Cinnamon Brown Sugar Poptarts

First things first. I was going to make this post into a step-by-step. Because… Umm. I totally think you can't read and you need me to explain how to roll out dough, and spoon on a mixture of 3 ingredients. Too easy, I can't even DEAL! 

Anyways. Now that that's over with...

Awhile ago, I was thinking of things I miss… Depressing I know. Things I miss being Starbucks Gingerbread Lattes {if one of you would be every so kind as to figure out how to send me one, I'd love you forever.}, snow, walking around in town without someone coming up to me and saying "Taxi sistaaa!", the beach, Target, an oven that works, and… Poptarts. 

Growing up {heck. I'm still growing up. But ya know…} I used to eat Poptarts for breakfast all the time. The brown sugar cinnamon ones were my absolute favorite and I couldn't hold myself back from the ooey-gooey party goin' on inside. That is until I started caring about what I ate, exercising daily, ya da ya da ya da. 

Well today's recipe obviously is not a healthy one. BUT. It's totally delicious, ridiculously quick and easy, and comes together with only 5 ingredients! 

Winner, winner, cinnamon brown sugar Poptarts for dinner.

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Poptarts

recipe adapted from The Baker Chick

makes 6 large pastries

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed {or your favorite homemade pastry}

1/2 c. dark brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

4 tsp. AP flour + more for rolling out the dough

sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375ºF. On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry until thin. Cut into 12 squares and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Evenly distribute the filling onto 6 of the squares.  Place a second square of dough on top of each of the ones with filling. Pinch the edges shut with a fork and cut of excess dough. Sprinkle with sugar and slit the tops. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Banana Buttermilk Multigrain Pancakes

Boy oh boy do I have a story for you… One that scarred me for life. Ferrr realsies. 

On Wednesday, my family decided to step away from school and everything and go to a lodge about an hour away where we could spend the day at a pool, taking in the scenery, and relaxing. Sounds great right? Well… By the pool, there were dozens of baboons just walking around. And these things weren't little. They were HUMUNGO. In the words of my father, "The size of a small human." Gross right? They weren't really bugging us, UNTIL they walked by our stuff that was laying on a chair. They jumped up, started rummaging through it with their gross little hands, and ran off with 2 bananas. THEY TOOK OUR BANANAS! How could they do such a thing!

Anyways. I was totally grossed out and making some weird girly faces and noises. Hey, it's in my being. My dad was shooing them off and those stupid baboons were hissing {it actually sounded like barking} and showing their teeth. So this is where it gets crazy… As I was walking by one, getting ready to go into the pool, I stepped in onto these rocks that were in the middle. That made no sense, so let's get visual here. 

As I walked on the rock, going about my business, one of those dumb things CAME AFTER ME! Yes. I was totally attacked by a baboon. Like legit. It was on the same ROCK as me! So I flung myself into the water, because apparently they don't like to get wet. After my adrenaline slowed down, my mom noticed that I had a scratch on my upper thigh. I now have four scratches and it totally looks like its claw. Which REALLYYYYY grosses me out! Anyways. Luckily, it was only its nails. Because if it bit me, I would have had to get rabies shots and all that good stuff. And all I have to do now is put some ointment on it just to make sure it doesn't get infected or anything. 

Moral of the story: Baboons suck. And I now have an irrational fear of them. 

In other new, I made pancakes. Yesterday, I was blog-stalking Audra over at The Baker Chick. {If y'all haven't already, go check out her blog! It's so ADORABLE and her recipes totally had me drooling.} I found this yummy recipe for Mama's Multigrain Buttermilk Pancakes.  MY WORD! I knew instantly they would be my breakfast of choice the next morning. And so they were! Light, fluffy, pancakes that get some great texture due to the cornmeal, oats, and wheat flour. For some sweetness, I sliced bananas on top after they were in the pan for a couple minutes and then flipped them. The bananas got all soft and caramely and just down-right heavenly. 

Make these. NOW. 

Banana Buttermilk Multigrain Pancakes 

 slightly adapted from this recipe

1/2 cup oats 

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 cup buttermilk {1 1/2 c. milk + tsp. vinegar}

1 egg

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

butter for the pan

2 ripe bananas, sliced

Mix the dry ingredients until combined. Whisk in the buttermilk, egg and oil until well combined.

Heat your griddle/skillet over medium heat and coat the pan with butter. Using a 1/4 cup measurer, scoop batter onto heated griddle and wait for bubbles to form and pop on each pancake. Place the bananas slices on the side that is facing up. After a few minutes, lift edge slightly to make sure it's browned and then flip it. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Question of the day: Have you ever been attacked by an animal?

