I Made My Own Cheese!

My mind has been blown! Who knew you could make your own cheese? Or that it would be easy? This was seriously one of the highlights of my spring break. I know it probably sounds lame that I got so excited about making cheese of all things, but I found the whole process fascinating. I love making things and I love science, and this combined the two (with a very tasty result to boot!).

I have wanted to purchase this DIY cheese kit from Urban Cheesecraft on Etsy for ages, and I finally decided to do it during spring break. I got her smallest kit, Farmers' Cheese, to start with. I was very impressed. Her packaging was adorable, her instructions were clear, and her shipping was super fast! (She shipped my package the day after I ordered it!)

What's farmers' cheese? Well, according to the little booklet in my kit, it's a simple cheese that comes together in under an hour and does not require any aging. It is a flexible cheese and can turn out smooth like ricotta or firm like paneer, depending on how you make it. Farmers have made it for years as a creative use for extra milk.

My Favorite Trader Joe's Products

Trader Joe's has something of a cult following... and I am unashamedly a part of that cult. There is just something about Trader Joe's. Is it the ambiance? The cute packaging? The fun signage? Probably a combination of all of those things. Plus, they have some one-of-a-kind food. I mean, Inner Peas? Besides being one of my favorite snacks of all time, it is also a brilliantly punny name for a product.

Maybe I am letting myself become too obsessed with a grocery store, but Trader Joe's seems like more than just a grocery store. It has so much character, its more like a cute coffee shop than a Safeway. Now that I think about it, it seems wrong that it should even be in the same category as Safeway, that cold warehouse of blindingly-bright lights and freezing refrigerator aisles and cranky cashiers and gossip magazines at the checkout. Getting groceries at Trader Joe's is actually enjoyable.

For this post I decided to round up a handful of my favorite Trader Joe's products and share them on the blog! I do have to say, however, that there is so much of Trader Joe's that I haven't had the chance to check out yet simply because I eat all my meals at the dining commons and don't have to regularly cook for myself. So my favorites mostly consist of snacks and desserts and tea, but those are some of the best things in life anyway, right? Besides, next year I'll be moving into my first apartment and, for the first time in my life, will have to learn how to feed myself, which I'm actually kind of looking forward to. So I'll provide an updated version of this post after I start making meals for myself on a daily basis in order to share all of my new findings.

Printable Carrot Cake Recipe

This carrot cake is so delicious!!! I'm a sucker for carrot cake in general (and cream cheese frosting for that matter!) and this recipe makes one of the best carrot cakes I've had. Thanks to the carrots, it always comes out super moist (I know people hate that word, but in terms of cake I think it's okay!) and the crushed pineapple gives it some extra sweetness. Plus, you can totally justify seconds since it has carrots in it. (That makes it healthy, right??)

I love this recipe so much that I've actually posted it on my blog before, all the way back in June 2015. You can read that post here. It includes a video of me making the recipe. (It's so embarrassing but I'm determined not to delete any of my old posts! So... enjoy that.) The recipe itself comes from the book Teens Cook Dessert, which I got for a couple dollars at a garage sale a few years back. Score!

Anyway, Easter is coming up and I thought I'd make a simple printable of my very favorite carrot cake recipe, since carrot cake is a classic Easter dessert. You can find the printable by clicking here!

Hope you had a marvelous weekend! See you on Easter Sunday!

Chai Tea Latte Recipe

The fall season is upon us! One of my favorite things about fall and winter is enjoying warm drinks! Sure, I drink tea all through the summer, but it's even better when it's cold outside. So I'm taking advantage of this season by making this delicious chai tea latte! I always order chai tea lattes whenever I go to coffee shops (since I don't really like coffee!) and I've been wanting to try and make it at home. This recipe makes enough for three to five servings, so you can enjoy it all week!

10 Fall Baking Must-Haves

Fall officially begins this Thursday, and we all know fall is the season for baking! I love baking all year (it's one of my favorite things to do!) but somehow in the fall, it's even more fun. I've gathered up ten fall baking must-haves that I use and love whenever I step into the kitchen. I hope you find some baking inspiration!

