It's Pie Time

Despite the fact that it's still a fairly constant 80 degrees outside, inside I like to pretend its fall. Fall is my favorite season, probably because it never lasts long enough for me to get sick of it. (Unlike Alabama summers.)

Finally, all of my favorite pies are in season. Pumpkin, pecan, chocolate, sweet potato... now all socially acceptable to eat since we're getting close to Thanksgiving. (53 days, people!)

To start the season off right, I made a chocolate pie.

It smelled delicious, but I don't know how it tasted since I gave this one away to a little friend about to take the OAT. We'll see if he thinks it made the cut!

Try it for yourself, here's the recipe.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

How To Win Friends And Influence People... the Kelsey Edition

I like to think I know myself pretty well. I know my strengths and my weaknesses. I know my spiritual gifts. I know my personality type in basically every kind of test you can take (ESFJ, yellow, tortoise... if you work in student involvement, you know what these all mean). I like to think I know how to use all of these to my advantage. 

I may not be good at a lot of things, but I do know my way around the kitchen. I'm no Betty Crocker, Mrs. Fields, or Paula Deen, but I do know what I can manage.

Granted, there have been a few unfortunate instances when my attempt at royal icing was anything but glamourous. Or when some orange rolls took a sad turn for the garbage disposal. But that's another story for another day...

Plus, this is the South. We cook and bake for every possible occasion. You know when life calls for a casserole or a quiche. Momma taught me to never show up anywhere empty-handed. And hello, I'm Baptist. Hunger is never an option. There's a reason it's called "comfort food." 

But here's the thing, I'm not one to hoard my recipes. 

Unless you ask me for my grandma's oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. Then I might hesitate. But I'll probably give it to you cause we're friends.

So I feel obligated to share with you how ridiculously easy these cookies are to make and how insanely good they are.

You'll eat the whole batch if you're not careful.

I'm talking Girl-Scout-Thin-Mints-on-CRACK kind of good.

Listen, I don't just toss that phrase around.

I was a Girl Scout. That stuff is sacred.

Okay, I quit after Daisies in kindergarten. But once you're initiated, you're in for-ev-er.

So here it is, the easiest and most delicious cookie recipe ever. You'll make friends wherever you bring these. And if you don't, then we might need to work on your social skills.

--1 box devil's food cake mix (I use the Betty Crocker kind)

--2 eggs

--1/2 cup vegetable oil

--1 Box of Andes Mint Chocolates (but you'll probably want two, because it's REALLY hard to not want to eat a few while you're unwrapping them)

Mix together the dry cake mix, eggs, and oil. (Your mixture will be kind of spongey.)

Use a cookie scooper and scoop out ~24 cookies onto a baking sheet. (Do not flatten them out! They'll do that on their own when they bake.)

Bake at 350 for 6-9 minutes.

While the cookies are in the oven, unwrap all of your Andes mints. Eat a few if you were smart enough to buy two boxes.

As soon as your cookies come out of the oven, plot an Andes mint on the top of each cookies, pressing down slightly.

Watch and wait patiently for approximately 2 minutes as the chocolate melts down. Take a spoon and swish around that chocolate so that it makes almost a frosting on top of your cookies.

Here's the hardest part: you can eat those cookies immediately, even though they're piping hot.

But I like to wait and let that chocolate set. It's much easier to transport the cookies if you're not dealing with ooey gooey chocolate. But hey, I've never heard anyone complain.

Enjoy watching people sneak off with two or three in their hands. Or an entire plateful. It's happened before.

If You Can't Take the Heat...

Midterms have hit again. Thankfully, all of my work was due within a three day period rather than spread out over two weeks, so I've had a little extra down time to play in the kitchen.

Samoa Bark. Didn't turn out as well as I expected because nothing stuck together. And really, what can compete with the Girl Scout cookie?

Chocolate Reese's Chunk Cookies. Perfect for my baby sister, the chocolate lover.

Funfetti Whoopie Pies. Hindsight: I should have taken the time to sift all of the dry ingredients like the directions said so the cookies halves could have turned out smooth like they were supposed to. Sigh... I guess we can't be perfect all of the time. But the buttercream frosting was to. die. for. I had so much leftover and I seriously could have eaten it all with a spoon.

And I got this little baby in the mail this past week. Joy is seriously my favorite baker ever. Even though most of her recipes call for simple techniques, the results are extraordinary. I sat down and read this book cover to cover like I would read a novel because she is just so witty.

Have a happy week, lovelies!

Christmas Crinkle Cookies

So, I left my camera cord in Auburn. Of course, I didn't realize this until after I had remember to take it a few places over break. So there will be a lack of pictures for a while, unless they were taken with my iPhone.

