Pecan Tassies

Hello again!  I have become pretty bad at this blogging thing I do have to admit.  Unfortunately life has gotten in the way and has been keeping me busy.  I just couldn't miss sharing a recipe with you for the holidays, even though I'm sure all of you have finished stocking up the pantry for your holiday meals by now.

I have gotten in the habit of making TONS of Christmas cookies every year but this year I just couldn't spend that much time in the kitchen since I am frantically trying to finish up my pharmacy residency applications before January 1st.  I did however have to test out my parent's new kitchen so I whipped up these awesome pecan tassies tonight and they were wonderful.  If you are still looking for a little something to bring to a holiday party or planning your new years eve menu, these are perfect and not too time consuming.

Pumpkin Cookies

It's already October!?!  Man did I accidentally take a hiatus from posting recipes. I'm sure you will forgive me though after I tell you my story so let me take a moment to catch you up on what I have been doing over the past two months.  

Taco Rubbed Burger with Avocado and Salsa Verde

Before getting to today's recipe let me take a moment to catch you up on life.  Last week, I finally caved and signed up to sell Jewelry by Sara Blaine since I found myself buying so many of her pieces.  After signing up, I learned about a neat program the company started doing called Pay It Forward which selects a product of the month and donates a portion of the profit that item makes to a charity each month.  This month, the charity they selected is Help Save Pets.  Help Save Pets is based out of Plainfield, IL and is dedicated to their mission of saving and finding homes for dogs and cats about to be euthanized at animal control facilities. Since 2000, they have been able to prevent the euthanization of over 6,000 animals and place them into loving homes. Help Save Pets gives deserving animals shelter, food, medical aid and vaccinations and helps them find the right home. The foundation is run solely on money from adoptions and donations and every penny is spent on medical and other care for the animals.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

I know... I apologize!  I have fallen into a bad habit of going weeks without posting new recipes.  But let me explain myself.  Over the past few weeks I have finished my rotation in the ICU, am over half way through with my Medication Safety rotation, volunteered with Habitat Against Humanity to build a house here in Medford and finally got to scrub in and observe an open heart surgery! (Yes, I got to see a live human heart beating which pretty much was my coolest life experience yet!)  Time has definitely been flying by but I couldn't let July come to an end without posting a recipe in honor of National Blueberry Month!  I made these simple bars and brought them to work and they were all gone within a matter of hours.  The hint of lemon helps give these a nice slight citrus twist without overwhelming the taste of the blueberries.  These bars are so simple to make and are the perfect thing to bring to your next summer get together.

Almond Poppy Seed Bread

I don't know what it is with almond flavored things but I love them!  Last year I made Sweet Almond Bread and it was so delicious!  After being inspired by one of my favorite kinds of muffins I decided to make some Almond Poppy Seed Bread.  When making this bread I used some almond extract that I was trying to get rid of instead of the almond paste I used for the Sweet Almond Bread.  It was equally delicious, and the poppy seeds were a nice added touch.  This bread was quick and easy to make and is great to have in the morning for breakfast along with a nice big mug of coffee!

Tiramisu Cupcakes

It's my second blogiversary!!!  I know I have been MIA for a few months but a lot has been going on.  I officially finished my second year of pharmacy school and have relocated to Medford, Oregon where I am currently completing my rotations.  It's hard to believe that in a little less than a year I will be done with school FOREVER!  In order to celebrate my blogiversary, I wanted to share this yummy Tiramisu cupcake recipe with you.  I have made these a few times over the past year but have not had a chance to post the recipe yet so here you go!

Asparagus Shrimp Pesto Gnocchi

Happy April!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and got to eat lots of yummy food.  Now that April is here it is officially crunch time for me with less than 40 days of school left before I have to move to Medford for rotations.  Since I'm a little short on time, quick recipes are going to be key this month to allow me time to study, pack, and still eat healthy.  One of my favorite springtime ingredients to cook with is Asparagus and mixed with some shrimp, gnocchi, and pesto I had a delicious meal ready in minutes.

Bacon and Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've done it again!  Last year you might recall that I made some very yummy Bacon Maple Cupcakes after being inspired by Voodoo Doughnuts Bacon Maple Bar.  This time around I decided to combine chocolate, bacon, and sea salt into a cookie for something a little savory and sweet.

Chicken Adobo

It's Friday!  I hope everyone has caught up on sleep after loosing an hour last weekend.  As the end of my in class portion of pharmacy school quickly comes to an end I am finding myself very low on time especially when it comes to cooking for myself.  This recipe was perfect because I was able to just throw everything in the crock-pot before school and come home to a fantastic meal.  If you are ever in need to a fast recipe I highly recommend trying this one out, you will not be disappointed!

Banana Muffins

What do you do when you have extremely ripe bananas?  Make banana bread of course!  Over time I have accumulated so many random cupcake liners so I decided to use some of them up and make muffins instead of banana bread.  The muffins turned out very moist and were a nice treat in the morning with my coffee.

Valentine's Day Cookie Grams

I realized that I haven't posted in awhile mainly because I have been so busy with school.  I also took on a big project for Valentine's Day that involved baking 375 sugar cookies!  Last year I joined a Pharmaceutical Fraternity on campus and I quickly became involved as our chapters Historian since I enjoyed taking pictures.  Before I knew it, I also found myself as the fundraising co-chair.  Looking for ways to raise money for charity my fraternity decided to hold a Valentine's Day Sugar Cookie Gram Sale.  Of course when the question arose of who was going to bake the cookies there was no question that I would volunteer to do it.  When the word got out that I was going to be baking the cookies, people started buying 10+ at a time.  In all we sold around 375 cookies and made a profit of $300 that is going to be donated to Doernbecher Children's Hospital.  Here are some pictures of the process!

Chicken and Dumplings

I don't know about where you live but here in the Portland area it has been FREEZING!!!  Last week, due to an inversion, we were in the 20s here while the snowboarders were enjoying temperatures in the 50s on the slopes.  School even got delayed for 4 hours due to freezing rain and ice on the roadways.  Needless to say I have been craving something warm and comforting.  I have never had chicken and dumplings but when I came across a recipe to make it using my crock-pot I decided I just had to try it.  It turned out great and was a perfect meal to warm me up during the cold nights last week.

Buttermilk Pancakes

Growing up as a kid, whenever we had pancakes in the morning, my dad was in charge of cooking them.  He was such a perfectionist (I wonder where I get it from) and always made sure that they were perfectly golden brown. We always made our pancakes using bisquick, and it wasn't until last year that I experimented with making buttermilk pancakes from scratch.  Even though I made the batter I still made my dad cook them, since I am still scarred from one of the first times I made pancakes for my boyfriend and they were raw in the middle (he still ate them though so kudos to him!)  When I was home for winter break, my parents wanted me to make my buttermilk pancakes again and this time I actually cooked them myself!  Sure there were a few choice words that flew out of my mouth when I didn't flip some of them perfectly but they turned out just fine and I'm pretty sure this was the first time ever my dad was able to sit down and enjoy them instead of being the last one to the table.

Savory Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Tartlets

The holidays have come and gone, and 2013 is underway.  I don't know about you, but I definitely indulged in many delicious things this holiday season.  When it came time to ring in the New Year, I wanted to make sure we had something yummy to nibble on while we waited for midnight to roll around.  These savory tartlets hit the spot and were pretty simple to make.