Friday Means Ice Cream

I actually had this ice cream last Saturday in Durham, but ice cream is a good idea of day of the week, especially when it is homemade! I visited The Parlour last week. It is a cute mini school bus food truck that open up a brick-and-mortar shop in Downtown Durham that offers some of the best flavors including my favorite, Salted Butter Caramel.

If you're in downtown Durham, go visit them at 117 Market St, or cross your fingers they show up at food truck rodeos/community events. I wish you all could lick your screens to get a taste of this ice cream, but sadly we don't have that kind of technology...yet.

Mmmmm... I can't stop staring at that ice cream...dripping down that waffle cone...

Boston | Aquitaine

I felt like the classiest girl, born and raised in the city when I went to brunch at Aquitaine with my two best friends to start off our Boston weekend away! This corner restaurant was the perfect blend of exquisite, laid back and delicious. With a few cocktails and a bloody mary, we cozied up in our corner booth and had to stop ourselves from ordering everything on the menu. The forty minute wait was well worth it, service was phenomenal and I can only dream of this food until my next trip to Boston.

Brunch is officially my favorite meal, ever.

We ordered:
+ Salmon Benedict (add avocado)
+ Brioche French Toast
+ Aquitaine Burger

 

ALL PHOTOS (C) MELISSA VEGA

BAKING | BLUEBERRY PIE

Earlier this week, my friend Melissa was my partner-in-crime for my first pie baking experience! Now, I have baked a few things like pumpkin cookies and red velvet cupcakes, but let's be honest.. those were definitely out-of-the-box kind of recipes aside from the made-from-scratch cream cheese frosting (favorittttte).

Baking a pie from scratch just feels more intimate. You literally know every little ingredient that goes into that pie, roll the dough yourself and put it together in the pan. It was quite a messy experience, but the best reward in the end! Also, did you know how soft your hands feel after kneading dough? Long story short, I love pies, I love baking and next time I need to wear an apron :) Of course I had to take photos of my "first" time. I am still trying to get flour off my camera. Oops!

Did I mention our pie was vegan? Here is the book we used!

Go grab a napkin.

I think you may have just drooled all over your keyboard.
You're welcome.

RECIPE: PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES

WED Oct 3, 2012

It's October and you know what that means...ridiculous amounts of pumpkin-related pins, tweets, lattes, desserts and recipes! In honor of welcoming October - by the way... how the heck is October already here? - I thought it was only appropriate to share my favorite (and easy) pumpkin cookie recipe. Like...really easy.

Pumpkin Spice Cookies (makes about two dozen)

Ingredients
1 box of Spice Cake mix (18 1/4 ounce)
1 can of Pumpkin (15 ounce)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Spray cookie sheet lightly with vegetable spray, i.e. Pam
3. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and pumpkin until well blended
4. Use a spoon to drop large spoonfuls onto cookie sheet
Cookies are soft and cake-like so they don't flatten in the oven. How you put them on the sheet resembles how they will bake
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes
6. Cool before frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting via Sprinkles cupcakes - my favorite recipe!

Ingredients
8 oz Cream Cheese
4 oz Unsalted Butter (1 stick)
3 3/4 Powered Sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions
1. Make sure cream cheese and butter are softened. Stick in the microwave for a few seconds if need be
2. Mix cream cheese, butter and salt until light and fluffy
3. Gradually add powdered sugar until incorporated
4. Add vanilla extract and mix
5. Voila! My favorite cream cheese frosting recipe

Final step: After frosting your cookies, sprinkle a little cinnamon for a little kick!

These go pretty fast at parties so be sure to save yourself a couple cookies ;)
Enjoy!

COFFEE & COOKIES

A combination you just can't beat!

I love those lemon girl scout cookies. My favorite used to be tagalongs, oh excuse me, "peanut butter patties", but now they're just too sweet. Or am I just getting old? Is there such thing as too sweet? By the way, does anyone know the story behind the name change? Is it a regional thing? (I think that's what I heard)

Well in other news -

+ I have officially jumped on the Hunger Games bandwagon! *applause* *applause* *whoo-hoos* I know, I know, finally right? I've forgotten what's it like to read for fun and get lost in another world. Absolutely brilliant. It's pretty crazy the parallels I've made between District 12 and actual coal company towns in the Appalachia (I'm taking a Sociology course about Appalachian Communities). I sound like such a nerd!

+ I would like to personally thank Spring Break for the ten pounds I gained and I'm not even exaggerating. Oh God, let's hope I'm exaggerating. I can't help but love my mom's Filipino cooking and frozen yogurt dates with my younger sister. Oh, right, and I definitely opened up the Tolberone chocolate in the pantry. Oops. I did take a Zumba class this week! Cancels at least the frozen yogurt...right?

