Lemon Meringue Pie

Fort the Filling:

·         1 cup of sugar

·         2 cups of water

·         6 tablespoons of cornstarch

·         2 tablespoons of butter

·         6 tablespoons of lemon juice

·         1 teaspoon of lemon zest

·         3 egg yolks

·         Salt

Fort the Crust:

·         2 cups of flour

·         2 tablespoons of butter

·         2 tablespoons of shortening (Crisco)

·         1 tablespoon of sugar

·         5 or 6 tablespoons of cold water

·         ¼ teaspoon of salt

For the Meringue:

·         3 egg whites

·         6 tablespoons of sugar

·         ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar

·         ¼ teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions:

1.       In a sauce pan, bring water, sugar, salt, and butter on medium heat

2.       in another bowl, mix the corn starch with ¼ cup of water, then add the egg yolks and beat together

3.       Once the water comes to a boil, add the lemon juice

4.       Slowly, add in the egg yolk and corn starch mixture

5.       Mix rapidly until it is well cooked

6.       Remove from heat and add the lemon zest. Let cool.

7.       In a bowl, bring together the shortening and the flour and mix together softly with your hands

8.       Next add the butter, which has to be hard and chopped

9.       Then add the water, salt, and sugar and mix well with your hands

10.   Let the dough rest for 20 minutes in the refrigerator

11.   After 20 minutes, roll out the dough and place it on a pyrex (you don’t have to grease it before hand)

12.   Brush some water on the dough to avoid shrinking and let it rest for 20 more minutes in the refrigerator.

13.   Then, bake the cookie in a 350 degree oven for approximately 25 minutes

14.   Let the cookie cool before adding the filling

15.   Prepare the meringue, firstly beat together the egg whites

16.   Add in the sugar, cream of tartar, and lemon juice and keep beating until the desired consistency is reached

17.   Once the cookie is cooled, add the meringue, the frosting, and bake in the oven for 5 more minutes just so that the meringue can turn slightly brown

18.   Garnish as desired and serve preferably

cold

Back To School What's In My Backpack

I cannot believe it's been a year since I last wrote a back to school post. Back then, I was a year younger, less experienced, and a tad more immature than what I am now. The start of a new year means a new chance to be you. A new chance to do what you want and be who you want to be. You start from zero, academic-wise and relationship-wise, at least in my case. This year I am looking forward to making the most of the time my friends and I have left together (a total of two years until it is time for us to leave our good old high school for good and enter the world of college).

{What better way to start a new school year than with brand new, shiny, and girly materials? (Target)} 

{Rainbow colored pens, highlighters, a glue stick, giant clips (Target), mechanical pencils, lead, sharpies, and a beautiful pencil bag (Francesca's Boutique).}

{I honestly cannot live without a cosmetic bag. I usually carry a hand sanitizer, a mini hand cream, and a mini body splash (Bath and Body Works), deodorant, a mini toothbrush and toothpaste, Clean and Clear blotting papers (Target), Listerine tabs, gum, and an Eos lip balm.}

Lemon Slice-'n'-Bake Cookies

These cookies were extremely quick and easy to make. These are amazing for those times when you have nothing to do and just feel like having something to treat your sweet tooth. I love that these cookies were super rich and crunchy. Once again, they were approved by my audience (my family), which complimented the cookies' tastiness. Baking is an art, and I love experimenting with new recipes to create something that people cherish.

