Hot Chocolate Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sound intriguing?

Well they are veryyy good. So good I've made them twice this week.

... Coincidence that I also started exercising more?

(Just ignore the fact that it calls for TWO sticks of butter. Your stomach will thank me, but your bottom may not.)

My ever favorite Pioneer Woman makes them here (picture is also from there).

Original recipe here.

Do you guys stalk PW as much as me? I totally want to go live on the ranch with her. But only for like a week because I would eat her out of house and home. And lodge.  She has a beautiful house doesn't she? And the ranch is beautiful too.

PS. I wouldn't blame you if you tried adding a little peppermind extract into the batter. It's amazing. Even though my sister said she kind of felt like she had just brushed her teeth. I mean, it's like mint hot chocolate, yo!

Mochi

This is mochi. It is very delicious. And pink. Well if you dye it pink. And you should.

So I went to the Chinese Market about 30 minutes from Provo with some of my roommates last weekend. I didn't get much that I wasn't familiar with, mostly stuff that is at the Korean Market in my hometown. (Or even my grocery store. Who knew I was so spoiled at our local stores in CA?) 

So, me being half Japanese (if you didn't know that, you can read my rant) I picked up some random stuff, but mostly got Mochiko, some mochi bits for ice cream and smoothies and such, and of course, chocolate mochi ice cream. Okay, I don't even know how common it is in Japan to eat mochi, but my grandma used to make it at holidays and it has good memories for me. Plus it tastes amazing.

What is mochi you ask? Well I can't say that I wasn't a little surprised that none of my roommates knew what mochi was (except the one from china) cause apparently I live in a little California bubble where most people have at least heard of mochi ice cream. I mean come on, it's the way americanized version of a japanese dish. I think. I'm not really that asian guys.


(Sold at wonderful places like Trader Joes. If you don't have one near you... sorry?)

Well Mochi is a Japanese dessert (Well I think you can have it more savory, but seriously, why not make it a sweet?) made from rice. There's a whole long process of soaking, cooking, and pounding, rice to make mochi, but thankfully now you can buy a box of Mochiko (sweet rice flour) and cook in in the microwave. Or buy it at asian markets.

If some of you think you have never seen mochi, you may have seen this stuff at a frozen yogurt place. It's mochi.

ehh bad picture. But trust me, it's usually there. At least in CA. But apparently I live in a bubble, so maybe not.

Okay besides this little lesson on Japanese food for you guys, I was posting because I made bibingka (it's actually a Philippino dessert) and my roommates were intrigued. It's pretty delicious if-I-say-so-myself, especially if you aren't sure about mochi, this will slip you into it a little easier.

Because when you make mochi it's just the sweet rice flour, water, and sugar and cooked into deliciousness together. But this recipe adds egg and milk and sugar and vanilla to it, topped with brown sugar and coconut and baked. If any of you want the recipe, ask and I'll update the post with it. Otherwise, I'll keep it in the family.  Bibingka recipes are pretty varied on the web, so I don't know how authentic or not mine is, but it is yummy.

It can look kinda like this, But my recipe has more topping and a little gooier looking.

Last night

I got me some Costa Vida. I know we have one in California near me, but I never made my way to the town over to try it.

Aaaand with Busy Bee Lauren declaring her love for it nearly every week, I decided that since I was only like a mile from it while at BYU I must try it.

Here I am with the glorious food. Wait, did I give my reaction away already?? Oh and ignore my crazy hair. It was kind of a rough day.

It was very very yummy. I got a sweet pork salad with the tomatillo dressing. I pretty much made it already once at home though from a recipe a friend gave me when some missionaries came over, soI kind of want to try something else when I go there next. What do you guys get?

Just call me "Chef Michelle"

Sooo want to know what I had for dinner tonight?

Pretty much the food of the gods... aka "college kid with no time to cook or go to the store night"

okay, so I know ALL of you are just dying to know what went into this no nutrition, high fat, high cal delicious and nutritious meal of mine. So without further ado, here it is:

First you will need the left over spaghetti from a casserole you made over the weekend.

Next you will need butter (don't skimp too much, you don't want it dry!) and 1 slice of american cheese.

You will also need some parmesan cheese (not the fresh kind, you will definitely want the never-expires kind if you want this to taste authentic) salt and pepper.

Microwave for a little over a minute.

Oh, and if you are feeling especially adventurous and want to kick things up a notch, I recommend a little cayenne pepper.

The end.

(and your welcome)

PS. Don't worry tooo much about my health. Some nights I do actually cook. Of course, that doesn't mean its healthier. It may just not look as sad.  Plus I just gave blood and they said I have good amounts of iron, so I'm good right? 

Misty water-colored memories, of the way we were

Remember The Nanny? I've been watching it lately, and I just remember how much I loved watching it back in the day. (Remember Fran's love of Barbara Streisand? Hence the title)

It's so surprising though to see how fuzzy the video is.... makes me feel old to see how far technology has come in my lifetime!

I also have to say that this show has one of the best show theme songs. Love it.




What are some of your classic shows from your childhood?

Some of my other ones are Gilmore Girls, Friends, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, aaaand I can't think of anymore, help a girl out??

PS. I have also been enjoying Nesquick chocolate milk. Reverting back to childhood much?

What's your snack?

At school I like to have a snack in-between classes.

Usually it's cheez-its but those can be risky.

"Cheez-its? Risky?" you say?


