prom.

let's talk prom. after falling in love and deciding to buy about fifty dresses i actually bought one...and it is the perfect dress for me. minus the fact that it does not currently have sleeves. rest assured my friends, i have plans to take a trip to the fabric store with the mother this weekend. i must first say that i do not yet have a date to prom. slightly concerning, but i have hope. i must next add that i just spent the afternoon purchasing the jewelry and shoes to match my dress and i'm kind of excited. sometimes i put my dress on and stare at myself in the bathroom mirror while trying to keep it from falling down...awkward. can i just say, i have no idea how people go sleeveless. i feel so naked. maybe it is just my terrible keep-my-dress-from-falling-off skills but probably not. also, prom is not until may 19th which is SO LATE. i keep seeing pictures in my timeline from proms being held elsewhere and it is killing me. on the bright side, five days after prom is my birthday and that is a lot to look forward in one week. so i'm excited, okay? and i felt it would benefit the internets to know that.

the french culinary institute

it happened a week from yesterday, i was able to walk through the doors of the one school that i have been dreaming of attending since i was a little girl. it was all so surreal: the kitchens stocked with top of the line appliances that i had only before seen in restaurants, the pantry stocked with tens of thousands of dollars of food, the aromas of rising dough, cheese souffles, and perfectly braised veal filled the hallways as i traveled from pastry kitchen to bread kitchen to classic culinary with eyes wider than they had ever been. i felt like i belonged there, with the rest of them. each person there had a different dream yet we all had one thing in common: the intense love of food. after being able to sit in on a class and tour the school, a woman talked to me about internships, about the possibilities and connections that come with going to a school with a name such as the French Culinary Institute. i believed and still do believe every word she said. if you want to make it in the food world, you need to come from a school that has connections and knows the business. i left with a full stomach and the determination to walk through those doors again in a years time, this time with my own chef's coat and textbook. later that night my family walked across the brooklyn bridge, i was wonderstruck as i stood at the top and looked out at the glittering manhattan skyline as the sun slowly dripped down behind it. my heart sputtered tears began to drip down my face, it was at that moment that i knew New York was exactly where i needed to be. i think that a lot of people might have a problem with the route i want to take. what mormon girl goes straight to New York City out of high school? not only that, but it isn't even a real college. when i tell people about my goal of becoming a chef, and someday opening a restaurant they either support it or pretend to. how am i supposed to be a mother, and raise a family when i am working so hard in a city that never stops moving? will i meet someone to marry there? will i die alone? how am i supposed to afford living in a city where $2000 a month for a studio apartment is reasonable. i can't answer any of those questions right now, but i'm not worried because i have faith not fear. this life is supposed to be a journey where i learn things and develop my talents as much as possible. the french culinary institute is where i am supposed to do that and i'm excited. the most important goals in my life are still getting married and becoming a mother. i would give up going to new york in a heart beat  if going meant that i wouldn't get to experience those. however, the lord has a plan for each of us and as i continue to pray and keep close to him i'm not worried. with the spirit close, it is hard to stray off the road to eternal happiness.

chicken stew.

we recently got a brand new cast iron dutch oven. it isn't a le cruset but it is pretty darn close. i love it. right when i got home i ripped open that box real quick and got to cooking.

Chicken Stew
2Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice

1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth

1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, torn into

1Tbsp tomato paste

1 bay leaf

4 chicken drumsticks with skin peeled off

1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

-heat oil in dutch oven over medium heat, add carrot, garlic, and onion; saute until softened, about 5 minutes. stir in tomatoes with juices, broth, basil, tomato paste, and bay leaf. add chicken and submerge.

-bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, turning chicken and stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. transfer chicken to plate and pull meat from bones then return to pot. discard bay leaf. add beans to stew and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

makes about four servings. i doubled mine and there was plenty for my family of eight. serve with some crusty bread for dipping.

red velvet cupcake love.

you know that moment when you finally discover the perfect recipe for one of your all time favorite foods? i have moments like that a lot and consequently spent a lot of time at the gym. but, you know. for Christmas i received this lovely cookbook. inside it was the best red velvet recipe i've ever tasted.
enjoy my friends, enjoy.

