citrus carrot cake + dulce de leche cream cheese frosting.

I have a carrot cake recipe I swear by.

This isn't it. One day, I promise I'll put it up, but for now, I wanted to try something a little different - this citrus carrot cake!

There were oranges and carrots in the fridge. I could've left them there to be eaten plain or, in the carrot's case, be made into muthia or grated into a wrap .. but cake is so good. And do you ever just do things because you feel like it?

orange bread pudding.

Today was so nice. I bonded with the family. We had a very casual barbecue with impromptu grilled fish tacos that were ahhhmazing, perfectly toasted marshmallows that occasionally (thanks to my wonderful brother) got nudged directly into a pile of ashes, juicy grilled cherry tomatoes bursting out of their skins, and grilled pineapple.

The weather was gorgeous. I got some studying done. I got past the climax of the novel I've been reading (One Day, as noted in my Books page) and woah!! It totally caught me by surprise! I need an opinion on it.. I'm still digesting what happened.

I didn't even text anyone all day .. felt kinda nice!

mini falafel bites.

Ever have those times where you just want to eat everything?

I tend to be fine during the day, but as soon as night comes .. my ability to gauge proper food portions and my self-will are completely and utterly destroyed. Tonight is one of those nights. I just had chocolate cake with dulce de leche (excellent combo .. also, that dulce de leche is not going anywhere anytime soon, there's a lot of it), a huge thick chewy chocolate chunk (> chip) cookie, and whatever skim milk was left in the container. There's something liberating about drinking milk straight from the gallon carton sometimes.

Or maybe I just need to do more spontaneous things.

dulce de leche brownies.

Summer has officially started! It seems to also be the season of new houses. So many visits to friends' new homes, particularly when you find yourself with extra time, after your MCAT class got cancelled because the teacher went to the wrong city, 40 mins away.

These brownies are easy enough to make before you have to leave for any housewarming parties, though. Remember I mentioned that the dulce de leche would come up again?

Yeahhhh man .. right here. Right now. Kitchen. Go. 

dulce de leche.

Duuuuudes, what's up?

Besides that absolutely gorgeous spoonful of dripping dulce de leche.

I think the only appropriate response I would have to that question right now is: life. 

Every once in a while, life gets super busy. Other times, you have work to do that ... is annoying so you never do it. And it piles up. And sometimes everything just gets so overwhelming that all you really want to do is sit, be a blob, and ignore everything for the entire day. 

You need those kinds of days every once in while. I'll do that .. when I find time. But in the meanwhile, this dulce de leche has been greatly improving my quality of life. 

coconut cream pie cupcakes.

It's summer.

Okay, well ignore the rain that's been the backdrop of the past couple days.

But in general, it's hot. Tan lines come very easily. Tinted moisturizer is used in lieu of heavy foundation. Shorts are established as an outfit staple, and ice cream becomes a daily indulgence.

Don't you also feel like eating lots of tropical & refreshing things? Like papaya? And watermelon? And acai juice? Mmmm. These coconut cupcakes are an example of a perfect summer dessert.

pear galette, with vanilla pastry cream.

I think my brother has been watching a significant amount of "Chopped." Recently, he told me he wanted to bake something "interesting."

By he, he meant me. And by interesting, he meant something super good & out of the norm of cake and cookies. Well, the younger brother kept yelling "flambe!!" .. me and the older one just kind of ignored him. I eventually decided on a fruit dessert, and also made a point of making them come with me to A&P to buy pears, because jeez, if I'm baking for them, they need to do at least a little bit for me.