them again, but when she didn't, I decided to take it into my own hands. After using granulated sugar instead of confectioners' sugar (seriously, how many times have I made frosting? A LOT. Major rookie mistake.) I finally got them to turn out, with the exception of me being lazy and not poking the second half of them with a fork before putting them in the oven. They were still delicious, only now a few had air bubbles. Once again, they were a  big hit with my family - they were gone the next night! - but the only thing I have to warn you about is that they are REALLY small. Almost too small. Meaning you're going to want to eat twice as many as you normally would. But then again, that might not be a bad thing.

The recipe follows! It definitely didn't yield 4 dozen like the recipe said, but it still made a good amount.


Christmas Cookie Sandwiches


Cookies:
1 cup butter (no substitutes!), softened
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
Sugar

Filling:
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes!), softened
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Food coloring

In a mixing bowl, combine butter, cream, and flour; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until dough is easy to handle. Divide into thirds; let one portion stand at room temperature for 15 minutes (keep remaining dough refrigerated until ready to roll out). On a floured surface, roll out dough into 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with a 1-1/2 inch round cookie cutter. Place cutouts in a shallow dish filled with sugar; turn to coat. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Prick with a fork several times. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until set. Cool on wire racks. For filling, in a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla. Tint with food coloring. Spread about 1 teaspoon of filling over half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies.

     About two years ago I went to Middle Kingdom in Ann Arbor for the first time. BEST Chinese food I've ever eaten, not that I've eaten tons in my life, but it's by far the best I've had outside of Chintatown in NYC. Last weekend my roommate and I took our brothers there (it also just so happened to be on our list of things to do) and we all gorged ourselves. I just ordered appetizers (scallion pancakes and the crab rangoon were my favorite!) but everyone else got entrees and they are huge! But so worth it when you have leftovers for lunch the next day. 

     Continuing with my Chinese food theme, one my favorite recipes is BBQ Pot Stickers by the Neely's. It's an American twist on Chinese food that turns out to be delicious and not as hard as you'd expect. They're a favorite at family get togethers and it's nice because you can easily switch up the spices and barbeque sauce you use to tailor it to what you like. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

     Last night I spent HOURS in my kitchen, but it all ended up being worth it. I've never made cheesecake before, but after seeing this recipe with gingersnap crust, I had to try it. Of course, I was so nervous about messing up so it took me forever to make it. After seeing that it was a Neely recipe, I was a little hesitant (my roommates were much more so), but I couldn't get over how good the crust would be. It definitely takes a while to make, but if you love pumpkin (who doesn't?!) and cheesecake then I suggest you try it...

A few tips: 

     I baked the cheesecake a little less than the recommended time because the springform pan that I used was smaller than what the recipe called for. For the cinnamon whipped cream (which is amazing, by the way, and totally necessary for the full effect), make sure that you don't beat it too long. I had this problem and it ended up being much heavier than whipped cream - almost like butter - but still delicious. 

Gingersnaps mixed with butter

Make sure that you wrap the pan really well with foil! (Excuse our dirty oven!)

     I've become obsessed with anything pumpkin so I'm sure there will be a few more recipes in the near future to make sure that we all never want to see a can of pumpkin again!

I'm back :)

     After what seems like forever of being gone, I'm back from my hiatus! Although I can't guarantee how often I'll be posting, because life gets in the way of things (definitely not everyday... maybe every other?), I won't be going on another unannounced break again.
     School has been incredibly hectic but I've been loving it nonetheless and enjoying Ann Arbor. This is my first weekend home so my mom and I made caramel apples!

We just melted caramels, added some peanuts, sprinkles and mini M&Ms...And finished them off with chocolate :)

Ann Arbor Homegrown Festival

     Tonight I went to the Homegrown Festival at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market with my roommates and some friends. There was a TON of food - Zingermans (featured on Oprah, for those of you not from Michigan), tamales, Slow's BBQ, organic pizza. I tried a lot of free samples (including pasta, jelly, honey, tomato and pesto bread), but the worst by far was acorn pancakes. Ugh, I'm sorry to the people who made them, but they were awful. I also got (and liked!) horchata, a Mexican rice drink; and a Zingerman's ice cream sandwich with vanilla gelato. Here's a few pictures from tonight...

So many people...

 Friends

Rosh Hashanah Dinner

{photos via Mr. Knoll!}

     Last night my roommate, Emily's, family brought us dinner for Rosh Hashanah. It was by far the best meal I've had in a long time. Brisket, salad, potatoes, challah bread, and rugelach. We all had food babies and spent the rest of the night dying, but it was sooo worth it. Thanks to Emily's wonderful family for everything!

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

[image via David Lebovitz]

     FYI, I didn't make these myself, but my roommate, Emily, did this afternoon, and they are delicious! She added toasted walnuts to half of the batch (I'm not a fan of nuts, but apparently this makes them even better). They're not too salty, I would probably add a bit more if you like a lot of salt, and she cut back on the chocolate a little. But overall, this is a unique recipe for a classic baked good!

Click for recipe!