Anyway, there have been so many Christmas parties and cookie swaps that I've had to pull out some of my favorite recipes! This one is one of my favorite go-to cookie recipes because it is definitely different than the standard chocolate chip or sugar cookie. I only have it because it was included in my Shakespeare study guide made by our sweet GTA. (This is why I love my major.) Fair warning, these cookies are more like a cake/brownie texture, but I think that's why everyone likes them so much!

• 1 stick butter, softened (SO important that it is soft)
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 2/3 cup flour (not necessary to sift it!)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Bowl of powdered sugar... the more the merrier

Beat butter and sugar until lighter in color and creamy. (Trust me, don't skimp on this step. That's why the soft butter is so important!)

Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well-combined. (You want this mixture to be lighter and fluffier.)

Add dry ingredients and mix until well-combined, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl so that it is all combined. (I usually add everything in slowly or else I cover the kitchen in flour.)

Use a melon baller or two spoons to make small balls of dough and drop them into the bowl of powdered sugar. Make sure you coat the whole thing in sugar! (I use a a Nordic Ware cookie dropper that I bought at Target. It is probably the greatest investment I've made in bakeware.)

Bake on a cookie sheet for 8 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Enjoy!

A Quixotic Quest

I don't think it's any secret that I miss my restaurants we have in Birmingham when I'm in Auburn, even if they are chains. But the one random thing I crave the most... Jim N' Nicks cheese biscuits. After googling the recipe and reading about a million people fighting over what the real recipe is, I jumped in and tried one. It was okay, but definitely not like Jim N' Nicks. The search continues...

Nutella Is My Love Language

Oh my gosh, I could sing about how much I love Nutella. If you haven't tried it, you're just punishing yourself. I mean, if I had to guess what the fruit that Eve tasted in the Garden was like, my guess is that it smelled like/looked like/tasted like something pretty close to Nutella. I digress...

I tried this recipe for Nutella Cinnamon Rolls tonight. (First batch of baked goods this summer. As my friend Katie says, "Summer school is like peeling off wallpaper with a broken toothpick." Wise, my friend, very wise.) I'm not used to this oven yet, so they were a tad on the dry side, but otherwise, delicious. I mean, Nutella makes everything taste better.

Bread#winning

Hillary told me my strength was in my baked goods. And I'm okay with that. I have literally been drooling over this recipe from Joy the Baker (whose food blog is to die for) for days, and today I finally tried it. Good thing it practically took all day. It was the most agonizing thing getting one step further and then having to wait thirty more minutes for the dough to rise. But it was so worth it. I mean, really really worth it. Like it came out of the oven and before it even had a chance to even think about beginning to cool, I was stuffing it in my mouth. It was awesome on its own, but if I could perfect a really thick cream cheese icing... oh, I can't even deal.

Before it went in the oven.

And after. I think it could have stood a little more butter, but this wasn't Paula Deen's recipe.

Sorry I always use the camera on my phone. One day I'll remember to use my big girl one. And I wish I had snapped a picture of the inside, but I was running out the door. Next time.

s'more of what?

Ham: Hey, Smalls, you wanna s'more?

Smalls: Some more of what?

Ham: No, do you wanna s'more?

Smalls: I haven't had anything yet, so how can I have some more of nothing?

Ham: You're killing me Smalls! These are s'more's stuff! Alrite now pay attention. First you take the graham, you stick the chocolate on the graham. Then you roast the 'mallow. When the 'mallows flaming... you stick it on the chocolate. Then cover with the other end. Then you scarf. Kind of messy, but good!

New favorite after-school snack: S'mores Turnovers. (Well, second to the Sargento cheese stick.) For real, this is like all of my favorite things combined (minus the cheese stick). The hardest part was waiting for the puff pastry to thaw out! So easy and so delicious!

easy beignets are a good monday decision

Since we've gotten back from spring break, life has been a little too stressful. So tonight when I came home in a foul mood, I decided it was a perfect time to make these beignets with praline sauce that I've had bookmarked for quite some time. The picture is very pretty since I took it with my phone, but these were so good! They were incredibly rich, but delicious! Definitely something I'll make when I have an intense sweet tooth! And I had all of the ingredients at home except for the biscuits!

My Life in Lists #13

Well, this is kind of awkward. Sorry I'm such a neglectful blogger. I've been working hard at school and just life in general. So in lieu of a post in which I created or cooked something, I'll give you a list of the projects I can't wait to begin!

1. This pinata via Ruffled. I'll add a few variations of my own.

2. Learning the easy way to applique via Little Birdie Secrets

3. Big project...but I want to repurpose an old door to look like this. Maybe I'll start out small with the window panes I have in the garage first. (via The Pleated Poppy...my obsession.)

4. Rosette pillow via Crazy Wonderful

5. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups via design*sponge

Okay, time to slow down.

