chocolate chip cookie bars + baking without an oven

hi, friends! it's been over a year since I've updated this blog. I know that some of you have been following along all my Taiwan adventures with my new blog, but for those of you who are only here for the cookies might be interested to know I have finally [!] posted a new recipe. head on over to check it out.

I also wanted to mention that this week, my pop rocks cake pop recipe is featured in an article on bonappetite.com ... kindof a big deal. check out slide #8 [well, check out all the slides, but #8 is mine]

learning to bake without all my beloved kitchen gadgets [and also without gluten] while adjusting to expat life has certainly been a challenge. but I've learned that if you get creative you can bake just about anywhere with anything... including making pie dough by cutting butter with a cheese grater and using a wine bottle as a rolling pin. I hope to be sharing more recipes in the near future.

thanks for stopping by, xo

post #99: cake pops + announcements

hello friends! This is my 99th post to this blog... crazy right?

How about some rainbow sprinkle cake pops to celebrate? [I love rainbow sprinkles!]

I have another announcement to share today that is somewhat bittersweet: 
I will no longer be posting to this blog.

The reason why? Husband and I have decided to leave our current jobs, pack up our lives, and head out for an adventure. This summer we will be moving to Hsinchu City, Taiwan! Husband signed a 2 year teaching contact with a high school over there, and in a few weeks we will be moving back to Michigan from the east coast to spend time with our families before we go.

I WILL, however, still be blogging. I hope that you’ll wander over to inkandadventure.blogspot.com and join up to follow our adventures in Taiwan. There will be plenty of photos, stories about life and travel, and - of course - experiments in the kitchen. I’m excited for the challenge of learning how to cook in our new home using the local ingredients [and without a traditional oven!]

It has truly been a pleasure blogging for you all these past few years. Thank you for all your support, emails, and lovely comments. I hope you will continue to enjoy the recipes I have posted here [I’ll leave them up indefinitely] and will try your hand at the new ones I’ll be posting over there.

until then,

use real butter + bake it with love

xo Jamie

Cinco de Mayo recipe roundup

Hi friends! Just popping in to say happy Cinco de Mayo, and give you a few menu suggestions if you happen to be throwing a fiesta today.

mini rolo cookies

A few weeks ago, I pinned a recipe that I found on one of the blogs I love to follow. The adorable Sydney blogs mostly about fashion and her baby Everett [also adorable] but this recipe sounded too good not to try.

Chocolate + caramel... I mean, come on!

if you like piña coladas...

If you like piña coladas, you'll love this lighter version of the classic cocktail.

food photography tips

I have been getting a lot of emails from readers lately, and the email I receive most often sounds similar to this: "I love your photos! What kind of camera do you use?" While I love getting notes from readers, I want to clear something up: it's not just the camera that makes a photo great- it's the photographer! It's true that most of my posts use photos taken on my DSLR [Canon XSi] but a few use images shot with my small point-and-shoot, and lately I've even been posting from my iPhone.

My point is this: you can take great photos with any camera.

Last year, I wrote a post for my friend's blog sharing some basic tips on how to improve your food photography. These photo tips can be used with any camera- even the one on your phone.  I thought it would be fun to share that post here [below] to give a little insight to what happens in my kitchen and answer some of your questions.

Read on, and happy shooting : )

spicy chipotle braised beef

Lately, I've had an obsession with making a roast every Sunday. In order to keep things interesting, Husband and I have a few versions we make. This spicy shredded chipotle version is perfect for making tacos, enchiladas, or serving with rice.

olive cheese tarts

Olive cheese tarts are the perfect impromptu party snack.

They're cheesey. They're salty. They're spicy. And you can make a batch to keep in the freezer and just pop in the oven whenever a friend or neighbor shows up.

Or... you know... when you get a craving for something cheesy and salty and spicy.

valentine cake pops [part 2]

For those of you looking for something a little less labor intensive than

[but just as cute as] the conversation heart cake pops I posted yesterday...

conversation heart cake pops

Remember back in 4th grade when Valentine's Day meant 

dropping notes in hand-made shoebox "mailboxes"?

I always loved the cute messages on conversation hearts...

but they taste much better as cake pops!

the perfect jello shot

I had this great idea for a different kind of Valentine's Day treat.

Something a little outside the box... the gelatin box that is!

I wanted to try making heart-shaped pop rocks jello shots.

So I mixed up a batch of cherry/vodka jello shots according to my secret recipe.

superbowl bites

Well friends, it's Superbowl weekend!

I'm not hosting or attending a party this year [sad face]

but here are some recipes for those of you who are:

Game Day Mexican Layer Dip

Traditional game day dip with a fun football twist.

peanut butter + chocolate whoopie pies

Fun fact: two years ago today, I made my very first post on this blog!

Today, we're taking two old recipes and making something new: 

peanut butter + chocolate whoopie pies.

instagram and other things

I've had a few emails about how I edited the photos in my egg muffin post.

They looked kindof like this...

Well, it's not a secret; it's instagram! instagram is an app for iPhone [and I think iPod touch] that lets you take square-format photos and edit using an array of filters and then posts to whatever social media you send it to: twitter, flickr, facebook, tumblr, etc.

breakfast egg muffins

Happy 2012! Let's start the year off right with a good breakfast.

These egg muffins are super easy and super versatile.

[Not to mention super tasty.]

Christmas Cookie Round-Up

With only 10 days until Christmas I thought it would be nice to round up all the

cookies of Christmas past for easy baking reference. [The holidays kinda snuck up 

on me this year, but last December I was a cookie-baking fiend.]

chocolate gooey butter cookies

pumpkin pecan cheesecake chocolate pie

Husband and I wanted to make pie for Thanksgiving.

We decided regular pumpkin pie just wasn't enough, so we added a 

layer of cheesecake and topped it with pecans and chocolate.

seven layer salad

The Holidays are fast approaching, and so is the season of holiday parties.

Husband and I attended a potluck party this weekend, and [since dessert was spoken for] 

decided to bring a "traditional" potluck dish: seven layer salad.

Everyone has their own version of seven layer salad. It's a great canvas 

for mixing and matching different vegetables and cheeses. You can pick and choose 

the layers according to your [or your guests'] taste. In my opinion, there are 

only 2 "must-haves": frozen peas, and a mayo dressing. Everything else is up for grabs!

Here's the anatomy of MY version of seven layer salad:

For the dressing, I used 3/4 cup mayo and 1/4 cup sour cream mixed with

a tablespoon of dijon mustard and a squirt of hot sauce for a tangy kick.

Layer everything in, spread the dressing on top, cover and chill.

Works best in a big glass bowl so everyone can see how pretty your work is.

Mix right before serving, collect complements all evening :)

turkey cake pops

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone is stuffed full of turkey and gratitude, watching football, enjoying 

a slice of pie and a tasty beverage. [That's my plan for the rest of the day anyway.]

fall colors leaf cookies

The fall colors are starting to die down here, but these festive cookies 

are a great way to keep the season going just a little bit longer. 

[I'm so not ready for winter!]