Grad Gift Guide

Moscow Mule kit (Use code Fiesta25 ONLY today to get 25% off) // "The World Is Your Oyster" print // Scout Bags storage bin // Madewell tote (monograming available) // Caphalon frying pan // Mark & Graham personalized champagne flutes // Bose bluetooth speakers // Jon Hart weekender bag

Moscow mules and glasses of champagne to toast the next stage of life, sophisticated luggage for business trips or girl trips, portable speakers for dorm room jam sessions or background dinner party tunes, functional storage for moving into a first apartment or into a tiny college dorm (the lid is sturdy enough to double as extra seating), an inspiration art print for decoration and a reminder to never settle, a pretty leather bag to carry papers in to work or your books to class, and a frying pan for cooking up the next stage of life. And because who else has seen the episode of Laguna Beach when Kristen's dad gets her a frying pan for graduation?

Whether you know a high school or a college graduate this gift guide appeals to both! Having personally gone through both and seeing two older sisters graduate as well, I have a pretty good handle on what is appropriate, functional, necessary and fun!  

Annie

Bites of My Life

Five days people, five days until I have to say goodbye to college. I really can't come to grips with it. I'm not helping the situation by listening to sentimental songs, looking back through old pictures and reminiscing on old memories, but the tears won't stop. They are bittersweet tears. Sad because it's over, but extremely happy looking back on what an incredible and impactful four years it has been.

Each day the past few weeks have been memorable. I'm savoring each last bite. My intentions for this last week is to celebrate not dwell on the sadness. I'll be a big bad college grad when we meet next week. Oh and don't ask what I'm doing after graduation. I don't know yet and don't need to be reminded. Tip: don't ask that question to anyone you know gradating, we don't want to hear it. But if you are looking to buy them a gift, check back tomorrow for a grad gift guide!

-Egg Soup was the second recipe I made from Milk Bar Life. It's essentially just a soft boiled egg with toast, but it still deserved a spot in Christina Tosi's new book. Make sure you check out the Sugar Cookie Squares I made last week from MBL.
-I want to eat this everyday of my life! Zucchini Noodle Carbonara recipe also posted last week.
-Translation: "If you can dream it, you can do it." After being abroad my roommate brought back the most thoughtful gifts. She thought this coffee cup was appropriate because I was graduating. I cried. 
-One of my favorite salads that I successfully ate everyday for lunch last week. Chines Chop Chicken Salad comes from my friend Claire, but hopefully I'll get the recipe posted on TAB soon! 
-Abbey DeSpain safety returned from Spain! We celebrated with our favorite - pancakes for dinner. 
-The college days are coming to an end and I'm not letting go of some of my best friends very easily. 
-Friday Fry-Day!
-I've been stealing my roommates bike for long bike rides around campus. 
-Last hoorah with my pledge sisters. It was the the party of all parties. 

Annie

Zucchini Noodle Carbonara

Oh my oh my I wish I was eating this right now. Yes I realize it's 8:00 a.m. but I could easily eat this for breakfast. I have had zucchini noodles before when a friend made them for me, but there really isn't a good way to make them unless you have some kind spiralizer. I bought a veggetti the other weekend and was eagerly planning what my first zoodle dish would be. 

I made this carbonara Monday night and I think I won dinner. It made a huge bowl of luxurious sinful carbonara, but with the sub of zucchini noodles instead of pasta, the whole skillet came out under 350 calories. 

Like I said, I ate the whole skillet myself. I thought it was ambitious at first but I was scraping my plate wanting more. This could easily serve two, just pair with some steamed veggies or a side salad. If you are wanting to make for more people, just note that you should buy about 1 1/2 zucchini per person. 

Zucchini Noodle Carbonara
serves 1-2

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini
1/4 cup diced pancetta
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 egg
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
salt and pepper

Directions:
Using a spiralizer or veggetti, create your zucchini noodles and place in a bowl to set aside. In a skillet or sauté pan, over medium heat, cook your pancetta until brown and crispy. Add the minced garlic to the pancetta and cook for about 2 minutes being carful not to burn the garlic. Add your zucchini noodles and peas straight to the skillet. Don't clean your pan, the pancetta renderings give it great flavor.

In a small bowl, beat your egg and parmesan cheese. Pour the cheesy egg sauce into the pan and combine to coat the noodles. The zucchini should have enough moisture to mix with the sauce but if it's too thick thin it out with a little water or milk. Salt and pepper to taste and it's done!

Annie

Milk Bar Life

My attempt at recreating the cover of the cookbook.

I was already Milk Bar obsessed and now with my new cookbook I can truly live the Milk Bar life. I think this cookbook just went to the top of my list as being my favorite cookbook. Every recipe is wacky, weird, unusual and amazing!

Like the Milk Bar Life, my baking life isn't so pretty. I'm ready to move on from my old and messy college rent house!

