We haven’t started decorating our house like the rest of the neighborhood (read: crazies. It’s not even December yet.), but you can always tell that my family is ready for the season by how the kitchen looks. You can’t find a space to put anything anywhere.

Here are some highlights:

I made:

Pear, apple, and bacon stuffing.
Mini pumpkin cheesecakes.
Big pumpkin cheesecake.
Oreo truffles.
Cranberry sauce.
Cube steak, spinach, and mozzarella pinwheels.

Success!

There is brown cinnamon sugar everywhere. On the floor, in the butter dish, under my fingernails.

This is a good problem to have.

In other news: Cookies seem to be my challenge. This cinnamon roll cookie only took four batches to get right. Thankfully, I have a wonderful support group, including a kitten that likes to make faces.

This is how I ended my evening. With my best friend trying to rape me with her gut. It’s mostly my fault though. I fed it too much today.

Warm. Gooey. Glazed.

The heat in both of our apartments failed, so we used the warmth of my oven for comfort. That, combined with monkey bread, was quite nice.

Tried one of my dad’s recipes with venison cube steak rolled up with spinach, mozzarella, bacon, and apple slices.

Part one of "Please stop. I can't eat anymore."

I sautéed the apple in the bacon grease with onions, garlic, and red wine. The combination was surprisingly delicious, and we threw in some asparagus.

Oh, look. Veggies!

Camille isn’t much of a meat person (apologies to her future husband), so she snacked on a whole ball of mozzarella and apple peels. At least she eats her fruits.

As if cream cheese-glazed balls of sticky cinnamon sugar dough weren’t enough, we ended our Kill Bill marathon with brownies-in-a-mug.

Such a bad idea.

Oh god, we feel sick. Just water and yogurt tomorrow. And the gym.

At least we had a kitten to give us disapproving looks the whole time.

Guinness!

Beef, bacon, and boys aside, the girls and I embraced our domestic sides the other night and baked. And baked. And baked.

Homemade Oreos with Mint Cookie Ice Cream, courtesy of Camille

The results?

Homemade ice cream sandwiches.
Lime-glazed coconut banana bread.
Vegan chocolate chip cookies.
Peach & berry iron skillet crumble.
Homemade fudge.
Not that many leftovers.

Peach & Berry Skillet Crumble

Did you know the Oxford Dictionary defines ‘revelries’ as “lively and noisy festivities, especially when these involve drinking a large amount of alcohol”? Shame on you Oxford Dictionary. We weren’t drinking that much.

Classy.

Recipes
Lime-Glazed Coconut Banana Bread

Bread:

2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
4-5 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup coconut, shaved
1/2 tablespoon lime zest

Glaze:

2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 tablespoon lime zest
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup coconut

Cream together the butter, sugar, and eggs. Add the mashed bananas, yogurt, milk, and vanilla. Slowly add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until even. Throw in the coconut, and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees in a bread loaf pan. Stir together the lime juice, zest, coconut, and the powdered sugar for the glaze. After the bread cools, smother in glaze and serve.

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Peach & Berry Skillet Crumble

5 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar
1 peach
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup raspberries

This was probably my favorite of the night. Mix together the sugar, flour, salt, butter, baking powder, lemon zest, and the milk in a 6-inch iron skillet until smooth batter forms. Add a layer of berries on top and slightly stir into the batter. Layer peach slices over the berries, and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees until batter is golden brown and the berries begin to bubble. Serve warm and preferably with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches
Courtesy of Camille

1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg

The best friend. She even brought Cheerwine to go with these ice cream sandwiches. How awesome is she? Really awesome.

Mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar together. Slowly add the butter and eggs and beat until evenly distributed. Grease a large baking sheet and scoop out spoon-sized balls of dough. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 minutes. Use two of the cookies for either side of a mint-cookie ice cream sandwich. Fantastic.

Today was one of those days.

I was in the middle of a very strange dream involving being late to class and really bushy eyebrows when my alarm went off at, oh, about 6:30. My alarm clock is really my cell phone, and I’ve had the same alarm song for years. It’s the beginning of Brand New Key by Melanie. From the 1970′s. Outdated? Yes, but I love it. Usually.

This morning, I did not love this song. I heard the familiar melody and proceeded to throw my phone across the room.

After freaking myself out (really good arm = really loud noise) and inspecting the damage (none, thankfully), I tried to walk to the kitchen for breakfast. I tripped. Twice. Over nothing. In my PJ’s. I tried to make a cup of much-needed coffee and broke our coffee machine. I’ll admit that I’m really mechanically challenged, but seriously? Open top. Pour water. Close top. Push button. Aim for cup. Coffee.

I drove out of my apartment with the E-brake on. Ouch. Sorry CRV. I promise I still love you.

I finally got to my photo shoot, where I met three cute kids. I let them take a picture of each other with my camera. They succeeded, adorably. Then it’s “Ms. Photo Lady’s” turn, and it takes me 10 minutes to get the settings right. I failed, miserably.

Today was, very much, a blah day.

What did I get right? Not much. Not much at all.

Except this:

Smooth-Over Smoothies

Ingredients

Any fruit you might have lying around. I used:

1/2 cup blueberries
1 banana
1/2 cup peach yogurt
A dash of milk

Throw in a blender and hit the right button. Try not to break the darn thing.

