I'll miss you strawberry shortcake cupcake.

It's finally happening, I'm moving out of Happy Valley (Utah County).  In two weeks time I'll be home for Christmas in Maine and then it's on to Massachusetts in January.  I may be very excited for the move, but there are many things I will miss about Utah.  So in order to bask in the nostalgia of the last four years, I've decided to revisit a bunch of my favorite places we don't have back east (basically I've been hitting In-N-Out pretty hard).  

If you live in the area, or if you watch Cupcake Wars religiously, then you're probably familiar with the joy that is Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes.  So, I've never been a huge cupcake person, or cake person really.  I'm ALL about the pie.  But let me tell you, Sweet Tooth Fairy has definitely converted me.  It's 100% the best cupcake I've ever had, but the Strawberry Shortcake cupcake?  Oh my my, that just might be the best thing I've ever eaten.  Just look at it.

Right?!  It's unbelievable, and I am a complete chocoholic.  Needless to say, I highly recommend you visit their shop by University Mall and consume the Strawberry Shortcake cupcake.  Your tastebuds will thank me.

Now, have a great week, and excuse me while I cry over my impending loss.

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Comfort found in raspberry jalapeño grilled cheese.

Okay friends, I really only have one goal when it comes to this blog, and that is consistency.  I'm starting out with posting just once a week, but hopefully that will increase in the future.  With that said, I almost thought that I wouldn't make it this week.  It's been a busy one.  I worked between 10-13 hours every day, so when I came home at night I wanted something quick and comforting.  Grilled cheese fits the bill pretty well, but then I had a thought.  What if I put some of my raspberry jalapeño jam on my grilled cheese?  The result was breathtaking to say the least, and I'm posting this in the hopes that everyone will try it.  

I assume that everyone knows how to make grilled cheese, but let me just mention that if you want your grilled cheese to be bomb.com regardless of whether you add jam, you MUST have Muenster cheese.  It just isn't grilled cheese without it.  

Well that's really it, it's yummy and probably the only thing that got me through this week.  So, if you feel like you need a warm hug with a kick, try this out.  

Hope you all have a great week, I'm going to focus on the AMAs now.

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Grab a cazookie and settle in.

Welcome, welcome!  So here we are, at the beginning of something new.  It's exciting right?  Embarking on a new journey, setting out on a quest.  You'll have to forgive me, I'm currently watching Percy Jackson, and this blog has apparently become my Golden Fleece.  Alas, my aim is not a mythological object.  No, our quest is much simpler, but possibly more daunting; and that is BETTER EATING FOR BETTER LIVING.

Basically folks, I operate under the assumption that as one betters their relationship with food, that will in turn lead to a happier, healthier life.  But don't worry, it won't be all quinoa and chia seeds around here (although those are both fantastic), I believe in a more traditional and well rounded diet.  With that said, let's bring on the cookies and ice cream!


Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cazookie

  3/4 cup butter, softened
  1 1/2 cup brown sugar
  1 tsp vanilla
  1/4 cup molasses
  1 egg
  1 cup pumpkin
  2 cup flour
  1 cup oats
  2 tsp cinnamon
  1 tsp ginger
  1/2 tsp cloves
  1 tsp salt
  1 tsp baking soda
  2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

  Vanilla ice cream to gloriously heap on top


Preheat oven to 500 F.  Grease a pie plate or a round cake pan, I like to use the butter wrappers for this.  In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar.  If you don't have anything fancy, a fork works great for this.  Then add the vanilla, molasses, egg, and pumpkin.  In a small bowl, mix together the flour, oats, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda.  Once they're mixed you can add it into the wet ingredients a little at a time until you get a pretty thick dough.  Then mix the chocolate chips so they're evenly distributed.

Next you're going to fill the cake pan with about a third to half of the dough you just made.  (Yes, this recipe makes enough dough for two or three cazookies.  Trust me, in an apartment with four female twenty somethings, you're going to want cookie dough on hand.)  Then press it into the pan so that it's at least an inch thick.  Don't worry too much about getting into the nooks and crannies, it will spread.  Then stick that sucker in the oven for 8 minutes, also take your ice cream out of the freezer, you want it good and soft.  After 8 minutes, take it out and immediately top with that ice cream.  Grab a couple spoons and dig in.  The idea is to eat it while it's gooey, but obviously try not to burn yourself!

For best results consume with a couple of friends and the season premiere of The Newsroom.  Your pan should look something like this:

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