I read this cookbook cover to cover. I don't ever do that. Christina is so quirky and I love the way her brain works. She believes in a cookie a day, using a combination of unique and regular grocery store ingredients and having a real passion or story that belongs to each recipe. She also gives cookie lessons on the best way and amount of time to incorporate ingredients, best timing for baking, cooling and storing etc. 

Compared to the first Milk Bar cookbook, Milk Bar Life features off the menu recipes that come from Christina's life outside the bakery. There are different chapters of the book such as A Cookie A Day, Supermarket Finds, Freakin' Weekend and Hand-Me-Downs. I wrote down a list of the recipes I want to tackle, but first up are The Greta. 

These cookies are named after Christina's mom because she was raised on her mom baking them. Christina's mom would send her disposable 9 x13 pans of the cookies in college and still delivers them to the bakery. I was instantly intrigued with the amount of sprinkles covering the whole top layer and because sugar cookies are my favorite kind of cookie.

Because they are baked in a 9 x 13 pyrex they come out more like a sugar cookie bar. Nothing to complain about there, but next time I am going to try baking them in a jelly roll pan to get a flatter more cookie like texture. Besides that, the vanilla and sweet sugar flavoring is on point. Christina mentions how you can either cover them with a cinnamon sugar mixture or with vibrant sprinkles!  The sprinkle look reminded me of my Cookie Butter Rice Krispy Treats and the cinnamon sugar version kind of reminds me of my Snickerdoodle Bars. 

Milk Bar Sugar Cookie Squares
yields 2 dozen, 2 inch squares*

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil (I used canola)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup milk
sprinkles or cinnamon sugar

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 in baking pan using the wrappers from your butter. *As you can see in the pictures I got 24 tall squares of cookie. They were more of a cookie browning than a cookie. I want to bake these again using a jelly roll pan (15 x 10 in) so I can get larger but flatter cookies. If you test this out let me know how it goes!

Combine the butter and sugar in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on high until homogenous, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, oil and vanilla and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. 

Add the flour salt and baking soda, mixing until just combined, about 30 seconds. It's important to not over mix the dry ingredients when making any kind of cookie. Over mixing causes your cookies to be dry and crumbly. Mix in the milk until combined, about 30 seconds too. 

Spread the dough in an even layer in the prepared pan. Mix together cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle over the top or decorate with colorful sprinkles. 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until slightly undercooked, or 3 to 5 minutes if you want a firmer cookie. My came out really doughy which was sinfully delicious! 

Living the Milk Bar Life is fun and so yummy! Next up I want to make Christina's Lemon Bars, Ritz Cookies, Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies, Egg Soup, Blue Cheese Pretzels, and Chicken Puffs.  Buy your copy so we can live the Milk Bar Life together!

Annie

I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.

Bites of My Life

Woah buddy. Emotions of the current events hit me like a ton of bricks this week. The surrealness of graduating college, the stress of trying to find a job, and thinking about how I only have two weeks left with all of my friends in the same place was not a fun realization. 

Monday started off emotional after bidding my dear Kappa days goodbye at my last chapter meeting. Kappa brought me opportunities and friendships I was undeserving of. The feeling continued on Tuesday. I've always had a plan, been very confident of my future, not much of a crier and honestly not very emotional. The combination of stress, sadness and unknowning just burst inside me and I found myself feeling a way I don't often feel. Thank goodness I was at home to have mom speak words of encouragement and understanding otherwise I'd be a ball of built up emotion still. A good cry here and there is all a girl needs. 

After making it known to myself that it's okay to be sad and know it really is all going to be okay, I'm feeling much better now. Like I said, I'm a planner and I wasn't planning to be so sad. But then I realized the fact that I'm so sad just goes to attest how amazing my college years have been to me. 

Moving past the emotions now, I tried to celebrate the rest of the week with date parties, birthday parties, good food and good weather. 12 days people until I'm a college graduate. I apologize for gushing all of my feelings, but that's life and you're just taking a bite of it.

-After 4 years of rush, initiations, date parties and being best friends, PC '11 finally had our last chapter on Monday. 
-Stopped into my favorite place, Chirps and Cheers, on Tuesday to find some foodie cards that perfectly describe my life. My favorite - "Sometimes I stay up late just to put more reasonable distance between snacks"
-An unexpected meltdown was cured with dinner, wine and chats with mom to make it all better.
-Wacky Wednesday.
-Took it upon myself to have an ultimate lazy day on Thursday. This meant breakfast and everything else in bed. 
-New recipe coming this week from the new Milk Bar cookbook!
-The OKC Arts Festival happens once a year and it is repeatedly one of my favorite yearly traditions. It's a celebration of art, especially my favorite-culinary art!
-The visual art isn't so bad either. 
-Hello delicious creation- Cookie Butter on a Rice Krispy treat.
-Date party one of the day.
-Date party two of the day. After crashing early I realized why college is only four years because I'm getting too old for this. 
-Awesome Sunday morning with Marge cheering on two of our best friends run in the OKC Memorial half marathon. Proud of Claire and Maddie and proud of my city!

Annie