Remodeling!! It's hard to believe I've been married for 28 years and been the owner of 4 different homes but this kitchen is the very first remodel project that we've ever tackled. 👷🏻♀️Needless to say, I'm learning a lot as a remodeling newbie. One of the biggest lessons that I'm learning is that this process has seasons. Seasons of busyness when seemingly endless critical decisions have to be made in rapid succession. And then there are seasons of waiting. Waiting for cabinets to be made, waiting for materials to be delivered and waiting for schedules to sync. 😬 A test of patience - that's the best way to describe this kitchen remodel project. 😅 We started this in January and we are hoping to wrap things up by Halloween. 😬 It's good for me though. Goodness knows, I could use a little more patience in my life.
Oatmeal Cream Pies 1½ cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup butter (at room temperature) ¾ cup brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 eggs 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats Filling 8 ounces cream cheese 6 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Bake 14 minutes at 350. Let cool on pans completely.
Top with a second cookie and serve.
I'm still wrapping my brain around the fact that it's still July and kids in Georgia are going to be starting school in just over a week. 😳 And the start of a new school year means getting back into habit of packing lunches. Go ahead and tuck one of these oatmeal cream pies into your child's lunch box and make them the envy of all their friends. Ciao!
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I am so excited about getting a bigger panty in my kitchen - I can hardly stand it. Double the space means that I can store double the staples, right? I will say that having a small pantry has taught me to be super selective and evaluate every item that has to occupy valuable pantry space, before I buy it. It's also forced me to be super organized and some would say "borderline obsessive" about pantry storage. 🤣 Don't even get me started on how a misplaced peanut butter jar can send me into a frenzy. 🥜 When you bake as much as I do, there are some things that you just have to keep on hand. Most people have a bag or two of flour in their pantry - I store six at a time, in addition to a few boxes of cake flour, bread flour, self rising flour, semolina flour, gluten free flour, coconut flour and almond flour. 💁🏻♀️🍞Are you starting to see why pantry space is at a premium? 😂 Old fashioned, quick and steel cut oats also occupy space in my limited pantry. Why do I have 3 different kinds of oats, you ask? Just like flour, they all serve different purposes in different recipes. If you're an oatmeal lover - you know. I find myself making more recipes out of pantry ingredients lately because I'm trying to empty it before I have to clean it out for the renovation. My theory is that the more we can eat now, the less I have to box up and remove from the space in September. 💁🏻♀️😂 I was originally drawn to these Strawberry Oatmeal Bars because they were a perfect way to use up some of my pantry staples. Then I realized that they were AMAZING! 🍓 Strawberry Oatmeal Bars 1 cup old fashioned oats 3/4 cup flour 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ginger 6 Tablespoons butter, melted 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 Tablespoon sugar Glaze 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 Tablespoon milk
Bake 35-40 minutes at 375. Drizzle glaze over bars.
Now I want to try these bars with all the different summer fruits. How amazing would this be with peaches or blueberries or raspberries? 🍑 Ciao! Wisdom for a happy life: Celebrate each day like a birthday. 🎉 Just like Christmas or Thanksgiving - birthdays are an opportunity to celebrate. To gather together. To eat dessert. To party. 🥳 But unlike holidays, birthdays are the one day a year that we can celebrate a someone's uniqueness. A day to reflect on what is it about them that makes them special. Celebrating the birthdays of the significant and impactful people in my life brings me so much joy and happiness. And today I'm extra happy to be celebrating the birthday of my husband. I met this human when we were just 10 years old. I went on my first date with him at the awkward age of fifteen and we've shared a last name now for almost 28 years! 👰🏻 I guess I kind of like this guy. 😂 And today, on his birthday, I get to celebrate everything that makes him unique and wonderful. How a person chooses to celebrate a birthday is very personal. Some prefer a quiet, introspective afternoon of solitary reflection while others want to be surrounded by family and friends at an over the top celebration with food and gifts. As for me, I like to spend birthdays, looking back on my accomplishments and setting goals for the future. I remind myself to live in the moment and be fully present - something that I forget to do, a lot. 😂 I also feel like everyone deserves to feel special and valued on their birthday. And the baker in me believes that everyone deserves a special treat on their birthday. (Even if that means that they treat themselves to something out of the ordinary.) It should come as no surprise to anyone that I bake to honor my favorite people on their birthdays. 💁🏻♀️(#foodismylovelanguage) And since my husband might be the only other person on the planet with a bigger sweet tooth than me - I'm starting off his special day with a cinnamon roll cupcake. I hope that his day is even sweeter than this vanilla frosted, sprinkle filled, pillowy soft cinnamon roll. 😅 Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast or 1 packet 1/2 cup granulated sugar divided 1 cup warm milk 2 large eggs room temperature 1/3 cup butter melted 1 teaspoon salt 4 cups bread flour Filling 1 cup rainbows sprinkles 1 cup brown sugar packed 2 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon 1/3 cup butter softened Icing 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1-2 Tablespoons milk
Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls. Add additional sprinkles. Birthday celebrations start early in this house. There will still be cake and ice cream after dinner but why wait for the evening to honor the birthday boy when we can start the day with cinnamon roll cupcakes?
