Food Apologies

I was a fairly picky eater growing up. Don't get me wrong - I loved food, and I had no problem eating. Goodness knows I have loved to eat from day one. I just liked very basic food items when I was a child.
For instance, I loved pizza, but there better not be anything more exotic than pepperoni on that pizza. Mainly I just had eating oddities. I liked pancakes without butter or syrup. And don't bother trying to tell me that French toast was delicious, because I wouldn't touch it.
Butter grossed me out. Yeah. Beautiful, glorious butter. I didn't put butter on anything until a couple of years ago. (This does not include using butter to bake with, because I've been a huge proponent of that since I was an infant. That's not really possible, but you know what I mean). All of that to say that in recent years I've discovered that I in fact love many, many of the food items I used to refuse to eat.
So, I'd like to take this time to apologize to some of my now favorite food items that used to be abhorrent to me.

Sweet potatoes:
Sometimes I think to myself "what if I had never started liking sweet potatoes?" But then I get sad at the thought, so I change the subject. When I think back on all of those past Thanksgivings, I get frustrated at myself for grabbing a spoonful of your plain cousin "mashed potatoes" but skipping right over you. I was so young and naive.

Avocadoes:
I'm almost too ashamed to talk to you. I was such a mean girl to you. I've been sufficiently making up for lost time with you, though, because I put you on everything - even when you cost extra. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

Almonds and Pecans:
I feel bad for lumping you both together like this, because you are both so very different. That's one of the things I love most about you! Almonds, you've been in my desk drawers and kitchen cabinet so faithfully for the past 4 years. Without you I probably would have died of starvation behind my desk waiting for the noon hour to roll around.
Pecans! Oh, pecans. This is my first fall season to love you, so I'm beside myself with excitement to bake with you.

Eggs:
Perfect, versatile eggs. Please don't hold my ignorance toward your greatness against me. I know you're bigger than that, and you'd never do such a thing, but I felt it necessary to ask. You've been such a huge part of my breakfasts, lunches, and dinners now for a few years that I almost can't remember a time when we weren't close. Thank you for sticking with me (but not on my pans).

 

Planning for Friendsgiving



I tend to get ahead of myself when it comes to planning parties. I create lists for all of the imaginary parties I plan to host. I tear out ideas from magazines about centerpieces and place cards that I think would work well for said imaginary parties. I make mailing lists for all of the people who I'd love to see sitting around a table together. I tell you, there is a lot of planning that goes into these imaginary parties that will most likely never happen.

Most of these dinner gatherings end up just morphing into a regular evening of hanging out. People are invited (but not by fun mailed-out invitations), drinks are made (but not in fancy wine glasses), and food is consumed (but not in a three course meal sort of way). Laughter is always involved, so it's never a bad deal.
But Friendsgiving? Friendsgiving has always been the most elusive dinner gathering for me.

I've tried to plan one the past couple of years, but due to all the normal life things that come up between November and December, it has never come to fruition. Has this happened to anyone else? Am I the only one who has failed multiple times to provide a Friendsgiving?

This year Friendsgiving is planned for this Saturday, and I am pretty much super duper excited about it. I feel like I'm jinxing it by talking about it. Food has been planned and discussed and the prepping has begun. My place is tiny, so it will be a cozy (read: packed) evening, but I'm thoroughly excited.

Yay for food! Yay for holidays! Yay for friends!

Food Blogger Wannabe

Every time I bake something I think to myself, "Em. You should blog about this."

You see, I have this blog, but I don't really ever do anything with it. It kind of saddens me. (I realize that is a silly thing to sadden me, but silly things tend to sadden me no matter how much I wish they didn't. Like, it saddens me when I don't have time to sit and read through the magazines I get. See? Silly.)

Moving on! Like I said, I enjoy baking, and every time I begin the baking process I start out with the intention to blog it. It always seems simple enough at the beginning. Just bake, take pictures of the baking, and then write about it, right?
Well, I'm the worst at it. Maybe it's my lack of patience? Maybe I hate treating people like they're 4? (We all know how to mix in flour. Why are you telling me to move my spoon in circular motions until the flour is mixed in?)

Through these thoughts I've come to the conclusion that I will probably never become the next Joy the Baker. Big surprise, right? It's OK. I have other strengths. You know, like Instagramming on occasion and always having candy on my desk at the office. Maybe I should blog about that?
(Ex: Today I brought dark and milk chocolate Dove pieces to the office. Let me show you how I did it!)

I still like baking, though. So if you ever want to see pictures of food but you don't care about how those pictures were made, then follow me on Instagram (emlance).
In closing, I will leave you with pictures of the pie I made on Sunday. It was apple. It was delicious. I ate it for 4 meals straight; breakfast, lunch, dinner, and breakfast again. Can we all say "fat kid" in unison? On three. One, two, three! Fat kid! I don't even care. It was worth it.

 

(Yes, I totally baked this pie while wearing pajamas)

 

 

Thus concludes the picture and writing portion of this post.

