Summertime!

So I'm glad that I gave you the heads up back in April (was it April?!?) when I last posted that I'd be on a bit of a hiatus while all these major life changes happened. Since then I've finished my thesis, finished my job, finished my two internships, packed up my stuff in my parents' wee little Mazda, collected my boyfriend from the airport and drove my worldly goods halfway across the United States. So you may be able to understand if I've been a little AWOL. My next posts should be more along the lines of the recipe-per-post sort of thing but this one is going to be a bit more like a pictorial diary of what's happened between April and now.

THE ROADTRIP
 (in no particularly coherent order):

A visit to Taos pueblo. I haven't been back for so long; it's always really strange to sort of half-remember a place and to remember where certain streets or shops are but not the overall layout. It was a beautiful morning stop between Santa Fe and Laramie. 

Almond Date Breakfast Bars

Breakfast bars are a wonderful thing, especially when they hit that perfect spot between sweet, nutty, chewy and wholesome. There's nothing much better when you're in need of a quick snack but the clock's a tickin' and the door is beckoning.

Marie-Hélène's Apple Cake

I went home last week and, as usual, it a typical bacchanalia of food, food and more food. My mother wanted a "culinary journey" through different cuisines. So we had Thai shrimp curry, Chinese stir-fry, Italian night (pasta with prosciutto, clams in white wine), French night (chicken with a tarragon pan sauce), steak with pesto, Indian night (lamb rogan josh, shrimp curry, spicy potatoes and spinach). It was all amazing. But this apple cake was undoubtedly one of the major stars of a really great week of cooking and trying new recipes.

Rice Noodles with Chicken and Fish Sauce

If you want a lovely, lively weeknight pasta dish with great flavor and colorful representation from all the best food groups, check this recipe out. Crunchy radishes, tender poached chicken and a deliciously funky, spicy fish sauce concoction. As you know, if I hear the words "fish sauce," I come running.

Sugar Cookies for the Holidays

Here's a little bit of a Christmas throwback for ya: a glimpse into Piper's and my delightful little Christmas cookie decorating party. There is an undeniable, indescribable pleasure about cutting little adorable shapes out of cookie dough. I say, why limit the fun to Christmas? Maybe for Valentine's Day this year friends could get together for a bit of good-natured platonic-love cookie decorating. Add some red wine, An Affair to Remember...What could be better?

Blueberry Swirl Muffins

I was a woman on a mission.

Partially inspired by the big, beautifully empty Moleskine notebook I got myself for Christmas as a brand new recipe book, I've been systematically hunting down and recording all of my best recipes for posterity and for easy transport. But there was one glaring hole: a solid, delicious recipe for blueberry muffins where the blueberries tasted like blueberries and the muffin was moist and enticing. The search, good friends, is over.

New Year's Dress! The Finished Look

As promised--short, black and sparkly! My friend Meredith (far right) remarked that I looked like "a sexual ice skater." I'll take it.

Detail shots are below.