millionaire's shortbread.

Doesn't the name of these bars sound fancy? You don't need to own a yacht (or yachtmaster!) and wear  limited edition $50 Gucci t-shirts to make / eat these.

They have a shortbread crust, similar to that of my recent eggnog cheesecake. Its high fat to flour ratio makes for a crumbly, absolutely delicious base to the bars.

Sweetened condensed milk is reduced until thick and slightly golden in color, before being poured atop the buttery crust. The milk turns into a light, milky caramel that is sweetly fragrant, and firms as it sets.

Finishing off the entire bar is a layer of chocolate, melted down with just a touch of ghee (butter is traditionally used). That last little addition prevents the chocolate from hardening to a stiff, un-cut-able shell, and lends a silkier mouthfeel to the chocolate.

review: Pepperidge Farm Caramel Apple bread!

So I was excited, because this bread was quite a journey to get, and at the time, I thought, wow! I have an epic story to tell about this bread for my blog!

But now it's one day later, and my story doesn't seem quite so epic anymore.

I'll still say it, now I've brought it up. I was returning from class, and decided to stop by the new awesome grocery store nearby before going home. I pick up green squash, black cherry Chobani, some dried lentils to use in my new teeny pressure cooker, and then what do I see?

review: Crumbs caramel apple cupcake.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I thought of something today, while consuming my body weight in delectable victuals and then later, in my food-induced comatose state.

Someone should invent a service available annually on Thanksgiving day that rents wheelchairs. This way, if you eat too much and can't follow the crowd as it shifts from the kitchen/dining room to the family room, you can just make your youngest sibling or one of the more lively of your family members to wheel you over!

This is even more applicable if you go out to eat. You know how there are volunteers as the hospital to wheel patients out of out-patient? Volunteers to wheel stuffed patrons out of the restaurant. Bam.

I'm not sure how well this will catch on. In the meanwhile ... eat away! Thanksgiving is not over yet!

toasted marshmallow squares.

Hey guys ... I'm forcing myself to break away from buffers, muscle contraction, and fluids momentarily to bring you these delicious squares I recently made.

I needed to bake. You know that point when food becomes an emergency more than a want? Yeah. I needed to bake today, or else I don't even know. 

I'm planning on doing crazy, outrageous things after my MCAT .. like shopping. Responding to my friend's texts. Talking to my parents. Baking something interesting. And maybe, just maybe, getting my nails done. 

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?

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. 

browned butter bread pudding + salted caramel sauce.

I wanted this blogpost to consist of just one line and tons of beautiful pictures. But it's difficult to capture the process/result of what you're making when you are making these things in a dorm. And then coordinating the surprise party.

Calandra's Bakery German White Cake.

It's kinda hard to type when you just do your nails. Mine are dark burgundy with red flecks. It's perfect for my role as Cleopatra, tonight. Have you ever heard of an any race but your own themed party? Probably not, because my suite can sometimes surpass the boundaries of ridiculous and offensiveness.

And it will definitely be more successful than last night's venture. At around 10pm yesterday, I decided to go to bed, and then one of my dear floormates entered our room, ready to go out. When she asked if we wanted to come, I hesitated. Bad move. She pounced on it, and my two options of the night no longer fluctuated between whether I should sleep at 10 or 11, but between whether I should sleep immediately or go out.

I went out. And what a random night.

german chocolate cake, vanilla version.

I just assembled the cake about five minutes ago. I do not have the slightest idea of what I will write about in this post to you all (well that's not so unusual), and there are walnut skin things all over the place.

But after a little of the frosting got on the back of my hand and I absentmindedly licked it off, I had to share my love with the world. I am aware the world does not read my blog, but let me pretend it does for this time, okay?


This frosting. This caramel, walnut, coconut frosting has blown my mind. German chocolate cake has been my favorite cake ever since my surprise sixteenth birthday party, when my mom (moms know all, srsly) arranged for a 1/4 sheet cake of German Chocolate Cake to be my birthday cake.