Walk the Walk, Talk the Guac

   Guacamole, for me at least, is a dip I love but seldom make because of the ingredients. Or I suppose I should say ingredient. Avocados are finicky and relatively expensive.

   That is, unless they are on sale. And they just so happened to be available at a swell price quite recently. I had some friends over and we ate this wonderful guacamole with tortilla crisps.

Mexican flag colors?

   Chunky Guacamole (A blend of my ideas and several Epicurious recipes)

   2 avocados
   Juice of half a lime
   1 clove garlic, minced
   1/2 cup finely chopped onion
   1 small chili pepper (I found the one pictured above on my counter. I honestly don't know what kind it is)
   1 dash hot sauce
   Chopped cilantro (if you like the taste it, it's a classic guacamole ingredient)
   Salt and pepper

   I mashed the avocado with the lime juice until it had only small chunks of avocado left. Of course, if you prefer a perfectly smooth dip, mash, mash away! Or use a blender or food processor.

   Stir in everything else. If you are not serving the guacamole right away, refrigerate it with plastic wrap pressed directly to the surface of the dip. Otherwise, the avocados oxidize slightly and turn an unpleasant hue.

     

A green that can only be described as vivid

  
   Guacamole, of course, is nice with tortilla chips. But I also like it spread on toasted white bread.

   -Kay

I'm on a Boat

   Senior cruise: where girls finally, finally get to show off the fantastic new dresses they ordered from cool online boutiques. And there were some truly beautiful dresses, too: lace and peplums were probably the two most noticeable trends. Perhaps the most unifying element I noticed was the shorter length: no maxi-dresses were spotted. Footwear ranged from flip-flops to wedge sandals to fancy heels.

Safety first

  I attempted a slightly unusual look: a T.J. Maxx blouse and some satiny black shorts and my oxfords.

   Looking back, almost no girls were wearing nautical clothing, something I find a tad ironic, since stripes and Sperrys are very commonplace at my school! But maybe wearing boat clothes on a boat is overkill.

   -Kay

  

A Perennial Classic

   Yellow cake with chocolate frosting is, in my opinion, a welcome addition to any spread at any time. This quality makes it a perennial classic.

   For example, I'm having some buds over tomorrow for some victuals before we head downtown for the senior cruise (high school senior, not 62 and up senior). We're having pizza and the ubiquitous vegetable tray and cupcakes of the aforementioned variety.

   This cake is fun to make and the batter, unlike the batter of certain other cakes (I'm looking at you, spice cake) tastes delicious!

   Yellow Cupcakes (adapted very lightly from my girl Martha Stewart's website)

   2 sticks butter
   1 1/2 cups sugar
   1/2 tsp. baking soda
   1/2 tsp. baking powder
   1/2 tsp. salt
   2 large eggs
   3 egg yolks (make yourself a protein-rich breakfast with the whites!)
   1 TBS. vanilla extract
   2 1/4 cups flour
   1/4 cup cornstarch (this ingredient makes for a finer crumb; if you don't desire that quality, simply replace it with flour)
   1 cup plain yogurt (or buttermilk)

   Oven: 350 degrees F.

   Put liners in 18 cupcake tins.

   Cream butter and sugar well. Very well. There isn't much leavening in this batter so getting the butter very fluffy is essential to the overall airiness of the cake! Beat in baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

   Beat in eggs one at a time. I used to think this was a silly pretentious pastry chef thing, but then I learned that adding several eggs at once will cause the butter/sugar mixture to release much of the air you've just incorporated. Beat in egg yolks one at a time as well. Add vanilla.

   Add about half the flour, mix partially, and then add half the yogurt. Repeat. No streaks of flour should remain.

   Portion among cupcake tins. Bake for about 21 minutes, or until they are golden brown on the edges and smell like buttery goodness!

That's the stuff

   Frost when cool with chocolate frosting (1 stick of butter, a splash of milk, about 2 cups of powdered sugar, and cocoa as per your preference).

   Classic! Perennially.

   -Kay

  

A Trip to the Bead Store

   I found a gift card to a beading store in my wallet, and frankly, I haven't made a beaded piece of jewelry in over 2 years. But the store was relatively close to mi casa, so I figured I would browse around for fun.

   I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the store offered a variety of beautiful glass pendants. Pendants are, along with a strand of amber-colored crystals, the only sort of necklace I wear, so I was enthused!

