Chocolate Pudding Cake

May is a busy month. Between a dozen birthdays (including both mine and Gabe’s), Mother’s Day, and the end of the semester, there’s a lot of celebrating to do. Which means a lot of cake-eating. (Bummer.)

I just returned from Minnesota for my little sister’s college graduation. It was a crazy fun weekend with family and friends, but now I’m laid up on the couch with a fever and sore throat, apparently reprising the sickness after my own graduation three years ago. So I’m eating chicken soup and strawberry popsicles and dreaming about chocolate pudding cake.

This recipe is near and dear to my heart. It comes from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Children’s Cookbook and was one of the first things I learned to bake all by myself. Also, it’s one of the most delicious cakes ever: warm, gooey, and chocolatey. Perfect for both celebrations and sore throats…

Star Wars Birthday Party

Right now I’m enjoying a bit of quiet time after a very busy week. Gabe finished finals and I threw him a birthday party on Saturday night. The theme? Star Wars.

I had so much fun planning this party. Any excuse to make up terrible puns (Han-burgers anyone?) is a win in my book. Our guests loved the opportunity to create Jedi names, duel with light sabers, and act all-around silly. And yes, I put my hair in Princess Leia buns.

I apologize for the blurry iPhone photos… I was having too much fun to take “real” photos!

The Menu:

• Han-burgers
• Veggie Paddy-wans
• Vader Taters (potato chips)
• C-3(pea)O Salad
• Ewok Food (pretzel sticks, goldfish crackers, dried cherries)
• Wookie Cookies (sugar cookies)
• Light Sabers (pretzel rods dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles)
• Coruscant Cupcakes (funfetti with buttercream)
• Thermal Detonators (chocolate-covered pretzel bites)
• Yoda Soda (limeade and soda) and Add Your Own Nabooze (vodka and rum)

Strawberry Ice Cream

Despite the fact that I love both strawberries and ice cream, it never seemed natural to put the two together. Call me crazy, but I never even tried the combo until my senior year of high school. Inconceivable!

Whenever I visit an ice cream shop, I always, always choose mint chocolate chip or cookies ‘n’ cream. I just can’t bear to pick any other flavor, lest I be disappointed. But when I make ice cream at home, I’m free to improvise.

So I made strawberry ice cream. And it was delicious. Don’t worry about the (slightly odd) presence of sour cream in this recipe; it adds a lovely texture to the finished product without being reminiscent of Mexican food.

Turkey Lasagna

Hello friends! Sorry it’s been awhile. I have time for a quick update, and then it’s back to work. (One more paper to write; the end is in sight!)

The end-of-the-semester frenzy has wreaked havoc on our usual schedules. While I pride myself on my housekeeping abilities, dishes have a tendency to pile up in the kitchen sink when Gabe and I are busy studying. And since I hate messes, I’ve started to avoid the kitchen like the plague.

So aside from Gabe’s birthday dinner on Monday night, not much cooking has been happening around here lately. I did make turkey lasagna last weekend so we could eat leftovers all week long. (It takes two people a surprising amount of time to eat this much lasagna.) I adore this recipe. The goat cheese gives it a bit of a tang, and anything with a pound of fresh mozzarella is destined to be delicious.

Okie dokie, it’s back to paper-writing for me. Two more days until my library books (and therefore my paper) are due!

White Cheddar Cheez-its

Classes are done! Classes are done! Classes are done!

Oh. Hello, finals.

My schedule isn’t that bad; I only have two papers left to write and an exhibition to install. But poor Gabe has a few unpleasant weeks ahead of him. I decided to make both our lives easier by spending today making snacks for us to munch on as we finish the semester.

Enter homemade cheez-its. (Please, don’t laugh.) These little guys taste surprisingly like the commercial ones but way better. They are seriously delicious. Gabe broke down laughing when I told him what I was making this morning, but he quickly came around. (Anything with cheese will do that.)

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

It rained on Sunday. And Monday. But I wasn’t complaining. Instead of taunting me with sunshine, the weather forced me to stay indoors and draft papers. The drops hitting the window echoed the tap-tap-tap of my keyboard, soothing my frenzied soul.

The rain also gave me the opportunity to cook some chilly weather comfort food, like this casserole (that’s hot dish, for all you Minnesotans). Luckily I had all the fixings in the freezer already, making this dish a snap to prepare.

Plus, now we have leftovers, a gift for the rest of this busy week!

Homemade Coffee Syrups

As you may have been able to tell by the infrequency of my postings, things have been a bit hectic around here. Finals are quickly approaching, and I’m kicking myself for the oh-so-wise decision to load up on classes and graduate a semester early. (I’m sure the decision will eventually pay off, but still…)

On top of school stress, Gabe and I are still dealing with a mouse problem. I thought this week’s 80° weather would coax those critters back outside, but apparently they love our apartment. (And why not? We’ve made it a cozy home.)

Needless to say, our general busyness means that meals this week have mostly revolved around take-out food and leftovers. (And surprisingly tasty precooked cajun chicken sausages.) But even when we’re too busy to cook, the one thing Gabe and I will take the time to lovingly prepare is coffee.