mini-snack while almost burning my room

I was working on Friday, when I realized that I had to go grocery shopping the next day and had no idea what I was going to make this upcoming week. I also realized that I needed to get on my shit because I am behind on this thing, as said before, and needed a good week plan.
So, in the middle of work, when there was a lull-gap time, I scrolled through FoodGawker and Yummly and found a recipe for caprese said that I could totally do in my basic kitchen.
It was also create a miniature size dish on Food52 blog and I was determined to make a cappers salad mini size in hopes of being inter web famous on Food52.
I'm still waiting...

But in the meantime, I made candied bacon in my microwave and burnt some brown sugar and maple syrup on my bacon sheet. Oops.
On the bright side, I didn't set my fire alarm off. That would have been embarrassing.

Mini Caprese Salad with candied bacon
2 strips of bacon- chopped into pieces
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
Maple Syrup
Tomato
Basil
Mozzarella Cheese

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and maple syrup. Take two strips of bacon and cut them into pieces. Take the small pieces and coat them in the brown sugar and maple syrup. Place coated bacon on a bacon sheet or plate, cover with a paper towel/napkin and microwave for 2 minutes or more depending on your microwave.
While bacon is cooking, cut tomato into 3 slices and cut the slices and chop them into squares.
Cut mozzarella cheese into little cubes.
Take pieces of basil.

*Note: I didn't have toothpicks for this, so I had to strategically balance the tomato, mozzarella, bacon and basil.
Take tomato cube, place the bacon on top, then the mozzarella cube and then the basil all with a steady hand.
I'm very proud of these mini caprese salad and I danced in joy of how delicious they were.
Make them, eat them, and do a dance of joy with them.

swedish flashback

For those joining me in this blog and getting to know me, there is one thing you should know about me and remember me by other than my food.
Last year, 2013-2014, I studied abroad in Uppsala, Sweden for the whole academic year. There I immersed myself into a culture I knew nothing about, I met the greatest Swedes you will ever meet and I baked and ate a lot of food and drank a lot of coffee.
It was an experience, that I will never forget, which I know sounds cliche but when you have lived outside your element or outside your home state for more than six months, you don't forget it.
I learned a lot about myself, what I wanted to do with my life, about Sweden and Swedish food.
Turns out that Sweden as their own kinds of food that I had no idea about, it was kind of like a secret society of pastries that I came upon and I was brought too.
Kanelbulle, semlor, princesstårta, chokladbullar, paj, etc.
Ugh, my mouth is drooling just thinking of all the beautiful desserts in the cafes. Makes me wish I was there in the sunny Swedish sun, sitting on the edge of the bridge by the river stuffing my face with a kanelbulle and an iced coffee.
Instead I'm in the sunny California sun not near a river or a bridge and instead of stuffing my face, I made chokladbullar in my basic kitchen.
Chokladbullar in English is chocolate balls in case you were wondering, which I'm sure you were.
These little chocolate balls were everywhere in the cafes in Uppsala. You could not go into a cafe and NOT see a chokladbullar.


Swedish Chocolate Balls or Chokladbullar
1 stick of butter (room temperature)
2 1/2 cups of rolled oats
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp strong coffee (cold)
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
Coconut flakes, or Pearl Sugar or white chocolate shavings

Mix butter, sugar and coffee together and then add oats, vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Make sure butter is mixed in well. The batter should be easy to roll, but if it is still gooey add in more oats. Roll batter into balls and cover them in coconut flakes or pearl sugar or white chocolate shavings.
Place the chocolate balls in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight

Also note the repetitive use of "chocolate balls" because if I were to eliminate the word chocolate from it, all my friends would not be taking this blog seriously and laugh throughout this entire post. 

I have really mature friends.

granola on point

My granola game last night was on point ::insert hand emoji here:.
After eating bagel breakfast sandwich and then a delicious burrito from Oliver's I was in an intense food coma. Like intense that I wanted to lay on my un-vaccumed floor and take a nap, but I was working that night and had to stay up so instead of taking a nap on my disgusting floor or putting my stomach through two cups of coffee along with the bagel and burrito, I made myself this granola snack with cucumber water.
I felt healthy and proud and was a little more awake than two cups of coffee would have done. At least that's what I tell myself as I'm trying to cut down from three cups of  coffee a day to two or one cup(s) a day.

