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}

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

As I am sure I have mentioned before, oatmeal cookies are a MUST for me. I absolutely love them in any way or form. I absolutely love dried cranberries as well. That being said, this cookie is a perfect blend of these two things. My parents bought me this enormous bag of craisins, and what better way to use them all up than in some pastry, right? I began my search, and I turned to the cookie section in flour by Joanne Chang. A simple oatmeal raisin cookie recipe popped up, but I was out of raisins. Therefore, the magical enormous bag of craisins that had been sitting in my pantry since Sunday practically begged me to open it up. So I did, and as a result, these delightful cookies were born. "These just might be my favorite cookies," my mom said. That meant something, because my mom will choose a chocolate chip cookie anytime over an oatmeal cookie. I promise you will not be disappointed by this exotic mixture.

I am planning to add white chocolate and pistachios next time I make these. 

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 27 1 tablespoon sized cookies

(Per 1 cookie: 97 calories, 3.8 (g) Fat, 15.2 (g) Carbs, 1.1 (g) protein)

Ingredients: 

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 + 1/8 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 + 1/8 cup flour
• 3/4 + 1/8 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup craisins

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cream together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, until light and fluffy
3. Beat in the egg until thoroughly combined
4. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon
5. Add the craisins and toss to combine
6. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and then mix until they are completely incorporated
7. Drop the dough in tablespoon sized balls onto the baking sheet, placing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly
8. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center is slightly soft
9. Be careful not to overbake; soft, chewy, centers make these cookies irresistible! 
10. Enjoy a "healthy" indulging cookie! 

Snickerdoodles

Cinnamony, crunchy, and savory. Merely some senses of what you to taste once you take a bite of these cookies. These cookies are so incredibly easy and so delicious! The smell that envelopes your kitchen when the oven is a step away from ringing is indescribable. The recipe calls for simple things that are most probably hanging around in your kitchen. This recipe was taken from Joanne Chang's book flour. Ever since I bought this encyclopedia of desserts, I have begun trying to accomplish Joanne Chang's perfection one recipe at a time.

 

Snickerdoodles:

Makes about 23 tablespoon sized cookies

(Per 1 cookie: 102 calories, 4.3 (g) Fat, 15.3 (g) Carbs, 1 (g) Protein)

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cups sugar plus 1/4 cup for coating
• 1/8 brown sugar for coating
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/8 cup cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cream together the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy
3. Beat in the eggs until thoroughly combined
4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar. SIFT IT, do as the recipe says.
5. Slowly bend the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture until it is evenly mixed
6. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining sugar, brown sugar, and the cinnamon.
7. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and roll to coat
8. Place them on the baking sheet spacing them about 3 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly 
9. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown on the edges and slightly soft in the center
10. Enjoy with a warm cup of coffee or milk! 

 

{Coating the dough with sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon}

One Day Road Trip

Some of the perks of living in a third world country are the tiny things that contribute to its masked beauty. A typical Sunday day, a group of friends and I headed to the southern outskirts of town just for the sake of hanging out and have a good time. We arrived at my friend's house in Sabana Grande, which may I say, is like flashbacking to colonial American times before all of the historical crap that led to its independence and thus industrialization. It was nice to forget about all of the highly contemporary distractions that make up the bubble that we live in and get a taste of what my country is like.

{Transportation here is basically this. Moto taxis also known as "tuk-tuk" because of the sound they make}

{The entrance to the park: "Never say no to Sabana Grande}

{Heliopower mills in the south}

{We ha a delicious meal of steak, grilled chicken, pico de gallo, fried plantain, refried beans, and grilled veggies}