Strawberry, Greek Yogurt, Honey Muffins

This week's recipe comes from...me! My confidence in baking has built up over the past few months, so I thought I'd fashion a muffin recipe of my own. I browsed through various yogurt muffin recipes and tried to replace less healthy ingredients with healthier alternatives. While these muffins are packed with whole wheat flour, non-fat Greek yogurt and delicious strawberries, they still boast a little sugar. Feel free to decrease the amount of sugar you use for a less sweet, even healthier muffin. These are wonderful for breakfast but decadent enough for desert, especially if spread with a layer of greek yogurt and topped with fresh fruit.

Makes: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

Star ingredient!

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon honey

2/3 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt

2/3 cup skim milk

2/3 cup fresh strawberries, cut up into chunks

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line a muffin tin with paper liners and spray the liners with a little cooking spray.
• Sift flours into large mixing bowl
• Add sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Mix well
• Fold in yogurt.
• Add honey and skim milk to the bowl. Mix.
• Throw in your strawberries and give it one more mix.
  
• Spoon the mixture evenly into the liners. They should be about 2/3 full.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until tops of muffins are golden brown.
  
• Let the muffins cool for at least a few hours. 

Baking Blunders:

I only made one baking blunder this week! Make sure not to be like me and insist on trying one right out of the oven. Muffin batter, and strawberry muffin batter in particular, will stick to the paper liners when muffins are still warm. This left me with nothing but a muffin top to sample. Unless "Top of the Muffin to You!" is being revived, there's no market for muffin tops worth entering right now. Wait at least a few hours until sampling these treats.

Kate Spade and Some Whole Wheat, Cinnamon Spiced, Apricot Cookies

This weekend, my husband and I had the great pleasure of attending the wedding of two of our most wonderful friends. He was the "best man," and as wife of the best man, I got all of the perks and none of the stress that goes along with the position. I had no speech to learn and I still got to sit at the same table as the beautiful bride and beaming groom. I also got to be on the arm of a tuxedo-clad man who was unabashedly displaying his dance moves on the crowded dance floor.  Here's the look I sported for the lovely weekend:

Pictured: Lovely man on my arm. This Kate Spade collared dress is currently one of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe. For the most part, any "Kate Spade" items have to be on sale for me to justify a purchase
This dress was no exception. I love a good sale! Join the mailing list and look for the 75% off days.

After a weekend of "I'll have the steak" and "I love open bars!", the two of us were happy to cuddle up on the couch with our puppy and recover. I thought we could use something sweet, warm, and healthy to snack on while we stocked up on new Fall TV. This recipe is from a great cookbook called "The High Energy Cookbook: good-carb recipes for weight loss, health, and vitality" by Rachael Anne Hill and photographed by Nicky Downey. It's full of breakfast, lunch, dinner and desert recipes and even has a large section defining and explaining the benefits of a "good-carb" diet. Let's get started!

Whole Wheat, Cinnamon Spiced, Apricot Cookies

I want to note that these cookies turn out to look and taste more like a biscuit. They are heartier and, in my opinion, more satisfying than a traditional cookie.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour & extra for dusting
• 1 cup & two tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3-4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 & 1/2 tablespoons polyunsaturated margarine (I used butter!)
• 1/3 cup dried fruit (I used dried apricots, chopped them, and used a little over 1/3 cup)
• 2 eggs
• About 2 tablespoons of skim milk & extra for brushing (I started with 2 tablespoons but poured in a little extra to keep the dough together).

Directions:*

• Sift the flours into a large mixing bowl.
• Add cinnamon, brown sugar, baking powder.
• Stir!

• Break the butter into small pieces, add to the dry ingredients and, using your fingertips, work the butter into the mixture.

• Stir in the dried fruit.
• In a smaller bowl, beat the two eggs and add the skim milk.

• Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix. (The cookbook says to mix with a "round-bladed knife." I did't have one of these, so I went over the mixture with a regular old knife to break up clumps, and afterwards kneaded the dough with my hands.
• Before transferring the dough to my floured surface, I added a little more skim milk to the mixture to keep the dough together. Don't add too much, though, or your cookies will lose their crumbly feel.
• Roll the dough out on the floured work surface until it is about 1 inch thick. 