Why yes. No it's not the orange color because it doesn't leave residue like cheetos, and it can spill or stain so why is it risky?

Because they have bad batches.

Am I the only one to notice that? Sometimes they are all a little burnt (okay browned), sometimes they just don't taste... dense. And sometimes they don't have any salt crusted to the tops.

Usually when that happens, I wait around for others in my family to finish off the box, cross my fingers and buy another.

Aaaand sometimes I just can't gamble with that sort of chance and buy these instead:

Good every time.

(Can you tell I like to expand my horizons food-wise?)

Or I mean, I guess I could have something healthy, but seriously, who does that?

Okay, I've thought long and hard about this.

Everybody seems to be in love with Nutella. I recently tried it, and I too, fell in love. The chocolate-y creaminess won me over.

Despite their claims of being a "Hazlenut Spread with Skim Milk and Cocoa" let's be honest. It's basically eating frosting that you don't have to refrigerate after opening.

  =  

I mean, hello! The ingredients list starts out with SUGAR and then is not followed by hazelnuts OR skim milk, but by, of course, Modified Palm Oil. And then it's hazelnuts.

Fortunately, I like my "frosting" with just a hint of hazelnuts... plus if it has nuts and milk in it, it can't be as bad as actual frosting, right??

Happy Tofurky Day!

Though I have never had a tofurky myself, I have been a vegetarian for about three thanksgivings now, (vegan for two of them) I love the name! I get a lot of amusement from clever meatless names for food.


Suprisingly I'm not that into holiday feasts. I am not a huge fan of stuffing, and I never eat pumpkin pie.

So the parts I look forward the most to for the holidays is seeing family! (I'm sure you do too)

Do you have any favorites foods of the holidays??

Hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Rainbowy Goodness Part 2

After blogging about rainbow cakes, I couldn't get the idea out of my head. That plus procrastination equals: Rainbow Cupcakes!!!

These things are quite fantastically good.




You can pretty much *taste* the rainbow. And it's kind of awesome.















Nothing like breaking fast after church with a cupcake.

The End. 

EDIT: If you want to try this out (please post pictures if you do!) you can go back to my other post and click the link under the photo for more exact directions, but basically you just make the cake batter, separate it evenly and add food dye. For cupcakes you just have to try and pour it in evenly in layers, but for cakes you bake each color separately.

PS. I got some red lipstick. Good or bad move?

Confession:

I've had a long time love affair with dark chocolate.

I enjoy the occasional add in, some freeze-dried raspberries, or fruit and nuts. But in the long run I'd rather be one on one with the chocolate.

That said, do you prefer milk or dark chocolate? Or... something else? (Gasp! the blasphemy!)

Hoping your weekend is awesome!!

Rainbow Goodnes

I'm always up for some new baking challenge, so next time I make a cake, it'll be this: 

{via whatever}

Rainbow Cake= Awesomeness 

I'll never settle for a simple funfetti cake again. 

Okay, *that's* a lie... funfetti is also awesome.

Orange Hot Chocolate

As I mentioned before, while at Apple Hill last week, I purchased many delicious treats!

 apple cider

 

chocolate caramel with a marshmallow center

So when I purchased this festive hot drink mixture at Apple Hill last weekend in honor of the upcoming spooky holiday, I was expecting something on the same level of deliciousness. Plus the bonus that I was as giddy as an 8 year-old to see it turn colors!

I assumed it was regular hot chocolate that either had hints of orange in it or just turned orange. Either way I was onboard.

So I heated up my water and soy milk, and eagerly poured the white mixture in to see it turn a brilliant creamy orange color. A sweet kinda vanilla-y scent wafted up. My first hint that this was going terribly wrong.


It tasted..... it tasted..... like  a melted orange creamsicle, heated, and diluted with water.
 *Mmmmh!* not.  Perhaps this would be better if you weren't expected at least a little cocoa in my HOT CHOCOLATE.










Not the best $1.50 I've ever spent. I'll be sticking with my swiss miss from now on, thanks.

Crepes

are soooo delicious!

I was reminded a few weeks ago how much I love their crunch outer rim, with sweet filling on the inside.

I enjoy mine with peaches or pears, and powdered sugar (like the only thing I choose fruit over chocolate), but this picture is nicer than the ones I make.




... and I have been supplying my family with them frequently since then for breakfast/dessert.

I adore food that can be passed for both breakfast and dessert.

Do you have any favorite breakfast/desserts?

Baking

I looove baking..... unfortunately my waistline doesn't, so I always like to bake when I know I can give it to other people to enjoy. Tomorrow I am meeting some Missionaries and thought that they might like some home baked goods. So....

... today I made:

chocolate chip cookies (with part regular chocolate chips, part white chocolate chip becauseI forgot to check the ingredients before making them they are way more awesome and original that way.

Kick-Ass Molasses Cookies, don't worry I am not *that* conceited to name my recipe that, I totally took it off of vegweb. Chewy, spicy, and molasses-y goodness.

Ps. I thought Nie's Oprah feature was BEAUTIFUL! I soooo enjoyed it, and felt like I learned to appreciate everything I have a lot more! *But* that lady that visited Nie for the day kept making remarks like "Oh you were so beautiful" and "her husband still thinks she's beautiful with the scars" or something of that nature.

I mean WHAT? She is still beautiful, even more so because her scars show how much she has been through, and is a testament of how much she loves her family.