+ I also will be going to Washington DC this weekend to watch my Daddy run a marathon! He is trying to run a marathon in every state...and then in every continent. I wonder where I get my ambition from? ;) I finally get to watch him run one! I've lost track of how many he's ran, but let's just say he's planning to run one in Beijing in May! Very proud daughter over here.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend up ahead! Mid March already??
SLOW DOWN WORLD.
Well, actually, wait until I graduate in May and then you can slow down again.

Did someone say pancakes?

 

the [easy] recipe: via cooks.com

2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs, well beaten
2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. milk

Combine dry ingredients.
Beat eggs and add buttermilk and milk.
Add dry ingredients (a cup at a time) and mix well.
Recipe can also be used for waffles. (definitely doing next time!)

My roommates and I actually doubled the recipe because someone had said it only made nine "small" pancakes. NOT TRUE. We could've had breakfast for days with doubling the recipe, so unless you're the brady brunch, don't double :] These were really yummy. Once our favorite fruits are in season, we are definitely adding it to the recipe next time. Chocolate chips are also on the list.

Oh, and I highly suggest adding a side (or two) of bacon.

Cookies + Cupcakes

What else does a girl need?
Some baking, yummy frosting, an apron, measuring and the scents. Oh the scents!
I got my domestic on and I must say, I have officially jumped on the baking bandwagon.

The pumpkin cookie recipe has been floating around the blogging world for awhile and I must say, it is definitely the easiest recipe ever. Here is the recipe I used. The cream cheese frosting is made from scratch. I'm sure you can find an easy one to find floating on the web. I have already made these cookies four times in the last month. Oops :)

The Sprinkles cupcake mix was sent me from LauraJane for Package Pals 2011 and I finally used it! LauraJane [looks like] an extremely talented baker and since she couldn't send me cupcakes, she sent the next best thing. Ain't she a sweet thang? Well they were delicious! The pinwheels were won from a giveaway from Meg and from Earth Cookie Creations! Aren't they precious?! I made the cupcakes for a potluck and they were a hit! Only have three left. Actually...now there are only going to be two ;)

Keep calm and bake on!

Vegan meal + game night

Some of my friends & I love home cooked meals & game nights.
So why not have both in one night?

Last time we cooked butternut squash lasagna & played "Bang." This time we cooked scalloped potatoes and eggplant bacon using this recipe (which happens to be vegan) and played Apples to Apples! My goal this month was to not eat meat...and that's why my good friend Melissa has been introducing me to yummy vegetarian & vegan options. [Sidenote: She's a vegetarian!] Even after I start eating meat again, she's probably the best person to cook with vegetarian meals with because she's great at it. ;) We're going to accomplish baking next time, VEGAN baking. Aren't Melissa's the best ;)

Here's a glimpse into our fun-filled evening last Sunday!

I hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend!
Rumors (and weather.com) say it may snow here in Boone tomorrow.
I don't think I'm quite ready.

Just a heads up, I have a ton of ideas for future posts and plans for this blog. I'm hoping I can implement them and squeeze it all in with the limited 24 hours per day!


Thank you to everyone who reads this little blog.
Seriously though. I've already made some great friends and connections.
Hopefully we can all meet one day :]

a little restaurant called Our Daily Bread

I love my college town.
Living in Boone seems to get better by the day.
(this disregards the Winter days because I promise, in a few weeks I may not like Boone's weather so much...haha)

We have the cutest local restaurants, shops, record stores, bead shops, thrift stores + mountains to surround it all! Last Friday, I met up with my Her Campus AppState writers (who I absolutely adore) and we had a little writers meeting + excursion to local restaurant, Our Daily Bread. Their menu is FILLED with yummy sandwiches, soups, salads, vegetarian/vegan options and it will take you hours to decide what to order because everything and I mean everything sounds good. They strive to serve local and organic foods, which is always a plus, and the restaurant is absolutely beautiful with the brick walls, local art and exposed vintage ceiling tiles.


This is what I ordered:

Can you say yummy?

In other news, I have quite the full plate filled with classes, joining the Communication Honor Society Lambda Pi Eta, writing for www.mycollegeroadtrip.com, writing for HC AppState, working as a wine representative for Tar Heel Winery, picking shifts at Primo's and keeping up with the blogging world! However, I am blessed for the opportunities that have come my way and I am seizing all of them. That is not even half the things I have to manage but I am determined to be able to do it all! Sleep? No one remembers sleeping anyway ;)

Have a blessed week fellow readers!

PS. Just bought the Beirut album "The Rip Tide" on vinyl with my $5 coupon whoop! It's amazing. Absolutely amazing.
Also, one of my fav. bloggers + fellow button swapper, Dot In The City, is hosting an awesome giveaway! Check it out!

Homemade lasagna + game night

Sorry I haven't been posting as often. On Friday I had my wisdom teeth removed so I've been filled with oxycodone, moxicillin and Friday Night Lights! So far my recovery has been going pretty well with the exception of going in and out, being lethargic and swollen. I currently look like a chipmunk!