How to Throw a British Tea Party

 

One of my all-time favorite TV shows is the Great British Bake Off on PBS. A few weeks ago, the Season 3 finale aired here in America. Before watching it, I threw a little tea party, complete with pretty tea cups, tea sandwiches, and traditional English Madeira cakes, to celebrate! It turned out to be really fun and I love how it turned out, so I thought I'd share it here!

I had the incredible opportunity to actually have tea at Harrods in London last summer and it was so fun! (See pictures from the trip here.) This tea party is decidedly less grand, but still very enjoyable.

Printable Valentine's Day Cupcake Toppers

I am super excited about today's post. I have finally figured out how to upload a PDF from Adobe Illustrator onto my blog! And that means I can make free printables! I've been experimenting a lot with Adobe Illustrator over the past month or so and I think I've finally got the hang of it (the basics, at least...). I designed these color blocked heart cupcake toppers with Adobe Illustrator. There are twelve on a sheet, perfect for a dozen cupcakes! I recommend using cardstock to print them. It's pretty self-explanatory after that: cut them out, tape them on a toothpick (with cute washi tape of course!), and stick them on cupcakes! So cute!

The way you download these is by clicking the arrow in the box icon in the top right corner. This will take you to another window, where you can download it. Happy early Valentine's Day!

Breakfast Chia Seed Pudding

Hey hey! I've noticed that there are a lot of new faces hanging around here lately, so I just want to say hi to all of you! My name is Trina and I run this blog. I post once a week every Sunday. I hope you stick around! Whether you're new here or have been here a while, feel free to comment below or send me a note via the contact form in the sidebar if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions! Or if you just want to say hi. That's cool too.

So, let's jump right into this breakfast recipe. If you're a skeptic about the whole chia seed pudding thing, don't worry, because I was, too. I had it once, hated it, and never tried it again... until now. I saw this post on Love and Lemons and was inspired to give it another go.

Holiday Linzer Cookies

Merry Christmas Eve! I'm cutting it close by posting these holiday cookies the day before Christmas! But in case you're still in need of a traditional Christmas cookie recipe (or just want to keep celebrating Christmas afterward), I've got you covered. I've made these cookies twice this season, testing out different recipes. And I believe my search has been successful. I decided on this one.

So what are linzer cookies? They are traditional Christmas cookies that originated in Linz, Austria. The cookies are made with a nut flour, then sandwiched with jelly or preserves and dusted with powdered sugar. The small cut-out in the center is traditionally a circle, but other shapes, such as stars and hearts, have also become popular. (Side note: The hearts would be so cute for Valentine's Day, especially with red jam showing through!) If you've heard of the linzer torte, it basically the same recipe, but adapted for cookies.

Gingerbread Cupcakes

So... I know I usually only post on Sundays, but I realized that I had planned out all these Christmas posts and didn't have enough Sundays left to share them all! So hello on a Tuesday! Hope you're enjoying the holidays as much as I have been. 

I've especially been loving all the holiday baking. I've made these gingerbread cupcakes twice already! They turned out so delicious! I was inspired to bake them after watching Zoella's video (who, by the way, is posting a new Christmas video EVERY DAY in the run-up to Christmas). But I wound up using this recipe instead because Zoella's recipe used grams (as they do in England) and I was unable to convert it exactly into cup measurements. 

Orange Pecan Snowball Cookies

Happy Holidays! I've been busy getting into the holiday spirit -- with blankets, cozy fires, candles, hot chocolate, and three local tree lightings! Suffice it to say, I love the holidays. And to be perfectly honest, the anticipation is like 75% of the fun! Another part of the holidays I love is baking holiday cookies. To kick it off, I made these simple orange pecan snowball cookies. I added the orange because, well, who doesn't want a little hint of orange in their cookies? You can substitute walnuts for the pecans if you'd like. These cookies are pretty flexible. They're so great for the holidays because they look festive and they taste festive -- the crunch of pecans and the sweetness of orange. Plus, the moment you sprinkle the powdered sugar on top, this dessert turns into a winter wonderland! Pile them up like a stack of snowballs! If you're taking them to a party or holiday cookie exchange, I think they'd also look really cute in mini cupcake liners, then arranged in a good ol' holiday cookie tin. And yes, I just used the word 'holiday' eight times in that paragraph. (I'm excited.) 

