Cupcake Bouquet

Sorry about being a butt and not posting on Sunday!  I'm feeling somewhat better, but I'm really just using my blog as stress.

Anyway, I saw this post on Tumblr and was absolutely inspired.  I really wanted to do this one day, but did not have the resources.  On the day celebrating our first month together, Matt and I decided that we wanted to get crafty.  So we went to A.C. Moore, and later Wegmans, to acquire supplies with which to make a Cupcake Bouquet.  I also really wanted to make cupcakes anyway, but he took it the extra step.

Gluten-free chocolate cake mix.  More on this later.

Milk, eggs, butter, and cake mix.

Matt adding the mix to the dry ingredients.

No blog entry is complete without a picture of me eating something.  H&M beanie, AE blue tank top, pink ring that I got from Tobi

Cupcakes, cupcakes, CUPCAKES.

The cupcakes were delightful.  The cake mix had the prefect consistently.  Though, I will be honest, baking non-vegan was different for me.  I hadn't done it in a while, but thank God that this mix was so easy to use, because I would not have been able to figure out how to use eggs.  Then again, that was Matt's problem, since he was doing most of the baking.

We also bought a fancy pastry bag with tips in order to the frosting on artfully.  Matt is pretty boss at frosting, but unfortunately, we were completely winging the recipe and it got really runny and, after adding more confectioner's sugar, super tough.  You can't have all the nice things, can you?

Here we have the Matt in his natural habitat of frosting.

Close enough.  But the wrappers are cute.

Finished product and I look so happy.

Unfortunately, I got a phone call from Wegman's indicating soy lecithin in the cake mix that was not previously listed as an ingredient.  Excuse me while we bury yet another fantastic product on the long list of things I can't eat.  Lovely.

Keep it yummy,
Jo

Late Night Tom-Foodery: Chocolate Almond Spread

Happy Halloween, everyone!

My parents came up to visit on Sunday and, prior to visiting, they usually ask for a list of groceries or foodstuffs that I want.  Unfortunately, my life sucks, and most spreads have soy lecithin as an emulsifier (I will do a post next week on a chocolate cake mix that unfortunately got recalled because of the presence of soy lecithin that wasn't previously labeled.  Boo).  Since these products have more than 2% soy lecithin per volume, my parents did not want to risk buying it and making me sick.  So, I had to come up with something new.

The lovely Nicole Hunn at Gluten-Free on a Shoestring provided a recipe for bittersweet chocolate almond spread.  It seemed so easy, I just HAD to try it.  Being that I am a broke-ass college student, I had to modify the recipe a bit.  And by a bit, I mean, I just used cocoa powder and a blender because the food processor might as well had been created by this little pony:

Not just muffins, but also food processors. (Source: My Little  Brony Wikia)

The should-probably-start-paying-rent-at-my-house-but-not-really-because-he's-adorable Matt came over to do some studying and what better study-break than making yummy food that can easily be spread on toast.

Ingredients (clockwise): Raw almonds, canola oil, powdered sugar, Hershey's cocao

Toasted almonds.  YUM!

Me chopping up some almonds because the food processor is made by Derpy.

 Given the fact that we were late-night cooking, glamour was not something I really focused on.  Hence why I am in a tee shirt I got at my neighbor's art show, American Eagle pajama pants, and my hair is all disheveled.  I guess I could be one of those girls who dresses like a princess before bed, but to me that is just silly.

Blend, my almonds, BLEEEENNNNDDDDDD.

All the other ingredients added and then you wait for it to become paste.

My boyfriend being cute and mixing.  He's in his pink IFC shirt.

SPEAKING OF TOAST, my parents also bought me spelt bread to try.  According to BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery, spelt is a product that for some indiscernible reason is totally fine for people like me to consume, so I decided to give this bread a whirl.

On the left, we have the spelt bread.  On the right, we have regular white toast.   Both have been through the toaster.