• Cut out circles using a 2 & 1/2 inch cookie cutter and transfer them to a prepared baking tray.

Cookies and skim milk for brushing.

• Brush the cookies with skim milk and add a light dusting of whole wheat flour to the top.
• Bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes. They should appear golden brown and well risen.
• These can be served warm or cold.
• The book suggests splitting in half and serving with a low-fat spread and sliced strawberries. I decided to add a dollop of greek yogurt  and top it with sliced raspberries. It made them look like tiny cakes!

Warm cookies on the kitchen counter? I may not cook, but look at me developing "domestic-like" skills!

*These directions were not taken directly from any cookbook. So as to avoid any copyright issues, I've fashioned the directions myself. (This is what happens when lawyers bake cookies and blog about them!).

Blueberry Bundt Cake

I don't often get the time to bring out the lovely cookbooks I received as wedding gifts and try new recipes. I am happy to have just finished studying for and taking the bar exam and am excited to start an internship on Capitol Hill next week. In celebration of my last true days of relaxation, I wanted to make a desert that celebrated the end of the summer season. I went with a recipe for blueberry cake from one of my favorite recipe books: "The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook", which was given to me by a dear friend for our engagement party. If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you can guess that along the way I made some "baking blunders", but all in all, this recipe turned out looking respectable and tasting sweet.

I will warn you that this recipe is chock full of butter and sugar. I am usually one to make lighter recipes that are packed with fruits and whole grains, but once in a while, It's alright to treat yo' self!

Ingredients:

• 3 sticks of unsalted butter (Yes, you read that right: 3!) at room temp.
• 1 & 3/4 cups of sugar
• 6 eggs 
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 3 & 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 3 tablespoons of whole milk
• 1 pint of fresh blueberries (and some extra for decoration)
• 2 quantities of cream cheese frosting (recipe below)
• A 10 inch ring mold, greased and dusted with flour. (I didn't have a 10 inch ring mold, so I used a good old fashioned bundt pan, and it turned out just fine).

Preparation Tip:

• Baking has the potential to be a frazzling experience, especially if you find yourself still fumbling for ingredients while simultaneously stirring your batter. I like to portion out all of my ingredients ahead of time to avoid the last minute search for vanilla extract. Portioning also allows time for the butter to warm to room temperature.

Directions:*

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
• Add the sugar and butter in your electric mixer. Make sure to use the paddle attachment. Mix until light and fluffy.
• Add in the eggs one at a time. Be mindful to scrape excess ingredients off the side of the bowl.
• Add the vanilla, flour and baking powder until the ingredients are mixed well
• Add the sour cream and milk. Mix so that the ingredients are well combined and the batter appears light and fluffy.
• Stir in blueberries and mix by hand.

• Transfer the batter into your greased and floured bundt pan. Smooth over the mix with a rubber spatula, and bake for 40 minutes or until the cake is golden brown.

• Let the cake cool in the mold for a bit, and then turn it out onto a wire rack. Allow it to cool completely.
• When your cake is completely cooled, transfer it to a serving plate (I transferred it to my badass cake stand) and frost it! Decorate with blueberries, and if you are feeling extra sweet (I wasn't)...add a light dusting of confectioner's sugar.

Baking Blunders (Beware!)

As I said earlier, baking is bound to be accompanied by blunders when I'm in the kitchen. Amazingly, I only made two this go around, which is a vast improvement from my last baking post!

Baking Blunder #1: You sunk my bundt cake!

As you can see from the picture, the inside ring of my bundt cake became sunken in only minutes after being taken out of the oven. After searching around, Food Network gave me some answers. The simplest explanation was that my cake just wasn't done yet. The shape of the cake when I took it out of the oven should have tipped me off. Cakes rise around the edges first, so if the middle has not risen enough yet, don't take it out. It's bound to sink. I also should have inserted a skewer into the middle of the cake. After the cake sunk, I did just that, and the skewer came out with a bit of batter still clinging to it. I also found some interesting facts on oven temperature to consider here. 

My fix? I threw it back in the oven for a little over 10 minutes at a slightly higher temperature. It baked through, and while it didn't look as gorgeous as I had hoped, it was fully in tact and would still be delicious. 