On-point Granola
1 banana, chopped
Apple-Cinnamon Granola (or whatever flavor granola you have)
handful of dried blueberries
handful of almonds
handful of chocolate chips
Honey

Placed chopped bananas in a bowl. Sprinkle granola, dried blueberries, almonds, and chocolate chips. Drizzle it with honey and mix all components well.

Eat and feel healthy.
I mean that is the point of this blog is to make stuff without a kitchen and eat healthy.

big girl shopping

Each week I go grocery shopping, my one goal is to make sure that I am eating healthy to show that even without a kitchen one can eat healthy and not put Top Ramen or Kraft Mac n Cheese in their mouths.
Each week I go to Oliver's with $35 in my budget making sure to not go over it.
Note: I have only gone over twice since starting this challenge. The first time I was over by $1.45 and the next time I was over $0.90.
I'm pretty proud of myself for doing that.
Like how proud I was this week for buying healthy, fresh produce and other necessities and only being $3 under.
So proud.

March 28th's Shopping List
Lactose Free Milk- $2.69
Mozzarella Cheese- $3.79
1 can of Kidney Beans- $0.99
Eggs (half of a dozen)- $1.89
Flax Seed (0.31 lb)- $0.74
Almonds- $6.79
Cream Cheese- $2.89
Cookie Dough (chocolate chip, cranberry kind)- $3.49
2 Avocados- $3.18
1 Cucumber- $0.49
*what I thought was basil, but actually watercress* #gome- $2.99
1 large tomato- $1.55
1 large red onion- $0.69

Total: $32.17

Ugh, so proud.
And I even bought flax seed. Just imagine, a 21 year old in shorts, sandals and a Vagina Monologues t-shirt and a messy bun buying flax seed like a grown up.
I do have a recipe for flax seed so that will not go to waste like my stale bread, I promise the flax seed will be in use and I will inspire all college students to buy flax seed and make them feel like grown-ups in a grown up world.
I mean even saying the word "flax seed" just makes me sound like a hipster grown-up, doesn't it?

the one I procrastinated on

Since March has been my busy month, my cooking life in my basic kitchen has come to a halt, which means that I'm behind on this project, which is not good.
In the beginning of the semester, when proposing this blog, I told my teacher that I would reach 100 posts with 1,000 viewers.
I don't know what was going through my head at this time, but this goal might not happen. With two jobs and 16 units, what the hell was I thinking?
With having a blog last year when I was abroad I hit 104 posts on my blog, so I thought if I could do it last year I could do it this year.
But then again, I did not have two jobs or 16 units, I had a weekly job and 15 units and a crap ton a free time.
I still don't know how I'm going to reach it all.
I mean I could, if I spend all day in my kitchen just cooking and cooking and cooking non-stop and never buying food I would hit 100 posts, but like I said before, two jobs and 16 units and I'm graduating in May.
So for now I will be doing the best I can, blogging and posting, so if you see a plethora of Instagram posts of my food, I'm not being annoying, I'm trying to get an A.
This also means that the big challenges that I have procrastinated this whole semester will be overcome.
The example of how much I have procrastinated on this particular big challenge can be shown in one of my favorite movies Julie & Julia. If you have not seen it, exit out of this blog, go to Target and buy it or find it online and watch it and then come back to this blog. PLEASE. It is one of my favorites and it will make the rest of this blog make so much more sense if you do watch it.
If that doesn't persuade you, then let this:
Meryl Streep is in it.
If that doesn't persuade you then we can't be friends anymore. I'm sorry, we just can't.
Anyway.....
Throughout the film, Julie Powell (Amy Adams) is procrastinating on making a duck because it is difficult and doesn't make it until the very last day of her Julia Child challenge. It is mentioned throughout the film multiple times and when it comes to the last day and last recipe, she confronts the duck with a huge knife and cooks it perfectly.
This was me this morning but not with a duck and big knife. It was with two eggs and a fork.
I have been told that I could make eggs in a microwave for this blog. I knew it was possible as I used to do it when I was little when I left alone in the house. My mother had a little plastic contraption that you could crack eggs in it, close and seal it and it would make poached eggs. It was easy and edible and I never got sick.
Without that contraption, I had no idea if making eggs in the microwave would be safe to eat or even edible. People kept telling, "It's totally find if you make scrambled eggs in the microwave."
"You should make eggs!"
I just smiled and nodded each time I heard someone say that, but secretly I was terrified.
Was it worth the A to make myself sick off of something I made? Would I even be brave enough to admit that I got sick off of eggs cooked in the microwave? Would people trust me and this blog knowing that I got sick off eggs cooked in the microwave? Would people even eat my food knowing I  got sick off my own cooking?
I got over the Carrie Bradshaw like questions in my head and faced the challenge this morning when I was craving a breakfast sandwich but didn't want to leave my room.
It was decided I would face the eggs like Julie Powell faced the duck. I would just have to breathe and take it like a women and if I got sick, then I got sick. People get sick off of their own food sometimes, I hope.....
So this morning at 10:30AM, I started my Egg Challenge and made scrambled eggs in the microwave.

