During “that time of the month”, I am insatiable – Chipotle, potato chips, and chocolates are all I can think about (and watching old, emotional, romantic anime series). I’m sure many of you can relate! So when I came across this recipe exactly three days ago, I begged my boyfriend to take me out to buy the supplies. This was a win-win for both of us: we both got cookies, and neither of us would have to deal with my moon cycle symptoms.

Recipe for “Perfectly Puffy Chocolate Chip Cookies”, originally from Pennies on a Platter
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar *
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco stick
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 (3.4 oz) package vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking soda
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour (I use 3 cups)
12 oz package semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips

* Next time, I will probably use about half the amount of brown sugar – the brown sugar was too much for me!

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugars, butter and Crisco. Mix with the paddle attachment until thoroughly combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add pudding mix; stir until incorporated.

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the baking soda and salt. Blend into the egg mixture.

Add additional flour 1/2 to 1 cup at a time until reaching desired consistency. I use a total of 3 cups flour.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop spoonfuls of dough on cookie sheet. (To achieve a more round, cleaner look, roll the balls of cookie dough in your hand instead of just dropping on the cookie sheet.) Bake exactly 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on the cookie sheet on top of cooling racks for 5 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets and cool completely on the cooling racks.

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Et voilà! I received so many compliments on these that I’ll definitely be making them again (though as I said, with less brown sugar next time!) I noticed that one of the commenters at Pennies on a Platter used coconut pudding instead of vanilla, which I might have to try next time.

This year, I ran out of spending money and couldn’t create a new Halloween costume, so I’m revamping my Marie Antoinette costume from last year.

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This morning, I made an impromptu double-boiler out of a couple of pots and dipped a couple of bananas in dark chocolate. For those interested, here’s the easiest way to do this:

Makeshift Double-Boiler
1. Stack one small pot (with a handle) in a larger one on the stove.
2. Put a few cups of water in the bottom pot and be careful not to fill too much, or the water will boil over.
3. When the water in the bottom pot boils, put a bit of cooking spray or oil in the top pot to keep chocolate from sticking to pan and burning.
4. Put desired amount of chocolate in top pot and stir while chocolate melts. Continue stirring to prevent chocolate from burning.

The rest is just a matter of dipping or drizzling your favorite fruits and desserts with the chocolate! For those of you who want your chocolates to dry, heat your chocolate to 80-85° and maintain the temperature, then place your desserts on wax paper.

I used to work at Godiva, so although these look a bit shabby, I’m actually an experienced chocolatier, and I can’t wait to try out more complex recipes.

I made a pact with myself a couple of weeks ago to buy no more black clothes until the end of this season. Of course I don’t predict keeping up with this, but I’ve done a good job adhering to my rule for the past couple of weeks, at least.

Two burgers later, I’m certain that the four exclamation points are well-deserved. If you live in Denton and haven’t visited – do! It’s pretty affordable ($8 for a combo meal – and the burgers are HUGE!) and they have a very diverse selection of burgers. I’m sadly a pretty boring person when it comes to food, but my boyfriend loves the guacamole burger, and he can’t wait to try the pineapple one.

I got a chilli cheeseburger

Did I mention the burgers are HUGE? I can’t finish one if I’ve ordered fries with it.

On Monday, my boyfriend and I ventured out to Santa Monica to visit the beach while we were out in California. It was a bit overcast, but compared to our muggy North Texas weather, the chilly seabreeze was certainly welcomed.

Last time we visited the Santa Monica Pier, we ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp, but this time, I was hoping for something a little less touristy and more importantly, something much cheaper. As per the recommendation of Urban Spoon, my boyfriend and I staked Wokcano, a pan-Asian restaurant chain, and were lucky enough to catch happy hour! My yellowtail sushi was incredibly fresh and our spicy crabmeat roll (for an insanely cheap $5) was delicious.

The decor was minimalist but inviting

My shrimp tempura roll and Kirin beer

Enjoying my Miso soup, blurry photo courtesy of my boyfriend

The restaurant has a two-story setup. A couple sitting below us had a pretty good-looking dish.

Mark

After we finished dinner, we visited the Third Street Promenade, which I found a bit underwhelming. Not only was it flooded with people, but I was disappointed to see that they no longer had a French connection. I did, however, enjoy looking at peoples’ pups! While I was away, I missed Momo so much!

I’m so glad to be back in Texas!

French-braided pigtails

Over the weekend, my sister and I celebrated with our family. We decided to make cake balls in lieu of an actually birthday cake. They were delicious, but way too rich! I think next year we might just stick with a cake!

Ours were a bit messier than Bakerella’s! They’re chocolate with bits of toffee.

Then, on our actual birthday night, we gathered at my apartment and hit the bars (after having to cancel the actual party due to plumbing problems). Sorry, no photos, though I did wear this dress.

And today, for the second time, I made Alyssa’s delicious pizza recipe, though I skipped the fresh basil and cheated with a store-bought crust. The ingredients are: pesto, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and Parmesan. Delicious! My first attempt at it was much more successful; today it was a bit scant on cheese, and a little heavy on the tomatoes (fault of my boyfriend). Nonetheless, it was delicious!