Fall To-Do List: Update!

It has been a little over a month since I posted my fall to-do list on the blog. How is it already November 4th?? Like, for real.

- Watch You've Got Mail
Done! It was just me, Joe, Kathleen, Frank, New York in the fall, and the candle that was flickering in the background.

- Carve pumpkins
Done! Jenna and Maddie (aka: 2 of the coolest peeps ever) came over to show off their amazing carving skills. I was put to shame, but it was still a blast!

- Exploratory drive (to discover colors and wonderful fall things!)
This needs to happen quickly. The colors this year have been so gorgeous!

- Picnic with friends (as opposed to by myself)
Done! It was with Sally in Stillwater, and it's as if the universe knew we had planned a picnic for that day, because the weather was beyond perfect. It doesn't get much better than being outside in the fall, in my opinion.

- Run a 5K
I still need to sign up for one. Which one should I sign up for? Is anyone running one in the near future?

- Go to brunch somewhere
I am usually busy with church stuff on Sundays from 7:00 AM to 12:30 PM. It's not fun. If church people tell you that being at church that long each and every week is fun, they are lying. Don't get me started on this topic.
I digress.
I went to brunch at West with my friend BreAnne this past Sunday. I had never been there before, so I also got to knock off a restaurant on my list of places I need to eat in OKC. Two birds, one brunch!
Oh, and mimosas, am I right?

- Meander around a farmers market
Haven't even attempted, yet. There's still time!

- Braid my hair
OK, I've done this twice, but I have failed to go out in public with a braid. Once was just a pathetic attempt at a side braid that I took a picture of and texted my friend to get myself used to the idea of wearing a braid, the second attempt was just me in front of my mirror trying to do one of those braid headband things. I'm still baffled at how people can braid their own hair and make it look good. This is not my spiritual gift, obviously.

I've given myself until Thanksgiving to accomplish these items, so hopefully I'll get my act together before then. We shall see!

And because no blog post can be without pictures, here they be:

 ^ Heisenberg!^

Me and Jenna!

 

Delicious brunch.

 

Octopus plates! Brie! Wine!

Wish List

Items that I wish I had right at this very moment:

Coffee. Always coffee.

 



 Pumpkins. Tis the season.

 

Red glasses. I'm craving them.



 

This blazer. Or any blazer. But mainly this one.



 

SOCKS. I love them ever so much.



Caramel Apple Cheesecake. Because, duh.

 

 Aaaand tickets to Europe. Also duh.

Fall To-Do List

 

I have decided that going forth I will no longer feel bad for skipping large amounts of time on my blog. This thing isn't here to stress me out, right?
I admire you ladies who keep up with yours regularly.

Side note - I have had four cookies today. FOUR. I realize that this has nothing to do with anything, but I felt the need to confess my gluttony.

October, which is possibly my favorite month ever, is upon us. This means that my daydreaming and planning of adventures has sky-rocketed (and it's already at a dangerous level).

Since I love lists, I decided that I should make a to-do list for fall-ish adventures.
Because Octobers are meant to be enjoyed and experienced. There's nothing sadder than a missed October.

- Watch You've Got Mail
- Carve pumpkins
- Exploratory drive (to discover colors and wonderful fall things!)
- Picnic with friends (as opposed to by myself)
- Run a 5K
- Go to brunch somewhere
- Meander around a farmers market
- Braid my hair

Who wants in on some of this fall action? Join me, won't you?

Gooey Cinnamon Squares

I don't have anything clever to say about these little guys.
They were fabulous. Stop whatever you are doing and go bake them.
Do it for you. Do it for your family. Do it for America. I'm not really sure what these have to do with America, but goodness are they delicious.
They are perfect to serve with coffee, for dessert, take to work, or eat for breakfast.
I'm just guessing on that last point. I definitely didn't eat one for breakfast two days in a row.

The recipe came from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook that I got for Christmas. I've now made 2 items from that book. Only two in an 8 month time frame. Shameful.

I know the recipe is technically called Gooey Cinnamon Squares, but I started calling it "snickerdoodle cake," because, well, that's essentially what it is.
After my last baking attempt ended in failure, I decided I needed to stick with something simple that was bound to deliver regardless of any user errors.

Question - do blogs sometimes make you feel like a failure at presenation? For instance, I feel the need to apologize that my container isn't an antique, white, quirky dish. I also took this picture with my iPhone, not a sweet camera with a crazy lense, and I didn't serve the dessert on cute vintage plates. I just put them in a generic container and took them to the office. I even put one of them in a ziploc.
Oh my gosh.
It feels so good to get that off my chest.

This pic was taken right before they (the squares) went into the oven. Look at the excitement.

 

Until next time!

Cookie Base:
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 milk

Gooey Layer:
1/4 cup light corn syrup or honey
1/4 cup milk, half and half, or cream (I used cream. Duh)
1 Tablespoon vanilla
12 Tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Topping:
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.