Lemon Slice-'n'-Bake Cookies

(Makes about 30 cookies cut into 1 cm pieces)

(Per 1 cookie: 46 calories, 2 (g) Fat, 6 (g) Carbs, 0 (g) protein)

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup flour
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 large lemon (you will need 1/2 tbsp peel, and 1 tbsp juice)
• 3/4 stick margarine, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp sugar for coating
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: 

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer, mix together the margarine, sugar, and confectioner's sugar until softly. Then add in the lemon and the vanilla into this mixture. 
3. Lastly, add in the dry ingredients.
4. Once the dough is made, spread a piece of wax paper over a counter. 
5. Roll the dough into a log and cover with the wax paper to keep rolling until the log is even. 
6. I measured the log to an even number (25 cm which is 10 in.). Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight or for 1 and a half hours like I did. The more the dough is refrigerated, the better the cookies will turn out. 
7. When it is time to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
8. Cut out 1 cm slices of the dough log and place the cookies on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tbsp of sugar over the top of each cookie. 
9. Then bake them for approximately 

Mini Cinnamon Rolls

I remember I used to beg, cry and throw a tantrum at my mom whenever I walked past the Cinnabon store at the mall. I remember I made excuses to go to the mall just because I was craving a Cinnabon. Once I got my hands on a roll, I would eat every single bit of it and savor it 'till my plate was clean. A classic white Cinnabon roll blasted my sweet taste buds on fire. To be honest, it still does. Scrolling through my Pinterest the other day, I came across a Cinnamon Roll recipe from one of my favorite bloggers, Taralynn Mcnitt, and adjusted it a little (I only did half of it). I've followed her amazing journey for about two years now and I love that she knows how to balance a healthy life while treating herself to the things she loves. That is what I am planning to do with this blog, in addition to sharing other girly things. I decided to run to the kitchen and bake myself a batch of these amazing cinnamon rolls. They are heavenly, and if it were up to me, I'd eat them all up by myself. But that's not possible because my family also loved them, and they want their share too. This is why I love baking. I get to make other people enjoy a piece of heaven with my hands.   

Mini Cinnamon Rolls 

(Makes about 30 mini rolls)

Ingredients for Dough: 

• 1 cup of warm water
• 1 package of Active Dry Yeast
• 1/2 tbsp of salt 
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 stick of butter, melted
• 3 cups of flour (plus more for rolling the dough later)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (or more for preference)
• 1/4 stick of margarine
• cinnamon 

Ingredients for Icing: 

• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar (or more for consistency)
• 2-4 tbsps of milk (I used almond milk)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions: 

1. Mix together yeast and warm water.
2. Once the yeast is dissolved, pour in the sugar and combine. 
3. Pour in 1/3 cup of melted butter and only 1 1/2 cups of flour. Mix together
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, and then add to the rest.
5. After the eggs are completely mixed, add the remaining flour, and salt. 
6. Cover the dough with a sheet of wax paper and a towel and wait for about 45 to 60 minutes in a warm area.
7. Sprinkle flour on a counter (as much as you need) to roll out the dough. I split up the dough into three parts. 
8. NOW. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
9. Once you've rolled out the dough, melt 1/4 stick of margarine and brush it onto the layer of dough. 
10. Spread out brown sugar on top. The more the better!
11. Sprinkle as much cinnamon as you want on top of the brown sugar. 
12. Roll the dough layer up.
13. Cut out about 1 inch pieces.  
14. Place the rolls on a greased or non-stick mini cupcake sheet. 
15. Bake for about 13-16 minutes. Keep an eye on them. They should be lightly brown on the outside.
16. Let them cool completely before adding the icing if you don't plan on eating them right away. 

Icing Instructions: 

1. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl. 
2. Add 1 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and whisk. 
3. Slowly add the milk and vanilla. If it's too runny add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add more milk. I only used 1 1/12 cup of powdered sugar. 
4. Once the rolls are completely cool, frost them. The icing will thicken, so put them in the microwave for 20 seconds and enjoy. The icing melts and they are marvelous! 

Little Things

Summer life is flying by sooner than I'd like it to. I hate to say that there are exactly seven days left before I need to go back to school. This week, I plan to get personal affairs done, eat whatever I want whenever I want, and sleep as much as I can. These past few weeks of summer have been filled with baking, sleeping, watching re-runs of Gossip Girl and Melissa and Joey (which I'm obsessed with), going out with friends and visiting family.  