Bagel Breakfast Sandwich
1 bagel (flavor of your choice but I used plain)
3 strips of bacon
2 eggs
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon of milk
Handful of cheese

Cut bagel in half and toast it (or not if you don't have a toaster).
Take bacon sheet or plate and place bacon on the sheet/place and cover with a paper towel or napkin.
Microwave for 3 minutes or more depending on your liking of cooked bacon.
While bacon is cooking, take 2 eggs and whisk them well in a bowl for about 45 seconds. Add in salt, pepper, milk and cheese (or what ever else you put in your eggs).
Whisk all components together well.
Once bacon is done cooking, take out and place scrambled egg mixture in the microwave. Microwave for 45 second intervals stirring each interval.
As eggs are cooking, take bacon and cut it into strips. Then take the bagel and place bacon strips on each side.
Once eggs are done, place eggs on each side and put the bagel sandwich together.
Brew some coffee, put on some 30 Rock, take a picture and Instagram the shit out of this.

It has been almost 12 hours since eating this sandwich and I have not gotten sick yet.

I'm extremely proud of this like Julie Powell was when she conquered the duck. Except I wasn't wearing a pearl necklace and a cute outfit and having "Danny Castellano"'s face to stare at from across the table.

Nope. 

I was in my pajamas with no pearl necklace, staring at Tina Fey's face from my laptop still secretly wishing I was her. 

Hi Tina.

are you bready for this?

The past few weeks when I have been grocery shopping and filling my pantry and fridge with food making me happy each week, I tend to forget the food that I had bought earlier. I also think I will use them in the future but then they end up hiding in the back of my fridge or pantry.
That is what happened to my baguette.
I had bought the baguette for my recipe of toasted bread with avocado and tomatoes in which I had twice in one day. I had thought I would eat this recipe every day but then my avocados went bad and I had to throw them out and then I forgot with school, work, a performance and a trip to plan. I even forgot I had tomatoes with me and my baguette just sat in the back of my pantry.
Until two nights ago when I craved bread pudding. I'm not sure why. I never eat bread pudding and have only had it twice in my life. Bread pudding wasn't a thing in my family, it wasn't a staple dessert in our family get togethers nor was it ever really mentioned.
So the fact that I craved it on a Thursday night struck me as odd, but then again, I was in a really good mood that Thursday.
My senior seminar class got out an hour early and canceled for next week, which means my Thursdays won't be as crammed as usual and my night class got out an hour and a half early instead of the full 5-8:40PM. Also I had a substitute teacher in my class, which is a first in my college career.
Have you ever had a substitute teacher in college? I have and it was a weird experience.
Not as weird as this bread pudding though. This was a magical experience.
I got to utilize my stale bread into good use instead of wasting food and throwing it away.