Here are some photos of Thursday night where a bunch of friends and we cooked homemade Butternut Squash Lasagna with this recipe. It was a successful! All of our friends enjoyed it. I definitely recommend everyone to check out the recipe. It was easy to follow and a hit at our little get together.

That night we also played a game called "Bang." Lots and lots of fun :]

it's the little things 004

It's that time of week again! Here I am linking up with Lindsay, who of course is one of my favorite bloggers. She even inspired an outfit of mine this week! Overall, it's been a pretty stressful week with school. I'm struggling to find balance between schoolwork, writing for Her Campus and just life in general. I'll find balance soon, for now, I'll just have to have take moments during my day is just breathe.


INSPIRED BY LINDSAYLindsay is one of the cutest fashionable bloggers I follow! She lives in Hawaii and has the most gorgeous, colorful and fun outfits! Yesterday she had a post about how she transformed her dresses into skirts to enhance the variety in your closet! Check out her tutorial. She inspired me to do the same today.

Here is my dress turned skirt!

I bought this dress when I was 16, so I've forgotten where I bought it!
Necklace: handmade by me.
(skeleton key - antique store || charms - Bead Box, Boone)
Shirt: Forever 21

Here it is in dress form:

 

I also got to make homemade veggie sushi with my friend Drew.

It was long overdue and I'm glad we got to finally have some friend quality time!
Yummy good, great conversation and great company.
It was truly a nice break in the middle of my stressful week!

 

Hopefully things with school calm down and I won't be running on 4 hours a sleep.

This weekend I will be in Raleigh (FINALLY) even just a couple of days.

I almost forgot to mention the amazing giveaway I won to Maple Boutique through Sandy a la Mode!
That definitely made my week.
Also, Emily gave me the Versatile Blogger award, so I'll get to that asap! Thanks Emily!
Be sure to check out this giveaway from {long distance loving}!

What were the little things that made your week?

Don't forget to link up with Lindsay!

a-z

Hey everyone!
Things were pretty hectic and stressful these past few days filled with:
+ the GRE, but I think I did alright!
+ exams, papers, presentations, oh my!
+ picking up serving shifts at Primo's
....and things with school are just going to get crazier! Last year of college, whoo! (Well, undergrad)

I've decided to do the A-Z thing so you readers can get to know me a little better :]

Here are some snapshots of the yummy food I've had this past week.
I am a huge fan of taking pictures of my food. I think that may be my dream job .... FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER. What do you think? I would only take the job if I could eat the food afterwards... haha

From left to right:

[1] Spinach and garlic foccacia bread from Stick Boy Bread Company (local bakery)

[2] Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie from Stick Boy (but I got peanut butter choc. chip!)

[3] Wildberry scone from Panera Bread

[4] Caesar salad from Panera Bread

I am SUPER excited to do my guest post for Danielle tomorrow over at Tongue Tied in Awe!
Check back tomorrow for the link :] :]

ALSO! My friend Megan has a blog named ASULike It, which showcases the outfits she finds around our little town of Boone and today she featured me on it! You should check out her blog :) I feel so honored to be on it haha

A Glimpse of Chicago

listening to "On the Wing" - Owl City
Ah, the memories of seeing him at Cat's Cradle with my best friends.

Anyway, last weekend (July 4th) I had the opportunity to visit Chicago with my family! It was much fun. You just can't possibly see Chicago in a weekend! It was about a 12 hour drive from Boone, but completely worth it (given, I didn't have to drive for the majority!) I was able to see a city that I've been thinking of living in one day? Maybe? It definitely didn't disappoint.

In a few words, my trip to Chicago was filled with amazing pizza, visiting the Willis tower, formerly known as Sears Tower, Navy Pier, jamba juice (at last!), miniature golf, family, endless laughter with my cousins, public transportation, the BEAN aka "cloud gate", comfy hotel beds, continental breakfast, fireworks, city lights, amazing views, possibilities and much much more. Chicago, we'll meet up again. I promise.

Here's a few photos from my trip.

 

Playing with my cousins at the Children's Museum (awesome museum!)

 

Family.

 

The streets of Chicago.

 

Deep dish pizza!

 

The BEAN! Or Cloud Gate, whichever you prefer.

 

Ah, the city

 

Navy Pier

Even though I thought I lightened my load when I quit my job at Primo's, life hasn't felt busier! I feel fortunate to have traveled this much this summer. I really wasn't expecting it. Illinois would be my fifth state this past month! Unbelievable! This past weekend I was super busy with MusicFest 'N Sugar Grove, the local nonprofit organization I was interning for. The 14th Annual MusicFest 'N Sugar Grove music festival is officially complete and was a successful event! All our hard work has definitely paid off. I will definitely post more details on the event next time. Other than that, I've been working hard with my other internship, currently working on about eight different stories! So lots of research, interviews, phone calls, emails, scheduling, revising but fun!

I hope everyone else's summer is going wonderfully.
I hope to see some of my favorite faces when I go home this weekend.