Weird question, I know. I think this was the first time for me other than just being jumped on my dogs. But seriously. Scariest moment of my life!

Hope you all have an awesome weekend! One that is free of baboon attacks. 

Spiced Carrot & Raisin Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

So it's getting REALLY hot here. Like REALLY hot. Like it was 93º at 10:30 this morning! And I decided to run. Which was NOT fun. 

Guys, I don't wanna talk about it. 

Running is becoming nearly impossible unless it's done before 9. And I like to run after I've done school. Which isn't until about noon at the earliest. Do the math. SO I've only run like… 3 times this week. AND I'm running with friends tomorrow morning. SO PUMPED. I got these new running/spandex/legging/capri things the other day. 

SOOO yah. I guess I do wanna talk about running. 

ANYWAYS. The amount of pumpkin recipes in my inbox every morning is becoming overwhelming. Because, people… They DON'T HAVE CANNED PUMPKIN WITHIN 8,000 MILES OF THIS PLACE. And no, I'm not exaggerating. Really, I'm not. A girl can only make SO many apple recipes. {No, we're not THAT deprived. Thank the Lord there's apples here.}

I'm missing a lot of things about the states today. Well, really, all week. I miss going Up North in MN. And seeing all the snow topped trees. And having cuddly days, laying on the huge chaise upstairs in my yogas, baggy sweatshirts, and fuzzy socks. Sipping a cup of hot apple cider and reading a good book. 

The only way I can do that HERE is if we turn on the AC and every single fan in the house. But hey. These muffins taste like fall to me. Therefore, they make me happy. 

I'm sad to say that these are secretly healthy. That is before I smothered them in that dreamy cream cheese icing. PLEASE! SOMEBODY GET ME A BATHTUB FULL OF THE STUFF! Oh and the muffins themselves are pretty dang tasty too. With tons of carrot, they get a pretty orange color, some pop from the raisins, a bit of punch from the spices, and a little added crunch from some sunflower seeds which I totally loved. 

What makes them healthy? Only four tablespoons of buttaaaaah and half a cup of sugar in the whole batch! Plus I traded out some of the AP flour with wheat flour. And they get their moistness {sorry. I hate that word too.} from greek yogurt. 

Either way. Make these muffins. And close your eyes and think of your happy place. 

Spiced Carrot & Raisin Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

Recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart

Makes about 15 medium-sized muffins

4 tbsp. butter, melted

2 eggs

3/4 c. plain greek yogurt

2 c. shredded carrots

1/2 c. sunflower seeds

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. AP flour

3/4 c. wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line and/or grease 12 muffin tins and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, egg, and yogurt. Fold in the sunflower seeds, carrots, and raisins. Stir in all the dry ingredients until combined. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. While the muffins are cooling prepare the cream cheese icing. 

Cream Cheese Icing

1/3 c. cream cheese

1 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. powdered sugar

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Once muffins are cooled, frost as desired. 

One of these muffins + cup of coffee = one stinking GLORIOUS breakfast :) 

Have a great weekend, friends!

xoxo,

Sophie

Lemon Cranberry Scones with Lemon Vanilla Glaze

These scones… are amazing. They're one of those things that you'll sit on the counter, forget to put away, and munch on all day long. Oh no, you will most definitely NOT go sit down with a cup of tea, eating one of these, and read a book like a proper person would. Instead, you my friend, will go stand at the counter, looking out the kitchen window at the sunset, and eat the puddles of glaze {aka Love Puddles} and stuff all the crumbs in your mouth as humanly possible. 

Errrr… at least that's what I did. 

 Nowadays, in good 'ol Africa, it's getting hot. And it's annoying. Not that I was planning on it being in the 50's all day. But ya knowwww…  When I made these, we had to put on every single fan on in the house. Because a) it was hot. and b) our oven was smoking before anything was even in there. WHAT. Mixing up the dough, even works up a sweat.

So. stinking. much. work.

Really though, it's worth it. These scones are perfectly moist and fluffy. Sweet, yet tart. And the GLAZE! My word to your mother. I sat at the counter eating it out of the bowl with a spoon… It's that good.

They're perfect for breakfast, snacks, tea, or brunch.

… If you must be so sophisticated.