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding in a Mug
1 cup of stale bread torn into pieces
1 egg
3 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of milk
1-2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of chocolate chips
Dash of cinnamon

Tear up pieces of stale bread. If bread is too stale, like mine, microwave it for about 15-30 seconds to get it to soften a little.
In a small bowl mix in egg, sugar, milk and butter and mix well. Pour mixture over bread and stir well making sure bread pieces are coated with the mixture.
Microwave for two minutes, eat and be happy that it's Thursday and there is no class on Friday, and I can sleep in.

hungry like a koala

The title is play-off of the Duran Duran song "Hungry Like a Wolf" in which I sing in my head when I'm hangry every once in a while. On Wednesday after not eating a full meal until 12PM and getting out of class at 8:30PM, I was hungry like a wolf, but didn't feel like one because I didn't sink my teeth into red meat or eat an insane amount of food. Also I don't really identify as a wolf, more like a koala, as the title states. Koalas eat and sleep all day long with no judgement from the public. Koalas are my spirit animal.
So me and my koala spirit animal ate this salad out of extreme hunger.

Spinach, Avocado, Cilantro Salad
a handful of spinach
1/2 of an avocado
1 pinch of cilantro
a handful of dried blueberries
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinaigrette

Place spinach in a large bowl. Take avocado and slice it into cubes and mix it with the spinach. Mix in cilantro and dried blueberries. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette and mix salad well.

Take in every bite. The sweet and savory of the spinach and dried blueberries. The little surprise of the cilantro makes the salad a GAMECHANGER.
Who thought cilantro would be so delicious in a salad?
Take my word, I wanted to be my koala spirit animal as I ate this in my bed and almost fell asleep eating these greens.

granola lyfe

Since my week back from Alt. Break (yes this is the third time I have mentioned this, and no I will not be stopping) I have tried to eat healthier, organically and locally.
So far I have had one bowl of granola, a handful of strawberries every day, two spinach salads every day, four pieces of pizza, onion rings, egg rolls, orange chicken, four beers and half of a plate of nachos all in one week.
At least I started the week with a bowl of granola.
But I'm trying ya'll, I'm really really trying. I've bought fresh spinach from the store, not packaged, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, fresh eggs, almonds, and flax seeds.
I'm 21 years old and I bought flax seeds, I'm growing up and really trying.
Like in the beginning of the week when I ate this granola to try to be healthy.

Granola
1 cup of granola
1 banana, chopped
1/3 cup of dried blueberries
1/3 cup of chocolate chips
Honey

Mix granola, chopped banana, dried blueberries, chocolate chips into a large bowl. Drizzle with honey and mix well.

Eat knowing that you are trying to be healthy. 

I mean at least I tried and I could always start over next week, I hope. 

post-sprang break

When I just spent a spring break farming and gardening with little to no rest for the whole week, I decided it was best to treat myself.

That Sunday, I went to brunch at my new favorite place, The Naked Pig and ordered and Eggs Benedict, then went grocery shopping because I desperately needed food, bought myself an Oliver's sandwich because that is my weakness in life and then craved something sweet.
Sweet as in my dentist would cringe at the sight of this and the thought that I would put this in my mouth.
Sweet as in I had just eaten a garlic filled sandwich from Oliver's and my breath was stank.
Sweet as in I deserved to have something sweet and dessert-y after eating savory meals for a week.
Sweet as in Nutella and oatmeal all cooked in a mug.
Sweet as can be.

Nutella Oatmeal Cake in a Mug
3 tablespoons of milk
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of sugar
3 tablespoons of flour
1 1/2 tablespoons of oats
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
1 tablespoon of Nutella

In a mug, mix together milk, olive oil and sugar. Mix in flour until mixture is smooth, then mix in the oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
Place Nutella in middle of mixture so it is submerged in the cake batter.
Microwave for 30-45 seconds depending on your microwave.
Eat and enjoy and be as sweet as the cake in your mug.

let me tell you about my sprang break

The title says it all, I'm just talk about my spring break in the next couple of posts, because it is related to food and all things food related.