{I'm in love with this tiny Eiffel Tower pendant. I bought this precious piece at the St. Louis Art Museum, which had a beautiful French art gallery.}

{This is yet another Eiffel Tower beauty. This necklace holder has been so useful to solve the problem of necklaces tangling with each other. I bought this at Michael's for about $14.}

{Baking my morning away. This is a tray of all of my specialties (according to my family's judgment). Brownies, oatmeal raisin cookies, chilenas (alfajores), and lemon bars. Head over to Recipe Index to find the recipes.}

{Round two of Life In Color! It was a night full of lights, music, gooey paint, and even unwanted rain. In addition, my friends and I got to catch up after a full two months apart. The crazy concert party was followed by a nice sleepover with my best friend.}   

Healthy Dancer Life

Being a dancer requires commitment. It is very easy to fall into extremes when you have so much pressure on your shoulders. You have to be skinny, yet strong. If you get too skinny, then you're all wrong. If you gain a few pounds, then you're all wrong. A dancer will never please others. A dancer must only please herself. 

I had to learn this the hard way, sadly. When I was in eighth grade, I felt totally insecure about myself. I had acne all over my face, I was a few pounds over weight, and I had people always telling me "no, no, no", which only worsened the situation by adding to the stress on me. I broke down one day and felt like running away. My mom, my hero, intervened and took care of it. She gave me the love I needed right at that moment, and she taught me that I was stronger than what I gave myself credits for. I visited a nutritionist and a dermatologist and with effort and commitment, I reached a healthy point. I lost about 25 pounds, and all of my acne faded away. People noticed that I looked so differently, both inside and out. I started feeling more confident, liking people complimenting my body and feeling my hip bones stick out. 

Slowly, slowly, that became my obsession. I was obsessed with everything that I put in my body, and continued to lose weight. There was a point during this period in which I felt like I could not eat a slice of pizza without feeling bad about myself. And then I would eat about five slices of pizza and not eating for a long time and I would go to sleep to not feel hungry. I lost my menstruation, and it took my mom saying the words "you might not be able to have kids" with yet another doctor across from us to wake me up from my state. Once again, with the help of my mother and professionals, I learned to love myself regardless of what people say or think about me. I have gained weight in a healthy fashion and my confidence has risen from the ashes. I've learned to love what I eat and find a balance between treating myself and taking care of myself. Even my general health has improved; my hair, my skin, and my immune system has strengthened. 

This summer, with the month of intense ballet training I decided to take, giving my body the energy that it needs has become very very essential as well. I want to share with you a day's worth of a close enough healthy ballerina lifestyle. 

1. Start by making a grocery list. I like to plan out a list and separate things according to categories. This is what I often look for.    

Fruits/Veggies: lettuce, baby spinach, carrots, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, brocoli, cauliflower, pears, peaches, blueberries, bananas, strawberries, grapes, cherries

Protein: chicken, shrimp, turkey ham, hummus

Dairy: eggs, lactose free milk, almond milk, greek yogurt

Fats: peanut butter, avocado, olive oil, white chocolate covered pretzels, granola bars, pastry crisp bars

Carbs: cereal, whole wheat bread, pita bread or pita chips, rice, tortillas, potatoes, pasta (If you watch your servings, these don't have to be whole wheat, but it's always a better option.) 

Other: instant coffee, splenda, chamomille tea, condiments, salt, spices, Preggo pasta sauce, etc. 

2. Plan ahead and vary your food! 

A day of a full 6 small meals a day during a day of summer intensive for me looks like this: 

Breakfast: a cup of milk, a cup of cereal, and fruit

Snack: a granola bar or pastry crisp bar, coffee

Lunch: a whole wheat turkey ham and cheese sandwich with mustard, lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, carrots or celery, any fruit (vary your fruits and veggies) 

Snack: any fruit or veggies with hummus

Dinner: any protein (shrimp or chicken) with a side of any carb (mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta), and boiled veggies

3. Go all out. 

My teachers at the intensive keep reminding us to dance like we are on stage always. I always try to give my all into my dancing. A dancer leaves her heart and soul out on the floor. A dancer experiences an inexplicable passion with her dancing. Don't be afraid to go all out and shine. Push yourself to your limit and pay close attention to details. 