Baking Blunder #2: Who Needs Grease and Flour?

I forgot to grease and flour my bundt pan. Given my recent hand surgery, I needed to bring in some extra muscle to remedy this particular baking blunder. My husband eventually coaxed the cake out of its shell, but it sustained some crumbling edges. My fix? Icing! The best part of an iced cake is restorative power of icing. I was able to cover up the crumbles with ease, and nobody knew the difference (unless they are reading this, of course).

 

As promised, the cream cheese icing recipe is below. It's super easy and quite delectable:

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temp.
• 4 oz cream cheese

Directions:

• Mix the sugar and butter together in your electric mixer using a paddle attachment. Use a medium slow speed until the ingredients are well mixed.
• Throw in the entire block of cream cheese and beat until completely mixed.
• Turn up the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. Do this for at least 5 minutes. Don't over beat, or you'll end up with frosting soup. 

How'd it Go?

Our blueberry bundt cake was a huge hit and almost all that tasted it couldn't help but go back for seconds! I kept it to just one piece last night, but couldn't help but pair a small piece with some coffee this morning for a delicious and relaxing Sunday breakfast in bed. Cheers until next time!

*These directions were not taken directly from any cookbook. So as to avoid any copyright issues, I've fashioned the directions myself. (This is what happens when lawyers bake cakes and blog about them!).

Turning Your Beauty Routine Bright Green

When the Light Turned "Green" for Me:

I had been hearing about the potential dangers hiding in my makeup and beauty products for years, but in an effort to "keep it simple", I ignored the articles, news reports, and eco-beauty campaigns so I could continue on with my comfortable routine, purchasing my name-brand cosmetics, applying daily, and looking like myself. Ignorance was bliss; as long as I didn't know just exactly what was lurking in my lip-gloss, I would be just fine.

This approach didn't last too long. As I became aware of more articles on just exactly what toxins and metals some of my favorite beauty products contained, I decided that it was time to make a change. I came to learn that there was lead in my lipstick. While the FDA has stated that these trace amounts of lead are not safety concerns, are they considering women that apply lipstick 20 times a day, or children that want to put on mommy's makeup? (See what the NYT has to say). While these "traces" of lead may be non-dangerous for some consumers, why take the slightest risk on one's own body when there are greener and healthier alternatives? There were also parabens in some of my favorite beauty products. While it is not my intent to be an alarmist about the potential dangers of toxic parabens, I do wish to be someone that encourages others to be conscious about the goods they consume. While it is our prerogative to choose what beauty products are perfect for us, it is best to be well informed about the contents of the products we use daily. I have chosen to apply products to my body that are less risky and more eco-conscious. It just feels better.

Helpful Tips:

This blog post is not about scaring you into the world of green cosmetics, it's about encouraging you to learn what is in your makeup and beauty products. If you choose to live a little greener, I have some cost-conscious and helpful tips to help you along the way. For me, turning my beauty routine green was a long process. It is something that I am still figuring out, as you'll see in my reviews below. I've been lucky enough to get some tips from eco-conscious friends, and was directed to a great website called "Project Green Prom." Don't be fooled by the word "prom" or by the fresh-faced 15 and 16 year olds on the homepage. If you are 16, 26 or 70, there are some great tips on the site on how to be more conscious about your beauty routine. The following tips are my contribution to the ever-growing movement:

I will start by saying that you do not need to overpay for your green cosmetics. While some eco-friendly cosmetics can be a little pricier, there are some cost-efficient options sitting right on the shelves of your nearest Whole Foods. This face wash by "Desert Essence" gets the job done. It contains tea tree oil, licorice root extracts, sea kelp and many other unexpected and natural ingredients that leave my face feeling clean.  Also, looking for the "leaping bunny" picture on the labels of your products, which means that there has been no animal testing of this product. 

This ShiKai "all natural" shower gel was also found on the shelves of my local Whole Foods. It contains a good combo of oatmeal and aloe, and is certified organic, with a cute little "leaping bunny" on the back. The cucumber melon is my favorite so far.