Ciao! Kitchen Remodel Update: Two nights in a row last month, I laid awake in my bed, long past when I should have been asleep, thinking about which new kitchen cabinet was going to be the best place to store my rolling pins. 🤦🏻♀️ I think I have a problem. 😅 It's the seemingly obvious and simple decisions about our kitchen remodel that have caused me the most anxiety. The custom cabinets, the custom built island and the new flooring were all fairly easy choices for me to make. Rolling pin storage - threw me for a loop.🤷🏻♀️ Choosing lighting for our new space was another decision that really caught me off guard. As of today, I've ordered and returned 3 set of lights for our new space. 😬(Please help a girl out and and send me your kitchen light suggestions - clearly, I need some assistance with this decision.) 😅 In the greater scope of our entire kitchen remodel, this is not a major decision but for some reason, I feel completely incompetent when it comes to choosing lights. Before I started this remodel process - I had no idea what a monster undertaking this was going to be. (You see where I'm going with this. Don't you?) 🤣 Seriously though - so many decisions to make. My fear is that once I choose light fixtures, the decisions have just begun. There are heights to be determined, switches, lightbulbs, dimmers and wattage choices to make. 😬 It might be time to bring in a professional. 💡 When I start to feel overwhelmed with kitchen decisions - I bake. It seems counterproductive, but it works for me. 🤷🏻♀️ Baking cookies are my favorite way to forget about the stresses of our remodeling project and Monster Cookies are the perfect choice because there are fewer decisions to make. I just add everything that I have in my pantry at the time. I don't have any idea how these cookies ever became known as "Monster Cookies" but if I were to venture a guess, I suspect that it has something to do with the beloved blue Sesame Street character affectionately known as cookie monster. Everyone's favorite, googgly eyed, blue character that enthusiastically consumes anything and everything within his reach. That's how I feel when I was gathering up the ingredients for these cookies. 😂Peanut butter, oats, M&M's, chocolate chips - all the sweets that are in my house. And together - they are delicious!!! Monster Cookies 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 and 1/4 cups flour 1/2 cup quick oats 3/4 cup M&Ms (any size or variety) 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Bake 11-13 minutes at 350. These Monster cookies were a hit with everyone who managed to pry one out of my hands. 😂 Seriously though - I recommend that you gather up whatever yummy goodness in your house right now and turn it into your own version of a "Monster Cookie."
Ciao! Vacations - that little escape from reality that's so needed but so hard to come back from. It's not that I have a life that warrants a temporary departure - but who doesn't love to shake up their daily routine every now and then? New people, new places, new foods and new schedules - that's what vacation is all about. Last week I had the most perfect little vacation escape. I got to hang out in one of my favorite places with some of my very favorite people on the planet. We boated, skied, biked, sailed, walked and kayaked - and that was just the first day. 🤣Needless to say, we came home from our vacation blissfuly happy and exhausted. When my Italian family gathers together - we play, we celebrate and we EAT! Like a lot! 🤣 And last weeks family vacation was no exception. 🍦 I think it's because there are so many good cooks in my family. 👨🏼🍳 Everyone wants to share their best culinary creations so we have to eat every couple of hours just to fit it all in. 😅 In my case, I make a few of my favorite but I also take advantage of the fact that I have some new guinea pigs to try my new recipes. #myfamilygiveshonestfeedback 🤣 Bread, biscotti, coffee cake muffins and cakes were all part of my vacation baking last week. Doesn't everyone bake while they're on vacation? 🤷🏻♀️😅 #bakingismystressrelief This Almond Coconut cake was one of the new recipes that I tested out on my guinea pigs. (aka. my family) Almond Coconut Cake 10 Tablespoons butter, melted 1 cup almond flour 2/3 cup flour 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 eggs, room temperature 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1 1/2 cups frozen, pitted sweet cherries 1/3 cup unsalted pistachios, chopped
Cool 1 hour in pan. Remove from pan by inverting onto a plate and then inverting again onto a serving platter. We ate this cake for dessert but it would be equally good as a morning coffee cake. Just one more way for me to squeeze an extra cake recipe into an already jam packed week of eating. Uhhh - I mean family vacation week. 😅
Ciao! |
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