Lemon Cranberry Scones with Lemon Vanilla Glaze
Scones:
1 3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
5 tbsp. cold butter, cut into chunks
2/3 c. buttermilk {you can just add about a capful of vinegar to regular milk}
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
3/4 c. dried cranberries

Glaze:
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. milk
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Fold in the butter with a fork until the mixture has become crumbly.

3. Add in the buttermilk, lemon juice, zest, and cranberries. Mix until smooth.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a round disc. Cut into eights and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

5. While the scones are cooling, prepare the glaze by mixing everything together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the scones.

Bon appetite! And have a happy weekend!

{no-bake} homemade fruit & nut energy bars

Awhile ago, a recipe fro homemade Cliff Bars popped in my inbox from Brown Eyed Baker and I thought to myself "Genius. Just genius." I've been looking for some new, healthier recipes for breakfasts, snacks, and pre-run fuel. 

These energy bars fit the bill. They're loaded with grains, nuts, and fruit. They'll fill ya right up, boost your energy, and cure your case of the Sweet Tooth. There's so many different variations you could come up with, my mind is spinning. 

{no-bake} homemade fruit & nut energy bars

3 tbsp. dried cranberries

3 tbsp. chopped dried apricots

3 tbsp. chopped dried kiwi

3 tbsp. chopped pitted dates

2 tbsp. pumpkin seeds

1 c. puffy rice cereal {I used the African equivalent of Rice Krispies or Cheerios}

1 1/2 c. oats

1/2 c. honey

1 mashed banana

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cereal, oats, nuts, and dried frit. Add in the honey and mashed banana. Press the mixture into a 8x8 pan lined with parchment paper. Press another piece of parchment paper on top and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Once the bars have firmed up in the refrigerator, remove from the pan, cut into squares, and wrap individually with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator. 

Olive Oil Honey Wheat Bread

Today… I am giving you a carb loaded recipe. Which, if you're on some restricting diet, you may want to kill me for. But if you're not so-said-dieter you will love my guts for ever and ever amen. 

While I have a never-ending love for carbs, I've found myself eating less of them lately. But my real carb-loving self made an appearance today and decided to make bread. 

While the thought of yeast bread may sound freaking intimidating, please. Don't be scared. It's really quite easy and is always worth the wait.

If you haven't already, I strongly suggest giving it a shot! It's a great way to spend an afternoon. :)

The smell of this bread in the oven sends of a million smell-icles of olive oil, honey, and yeast. SO STINKING GOOD. The finished product, of course, is fluffy, dense, and flavorful. 

Why yes oven… please burn the bottom of my bread. AGAIN. 

My word. 

Olive Oil Honey Wheat Bread

Recipe adapted from Yammie's Noshery 

1 cup warm water {not too hot though or you'll kill the yeast. You yeast killlaahhhh!}

2 tablespoons yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 c. honey

1 1/2 c. AP flour

1 1/2 c. wheat flour

2 teaspoons salt

In a mixing bowl, combine the water, yeast, sugar, and oil. Let sit for about 5 minutes or until the yeast has dissolved. Add in the honey. Slowly add in the flour, one cup at a time. Add in the salt. Knead by hand or with the paddle attachment of your electric mixer for about 10 minutes. In the same bowl, brush the dough with oil and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Form the dough into a log and place in a greased loaf pan. Brush with more oil. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Slice the top with a sharp bread knife or any serrated knife. Bake at 425º for about 10 minutes and then lower the heat to 350º and bake for 5-15 minutes more. Let cool before removing from pan. 

It's what's for lunch. 

Pear Tartelettes

As much as I love crazy concoctions when it comes to baking, I'd much rather have something more rustic and elegant than a snickers brownie. I mean, of COURSE chocolate is the best. But there's something I love about sliced fruit all wrapped up in a pillow of puffy pastry. 

This recipe is SO simple and requires not many ingredients at all. For the pastry, I used a sheet of puff pastry chopping off tons of prep time. And the filling is just pears and a few other things all mixed together. I LOVED how the butter and sugar kinda oozed all over and made it a little caramely and chewy on the bottom. So. Stinking. Good. 

Here's what I did… 

First roll out your puff pastry. I thawed mine in the refrigerator over night so it's all nice and easy to handle. Then cut the dough into quarters. Set those guys aside on a baking sheet. 

Now prepare the pears… this stuff takes time, but trust me- it. is. worth it. 

De-butt, de-head, and peel the pears. And then slice up those poor little naked things. 

Add the pears to a bowl and throw in some SUGAHHHH. 

And the cinnamon and lemon juice. The lemon really draws out flavor of the pears. 