Though soy flour and soy lecithin are present, it falls towards the end of the "less than two percent of the following" category of the ingredients list, and my allergy has never been that strong, so I have been eating it and so far so good.

More horrendously attractive pictures of me eating things.

So that's my foray into home-made nut butters.  Also, since it is Halloween, here is a picture of me and Matt in our couple's costume.  Enjoy!

Matt's Little Red Riding Hood and I'm the Big Bad (Were)Wolf.  I'm wearing a SpiritHood, my ripped white shirt, and Lululemon sports bra. Glamour life.

Keep it yummy (and spooky!),
Jo

P.S.: I am going to try to post something every Wednesday and Sunday.  I usually don't have much work those days and have made something at some point by then.

Bonne Journee, Montreal

The second day in Montreal was filled with walking, brunching, comfort-fooding, and pastry-eating.  I actually tried to dress myself and looked adorable in front of a stone house adjacent to a quad-park at McGill University.

Beanie from ASOS, vest from H&M, top from Banana Republic, BDG  jeans, Minnetonka booties, Ecote handbag, and the studded cuff I always wear.

We then ate at a kitschy little bistro that featured many French children's comics.  I ordered savory, buckwheat crepes and they were to die for.  Where else to get good crepes than in a province in a country that has French-speakers?

Me eating an egg, cheese, ham, and onion crepe with a side of coffee.

And then Jil, Katharine, and I wandered around the old quarter for several hours, taking pictures of random shops we found and being silly.  One of the foods I definitely wanted to eat while in Montreal was poutine (which I consistently mispronounced to say something else).  We found it at a hole-in-the-wall drunchy place, but Jil and Katharine decided to eat some eclairs and drink cappucinos while I tasted the poutine in this lovely establishment named ChocoMacaMousse.  It had some of the cutest decor and the eclairs were too good.  I actually enjoyed the poutine, but I could definitely go my entire life without eating it again.

Display case at ChocoMacaMousse

Me eating the poutine.  Sad part of it, is that it was gluten-free (even the gravy)

Then our foodie adventuring led us to a Polish restaurant, which left me a very happy Polak.  Jil had never had Polish food before in her life, so this opportunity was excellent for introducing her to some of my favorite dishes.  We got borscht and I got my favorite food: golabki.  She got fried kluski with meat (which is not gluten-free...yet!).
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Golabki: cabbage, rice, meat, and onions.  Side of mashed potatoes and tons of veggies.

And then we went out with a bang, drinking absinthe, to a Crystal Castles gig at this awesome venue called the Metropolis.  It was seriously a good show and a great way to end our trip.  We wearily rode back to America the next day.  I had a wonderful time in Canada for the weekend and I seriously want to go back there forever.

Keep it yummy,
Jo

Bonjour, Montreal!

Taken from: BRFC

Sorry I've been MIA for the passed few weeks.  This school year has been hella busy and I honestly can barely find the time think and breathe for a moment (I was taking 7 classes and 6 of them had something due in one week, for example).  But I am back to blogging (I hope)!  During a long weekend we had at school, instead of going back to my first love, New York City, I went to a new place: Montreal, Quebec.  For some completely, previously uninformed reason, I had been a lover of all things Canadian (except for Beiber and Nickleback, but we can ignore those), so I was majorly excited to see everything that Montreal had to offer me for three days.

The weather was a factor that my friends and I completely forgot to prepare for.  I just brought clothes that worked for me during the mild fall temperatures of Ithaca, NY, not realizing that Canada had actually been located some...oh, I don't know...4 to 5 hours North-ward.  As you can imagine, this caused problems.  But I still managed to layer and dress adorably while eating some of the best food ever.

The first night, I did not take an outfit photo, but we went to this lovely sushi place called Ginger.  We found it completely by accident, too, which was fine, considering everything was amazing.

Our lovely sushi plate.

Lychee sour.  Best cocktail ever.