Background story first:
I am, well now was, an Alternative Spring Break Trip Leader this past week, leading a group of participants throughout the Bay Area to discuss food justice and food deserts.
Wow. Hold on. Let's rewind and start from the beginning.
Alternative Spring Break is a program within the community service organization at my university and through multiple universities where students can chose to spend their spring break volunteering focusing on social justice issues occurring in America.

Food justice is the movement that provides healthy and nutritious food to low-income areas or food deserts.
Food deserts are areas that lack access to healthy and nutritious food. Access can be transportation, not having a car or a bike, money, not being able to afford healthy food and knowledge, not knowing what is healthy and what isn't.
The trip was in the Bay Area, because it was local and close to campus and there are food deserts and multiple places within the Bay Area that have low-income areas and felt that it was necessary to show participants that a social justice issue was occurring 45 minutes to an hour away.

So for the past week, my group, the other trip leader and 8 other participants traveled all over the Bay Area learning about food justice and spending our days in the warm sun working in the gardens and getting the most sexiest farmers tan you have ever seen.

Like sexy, in that I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a boy with this farmers tan, when I start wearing tank tops in a few weeks.

I can't tell you all about it, not because it's a secret, but it would make this blog post incredibly long and detailed and would take me until the end of the semester to finish and that can't happen.
So instead I will give you a list of places I went to along with pictures that I took and some blurbs here and there.

Oh, the Places I went
UC Santa Cruz Garden- Santa Cruz

Homeless Garden Project- Santa Cruz- Here they provide jobs in the garden to those experiencing homelessness and help them get through addiction, mental health issues etc through gardening.

Alemany Farm- San Francisco

People's Grocery- West Oakland

BLURB TIME:
After our time at People's Grocery, we gave our group the challenge to make a meal for five people from $7. 
They looked at my trip leader partner and I like we were crazy.
Yes, we were a little crazy, but smart crazy. We knew this would work, it would have to work. It kind of had to work because it was their dinner.
We split the group into two and sent them to the closest Safeway, which was in Emeryville as West Oakland does not have grocery stores and started. 
The rules were no pre-packaged food and no pre-cooked food and it has to be healthy.
Standing in the middle of the produce aisle, my group and I realized that vegetables are expensive on a really tight budget. 
What we bought:
spaghetti
one squash
one broccoli
one bell pepper
Parmesan cheese 
Total: $5.77
The other team:
Brown rice 
tomato
poblano peppers
one onion
small batch of potatoes
Total $5.97
The result, two delicious meals and full stomachs. Being on a tight budget can be done and making a meal for five people on $7 can work.

Above picture: Spaghetti with squash, pepper and broccoli with fresh salad given to us from a farm and toasted bread roll donated from the church.

How to Cook $7 Spaghetti

Boil 2 cups of water and sprinkle in some salt and wait until water is bubbly. Once bubbly, place spaghetti in the water and cook as said on the box.

While spaghetti is cooking, chop squash, broccoli and bell pepper and place on cookie sheet and place them in the oven at 350F for 15 minutes.

Drain spaghetti was done and add in vegetables, toast buns and spread butter and add in a tossed salad.

Below picture: Brown fried rice with eggs donated from the farm, tomato, poblano peppers, onion and roasted potatoes with fresh salad.

$7 din for the win.

(I can't teach you how to cook this one because I wasn't in the kitchen when it was made, I apologize. Ask my friend and fellow trip leader Nina if you're ever so curious)

Alameda County Food Bank- Alameda

To explain my experience at Alameda Food Bank this video of Lucille Ball accurately depicts it, but instead of chocolate I was dealing with oranges.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPzLBSBzPI&spfreload=10

UC Berkeley Food Pantry- A student food pantry that provides food to students and student parents.

Edible Schoolyard- Berkeley

Okay now this place is the bees knees of elementary schools. It has a one acre garden filled with fruits, vegetables, herbs, chickens, compost, pizza grill and a gazebo. The garden is part of the school's curriculum and has students learn about the food choices in their lifestyle, incorporates science life (i.e. plant life) into the garden curriculum and after students are taught in the kitchen area of the garden where they learn how to cook the food that is in the garden and bring it to their families.