4. Be cautious and take care of yourself.
I have been experiencing a sharp pain in my hip flexer for a while now. I know it is because I am not used to such heavy excercise on a daily basis. Each morning before dance I rest with this heat on the part of my body that is in pain. Every night I repeat the same routine. I also take Ibuprofen if the pain is too much for me. Don't neglect your injuries, no matter how little they are. A blister can be deadly, I know that from experience. Also, don't forget to rest. Your body needs to charge batteries at least with 8 hours of sleep a night.

5. Treat yourself! "Is it Friday, Saturday, or Sunday yet?" I ask myself. 

Feel free to treat yourself with the things you like. You deserve it. You worked for it. Now, do the things that make you happy. Everything in an excess is bad, so be wise and enjoy the little things in life! 

Little Things

Summer has finally come. The long days of incessant brain activity, stress, and school drama have finally come to an end. Now, I say, it is time for staying up late at night, waking up whenever I wish to wake up, testing and tasting a thousand different recipes, going out, and having fun. My summer began way earlier than planned. It so happened that I was excempt from ALL of the final exams, which meant that I had every right to skip the last three days of school. Oh, the perks of being a nerd. I would not consider myself fully a nerd, for I definitely have a social life outside of the classroom and text books (hence,the story of my life on this blog). But now that I can forget about all of that crap, these are my plans for the summer.

•  Working out
• Reading
• Blogging
• Baking, cooking, and eating
• Cleaning out my room and my closet
• Learn to drive
• Keep learning French
• Travel

{A mid-morning snack: Homemade Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with a warm cup of coffee. Follow the recipe and then just add about 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips.}

 

{Organizing my closet with all of my handbags. I did the same with my heels but I did not take a picture. You can also hand your bags on a hanger behind a door. I followed Emily's tips on organizing closets.}

{Tong's Thai Cuisine- My new favorite restaurant in town. This was the second time I ate here, and I ordered an appetizer of Summer Vegetable Rolls. The best part was the Peanut Sauce on the side.}

 

{I can finally say I have the luxury to eat breakfast while still laying in bed watching TV. This is heaven. --I had a Yoplait Light Strawberry Yogurt, a peach, strawberries, I Classici Del Mattino cookies, and coffee--}

{Tickets for the Maleficent premiere. Ironically, I loved the movie but hated the ending.}

{This morning I tried a new recipe for these Polka Dot Brownies. The recipe called for regular milk chocolate chips, but I decided to top them off with white chocolate chips instead, and they are simply marvelous.}

To St Louis and Back

Three days are never enough for a weekend, let alone a trip to another country. Last week my family and I packed our bags and hopped on a flight to the beautiful city of St. Louis, Missouri. The reason? My genius brother's graduation from college. The trip was full of delicious indulgences, lots and lots of shopping, and family quality time. Seeing my brother (and my uncle who lives in D.C. popped in the picture too) for three days was not enough. Living thousands of kilometers away is definitely hard. You miss so much of each other's lives, moments like an honors reception at school or a ballet recital where you're the lead role...*sigh*. So when we are finally together, we make the most out of our time. 