Did I mention I got some job offers today? And they sounded pretty cool (and creative) too. You gotta love sorority alumni looking out for their girls. :)

Singles Awareness Day

I've been saving this recipe for quite some time! Good ole Martha has done it again. Hill has declared that these are her favorite cookies so far. (But that's not saying much because I messed up some chocolate chocolate chip cookies earlier and the peanut butter nutella ones were less than desirable.)

so american

I fully embrace the fact that I am a grandma in a 19-year-old's body. Writing papers and baking Martha's apple pie was my kind of autumn Saturday.

just add a tub of butter, y'all

To apologize to the boys for stealing their car doors, we decided to bake cupcakes as a peace offering. First of all, Melanie used her legit yellow hand mixer. Whoa, dream big. We decided to go all out and make the icing from scratch, so naturally we turned to Paula Deen for a recipe.

So we found this. Well, it originally tasted FOUL. As in MAJOR PARTY FOUL. We just kept adding in vanilla hoping for the best. In the midst of my anger, I tweeted at Paula Deen that I was disappointed in her recipe.

Oh, what a major party foul it was on me.

Turns out, spreading the icing on the cupcakes was the most delicious thing EVER.

So I had to tweet at Paula AGAIN apologizing for my mistake.

The moral of the story: tweet others just as you would like to be tweeted.

laissez les bon temps rouler

Tonight I made this jambalaya for Beck, MB, and C. I love love love Kraft recipes. They're always simple, always delicious, and relatively inexpensive. As much as I feel like being a professional when a recipe calls for teaspoon after teaspoon of some exotic spice, I like the freedom that Kraft recipes bring. Tonight, I was feeling like using Turkey sausage instead of regular sausage (SO much better, it is a great substitution) and then I felt like doubling the sausage because it's so good. So I did. I increased the amount of oil I needed. I cooked the rice with the chicken broth and tomatoes and THEN mixed everything else I sauteed. I didn't use a whole green pepper. I just feel like such a rule-breaker (terribly out of my character), but it's nice. I feel like I'm actually learning to cook this way. And it's kind of a metaphor for life. You don't always have to measure everything out perfectly. Sometimes you need to take a chance and mix things up a bit. Who knows? Something even greater could be the result. But then again, I learned that from making JAMBALAYA. Who knows what all I could learn from cooking a 5 or 6 course meal...

knock knock (who's there?) orange (orange who)...

This past Thursday, Abby and I made this citrus chicken. It was SO incredibly easy and especially delicious! We prepared long green beans, throwing in a little butter, brown sugar, and almonds for good measure, and we made sweet carrots with LOTS of brown sugar (see a pattern?). I didn't have my camera, so no picture, but it was quite the colorful meal, perfect with spring break right around the corner! Cooking is starting to become one of my favorite pastimes. We're sort of teaching ourselves, but it is all based on the eating we've done in hundreds of restaurants, so at least that's going to good use.


I'm all about finding alternate uses for everyday things (oh, how I love you, Real Simple magazine...). Besides cooking, there is a lot you can do with citrus fruits. First of all, the colors are so strong, you can place lemons, limes, whatever in a bowl and have a fresh centerpiece. Or use them in a vase for a twist on floral arrangements. I like to add slices of lime to sweet tea to give it a little special twist. Put a lemon rind in the garbage disposal with a handful of baking soda, and run for 30 seconds to get rid of the stench. The possibilities are endless...

Speaking of citrus, I'm heading to Florida for a week at the beach! I'm looking forward to a much needed break to catch up on sleep, reading, sun, and friends.

made you look

I just wanted to create a post devoted to some of my favorite things. Whether they be art, crafts, recipes, charities, poems, short stories, videos, photos, what have you, they're all still favorites. Kudos if you click on all of the links.

just call me "martha"

Last night Abby and I made dinner for our fearless leader, Becky. After making the most insane nachos we've ever consumed in Abby's little dorm kitchen, we decided to upgrade to a REAL kitchen, Becky's kitchen. Personally, I am a HUGE fan of Kraft recipes. They're usually so simple and are always scrumptious. We decided to make Brushetta and Chesse Stuffed Chicken with asparagus and French bread. It was heavenly. We had some extra stuffing mix, so we just covered our chicken in it, hoping that was the wisest decision. It was. The stuffing was probably the best part, right after forcing Abby to handle the raw chicken. Abby sauteed some asparagus with butter, salt, and pepper, and it was the perfect vegetable to accompany our meal. Becky had never eaten asparagus, so it was an adventurous night for us all. Since our first complete meal made at college was a success, we've decided to cook dinner EVERY Thursday night.

(Abby on the phone with her mom): I just feel like I've really accomplished something by cooking a meal.
*pause*
Abby: Yes, mom, it IS about time.