To my elementary school: Why the hell didn't we have a garden like this back in the day? I would have probably loved science and gotten a better grade in it.

Like I would have loved to have the Periodic Table of Vegetables in my classroom not the other type of Periodic Table with all the big words.

This place was the bees knees of all elementary schools. 

Props to Alice Waters for founding this and incorporating this into the school curriculum.

Edible Schoolyards are not only in Berkeley but all over the nation. Look it up.

City Slickers- Oakland

A garden located in Oakland right next to Emeryville. The man working there at the time, Joseph, is a smart dude with a meticulous way of planting vegetables so that they come out perfect and beautiful for their farm stand to those in West Oakland.

Go Jo'. 

Peace. Love. Eat Chard.

Berkeley Student Food Collective- Berkeley

The Berkeley Student Food Collective was started when a Panda Express was to be put in across the street from UC Berkeley. Not wanting to have a Panda Express, students protest against it and requested a place to have healthy food affordable for students, thus the Student Food Collective was born. 

I felt like I was in the Food Justice of Disneyland, this place was amazing. I bought myself Stumptown Coffee in a small carton to dedicate my Portland days Freshman year and amazing Apple Cinnamon Granola that I brought to my work the next week and ate it straight out of the bag.

Slide Ranch- Marin County

Going along Highway 1 was breathtaking and beautiful and Slide Ranch next to the ocean wasn't bad either. It was totes' mah goats, sheeply beautiful and only one part of it chickened me out.

This is Muir Woods in Mill Valley. It's cool place filled with redwood trees and hikes.

Who knew that trees could be so awesome?

Petaluma Bounty- Petaluma

Located 15 minutes away from my campus, Petaluma Bounty focuses on growing fresh vegetables and fruits in a sustainable way and sells them on their farm stand so residents of Petaluma can get access to fresh and healthy food.

Peace out Alt. Breaks. Thanks for the inspiration and the inspiration to write this blog.

Food Justice all the way.

Thus ending my spring break post and my rant about Food Justice. 

Read all about it, educate yourself on it and eat all about it.

Peace. Love. Food Justice. 

Cake

This isn't a review on the newest Jennifer Aniston movie, although I do want to see it. This is a post on how I made an almond cake in a mug because I had almond milk in my fridge and was wondering what I should do with it as baking with almond milk is quite difficult to do. The idea of almond cake in a mug came to my head and I made it, but it came out spongey than I anticipated.
So instead of giving you the spongey cake version and to spare you the experience of eating spongey cake, here is a recipe that I found, in hopes that the result won't be a spongey cake.

Almond Cake with Raspberry Jam Topping
1 tablespoon of butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of almond milk
5 tablespoons of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 spoonful of raspberry jam or any other flavored jam in your fridge

Melt butter in microwave for about 10-20 seconds in a small bowl.
 In a small mug, mix, in order, egg, honey, milk flour and baking powder and then melted butter.
Mix well getting all the ingredients incorporated.
Microwave for one minute or one minute and thirty seconds depending on your microwave.
Top with flavored jam and eat and watch Netflix or eat in bed, or eat and watch TV, or just eat and enjoy whatever your liking may be.

from farm to table

I had a week hiatus from being in my Basic Kitchen. With a spring break trip to plan (which will be mentioned earlier) and midterms coming and going, and performing in the Vagina Monologues, my cooking has been stopped, but it doesn't mean my love for food has.
Two weeks ago, (I know I'm behind) I took my mom out to brunch in Santa Rosa and found this cafe that looked like a pop up tent. Called, The Naked Pig from farm to table, the cafe served food that was grown within Sonoma County and was fresh and organic. Leading an Alternative Spring Break trip on Food Justice, it was perfect.
I ordered a Waffle Bacon with Santa Rosa wild flower honey with an egg on the side along with some  well-roasted coffee and cream and almost died in this cafe.

I went here again this past Sunday and had their Eggs Benni with lemon hollandaise sauce and I almost died again, in the cafe, in front of my friends, in public.

