bakin' up some tasty bits.

In my search for yummy recipes, I use an amazing online resource called Tastespotting. You can view hundreds of recipes by photo, and they are all from different food blogs and websites... It's like a foodie's dream, and I am from Portland, Oregon: Land of the Foodies. Granted, I don't like mushrooms or squash or tomatoes, so I can't be a true foodie. Also, I'm a vegetarian, but I can bake all sorts of delicious desserts, like this one.
Homemade Oreos!

The pictures on there are gorgeous, but my cookies turned out crispy and flat, rather than big and fluffy- but so incredibly yummy. Also, instead of 4 tsp vanilla, I did 3 and then 1/2 tsp almond extract, I baked them for 8 minutes rather than 9 (the ones that went 9 minutes scorched a bit) and I rolled them in non pareils (instead of the red sprinkles in the recipe which are obviously optional). So pretty! (photo is from TwoHotPotatoes)

From start to finish, including cleanup, it took me two hours. I basically had to put up an electric fence around the filling and cookies so the family wouldn't eat them before I could assemble them! 

  When Dan went to the bar to see some friends, I sent a few cookies with him for Warren and Matt, but I guess another guy tagged along so they each got one and Dan gave the last cookie to the bartender who asked him for the recipe. These cookies are wonderful!

  Homemade Oreos would be perfect for tea parties (come on, you don't think tea parties in your twenties are fun?!Trust. They are.) or potlucks, since they have that fancy "Ooooh" power. They could also be an evil tool to fatten up Frenemies since they have almost three sticks of butter in them.

In other news, I have found some fancy at the local thrift store, which sells *all* shoes for $0.99 a pair ($4.99 for boots). I have spent $4.00 on four pairs of shoes this week, and they are all beautiful leather old womanly type flats. The ones I'm wearing right now are bright red, rounded pointy-toed flats by EasySpirit, and I believe Dan's grandmother has plans to swipe them when I am not looking; she has made so many comments about how much she loves/wants them. Granted, she's 76, and this doesn't say much about my style, but I saw these shoes and thought:

Queen of Fancy. Audrey Hepburn.

  So today, I am wearing them with grey skinny jeans, a flowy, scrunchy black top and a long in the front, short in the back, swoopy grey cardigan. I am also wearing a faux gold rose necklace and I went out on a limb wearing blue eyeshadow today, but I've been told it looks like a nice smoky eye. 

  Well, I think that's about it for now. Until I find some more fancy stuff, I'm out. Keep reading and I'll talk to you soon.

Cali