Spring break is a thing of the past

Much like every post grad we all miss spring break as its a thing of the past now that we have "real" jobs. I was lucky enough to have a little one this year. I went back to DC for a few days. While I was there my family and I went through a few things from storage from my grandmother. Here's my vacation in pictures.

This is a piece of trench art made out of a downed plane from the war.  It was given to my grandfather from "the boys".

Buffster taking a nap by my feet

My grandmother, Eliza, holding me while looking at flowers.

Helen and Don..aww..young love.

Don visiting Santa

This is a silver stirrup cup there is another one of a fox not pictured here.

This was my grandmother's house in Buckland, MA, and I think it is one of the most beautiful houses.

Chris and I went to an amazing dinner at Founding Farmers (I HIGHLY recommend it).  I had the sword fish with mashed potatoes and mac and cheese.  It was FANTASTIC.

Mini cinni(bon)

I got this recipe from another blog, and they were delicious. They are incredibly easy and so good!

Ingredients:
1 tube pillsbury (or other brand) crescent rolls
Butter (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions:
Preheat oven to instructed temp. on tube
Open tube, and unroll dough
Pinch together the seams so it makes a rectangle
Turn over and do the same to the other side (best to use a floured surface)
Brush butter over 1 side of the dough liberally
Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a bag or bowl
Sprinkle over buttered side of the dough
Roll dough starting on the short end of the dough
Cut 3/4 inch slices and place each in a separate greased muffin tin
Bake for the amount of time it says on the tube

Glaze:
Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1-2 tablespoons cream

Instructions:
Mix ingredients completely
Using a spoon pour glaze over baked cinnabons

They are SO GOOD. And really quick.
Perfect for a Sunday brunch with a side of berries.

I promise my next post will be about something other than food!

Gotta Get That Chocolate Fix

So today I decided to make pound cake, but since most of what I make gets taken into Chris's work, I decided cake wasn't exactly easily distributable. And what's the best way to make cake into small givable pieces? CUPCAKES! So I started with the cupcakes, added a delicious cocoa almond glaze, and topped them off with dark chocolate chunks.

Cupcakes:
Ingredients:
It's a basic one, two, three, four cake, do the ingredients are super simple.
1 cup butter(unsalted)
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup milk

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350
Melt butter
Add sugar and mix completely
Add eggs, vanilla and milk to sugar and butter mixture
In separate bowl mix flour and baking powder.
Slowly add the flour to the wet mixture
Mix completely
Put cupcake liners (note: you can make a cake as well using a cake tin) in the cupcake tin
Put 1 large spoonful in each cupcake liner

Bake for approximately 15-20 mins. Be careful because the cupcake will be baked without turning the top brown. Use a fork or toothpick at the 15 min mark.

Let them cool completely.

While they cool you make the glaze.

Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Nutella (I used trader joes almond cocoa spread, but Nutella or any nutbutter would work fantastically)
3 tablespoons cream

Instructions:
Put powdered sugar into bowl
Add Nutella or spread
Add cream
Mix completely

When the cupcakes are cool, spoon (about one spoonful each) glaze onto cupcakes. Pour it right on top, it will spread nicely itself. Chop up a bar of dark chocolate and sprinkle some on top of each.

Enjoy! They are truly delicious.

Guacamole Quesadilla and a Summery Treat

I have been seriously neglectful of this blog lately, and in noticing I hadn't posted in a month (!!) I decided I'd jump back in with some yummy summer foods/treats.

Guacamole quesadilla:
I'm sure this is a thing somewhere, but for now I'm gonna pretend that I'm a culinary genius.

Ingredients:
Avocado (1/2-1 full avocado per quesadilla depending on how much you want...for me a whole one I cannot get enough avocado)
Onion
Garlic
Tomato
Lemon juice
Salt
Cheese
Tortilla
Olive oil or butter

Instructions:
Chop onion into small pieces.
Mince garlic.
Put garlic and onion in a small frying pan with a little olive oil or butter over medium heat until garlic and onions start to brown (if the onions don't brown don't worry it is more important that the garlic not burn).
Stir frequently to cook onions and garlic equally.

Place tortilla flat on a plate, and put a thin layer of cheese across half of it.
Cut the avocado in 4 strips length wise, and 4 across while it is still in the skin so that you have avocado cubes.
BEFORE REMOVING FROM SKIN pour lemon juice across the cubes and sprinkle salt over them.
Use a spoon to remove the cubes from the skin and spread them across the cheesed half of the tortilla.
Cut the tomato into small chunks and spread across the cheesed part of the tortilla.
Spread the onion/garlic in the same way.
When all of the ingredients are down spread another thin layer of cheese to help hold them in place when flipping.
Fold the tortilla over.
In a large frying pan melt a little bit of butter.
Turn stove down to medium/low heat
Transfer quesadilla to pan and let sit until first side is lightly browned.  Repeat on second side.  Cut your quesadilla and ENJOY!

And now, since summer is arriving, and it's becoming cold treat season, I wanted to share with you an amazing summery treat.

I like this because you don't need a lot to be satisfied.  Just take a small bowl or mug, put one scoop of vanilla ice-cream in the bottom, take a spoon and put a little nutella on top of the ice-cream.  I found Bueno bars in my local grocery store, but many of you won't be so lucky, so the Ferro-Rocher chocolates make a great substitute or just leave it with the nutella.

Yum!