It was that good.

If you are in the Sonoma County area, or in the Bay Area, go to this cafe, it's worth the weight. Savor every bite, moan and groan as much as you can and not care if the people next to you are hard core judging. They probably don't appreciate food as much as I do.

national food spread day

On March 4th, I read on Food52's Instagram that it was National Peanut Butter Day and so to honor this day and hopefully get posted on Food52's Instagram. I made this almond butter (because I don't own peanut butter in my house) with my newest obsession of pistachios and cranberries. (Like my obsession with cran-stachios is really bad, they're like potato chips, I can't just have one).

Almond Butter, Pistachios & Dried Cranberries
2 slices of bread
Peanut butter/almond butter
pistachios
dried cranberries

Toast the sliced bread to your liking. Once done, spread peanut butter/almond butter on each side. Sprinkle pistachios and dried cranberries. Eat and be merry because it's national peanut butter day.

It's delicious trust me, sweet, salty and nutty. Ugh, I'm drooling right now.

If cran-stachios aren't your thing or not in your pantry, here is what you can do with peanut butter to pizzaz your toast and celebrate National Peanut Butter next year.

Don't judge my phone battery.

Also, in my opinion, Peanut Butter and pickles are not toat's my goats. I think it's because I don't like pickles. And peanut butter and butter is too much butter, like Paula Deen status butter.

But I would recommend, Peanut Butter and Nutella because it is the bees knees and Nutella is good on everything. Not biased or anything. 

london (fog) calling

The day of the flip-flop weather and the 20 minute storm, I read an article on Tasting Table about a drink called the "London Fog". Reading the ingredients and what it's supposed to taste like, had me intrigued and had me expanding my budget so that I could buy Earl Grey Tea.

Originated in Vancouver, Canada, the London Fog Tea is a mixture of milk, Earl Grey Tea and Vanilla Extract all combined and heated to taste like a marshmallow.
I was hooked. I wanted to taste a liquid marshmallow and see if the Internet was right.

So Saturday night while I was working and watching the end of Parks & Recreation, I made this drink, trying my best not to cry in it, as I watched the series finale of Parks & Recreation and ruin the marshmallow taste with my salty tears.

London Fog
1 Cup of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tea bag of Earl Grey tea

Take cup of milk and pour it in a microwave safe mug. Microwave high for about 1 minute 30 seconds or 2 minutes. Once done, put vanilla extract in and place tea bag in the milk/vanilla mixture and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Drink.

The Internet was right, it tastes like a fuckin' marshmallow. I had to pause Parks & Recreation because it blew my mind away on how it tastes like a fuckin' marshmallow.
I wanted to bathe in this liquid marshmallow, it was that good. I told my co-worker about this drink, I ordered this drink at the school cafe and caused a confusion with all the baristas but it was so worth it. I gave this drink to my friend Brandon on his first day of work and he was blown away and chugged it like a little kid. He was blown away by this drink.
Buy milk, get vanilla extract and buy the earl grey tea. Follow the directions above and experience the liquid marshmallow and let everyone know about this drink.
Like everyone.

You're fuckin welcome.

spontaneous sandwich

The weather has flipped-flopped in California.
What was once sunny Southern California, a region no lower than 65 degrees is now hailing and apparently snowing. And Northern California, home of Karl the Fog and the four seasons is now 65 degrees and above.
Until Saturday afternoon around 1 o'clock when it decided to downpour, thunder and lightening for 20 minutes.
I kid you not. 20 fuckin minutes.
I stepped outstide ready to hop on my bike with my purse and grocery list ready and it was pouring.
I looked up at the sky and it was sunny with clouds and I was so confused.
I seriously thought for a second that I had done something and I made it rain specifically over my building.
I didn't, the weather was just confused and so was I.
With only a bike and car-less and not being able to go to the grocery store, I made myself a sandwich in my basic kitchen.