{Possibly one of the best restaurants in St. Louis. Mcallister's Sandwiches, Soups, and Salads. I ordered half a berry pecan salad and half a "The Veggie" sandwich and the most amazing strawberry lemonade.}

{Almond milk cappuccino at Picasso's} 

{The most beautiful vintage coffee shop in Main Street. Picasso's (if you've watched The Voice, you'll know that Caroline Glaser began to sing in this place} 

{Walgreen's finds: Yogurt covered pretzels, Yogurt covered raisins, and possibly the best white chocolate ever--Lindt's white chocolate truffles}

{The St. Louis Ballet} 

{Shopping for all of the pretty equipment a ballerina needs}

Pineapple Jam Crumb Bars

The end of the week comes around and all you wanna do is lay back and enjoy the last 24 hours before you have to begin a new round of school drama, homework, tests, early mornings, and late night study sessions. My go-to thing to relax and get away from the world is baking (and running, dancing, playing the piano, painting from time to time, watching shows, and...yes, I like to organize stuff, hence my OCD). So, today, I was eyeing my new prized possession. A 127 recipe book with everything you need to and want to know to succeed in a kitchen with an oven. I read through the ones that caught my attention, and this one Jam Crumble Bars was one of them. Although the recipe called for raspberry jelly and pecans, I didn't have any of these two around in the kitchen, so I had to improvise. I grabbed a jar of the best pineapple jelly in Honduras (an old lady from Guinope makes it) and skipped the pecans and added oatmeal instead (weird, I know, but tasty). This was so, so easy to make! And I have so many ideas for what kind of jelly to use in the future that would make them so distinct in their own way (strawberry jelly, apple jelly, apricot jelly, or even grape jelly).  

Pineapple Jam Crumb Bars

Makes about 9, 1" bars

(Per 1 bar: 133 calories, 5.3 (g) Fat, 20.6 (g) Carbs, 1.2 (g) Protein)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 cup oatmeal
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup pineapple jam (the recipe called for blackberry or raspberry jam but any kind is fine!) 

Directions: 

1. Preaheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil
3. In food processor (I used an electric mixture) blend flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon.
4. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs and when pressed, holds together
5. Add about 3/4 of the mix to the bottom of the pan; reserve the rest for later
6. With a spatula or a table knife, spread the jam evenly on the dough
7. Crumble the rest of the dough on top
8. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until it starts to golden
9. When cool, lift foil out of pan; peel foil away
10. Cut and serve! (I wonder what they would taste like if served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Hm... maybe next time.)

Spring Break in Paradise

The place to be during Spring Break (or in my case, Semana Santa) is the beach. You only get seven days. To breathe. To get away with sleeping 'till late, eating whatever and whenever you want, wearing your bathing suit instead of actual clothes, and running around barefoot everywhere. That was my Spring Break. My family and I decided to travel to the paradise of Roatan in the Bay Islands of Honduras. Traveling with your 50ish old parents is not always fun, but for my benefit, my 24 year old brother, his 21 year old girlfriend, and my 22 year old cousin came along. We left on Wednesday and spent the rest of the weekend on the island. It was my first time there, and I am resolved that I would definitely go back in a heart beat. We stayed in a condo in a small neighborhood called Key Hole Bay. The house was fully equipped with everything from olive oil and spices to board games and books. It was like I had lived there my entire life. 

I spent most of our time leisurely hanging around the beach, the pool, and the house deck with Allegiant on my hand. My cousin and I even jogged 3 miles on the beach to explore our surroundings. My brother, his girlfriend, and my cousin even took me out to my first night club...I practically sneaked in because I'm not old enough for an ID. I've never enjoyed a beach this much, I think. 

{The view from my room's terrace on the condo}

{I know, I know, I just never stop baking. Classic cheesecake with a side of kiwi (when there are no strawberries to make a syrup, you just have to improvise)}

{Roatan has crystal clear water and a sky with all the shades of blue}

{This was my first time banana boating as well. What a rush!}

{The neighborhood's pool was designed to image an "infinite pool" headed towards the ocean} 

{Nothing better than a cool pina colada with a cherry on top (am I the only one who thinks that looks like a heart?)}

{The view of the Bay Islands from the sky. Honduras has the second biggest coral reef in the WORLD. Heck yeah, I'm proud.One of the most beautiful sights you'll ever see.}

{The mini private beach on the neighborhood. The sound of the waves crashing could make me fall asleep in seconds}

{Fruity, healthy breakfast with a view}