Scoop the filling onto the squares of dough. 

Fold up the sides… Obviously I am no pastry chef… yet. :)

And throw on a few chunk-idy-chunks of butter and a sprinkle of sugar. 

Pop 'em in the oven and TADA!

  

Pear Tartlettes

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
5 small pears
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 c. white sugar + more for sprinkling
flour for dusting
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 375ºF. On a floured surface, thinly roll out the puff pastry. Cut into quarters and set on a baking sheet- set aside. Stem, core, and peel the pears. Cut them into small slices. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pears, sugar, and cinnamon. Spoon the mixture onto the squares of puff pastry and fold up the sides. Top with chunks of butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Cool before serving. 

Friday Things…

1.  This DOG! Oh my word. Our neighbors pug had babies and we introduced one of them to Carl. Carl has some umm… dominance issues and doesn't get along with other dogs very well. But him and his little friend have been "hanging out" every day in hopes we'd be able to adopt the puppy. Who knowsssssssssss.

2. I burnt the heck out of my poor little finger when I took that bread out of the oven… The finger blistered ANDDDDD… it has a heartbeat. *gasp*

3. With school now in full swing, the stress is beginning. Today I took two tests, didn't do so well, and had to retake them. As I sat at the computer studying Algebra and the Scientific Method, I figured I should probably eat… ya know, brain power? Carrots, Coke Zero, and cookies… Fuel.

4. Does anyone else think Facebook is totally lame? I don't care if you got a pumpkin spice latte… Or had a big bag of Twizzlers… or ate McDonald's for lunch. UGHHHH stop torturing me puhhhleeeaze.

5. Ya know Get Your Chef On hosted by White Lights on Wednesday? This round's theme is peanut butter… Oh dude. You should sign up!

6. As you can tell, I haven't done much baking this week. at all. I just haven't wanted to! But I also haven't wanted to eat the 3 Reese's I have left in my stash, so obviously I'm not feeling too good. Forgive meh!

7. I've been working on a new blog design… It's cute. feminine. a little shabby. and simple. It's flipping adorable and I can't wait to install it! I'm holding off for as long as I can because I may or may not have an obsession with changing my blog design.

8. My plan for tomorrow, you may ask? Sleep. sleep. sleep. and sleep. And maybe make bread. {Because the average teenager totally does that on their first weekend after school.} Watch Food Network. Catch some rays outside. Drink gallons of iced coffee. And read. AMEN!

What's new with you, my friends? Got any plans for the weekend?

Hugs,
Sophie

Chocolate Banana Zucchini Bread

Today… I started school. Arfffff.
We've been doing bits and pieces of work throughout the last year because we were catching up from the move.

BUT TODAY… we actually did stuff.
Like math, english, AND geography? and a bunch of other stuff? all together in ONE day?
I'm confused.

That being said, there was obviously gonna be some bakin' goin' on up in herrrrrrr.
With chocolate. DUH DUHHHHHH!

Oh yah, and I forgot to mention, it's getting like hot here. Like how you would THINK Africa is. Yah it's happening…
Which is weird because school starting and hot weather only getting hotter makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

So turning on the oven is kind of becoming not fun.
Guys, I sweat just so I can eat yummy food other than bananas and bran.

Well all you people are up to the wazoo in pumpkin spice lattes and apple pies, I'm just starting to see berries and zucchini at the store!

It's a weird world we live in… A world where banana, zucchini, and chocolate blur together into a luscious loaf.

First… You'll need to shred the zucchini. Good, fresh, green zucchini. Then set that stuff aside. You'll grab it in a bit. 

Now whisk together the yogurt, eggs, 'nilla, and sugahhhhhh! 

Mash up your bananas and mix into the yogurt/eggs mixture. 

Add in the zucchini...

Flour… Yah I pictured the wheat flour. Because I want you to think that I'm being healthy here. 

And the COCOA! Good stuff. Toss the goods into a greased loaf pan and you're ready for business!

Chocolate Banana Zucchini Bread

1 c. plain yogurt {I used Greek}

2 eggs

3/4 c. sugar

2 small bananas, mashed

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. shredded zucchini {about 2 small zucchini}

1 c. AP flour

1 c. wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9x5 in. loaf pan with cooking spray. Whisk together the yogurt, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in mashed bananas and shredded zucchini. Combine flour, baking powder, and cocoa in a large bowl. Add in the wet ingredients; stir until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake until set- about 50 minutes to an hour. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and turn onto a wire rack.