tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-404895089903282012024-03-13T11:33:10.459-07:00& cinnamon<center>"Allergy-friendly cooking for one from the closet-sized kitchen of a college student."</center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-63293575247414456242012-02-24T09:18:00.006-08:002012-02-25T07:25:26.679-08:00brown butter blondies (with molasses swirl)Do you ever meet people who don't like chocolate? (They exist!) It's a bewildering experience. When someone tells me they're not "into" chocolate, I feel a potent mixture of sadness, anger, and fear. The statement "I'm not really a chocolate person" ranks somewhere alongside "not really a puppy person," or "not really a Christmas person."What a sad life, to not be into chocolate, puppies, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-66628015436126228392011-11-19T07:17:00.001-08:002012-02-24T09:16:54.256-08:00sweet potato wedges with parmesanHi, remember me? I'm still alive.I realize that I've been absent for months and I have very little to say for myself. I've been killin' it at school. I got a promotion at work. And let's not forget I have this little guy to deal with now.Rest assured, I've still been cooking. I normally just devour it before I have a chance to take a lovely photo.So, here's my "Hello Again" gift to you.SWEET Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-21949685699771504862011-07-25T13:59:00.001-07:002012-02-24T09:18:17.394-08:00lemon meringue pie (gluten free)This pie made me feel like a rock-star. I made a crust by intuition. I tempered eggs. And then, I piled a meringue on top. All of this, by the way, happened simultaneously, and in a 105 degree kitchen. It was Iron-Chef-esque. I'm not kidding.I was in need of some fancy baking, since I've been pretty absent from the food blogging world lately. Texas is experiencing the hottest, driest summer in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-6700148817655136052011-05-21T18:53:00.000-07:002011-05-21T19:01:22.644-07:00brown butter chocolate chip cookies (gluten free)Okay, okay, this is my third recipe in a row utilizing chocolate chips. But I feel a little like this guy right now, so don't judge me.These cookies are cray-cray good. I used this recipe from Joy the Baker. To make them gluten free, I substituted the flour, salt, and baking soda for an equal amount of Pamela's baking mix. They were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. They were melty Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-51362688475530505992011-04-30T11:21:00.001-07:002012-02-25T10:12:43.748-08:00gluten free banana bread (with chocolate chips)Is there much more I can say about banana bread?This is what I want today: for a hired baker to come to my apartment. I'd like them to bake banana bread 24 hours a day. I love the way it makes my apartment smell like heaven. It's a nice alternative to the second-hand cigarette stench my neighbor sends through the air vent.(Dear neighbor: please read this and bake banana bread instead of smoking. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-43906056376269566082011-04-14T17:45:00.000-07:002011-04-14T18:23:53.002-07:00cherry chocolate chip cookiesMy words aren't really coming today. I think I've spent all my language power on essays. Many, many essays. On boring things, like comparing validity and reliability of available research on interventions for... Actually, can we not talk about this?I admit, I'm a little on edge this month. School is crazy, life is crazy, and work is (you guessed it!) crazy. April seems to be the month of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-63396844683624602432011-03-15T16:31:00.000-07:002011-03-15T17:22:53.664-07:00gluten free lemon cornbread cakeCan I just tell you how much I appreciate spring break? No school! No work! No grown-up obligations! I've been hanging out at my parents' house in my itty-bitty hometown. My parents have been cooking me dinner, and they do all the dishes. They're beautiful people.When I was in high school, I couldn't wait to leave my hometown. I had known all the same people since kindergarten. College, I Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-84217400299895798912011-02-13T11:21:00.001-08:002011-02-13T11:33:35.228-08:00yellow cupcakes w/ cream cheese frostingI love Valentine's Day. I mean really, I love it. Whenever I meet a V-day hater, I always have to wonder if they are a.) lonely b.) bitter or c.) cheap. It's true, I have a boyfriend this year, but I love Valentine's Day even when I'm single. An entire day dedicated to pink things, hearts, sweets, love, and homemade cards? I'm in.I work with kids at an after school program, and I promised them Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-74525629864202704922011-01-23T08:21:00.000-08:002011-01-23T08:43:55.074-08:00oatmeal cookiesHere's a life lesson for all of you: if you want to be liked, bring cookies. Who doesn't like a cookie? Bring homemade cookies somewhere, and you'll be welcomed with open arms. It's my number-one secret to parties, social interactions, and man-winning.For these cookies, I took a cue from Jen & Juice and swapped the raisins for dried cranberries. A word about oats... Conventionally harvested Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-85699816141554082862011-01-05T10:25:00.001-08:002011-01-26T07:56:06.705-08:00sweet potato hashCarbs are my number-one vice. If I had to choose my last meal on earth, it would probably be a heaping bowl of spaghetti, garlic bread, and a side of mexican beans & rice. Maybe some mashed potatoes too, just for good measure.Nonetheless, I have a conscience, so I don't feast on starches every single night. Most starches do undesirable things to my body (stomach and waistline alike.) For the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-73147447182029185392011-01-02T07:45:00.000-08:002011-01-02T08:07:04.639-08:00connie's lemon puddingThis is another lovely recipe I learned from my mom. Recently, I've realized that this is essentially lemon curd. But who wants to eat "curd" when you can eat pudding? "Pudding" speaks of childhood, of stove-top treats poured from a box long ago. "Curd" is just a weird four-letter word. It's the new year, and I'm closing in on my last few months of teenagerism. Let me eat my pudding before I'm Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-89632857282224233282010-12-30T07:06:00.000-08:002010-12-30T07:34:57.850-08:00cranberry barsSo, I made these weeks ago. I'm just posting them now because I had to wait for my film to be developed. Oh, my anachronistic photo techniques really catch up with me sometimes. Now I'm looking at these cranberry bar pictures, wishing I was actually eating one now. They were so good--the perfect thing for my holiday cranberry fix.I followed this recipe from Good Life Eats, a really lovely blog. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-48747875941323527512010-12-06T11:22:00.000-08:002010-12-06T11:36:32.009-08:00chewy gingersnapsAs soon as December rolls around, I start to hear this little voice in the back of my head. It wakes me up in the night, growing ever louder and more persistent..."Amanda...bake...the gingersnaps!"Okay, so maybe it doesn't happen like that. But as soon as I see Christmas lights up, I start craving these cookies. It's like Pavlov's dogs. Hear "Jingle Bell Rock," drool, bake cookie.These are Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-59416454712909764232010-11-24T14:54:00.000-08:002010-11-28T16:58:12.116-08:00chocolate pecan pieSo, after tasting this pie, I realized that it deserved its own post.While I was searching for a special pecan pie recipe, my mom suggested chocolate pecan pie. And really, what could be better? It's pecans...it's chocolate...it's pie. I'm in. So I adapted a recipe out of our ancient Betty Crocker Cookbook. I accidentally underbaked mine a bit, but honestly that worked to my advantage. I ended upUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-21188834752453359972010-11-19T14:39:00.000-08:002010-11-19T14:47:11.817-08:00what i'm baking todayTraditional Apple PieChocolate Pecan Pie (Oooo it looks like the surface of some foreign and delicious planet.)Apple Galette (This was a happy accident because it was just leftover apple pie stuff. I had no recipe and no idea what I was doing, so this is more-or-less a miracle.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-88772888087942057182010-11-07T15:36:00.000-08:002010-11-07T16:23:15.362-08:00gf chocolate chip sandwich cookies with peanut butter frosting & a love storyAlright world, it's about to get sappy and personal. Here's something you might not know about me: I have a boyfriend. He lives three hours away in my hometown. I'm living here so I can, you know, go to college and have like, a future and stuff. What can I say? I'm practical. (If we've ever talked for more than five minutes, you'll probably find that previous statement hilarious.)I like to keep Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-26494837919394605832010-11-07T15:11:00.001-08:002010-11-08T18:45:48.313-08:00turkey chili texas styleLet me start by dispelling a misconception about Texas chili. Many non-Texans seem to be under the impression that Texas chili is bean-less by doctrine. Myth! I don't know who spread this rumor, but we definitely love beans in our chili.Chili is definitely one