Bacon, Spinach, Tomato, Avocado Sandwich
2 slices of bread
3 slices of bacon
Handful of Spinach
1/2 of a tomato
1/2 of an avocado
Pistachios & Cranberries if you have them or chips if you have them too

Lay slices of bacon on a microwavable bacon sheet. Cover with a paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes or to your liking.
While bacon is microwaving, toast two slices of bread.  Cut tomato in half into slices then cut the avocado into slices.
Once toast is toasted, lay flat on a plate and place the spinach, tomato and avocado and cooked bacon. Squeeze in some pistachios/cranberries or chips in between the sandwich.
Sit and watch Netflix while waiting for the rain to pass by.

The rain stopped and it was super sunny like it never happened. I ended up biking to Oliver's because I needed groceries and a sandwich for surviving the mini-thunder and lightening storm.

Treat yo' self.

words on pictures

In this technological world, smartphones and Netflix are slowing taking over my world. Apps are blowing up on my iPhone and sometimes I ask myself "Are these necessary?" and yes they are necessary because I'm an app hoarder and find excuses for having those apps when in reality, I don't use them for months.
I downloaded one app for my internship and have become obsessed over it. Like obsessed where I use it for my personal photos not just for my internship. Like I'm using it for my photos of my food for this blog, it's become that obsessive.
Like when I made my snack before my long class, consisting of  dried cranberries, pistachios and avocados in my mason jar. The creation looked like a big green blob so I felt like I had to add some pizzaz so it wouldn't look unappealing so I used the app to add the pizzaz to my green glob of deliciousness.


Avocado, Pistachio & Dried Cranberries Mixture
1 8oz. mason jar
2 tbs. of dried cranberries
2 tbs. of unshelled pistachios
1/2 avocado

Slice avocado into slices and place into mason jar slightly smashed. Add cranberries and pistachios and mix. Seal and bring to class as a munchie.

See the "Basic Kitchen" logo? I did that.

I'm proud, it's an accomplishment and my snack doesn't look like a giant green blob. At least that's what I think.

the big one

The past few posts have been about toasts, salads, and desserts in a mug. Simple and easy. But not challenging for my microwave nor my basic kitchen.
I needed something big to show that toasts, salads, and desserts in mugs aren't the only thing that I can make in a microwave and aren't the things to live off of during the time you don't have a kitchen.
So I saw this recipe on FoodGawker:

I thought "I could tots do this, minus the cauliflower." I've had bad experiences with cauliflower, don't ask, I just have. So in substitute for cauliflower rice, I used white rice, to ease my stomach and my wallet.

But the question is, how does one cook rice without a stove?  Can one cook rice without a stove?

I asked these questions for days. When I screen shotted this, on the bike ride to the grocery store at the grocery store, at the check out line and when I was unpacking my groceries. The question haunted me. I spent $2.99 on a bag of white rice and I had no idea how to cook it. Ugh, what have I just done. 

For days, the bag of rice just sat in my pantry untouched. When I went to get granola, it sat there, its white color shining in my pantry. I put it behind my bags of flour and sugar...but still it haunted me. 

It wasn't until last Tuesday when I was in my room and too lazy to leave my room and eat dinner with my co-workers. I opened my pantry to get dried cranberries and pistachios and I saw it. The small rice bag just sitting there, uncooked. 

"Ugh okay fine! I'll do it! I'll cook it!" 

So then I googled how to cook rice in the microwave and made this meal below.

Rice bowl with avocado, chicken and black beans

1 cup of rice

2 cups of water

1/2 avocado

pre-cooked chicken, sliced

1/2 can of black beans

Place 1 cup of rice in a microwave safe bowl and add 2 cups of water to the rice. Microwave 12- 15 minutes or until rice soaks up the water. 

As the rice is cooking, take can of black beans and drain half the beans. Take one avocado and cut it in slices. Take out slices of pre-cooked chicken.

Once rice is done, mix it around well. Add in slices of avocado, beans and chicken and drizzle olive oil and a tad bit of soy sauce (if you prefer).

Turns out cooking rice isn't has hard as I thought it was. I still have some left and it doesn't haunt me as much before. 

I took a risk, I lived life on the fast lane. I lived life with no regrets. I cooked rice in the microwave.