If you ever get the chance to experience a Japanese tea ceremony, it is absolutely intriguing and I highly recommend it! I don’t even like green tea, but the Ocha that we had was amazing. Again, you can see the rest of the photos here

My sister finally returned from Vegas with her beloved Canon Digital Rebel. I’ve been waiting to try a bokeh heart filter on her new 50mm lens for a while now, so I grabbed my Miu Miu bag and started playing around. This one was my favorite, even though it’s hard to distinguish any details. Will have to practice with this technique more!

Now back to lunch (yes, cinnamon rolls for lunch – don’t you love uni?)

As almost everyone knows (since I’m the worst secret-keeper ever), I went as Marie Antoinette for Halloween. Over the next week or so, I hope to get some nice, well-lit pictures of it, but until then, here’s my Halloween report.

It really all started on Friday, when Mark and I went into Dallas to pick up his Rocky Balboa costume. Of course we stopped at Godiva (where I used to work) and picked up some treats!

My new favorite truffle: a remake of the old Godiva hazlenut praliné truffle. Although Godiva generally prides itself on meticulously-decorated truffles and chocolates, this particular piece sets itself apart with a haphazard lumpiness.

My favorite seasonal: the Pumpkin Spice truffle. Isn’t it adorable?

A brand-new item – pecan caramel bark! As an addict of the pecan caramel cluster, I made a b-line for this in the store as soon as I saw it in the catalogue. Mark and I have been munching away on it constantly.

Oh hell yes. Just look at that! Pecans and caramel smothered in milk chocolate and marbled with dark. Is there anything more decadent?

Friday night, Mark’s Dungeons and Dragons friends were taking part in Denton’s Rocky Horror Picture showing (by Los Bastardos), so we showed up. We were lucky enough to be planted next to three cougars who were WASTED. They bought this twenty-four-year-old guy dressed as Rocky (in a gold speedo) a drink, and then proceeded to take pictures of him sitting in their laps. They kept shrieking things like, “DON’T POST THAT ON MY FACEBOOK OH MY GOD!!!!” as they attempted to find their inner twenty-year-old. They ended up leaving early after one passed out.

Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures, but the costumes were CRAZY – french maids, some store bought Mad Hatters, and tons of people dressed as Rocky Horror cast members (though NONE of them knew the characters that they were dressed as! Embarassing!) We’ll definitely go again next year.

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Saturday was sewing, from the moment I woke up. Although I’d been sewing here and there for a week and a half, I had apparently not prepared nearly enough.

Finally the night arrived, and although I hadn’t finished all of the details, I decided I was far enough along.

First we went to my friend Marcus’ house to watch he and his brother perform in their band, Sacco & Vanzetti. Their décor was AMAZING – everything was black with neon purple/green/orange paint, with black and strobe lights. By the end of their show I was already drunk off of pumpkin ale and insisting to Mark that I was Godzilla (not Marie Antoinette). Hmmm….

Then we headed to the Fry Street bars. I got really tired really fast, but I nonetheless enjoyed the surreal atmosphere. Everyone was full of energy (save for me, by that point), and I just loved seeing all of the costumes.

Overall, I had a great time! What did you go as for Halloween??

I notice that during the school year, I tend to lapse into a routine of fast food for lunch and dinner, with some marshmallowy cereal for breakfast if I get up early enough. This year, though, I’ve been focusing on getting my health back in order – that is, drinking at least one bottle of water each day, cutting down on sodas, and, the one I’ve found to be the hardest of all: cooking my own food.

Cooking in college is hard. Not only is it expensive to cook for only a few people, but it’s hard to find access to a good kitchen. Furthermore, time between classes and work is scarce. But it is possible – which is why I’ll be dedicating a section of this blog to recipes that are college-friendly, that is, cheap and easy to make.

Today’s feature is the sandwich – the easy-to-eat, warm, cheesy and meaty sandwich. What’s great about them is I can eat them with one hand – that is, while I’m reading, typing, or sketching. Even if neither of these sandwiches piques your interest – keep in mind that there’s a sandwich for everyone – and most of them are easy to make!

Chicken Pesto Panini
Chicken pesto paninis are one of my all-time favorite sandwiches. I have at least one a week, and I’ve yet to grow tired of them. Despite costing $8 at most sandwich places, chicken pesto paninis are surprisingly easy and cheap to make! All it requires is:
- Frozen bag of grilled chicken strips ($6 at Target, will make several sanwiches and keeps for a while)
- Sourdough bread
- Pesto sauce
- Mayonnaise
- Provolone cheese

Steps:
Thaw chicken in microwave for approximately 4 minutes. For each sandwich, mix 2 parts mayonnaise with 1 part pesto (I use 2 tablespoons with 1 tablespoon, respectively). Spread on each side of bread generously. Put cheese on one side, chicken on the other. In a panini press or a pan, grill both sides of sandwich until bread is brown and cheese is melted.

Grilled Cheese & Chicken Noodle Soup
While grilled cheese isn’t the most nutritious meal, when paired with chicken noodle soup, it’s at least more healthy than a large order of fries. And, as you may know from experience, chicken noodle soup is one of the best cures for the common cold and cough! (However, I’m still on the hunt for a good one! Campbell’s is just too watery, even though I mix in about half the recommended amount of water. Suggestions?)