Apple Cinnamon Loaf

Loaf…….my new favorite word. Is this a cake? A bread? I don’t know… a mix of both? But because I am obsessed with my new loaf pan, I will just call it loaf. I would say it is a mix of a bread and a cake, but the flavor is what matters. I warned you that there would be plenty of loafs blogged, and this is the first of those many. If you have any suggestions, let me know. :)

Twenty Twelve

Wow, 2012! I can’t believe it got here so fast (and we’re all still alive!) ;) I can honestly say that 2011 had a lot of ups and downs for me. With a new year upon us, I feel like it’s time to reflect on the past year and plan for the new one. Because I work at 24 Hour Fitness, I am very much involved with everybody else’s new years resolutions. However, I exercise plenty and eat pretty well….so I’ve decided my resolution is to work harder. Too simple? No, I don’t think so, but this helps me cover every aspect of my life. Primarily focused on work and school, but pours into every other area, cooking, baking, my relationships, etc.

I am now a week deep into Winter term at PSU, where I am taking another grueling 20 credits. After going to my first few classes I have discovered that this term  will have A LOT of busy work. Term papers, book reports, group projects, volunteer hours, web discussions, blah blah blah, the list goes on and on. So in order to blog and bake as often as I can, I need to really stay on top of all of my work! After all, I have a big goal in mind. I will be graduating this year, and after that hopefully moving across the pond to Switzerland with my bf, Fabian. And public health (my major) is HUGE there, so I’ll be working my butt off to find a dream job either in that, or making cupcakes! :) All the while I’ll be taking you little bebes along for the ride!

If I were to tell you about all of my baking new years resolutions, this post would be WAY too long, so instead, I’ll tackle them one by one and let you know how they go. OMG, I also got a new loaf pan that I am very excited about, so one of my posts to come in the next couple of days will include a dessert/breakfast/anytimeyouhavetimetoshovethiscakeinyourmouth mystery flavored loaf. Check back for that or subscribe to my blog so that it emails you when I have a new post! :) (you don’t even want to know how many blogs I’m subscribed to..how embarrassing!) The subscribe info is down at the very end of my homepage! :)

Have you stuck to your New Year’s Resolutions?

<3

PS is it every going to snow here in Portland??? :/

Easy Chocolate Crinkles

Yup. Easy.

Vanilla Chocolate Kisses

They may be small, but that just means you can eat more of them…right??

Banana Butterscotch Cupcakes

Yes. Simply delicious.

Triple Chocolate Oreo Chunk Cookies

When it comes to cookies, I usually think the simpler, the better. But when you come home from Europe and your Dad has done a Costco run for you and there is a giant box of Oreos on your counter….you find something to do with them.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Not a fan of pumpkin pie? Me neither. The texture of pumpkin pie freaks me out.. :/ However the texture of these cupcakes are nothing like pumpkin pie. They’re everything you would expect, light, fluffy and perfectly moist. I first made this recipe about a year ago for Halloween and Thanksgiving and they were a hit with my family (24 Hour Fitness family included.) I decided I would post these so you can try them out and include them for your Holiday festivities.

I’m baaaack!

And boy have I missed my sweet little blog! I apologize for being gone for so long. Like many of you know, I was in Europe searching out my future home.. :) Traveled to six countries in just a few weeks and it was fantastic. Visiting all of those different places led me to amazing culinary adventures as well..

Let me start by letting you know that Fabian’s mom Judith is a wonderful cook and quite the baker and happens to make Austria’s best Tiramisu, layers of Heaven, I’m telling ya. Tasting her’s has me determined to make my own sometime this year, and I am both scared and excited, mostly because I know it will never live up to hers!

Three words: Pizza in Italy.

And let me tell you about something that has me soooo excited…. Before I left I was researching all the cupcake shops in Zurich and Geneva. Well after a huge disappointment in Geneva (one did not exist, the other was closed both times I went and had no hours posted) I hit a jackpot in Zurich…. :)

A Cupcake Affair

Spitalgasse 12

 Zurich, Switzerland 8001

The shop was sooo cute and when we walked in, the woman working was piping cupcakes at the counter… All of the cupcakes were adorable, not to mention delicious. The only draw back was the price. Everything in Switzerland is outrageously priced, but the cupcakes landed about $6 for a regular sized and $4 for a mini! Can you even imagine? Anyway, hopefully if we move to Zurich I can get a job there and make cupcakes and spread my American love all over Zurich! ;)

So I am back, and I am taking 20 credits in school this term so I am super busy but I have quite a few blog entries with recipes ready for you all. :)

Coming up with will be Lemon Bars, Triple Chocolate Oreo Cookies, Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, etc….

<3

Mama Thornton’s Peach Pie

Before my niece Olivia Sue started 1st grade, she came over to stay the night with me (her cool aunt) and we felt the need to bake…. :) We had some lovely fresh peaches from the market and some leftover lemons from my Lemon Burst Cookies so we decided to not only make one dessert, but two! Olivia’s mom, Natasha, is pretty much the pie maker in the family. My Granny passed down all of her recipes down to her but…. :) I tasted a slice of her peach pie last weekend and decided it was time to make my own…with Olivia’s help of course.

Lemon Burst Cookies

My favorite cookie at Paradise Bakery when I’m shopping at Pioneer Place Mall is the Lemon Zinger. It has amazing lemon flavor that isn’t too sweet and a little tart! About a year ago, I was thinking about replicating them but instead of a sugar cookie texture, making it more cakey. Well I found a recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Brown Eyed Baker, and I thought I’d try them out. Michelle is great, and every recipe I’ve tried of hers has come out amazing. Why would these cookies be any different? They weren’t.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Better than the cookie, I swear.

Homemade Oreos

My 21st Birthday Cake!

The days of getting kicked out of restaurants past 10PM is long gone my friends, I am officially 21 years old! :)

Strawberry Banana Muffins

One of my very favorite things to do is go to the Farmer’s Market! I never get to go to  my favorite one at PSU because I work so I decided on Wednesday to go to  my other favorite downtown. So I went and it was so nice, sampled some cheese, got a ton of cherries, a few pints of strawberries, some bread from the Pearl Bakery, etc.. After eating a bunch of the strawberries on the walk home I was already plotting what will come from them next.

Chocolate Cupcakes filled with Peanut Butter Buttercream topped with Ganache!

My home boy Wayne (Whazzup Wayne?!) from work at 24 had his birthday today! :)  and for his birthday he requested lemon something. Thursday I went to both Whole Foods and Safeway and they had yucky lemons! :( So those will come another day and I found a rich and delicious replacement as far away from lemon as you can get! Prepare yourselves, ladies and  gents..these cupcakes will blow your brains!