Wow. It's been a while guys. I have been spending a lot of time away from my official home front and kitchen. Instead I've been keeping my gramps company on the West side of the Mitten. While I have no aversion to small kitchens I do like to remain on good terms with my PaPa. One way I do that is by not making a "mess" in his kitchen. So my baking and kitschen adventures haven't been as frequent as of late. But, being in the city of rapids has allowed me to do some foodie exploring! So without further chitter chatter here's a little bit of what I've been up to this past month-ish.

Back in February I planned on sending Valentine's packages to people. I did... for the most part. But two of my favorite ladies didn't get their packages due to life (it's a biotch sometimes). I was able to make it up to them by sending some spring sweets.

I have gotten over me fear of yeast but sometimes a lady just wants some bread... quick like. So I looked through my bookmarks and found a recipe for a mocha swirl quick bread. Then I pulled out my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe and made a batch of those too. I have been really into giant cookies lately so I made those suckers BIG. I portioned them out with a 1/4 measuring cup!

After mailing out those goodies I hopped into the car and drove to Beer City! No. I do not have any pictures of breweries- although I have gone to a few. But I did find a nice coffee and tea place where I can use wifi and get my daily dose of fancy caffeine.



Another day I used my handy dandy Yelp app to find a place that sold pho. Have I told you how much I like a good soup? Pho is harty! And it's a party in my mouth. I am not a fan of beef tendons and tripe so I played it safe and got pho ga. I know! All the foodie purist are booing me right now. But I know what I will and won't eat. So that leaves more for you!


Over the weekend I took some time to head back to the Deuce for some quality time with friends. I also had some bizness to take of. A lady be busy ya'll! While in A2 I made my usual stop for some supplies at Trader Joe's. While there I scored a new favorite....



When I got back to GR it was right around Easter... this meant a big family dinner. Luckily I was only in charge of bringing a side. I ended up making a dessert and some cornbread. Who doesn't like cornbread?
 

This is what I used to tell my nephew in my futile attempt to get him to eat slower. I tell you, elementary school aged boys can plow through a plate of food.  But, I am saying this now to prove I eat things other than dessert. It's not all cakes, cookies, and pies in my kitchen. Sometimes I try to eat a well balanced meal. Here are some non-dessert things I've made recently....

Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes!

You take buttermilk pancakes and add some poppy seeds and lemon zest. I also threw in the juice of said lemon because otherwise it would have sat on the counter making me feel guilty.

"Egyptian" Tomato Soup

I tagged this recipe last year and was able to make it as a shooter appetizer for a dinner party my friend was having. He made Ethiopian food... including homemade injera. I made this soup. I know that they're different cuisines but I figured many African nations have similar spice profiles so I'd take some liberties. I'm not sure how authentic this is. But, I will say it was delicious and super easy. Plus, I got to use my immersion blender! It's soup season... holla!





Step 3: Blend til smooth.... Enjoy!

Soup and Sammie lunch! 

Oh Rachael Ray... get outta my head with all your made up words! I didn't get either of these recipes from Ray Ray though. The Farmer's Sandwich came from Kitchen Therapy. Gotta love that blog! Since it was a dreary day I toasted mine in the oven. Who knew apples, cheese and onion makes such a great sandwich? The soup is Curried Lentil w/ Chickpea puree, and I got the recipe from Serious Eats.





So yes... I do eat things other than cookies and cakes. This is proof! I've got some more fall soup recipes up my sleeve too. As the weather turns cooler and the evenings get darker sooner what will you do to find a bit of cold weather pleasure?