Presently

Using power tools on the weekend is a nice change of pace from my Monday through Friday cubicle.

Bread Machine Beer Bread

I like beer and I like bread, so this recipe makes all the sense in the world.  Also, when you drink beer, you want to eat bread, right (hello, pretzels)?

One other thing that links the two is that people really like to compare the carb content. 'One of these beers is the equivalent of eating an entire loaf of bread.'  We've all heard that before, right?

Personally, I couldn't care less about the carb content or how unhealthy it is or how you 'should' reduce your carb and alcohol intake.  I like bread and I like beer so I'm going to keep on eating and drinking the stuff.

This beer bread is not like this beer bread.

That beer bread is pretty easy, but this one is even easier.  This one just has one step and one tool.  Throw all of the ingredients into your bread machine and walk away.

Kaleberry Smoothie

Some twenty-somethings really enjoy shopping which is something I just can't relate to.  At all.  I hate shopping.  I get tired and sore and whiny wandering around the store, and the mall is basically my worst nightmare.

I could never even imagine a world where shopping would bring me happiness or relaxation.

All I get from shopping is dread and regret.  And hopefully at least one material item, but oftentimes even that doesn't happen since I get too frustrated and have to leave the store before things get out of hand.

Grocery shopping is a different story.

I love to wander the aisles of a grocery store and look at all of the ingredients I've never tried before.  Especially the produce aisle.

When I see a different color of kale, I'll buy it, I'll be happy about my purchase and I'll even take pictures of it.

So yeah, I guess I am the weird one.

Presently

 It's been a warm, Utah winter.

Happy Hour: Pear Vodka Smash

Last time I went to Costco, I was lured in by the pears.  I love pears and since they're really good this time of year, I wanted them.

Of course, the problem is that you can't buy just a few pears at Costco, you have to buy a dozen.  So, naturally, Austin said that I would never be able to finish them all before they went bad.

I'm happy to say that I proved him wrong!

I've been eating at least one every day.  I blended one up in a smoothie.  And my last pear that was starting to get brown, was smashed up then strained into this cocktail.

The result was perhaps my favorite fruity drink ever.

You can barely taste the vodka in this and actually I made it with 1.5 oz of vodka first, but it needed a little extra kick.  So I guess what I'm saying is that these could be dangerous.

Giant Chocolate Chunk and Chip Cookies

I only like chocolate chip cookies when they're fresh out of the oven.  After they've cooled down and hardened, I pretty much don't eat them.  (Of course, sometimes I'll munch on one despite their imperfect state...I'm not a monster!)

This doesn't mean that I don't eat a lot of cookies, this just means I binge when they're still warm and gooey.

So this recipe from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery is pretty much perfect for me.

The first reason being that they are delicious and soft and melty and just generally perfect.  The dark chocolate chunks balance out the (sometimes overly) sweet cookie dough and they melt down and ooze out while the chocolate chips maintain their shape a little better.  Texture heaven.

The second reason is that it only makes 6 cookies.  6 GIANT cookies!  I can definitely eat 6 fresh, chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven.*

*I'm kidding - each of these cookies is about the equivalent of 6 regular cookies.

Marshmallow Filled Banana Cupcakes

Not too long ago, I had a dream of opening up a bakery.  It was back before cupcake shops were on every corner and long before they were a thing of the past.

My bakery was going to only have filled cupcakes.  It was probably the best cupcake shop you've ever been too and it definitely had the tastiest cupcakes you've ever tried.

Also, they were filled.  I mean, they were filled!

So yeah.  That didn't happen.  Part of the problem was that Austin and I were never settled in one place long enough to put down entrepreneurial roots.  The other part of the problem was lack of confidence.  Risk.  Money.  Drive.

All of those things that typically get in the way of pursuing a dream.

Whoa, this blog post got kind of mopey all of the sudden and I did not mean for it to!  So, maybe down the road, I will open a bakery and even though it won't be limited to just cupcakes, it will probably have these on the menu.

I mean my mother-in-law said they were, "the best cupcakes. Ever."  Seems deserving of a spot on the menu to me.