 Another cost- friendly way to go "green" is to use Burt's Bees products. While it is hard to find 100% all natural Burt's Bees products, most of their products are 98-100% all natural, which works for me. The daily moisturizing cream for sensitive skin has been a great replacement for my paraben packet previous moisturizer.

I had also switched to using Burt's Bee's 100% natural lip gloss and 100% natural honey lip balm, but while doing some last minute research for this blog post, I found that I had been remiss. Apparently Burt's Bee's lip gloss does contain trace amounts of lead, even more so than some of your more name-brand items! What's a girl to do? 

Here are some seriously cost efficient options that you can find at your nearest drug store. I picked up Physicians Formula Organic Wear bronzer/blush and mascara. The bronzer/blush goes on even and light. It will get the job done as long as you're not preparing for opening night at the Met. You might want to purchase a higher end product for a special night out. The mascara is perfectly fine as well. It has a good brush that separates lashes well. It is not the longest lasting, though, and if you plan on wiping your eyes with your hand for any reason, this might not be the mascara for you. I am still in search of the perfect eco chic mascara. Suggestions welcome!

 Now we get to some of the items that I admittedly splurged on. I am in love with RMSbeauty. If they are selling it...I'm probably buying it. I did not want to get al of my products from this great company as this would be sure to break the bank, so I picked up some essentials instead. I purchased this amazing "un"cover-up, which is perfect for highlights around the eyes and as cover-up for imperfections. While it is a bit pricey, it has lasted me three months already and I'm about half way through it. The secret is only to use it where and when you really need it.

The bottom product is raw coconut cream, which is pretty magical. I use it mostly for makeup removal or as a moisturizing face wash when my skin is very dry. I would warn against using it too much if you have oily skin, as it seemed to add a little more moisture than I was looking for at times. Coconut is a super-product, and this anti-oxidant can be used on face, hair and sunburn! 

Next we have one of my favorite, and slightly more expensive brands, Dr. Haushka. I went on a wild goose chase to find the perfect liquid foundation, and Dr. Haushka's translucent make-up was the solution. Firstly, I've never encountered a foundation that smells amazing. Perhaps it is because among the first five ingredients are carrot, avocado, and macadamia seed oil. Further down the list of ingredients are shea butter, apricot, jojoba and beeswax. Sounds good to me! It goes on almost sheer, but with enough weight to even out your skin-tone. If you're like me and don't want to purchase a pricey item every month, the advice of my pre-school teacher during craft time will go a long way: "A little dab will do ya." Now we are referring to makeup, and not paste, but you get the gist.

I am also a big fan of the volume mascara by Dr. Haushka. It is not waterproof, but it goes on dark and dramatic, and is great as a more high-end counterpart to the OrganicWear mascara featured above

Lastly, we have the Dr. Haushka eyeliner. This is the only product on the list that gets a seriously negative review. While it goes on dark, even and beautiful, even the slightest touch of your eye leads to the eyeliner crumbling and coming off into pieces on your cheek. It is definitely not worth the price, and I am on the hunt for a liquid eyeliner that delivers.

While it was relatively simple to find some great products when switching to more eco-friendly and health conscious bath and makeup products, I have had some trouble with hair products. This "Intelligent Nutrients" hair spray was my best find. It smells like...a field of daisies? Whatever it smells like, it's sweet and subtle, and the spray produces a good hold. Where I ran into issues was with the PureLuxe shampoo and conditioner. While they smelled great and felt pretty "luxe", it was impossible to completely rinse them out of my hair, resulting in a "greasy" look that nobody thought was cute.
That being said, my husband uses the shampoo and conditioner and he loves it...and his hair looks great. Perhaps it is best for shorter, drier hair, as opposed to longer and more moisture prone hair.

While the shampoo did not work for me personally, I still greatly respect this company. Take a look at their philosophy on safe and nutritious product.

 I have tried a few body lotions, and so far, this product from "Nourish" is my favorite. The "fresh fig" scent is pretty delightful, and the price is even better. It is a thicker cream, which means you are getting a lot for your money, and the front of the product says it all: "Organic food for healthy skin."