of those "soul" foods for Texans. My sister always tells a story about the time she lived in Rhode Island. She tried to throw a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-5206843999930089482010-10-29T18:00:00.000-07:002010-10-29T18:11:37.819-07:00baked sweet potato friesMy first year of college, I lived a right around the corner from the place called Kerbey Lane Cafe. If you live in Austin, you've heard of it. If you went to UT, you probably had a few wee-hour, post-party chow-downs there. They have these totally amazing sweet potato fries, served with chipotle mayo. And they're open 24 hours a day, every day! Also, I gained a hefty 15 pounds my freshman year-Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-38051579777274232602010-10-28T17:55:00.000-07:002010-10-28T17:58:38.509-07:00flourless peanut butter cookiesIf you know me "in real life," you probably know my love affair with peanut butter. It's one of my main food groups. I've been known to carry a jar around in my car. Just in a case of a, you know, emergency requiring, uhh, peanut butter.I firmly believe that peanut butter deserves respect beyond pb&j's (though I love them) and pad thai (still one of my favorites.) It deserves to be fabulous. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-44060360199271628682010-10-17T14:21:00.001-07:002010-11-07T19:27:35.225-08:00roasted butternut squash soup with a secret ingredientCheck me out, being a grown-up, cooking squash! Enjoying squash, even. It's surreal. If I ran into my 10-year-old self, I do believe she'd give me a very scathing "I don't even know who you are anymore."Clearly, I've jumped on the fall flavors wagon. While I was researching butternut squash recipes, I found a video of Giada making a savory butternut squash risotto with vanilla. Being a practical Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-12636531288795321752010-10-10T12:53:00.001-07:002010-10-10T13:08:27.198-07:00carrot green apple salad (slightly tardy)Right now you're probably thinking, "Carrot salad, Amanda?" It's October. Shouldn't you be breaking out the pumpkin?" Well, perhaps you're right. But remember when I said, we don't have autumn in Texas? All we have is "godawfully hot" and "those couple months where you have to wear jeans." And while it has been a beautiful and mercifully mild 80 degrees here the past couple weeks, I'm not quite Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-5258188359574455032010-09-30T20:39:00.000-07:002011-01-12T20:53:32.222-08:00classic banana nut muffins: the safe versionOh, banana bread, we meet YET again. Take a look through this blog, and you will find that banana muffins and I are good friends. It's not that I love banana nut bread more than any other treat. It just seems that people frequently pawn off sickly-looking bananas on me. And, being a soft-hearted person, I can't turn these ghastly-looking creatures away. Come into my kitchen, I say, we'll make youUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-11520450808278910402010-09-27T18:55:00.000-07:002010-10-01T08:18:28.890-07:00gluten-free apple cinnamon muffinsI'm jumping on the fall-flavors wagon--even though Texas doesn't really have what most people consider "autumn." Even though we'll continue to experience 90-plus degree weather well into November. To hell with it. Seasons are subjective! And, I'd like to point out, we did have a frigid cold front today...60 degrees this morning and only 85 this afternoon! Oh baby. I'm breaking out the heavy coatsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-49904775502840721902010-09-26T17:10:00.001-07:002010-09-26T17:32:33.479-07:00kid pasta with pistachio (cashew) cream sauceOkay, so I know it ain't pretty. And I know it's on Bob the Builder shaped gluten-free pasta. (Don't judge me...I'm a Gemini with a very active inner child.) But lemme tell you. This "cream" sauce. God. Pistachios. Pasta too. I loved it so much, it's rendered me incapable of forming cohesive sentences.I was raiding my pantry today, and happened to see some pistachios left over from my good friendUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40489508990328201.post-60371006149469057152010-09-26T13:55:00.001-07:002010-09-26T17:24:01.176-07:00basic cashew creamI know I've covered a version of this before, but I felt the need to simplify further. This little food phenomenon is creamy, nutritious, and virtually taste-free. In other words, it's the perfect substitute for heavy cream in sweet and savory recipes. Here's how I make mine...CASHEW CREAM2 heaping cups cashews1 cup waterPut the cashews & water in a bowl, cover, and allow to soak overnight inUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0