Cranberry-Filled White Chocolate Cookie Cups

If there's one thing I've learned from watching the Holiday Baking Championship on Food Network, it's that every kitchen disaster can be turned around. 

This started off as one such kitchen disaster. I was trying to develop my first ever cookie recipe, but in the oven, the cookies expanded so much, they almost looked like pancakes! Then, a miracle happened. They turned into something innovative, beautiful, and, more importantly, delicious!

Pear Cranberry Pie

One of my favorite things about fall is baking. During the summer, baking makes me hot, sweaty, and frustrated... and having to heat up the oven to 400°F doesn't help. But during the fall and winter, when there are clouds outside and I'm indoors with my tea, all I want to do is tie my apron on and get out the flour!

Peach Pie

Can summer please just stay forever? I haven't gotten my fill of sun and pools and flip-flops and skirts!

In an attempt to snag at the rapidly disappearing rays of summer, I decided to make this peach pie. It was actually really spontaneous. I was at a produce stand and saw the piles and piles of ripe, yellow-orange peaches and it just sort of went from there.

Healthy Blueberry Oat Muffins

Since when did muffins become a dessert?

Lemon poppy seed. Raspberry lemon-glazed. Chocolate chip. Strawberry coffee cake. Cake is using muffins as a disguise to sneak itself into our breakfasts! I mean, have you had Costco muffins? Tell me those are not small, individual cakes.

But I am bringing back the healthy muffins! If only for just this once... (I still love you, Costco muffins!) These muffins you can eat for breakfast and actually feel good about! The recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups rolled oats and a full cup of blueberries. There is no butter and only 1/4 cup of sugar. Not bad, considering what muffins have become. And these were perfect for bringing along on my camping trip. (You can see the pictures from that trip here.) Simply store them in a plastic container, seal the lid, and pack them up! If possible, make them as close as possible to your departure day. That way, they'll be fresh!

The Best Fluffy Waffles

It's summer! You know what that means...

More time for breakfast! During the school year, all I have time for is a bowl of microwavable oatmeal, and occasionally a smoothie. But now, I can make a delicious breakfast for my whole family. Bring on the waffles!

I haven't made waffles often in the past, but with the discovery of this recipe, I know that I will in the future. They are so delicious! Beating the egg whites before adding them to the waffle mix makes the waffles extra fluffy.

Video Recipe: Carrot Cake!

Once again, happy Sunday!

Today I'm going to do things a little different. Instead of sharing a written post, I'm going to share a video post! In the video below, I will show you how to make a delicious carrot cake I found in the book Teens Cook Dessert. (It's a great dessert recipe book. I recommend it even if you're not a teen...) So go ahead and click play to learn how to make this yummy cake. If you need to see the recipe in writing or the measurements for all the ingredients, I have it down below the video for you.

Enjoy!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

 

Happy Sunday! Today I would like to share with you an amazing cookie recipe! I made these last week and they were so delicious and easy. I love anything lemon. Plus, I have a lemon tree in my backyard, so I have an unlimited supply of lemons (which actually comes in handy more often than you'd think). Follow the recipe below (adapted from Cooking Classy) to make some of these yummy cookies for yourself.

My Macaron Mishap

One of the adventures I had during my spring break was trying for the first time ever to make macarons. Yep, the elusive dessert that refuses to be mastered. It wasn't perfect (hence the blog entry title), but I did it! And they were delicious. Follow the recipe below (adopted from Popsugar) to have your own macaron mishap! And don't worry if it doesn't turn out perfect!