   The options were myriad...Picking one was not easy, but I am quite content with my decision. I simply slipped the charm onto a long gold chain that was just begging for an interesting pendant.The pattern makes me think of a Ukrainian tablecloth! With little orange birds! Or at least a shape that resembles a little orange bird.

Simply beautiful

   The colors, admittedly bold, will pair nicely with my numerous navy garments.

   -Kay

  

Metallic Oxfords

   My shoes! They came! In the mail!

 

   I've never ordered shoes online before, so doing so was pretty darn exciting. I wasn't even sure of the sizing - various reviews around the web said they either ran true were slightly large for their size.

 

   But I went for it, and I couldn't be happier. The shoes fit very well, practically like a leather glove, and the leather is absurdly soft. Buttery, even.

 

My Born shoes

   I can't wait to wear these beautiful handmade shoes with cuffed jeans or knee-length skirts. Perhaps even a sundress would go nicely with them, because I do enjoy the whole "unexpected pairing" thing of something girly like a dress and something boyish like oxfords.

   I just adore menswear and am thrilled that these combine comfort and style and FUN!

   -Kay

Almond Joy Bars

   I recently ate Almond Joy ice cream (coconut ice cream with fudge swirl and chocolate-covered almonds) and had the opportunity to reflect on how truly wonderful the coconut-chocolate-almond trio really is.

   I experimented with the flavors by making a sort of chewy bar cookie.

   They're fairly delicious. And exceedingly simple to make. The method is akin to that of the Birkenstock cookie.

   Almond Joy Bars

   1/2 cup butter
   1/4 cup yogurt
   3/4 cup brown sugar
   1/2 tsp. almond extract
   1 cup sweetened coconut
   1/2 cup chopped almonds (toasted is ideal)
   1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or milk, if you  prefer)
   1/2 tsp. baking soda
   1/4 tsp. salt
   1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

   Oven: 350 degrees F.

   In microwaveable bowl, melt the butter. Stir in the yogurt and brown sugar and coconut. And the extract. Then add almonds, chocolate, baking soda, and salt. I added the chocolate into a warm butter-yogurt mixture and ended up with melted chocolate; it was practically a chocolate batter. If you wish to avoid this simply let the butter cool before you add the chips.

   Anyway, the last step is gently mixing in the flour.

   Spread into a cookie sheet lined with well-greased foil. I patted the dough into a free-form shape that slightly resembled Chewbacca. The dough spreads like a cookie while baking so no worries, really.

The Melted Chocolate Effect

   Bake for about 21 minutes.

   Enjoy! A chocolate glaze wouldn't harm these at all. Perhaps next time.

   -Kay
 

Peach Melba Crisp

   Food, any food, going to waste makes me sad. But it's especially depressing if it's something as delicious as a summer peach. When I saw the plate of fruit on the counter sit there, and sit there, and sit there, action had to be taken.

   Action in the form of one my all-time favorite fruit desserts.

   Crisp.



Rustic!

   Crisps truly are one of the simplest desserts around...The most difficult part for me, I find, is not eating all of the delicious sliced fruit.

   This particular crisp topping reminds me of oatmeal cookies and I'm very fond of it. However, if you like a crunchier topping, I recommend using only 3 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of canola oil and also adding more oats.

   In a stroke of inspiration, I added a bit of almond extract to the fruit. Normally, I prefer the taste of pure fruit, but I think the almond pairs so well with both raspberries and peaches that it's worth it. And I didn't add any other spices, so it's not overwhelming,

   Peach Melba Crisp
   Fruit
   4 peaches
   1/2 cup raspberries
   1/4 cup white sugar
   3 TBS. flour
   1 TBS. lemon juice
   1/2 tsp. almond extract
   Topping
   5 TBS. butter
   1/2 cup brown sugar
   1/2 cup flour
   1/4 cup oats

   Oven: 350 degrees F.

   Peel and chop peaches and toss with the flour, lemon juice, sugar, and almond extract. Very gently, add the raspberries. Pour into deep-dish pie pan (9 inch) or individual ramekins (what a swell word).

   For the topping, melt butter and stir in the rest of the stuff. Spoon/spread this on top of the fruit.

   Bake for about 35 minutes, until the fruit is quite bubbly and the topping is golden.

   -Kay