the perfect pancake

I don't have pancakes too often, but every once and a while I crave them. I love that they're so easy to make (and relatively hard to mess up). My favorite thing to do is pair them with Greek yogurt, fresh berries, and some Vermont maple syrup. It's a perfect breakfast - or in my case dinner :)

 And I obviously couldn't resist attempting to make a heart shaped one.....

Facebook/Twitter/Bloglovin'

peanut butter cookie remix

A few week's ago was my friend Tara's birthday. Since most of you don't know Tara or what that means I'll just let you she's slightly obsessed with hot pink an animal prints. So when I came across a picture of hot pink and zebra  cookies I knew I had to re-create them. It's so easy - just your basic peanut butter kiss recipe plus some food coloring and hugs instead of kisses! And yes they taste just as good as they look.

A few tips:

I used red food coloring because that's all I could find - but I'm sure a pink would work much better!

These cookies expand a lot in the oven! As you can tell mine are a little big...

Facebook/Twitter/Bloglovin'

shrimp florentine pasta

If you're like me, then sometimes you'll find yourself in a dinner rut. I'll find my self making the same thing week after week just because it's easy  - and lets face it sometimes deviating from your regular grocery list requires way too much thought. So when I came across a recipe for a shrimp florentine pasta in Cooking Light Magazine I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did -  it was delicious (I mean if it wasn't don't worry I wouldn't be sharing!) and now I have a new easy, go-to dinner dish. I love testing out new seafood recipes - especially when shrimp's involved. This dish is the perfect combination of garlic, red pepper, and lemon resulting in a light but still flavourful pasta dish.

Facebook/Twitter/Bloglovin'

blueberry crumb muffins

It's about time I shared another recipe on the blog! It's been a while - the last post was these delicious banana bars.  These blueberry crumb muffins that I threw together the other night are easy, fun to make, and delicious. For a healthier version you can use whole wheat flour or leave off the crumb toppings (although in my opinion that's the best part!)

Enjoy!

Facebook/Twitter/Bloglovin'

delicious banana bars

I wasn't necessarily planning on baking anything this past weekend, but when I discovered four overly ripe bananas sitting on my kitchen counter I changed my mind. My boyfriend and I are huge banana people and sometimes I think we purposely ignore our bananas until they're so ripe that the only thing to do is bake something with them. My go to is usually banana nut muffins or banana bread, but this weekend I wanted to try something different - banana bars - and I'm glad I did. It's sweet enough and cake-like that it can be served for dessert, while the banana flavor and cream cheese icing make it a perfect brunch treat.

Enjoy!

foodie favorite + truffle mashed potatoes

I'll admit that I'm not much of a cook. I'm definitely better at baking, but still that doesn't keep me from attempting to throw together some gourmet meals. The other week my co-worker introduced me to The Filling Station, a shop in Chelsea Market that specializes in oils, vinegars and salts. Needless to say, this shop has inspired me to experiment in the kitchen, and let me believe that for just a moment I'm a gourmet chef.

You're able to taste all different varieties of olive oil and vinegar. They all come in these cool glass bottles that you can bring back and refill - hence the name Filling Station!

While I was there I picked up some black truffle salt. AMAZING. According to the label, this salt is paired best with pasta, potatoes, read meat, and even buttered popcorn. I've tried two of the four so far. I also used the lemon infused olive oil  and drizzled it on roasted asparagus. So light and delicious! If you love to cook, just want to have fun experimenting with different flavors in the kitchen, or need a unique gift for someone, you have to check out this spot!

Just use your favorite mashed potato recipe and replace regular salt with truffle salt. Yes - it's that easy!

Truffle salt = my new obsession!

homemade snacks

 Aside from a dinner date on Saturday night, this past weekend I spent the majority of my time studying. I did however take a short break to make two relatively easy (and delicious) snacks: homemade granola and hot chocolate. I'm a huge granola fan. My breakfast routine consists of greek yogurt topped with berries and granola.  The best part about making it yourself is that you can add or omit whatever you want. I used this recipe, and replaced the raisins with my favorite, dried cranberries.   And if you're chocolate obsessed like myself, you have to treat yourself to some homemade hot chocolate. It's unbelievably good and will help you get through any study session or cold winter day. Top it with homemade whipped cream, shaved chocolate, toasted coconut, or whatever you're in the mood for!

happy valentine's day

{homemade card for my valentine}

I absolutely love anything girly - lace, bows, ribbons, hearts, cupcakes, etc. All of these adorable, cute things are definitely in their prime during the month of February. The thing I love about Valentine's Day is that everyone can celebrate in their own way.  Some people go all out with fancy dinners and gifts, others take advantage of the abundance of flowers and sweets. Some people celebrate with a bottle of wine with their girlfriends, and some don't celebrate at all. This year my Valentine's Day will be low key. The plan is to cook my valentine a nice dinner and dessert (see below) and just enjoy each other's company.

{work in progress - valentines day ice cream sandwiches}

{the finished product - you can find the recipe here}

{flowers from my valentine}

{jeweled candles at an art store near my apartment}