I’m a perfectionist. I like to have an even distribution of chocolate chips in my pancakes. Sometimes though, things just don’t work out. Sometimes you have to let go and let the chips fall where they may. Ba-da ching.

Example 1:

Not so great Melissa, not so great. This is what happens when you get lazy and let the bag do the work. I blame it on the engineers.

Example 2:

Much better.

Better Than a Foot Rub Pancakes

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat a greased griddle. Add the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl. Sift well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon juice, orange juice, vanilla, and milk. Add to the flour mixture and stir in the melted butter. I like to add the chocolate chips onto the batter once on the griddle to prevent everything from sinking to the bottom of the bowl. Cook until golden brown on each side. Beware of runaway chips.

I like to eat mine like a cake. A pancake cake, which I actually have a recipe for, but that’s for another night. Also, this makes a lot of pancakes. Enough for breakfast, dinner, and dessert, because, well, those are the best times for pancakes.

I am almost an exact copy of my mother.

Scary? Yes, but I think I’ve grown-up about it. We frequently finish each others’ sentences. And she has this odd (freaky, really) ability to read my mind, especially when I have a silly grin on my face, which makes it difficult to keep a secret when I’m around her. I’m O.K. with that, though (most of the time). It gives me someone to tell secrets to.

I'm going to get yelled at for putting a picture of her on here...

We do have our differences.  For example, eyebrows. Mine are from Dad. Also, she doesn’t like to cook…

What? I know, I know. But she doesn’t refuse to cook.  She just doesn’t enjoy it. She does, however, enjoy the simple things in life. Like her chicken salad, which she whips up occasionally. She loves this stuff, and so do I. It’s simple to make and can provide a quick lunch or dinner. I eat it by itself, but it also makes a great sandwich.

Mama’s Chicken Salad

Ingredients

1 apple, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups chicken (white or dark meat), chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons milk
Salt and pepper, to taste

Chop the apple and celery into similarly sized chunks. Pull and chop chicken (I used a in-a-bag Rotisserie, which cuts prep time drastically). Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. I like this recipe, because you can add all sorts of goodies to it: walnuts, crasins, carrots, whatever you’re craving. Except maybe chocolate cake. That would be kinda weird…

Lesson one: Fill out your Census.

Lesson two: Make the dog happy.

Lesson three: Know that more of the ‘crusted’ element of this recipe will end up all over your hands.

Yes, they’re supposed to be fishsticks. Mine came out more as nuggets, but little golden nuggets at that. While cutting and dipping and crusting these babies, there was a knock at the door. As usual, the dogs go crazy. Now whereas most people would just be annoyed, I appreciate my furry intruder alerts. They make me feel a little safer.

This is Cloe. She really likes cheese. She doesn't really like cameras.

So when Max, the knock at the door, flashes his Census Bureau badge and asks if I have time to take a quick survey, I (lovingly) shove my fish nuggets in the oven and let him in. Apparently my roommates had forgotten about this year’s Census, leaving me to guess their ages and middle initials so Max could clock out.

I think I got them wrong.

Oh well. On to the recipe:

Parmesan-Crusted Fish(sticks/nuggets)

Ingredients

1 6 oz. salmon fillet
1/2 cup flour
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 seasoned bread crumbs (I seasoned plain crumbs with garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and a bit of dried basil)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
Olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the pepper, salt, and flour. In another bowl, mix together the seasoned bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. In a third bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy.

Skin and rinse the salmon fillet. Pat dry with a paper towel and cut in half. Slice the fillet into sticks (or nuggets if you want to have more child-like fun with it). Taking each stick, dip into flour mixture for a light covering, then dip it in the egg whites. Wait for excess to drain before dipping it into the bread crumb and Parmesan mixture. Make sure each stick is evenly coated with crumbs and cheese. Arrange each stick onto a well-oiled baking sheet. Cook for 17-20 minutes, or until golden.

Who could say no to this?
One. Vegetarians. 100% chicken in there.
Two. People who don’t like rosemary. And garlic. Together in food harmony.

If you don’t fall into one of the above categories, I’ve got good news for you. Go to your herb garden. Mine consists of two red and white striped hot cocoa tins. They’re empty at the moment, seeing as I just moved into my new place. Soon they will be filled with little green herb babies. (If I call them plants, I’ll end up killing them. I don’t know how I’m going to keep up a garden, but I’ll try some day.)

Anyways. Back to your herb garden. Now, take a sprig of rosemary. Roll it between your hands a few times. What do you smell? Rosemary, of course. What else would it smell like?

Garlic and Rosemary Chicken Burgers
Adapted from Giada At Home

Ingredients

Mayonnaise
1 cup mayonnaise
2-3 sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced

Burgers
1 lb. ground chicken
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
Handful of baby spinach
4 buns

Preheat the grill (or Mr. George in my case). Mix together the mayo, rosemary, and garlic in a bowl. Grab a bigger bowl and toss in the ground chicken, salt, pepper, and 3/4 of the mayo mix. Using your hands–clean hands–combine ingredients until even. Mold 4 patties and place them on the grill. Cook for 7 minutes on each side.

Spread the remaining mayo on one side (or both sides) of the burger buns. Serve with a few leaves of baby spinach on top.

The end result.