Blake really liked them, and i like her face.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

3 1/4 c all purpose flour

1tsp salt

12 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

1 3/4 c sugar

2 large eggs, room temp

4 Tbsp red food coloring

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder, sifted

1 1/2 c. whole milk, room temp

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

preheat oven to 350*, line a standard cupcake pan with twelve paper baking cups. sift together the flour and salt, set aside. in the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter and sugar at medium speed for 3-5 minutes or until light and fluffy. add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition. using a whisk, whisk together the red food color, vanilla, and cocoa powder. slowly add this to the mixer bowl, mixing slowly until well incorporated. add on third of the flour followed by one third of the milk and mix, repeat. stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. ass the last third of the flour followed by the last third of the bilk and mix until incorporated. in a small bowl, add the baking soda to the apple cider vinegar. you will see the baking soda and vinegar fizz up. mix this thoroughly and add to the batter.mix until just incorporated. usinng a standard sized ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into a cupcake pan so each well is two thirds full. bake for 16-18 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes) or until a toothpick comes out clean. transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

i like the cream cheese frosting recipe i've been using for years so i didn't even try the one in the book. mine is super easy and fool proof. 

cream cheese frosting

1 8-oz pkg cream cheese

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

6 c. powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp milk

whisk together the butter and cream cheese on high for five minutes until REALLY fluffy. add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix on low until incorporated then on high for another minute or so. add milk and mix for another two minutes. pour into piping bag  and pipe onto cupcake.

happy leap day.

February 29th brought something magical this year...



happy snow day everybody.

friday's top five.

5.
.
bath & body works summer vanillas in apricot. i don't even think they sell this stuff anymore which is such a bummer. but as i squeeze every last drop from the bottle it takes me back to summer. exactly what i need right about now.
4.

yes to carrots lip butter in melon, ($3, target) after three years of chapstick testing. this stuff remains my favorite of them all.
3.

Chobani greek yogurt in passion fruit. ($1.39, grocery stores) i love all greek yogurt but this one in particular makes me smile. it is a vacation to paradise in a bowl. for a lot cheaper than a plane ticket. definitely my breakfast go to.
2.

Luna bar in chocolate dipped coconut ($1.15, target) another go to breakfast, this tastes like a candy bar but without the calories and guilt. adios terrible tasting nutrition bars. i like that this is for women, also. it makes me feel like it fits more of my needs. even though, let's be honest here, they're so good my brothers eat them.
1.

vita coco coconut water ($3, grocery stores) my current go to beverage. not too sweet and it really is like drinking from an actual coconut. no more of that artificial stuff.

thank goodness for three day weekends! three day weekends that i don't have to work during at that! i have a few adventures planned...maybe i'll tell you about them. if you are lucky.

hugs, kisses, and good eats,
Sarah.

happy. sugar. sweet. love. day.

evidentely the amount of friends i have triples when i bring treats to school. that's okay though, i don't mind sharing. (secretly, i'm plotting to make everyone fat but, you know) my valentines day projects this year included four dozen red velvet cupcakes, four dozen triple chocolate mint cookies, and fifty pepermint bark heart suckers. needless to say my apron is covered in a lovely coating of all things sweet. but it was worth it. see for yourself, whydontchya?

preheat oven to 350*, place unwrapped candy canes on parchment paper, the hook facing the stick to make a heart. put in the oven for about three minutes but WATCH THEM CLOSELY. or else you'll end up with candy cane soup.

melt some chocolate, i put mind extract in my chocolate so i could have a peppermint bark esque sucker. it was delicious.

this is the result of my attempt to take "artistic pictures of chocolate." i kinda like it.

fill the hearts with chocolates, letting one layer dry before adding the second. top with sprinkles or crushed candy canes and let harden.

beautiful, i know.

tada.

the only problem with this project was it required some planning ahead. and by that i mean purchasing one hundred candy canes back in december. turns out, candy canes aren't much of a valentines day treat. but they are now hahahaha. yeah.

 i also made four dozen red velvet cupcakes. the best red velvet recipe i've yet to discover. it deserves its own post, actually. so it is going to get one...eventually. for now though, enjoy these beautiful cupcakes that i frosted with my brand new piping tip. unfortunately, it was not purchased by an attractive man for my behalf. but it still is awesome.

 then i made six dozen of these awesome cookies. this recipe, actually. i just used mint and dark chocolate chips and valentines m&m's. delish.

making valentines day about something i love instead of finding someone to love was pretty great. not going to lie though, i still half way expected an attractive man to show up on my door step with a dozen roses and offer to cook me a fancy dinner. however, after this valentines day, it still remains a dream.