 After having hand surgery this summer, I was in need of a seriously effective hand cream that would get my skin healthy again. Nubian Heritage's Coconut and Papaya Hand Cream did the trick. Found on the shelf of my local Whole Foods, this product smelled great, was sustainably produced, and boasted a no animal testing policy. Its' first ingredient is coconut oil, which I knew was a good thing, and the certified organic label on the back of the product was the icing on the hand cream...cake.

Lastly, I topped off my eco-beauty mission with a great nail polish. Zoya is free of some seriously dirty ingredients, such as formaldehyde, and there's a large variety of colors to choose from. While you are at it, pick up a Zoya top coat and nail polish remover to make your entire nail routine a healthier experience.

The Sweetest Years Moves Back Home

First order of business: You can now follow me on Twitter (although the grandma in me is very confused as to how to use this modern technology)! Follow me at: @SweetestYears

Since I last wrote, which was ages and ages ago, "The Sweetest Years" has moved from Philadelphia back to the place I like to call home. Before attending law school in Philadelphia, I lived with my (then) lovely boyfriend in Logan Circe in Washington, DC, and then in Rosslyn, VA, right outside of Georgetown.

I'd like to take you back to what our life was like in good old Rosslyn, and reminisce a bit. Yes, this blog contains recipes, baking tips and cooking blunders, but I'd also like it to be a place where I can blog about relationships, life in DC, and more:

When my boyfriend moved to Rosslyn, I was living in a tiny apartment in SOHO, NYC. My bedroom was so small, that when you walked into it, the door immediately hit the base of the bed. I would often open the door, walk in, and accidentally run into it. My poor shins were quite bruised those few months. During my time there, I worked as a waitress at Planet Hollywood in Times Square. I catered to low tipping tourists while wearing a very funny looking tie, came home to my tiny room, fell asleep to "Weeds" on Netflix, and woke up in the early morning hours to join the long lines of bite sized brunettes that looped around New York City sidewalks. I would wait hours (upon hours), to enter a tiny room to sing my 16 bars for a table lined with crinkled and critical faces. After hearing "thank you" I would turn in my character shoes for restaurant sneakers and repeat the process.

The light of my week was always sharing an outside table with my lovely man at different SOHO cafes, talking and laughing over a plate of grilled octopus sprinkled with lemon juice, or a generous portion of tiramisu. While shopping all alone in the corner Korean grocery one morning, I moved to the empty freezer aisle, picked up my boxy cell phone, and told my boyfriend it was over. My relationship with New York City had come to a close. My love of the theatre, of performing, of singing and acting felt less like a thrill, less like happiness, and more like an exhausting job. I was moving to DC. I would crash my boyfriend's 400 square foot "man apartment," meant only as a place to hang his proverbial hat at the end of the day, and turn the postage stamp sized apartment into a home for two. It would be a test of our strength. Could we live together in one room, no where to run, no where to hide? It turns out we could.

We lived in that apartment for a full year. It was a challenge sometimes. If we argued, there was no door to hide behind, no space to run to. We had to resolve our issues on the spot, and if we didn't, someone ended up taking refuge in the closet, which usually resulted in a realization of how silly our disagreement was in the first place, one person joining the other on the floor of the closet, and both of us laughing at our tiny little home. We had far more wonderful times there than challenging ones. I had my favorite birthday party in that apartment. 20 of our closest friends sitting on our bed and on tables, bunches of balloons floating up to the low hanging ceiling, and laughter that could never sound louder than it did in that tiny space. It was in that room that we planned our first real vacation together, perched on our bed googling the cheapest way to travel to Spain.

This was the first place I ever felt "home" after leaving my childhood home. When I came from NY to this apartment, my lovely boyfriend had taped together computer paper and made me a makeshift "Welcome Home" sign that hung above our window until it fell to the floor. That apartment and DC made us closer, and we are so happy to be back three years later. No longer girlfriend and boyfriend, but husband and wife. We have 400 more square feet, a brand new puppy, and a bright future ahead.


Some throwback photos from the year of the 400 sq. foot apartment:



The night of the infamous Birthday Party. Equipped with a fireman's hat and a bundle of bright balloons.

Fireworks over the monuments for the 4th of July.













Climbed a tree to better see the 2008 Obama inauguration  concert.