Given the fact that all we did was explore the neighborhood we stayed in.  For dessert, we found this beautiful pastry shop called Juliette + Chocolat, which had the best brownies ever.  Has a brownie ever melted in your lips like chocolate does?  Nope, not until you've had these.  They also had a gluten-free option, which made my heart sing.

My lovely friend Katharine sitting under the sign.

Mine is the one closest to the front.  But it was so good!

The breakfast I got here two days later.  Peanut butter, banana, milk chocolate on a gluten-free crepe with a double espresso machiatto.

For clothing, I wore a leather vest from H&M, a white shirt with a blue cat on it with the words "Casse Toi" from Urban Outfitters, BDG black skinnies, Minnetonka moccasins, and my grey snood. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but after 7 hours of traveling, taking pics is the last thing you want to do.

And since this entry is so long and involved, I will write it in installments.  Part two (day two) will come out sometime before Friday (maybe even ON Friday, who knows).

Keep it yummy,
Jo

Thin Mints!

Due to the fact that Girl Scout Cookies have crack in them (not really, at least, I hope not) and wheat flour, I can't eat them.  So I was so happy that BabyCakes came out with a recipe.  And what better way to surprise someone for their birthday besides baking them cookies!  Matt's birthday was last week (I am the worst blogger; the passed two weeks have been super busy and rough) so I decided to bake him thin mints.

The recipe!

Dry ingredients

Dylan trying to do soil science over a cup of oolong tea

Wet and dry ingredients together!

Makeshift double-boiler for melting chocolate.  It worked, so whatever.

The cover of the plastic case with the thin mints.

Making these was a lot of fun.  But it took about an hour and a half because I was trying to do too many things at once and even though I have a bigger kitchen, there never seems to be enough space.  But they received rave reviews from Matt, my housemates, and Dylan.  So, I'd call it a success!

Dress from Tobi, tights from Steve Madden, boots from Steve Madden, socks from Urban Outfitters, and the hat is from H&M

Since black is associated with dark chocolate and green is associated with mint, this dress I think goes with the concept of thin mints.  I was pretty excited that it was the first day of fall weather, because I love boots and tights.  It makes me feel more stylish and creative than just wearing a dress with sandals.  Bring on the cold, Ithaca!

Keep it yummy,
Jo

Holy Crap, I Can Eat Pizza Again

The options for me to eat pizza on my campus have been ridiculously limited, as in, there is no wheat-free or gluten-free pizza.  UNTIL NOW!

Collegetown Pizza to Offer New Menu in Dryden Locale

By now, I mean, whenever CTP opens up again.  But either way, that is exciting news for everyone who is wheat-free and gluten-free, and since they have a special oven for it, cross-contamination will not be an issue.  Also, the quality of the pizza should be the same.  I'll let you know once I decide to go.

My outfit today?  I've spent most of the day in the freeze-box library called Mann.  So I wore black skinny jeans, a turquoise tank top, my BDG ankle boots, gray snood-beanie, Aerie hoodie, Urban Outfitters watch, Coach bracelet, and studded wrap-around bracelet.  I am so comfy and warm right now.

Salmon Roll-Ups

So, today I really don't feel like eating meat.  I have no idea why, but sometimes I get into these moods where it just does not appeal to me.  So today, I wrapped up salmon in cream cheese.  Not going to lie, I was a little ravenous and ate half the packet, but that's okay.  More omega-3 fatty acids for me!

Today, I also have an informal interview in a coffee shop.  Since I also had to go to bio-medical engineering lab today, I dressed functionally.  I bought a Peter Pan collar top from Free People a while back and could not figure out how to style it.  So, ladies and gentlemen, this is what I came up with:

The top looks different from the one above, but you get the idea (I hope)

Since my phone died over the weekend (moment of silence), I had to purchase a watch in order to know what time it was, is, whatever tense you want to use.  So there we go.  A simple meal and a simple, but functional, outfit.

Keep it yummy,
Jo