Here we are with another baking roundup! We've got a mix of fruity and chocolatey recipes this time around. Now that Summer is here I may try out more light recipes that I usually gravitate toward. My two favorite bakes of this roundup are the strawberry bundt cake and m&m brownies. YUMMM.
Glazed Lemon Cookies
These glazed lemon cookies were Handle the Heat's May baking challenge. I had bought some lemons to make her lemon pound cake for my niece's graduation party and this recipe was perfect for using the rest of the lemons. I made them at my in-laws house so I didn't have all my usual tools, always funny baking in someone else's home, nothing ever comes out how you're used to. So while they aren't the prettiest/most round, they were delicious. I will definitely make these again for my lemon loving husband.
Coconut Brownies
We have a bunch of shredded coconut and rather than make coconut chocolate chip blondies again I decided to search for a coconut brownie recipe. I want to make homemade mounds next but we didn't have sweetened condensed milk. I wanted something fast with what we had on hand. I trusted the google gods and used the first recipe that popped up from a blog I had never read. Luckily, they came out great! Anyone else have a fun coconut recipe they like? Nothing super tropical (hence my issue with using up what we have, there's only a few recipes so far that have been easy/with ingredients I have already.) I might try lamington at some point too, they're always so tasty when I have them at EPCOT food festivals!
Chewy M&M Brownies
These have been on my list to make for a while but it took me forever to buy the M&Ms because they are just so darn expensive now! I couldn't stop thinking about them so I finally bought some after our trip to Missouri. They are definitely the most expensive brownies I've ever made, the MINIs cost almost as much as the big bag of regular M&Ms because I didn't want to spend $7 on a big bag of the minis, haha. But they came out of the oven and I actually gasped because they looked and smelled so good!
Mounds
Mounds are one of my favorite candies so I finally made some homemade. I deviated a bit from this recipe and did it by feel for when I thought there was enough coconut to sweetened condensed milk ratio. I was in a bit of a rush coating them so they are NOT the prettiest, but they tasted good! I used Bob's Red Mill coconut and Ghiradelli dark chocolate wafers for coating.
Strawberry Bundt Cake
My sister invited my siblings and I over for a last minute Memorial Day BBQ so I decided to finally make this cake I've had saved for a while. It was very easy to make, but a lot of dishes to clean since you have to puree strawberries for the cake AND freeze dried strawberries for the icing. But for a special occasion it's definitely worth all the cleaning. The cake was a hit at our get together with multiple people having more than one slice.
Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins
This is my second time making these and I did it slightly different from the first time. To begin with, I used frozen wild blueberries instead of normal sized because I prefer them small. The first time I made these I followed the tip to chill the batter for 8 hours before baking and added the blueberries after. It was really hard for me to add in the blueberries because the batter was a little too firm so I decided to just add them in before the rest this time. I don't mind that it turned the batter blue, I actually think they're more fun that way! I also doubled the crumble on top because Christian and I love the crispy texture.
The last update to my "closet room" was back in 2020 when I added a couch and reorganized the shelving to be all white, vs a mismatch of black and white. You can also the original layout in this wardrobe update post. It's come a long way since we moved in in May 2018, right?
This latest update was a necessity but I used it to my advantage to get something I've wanted for a while. Before we left on our trip to Missouri earlier this year, one of my inexpensive clothing racks fully collapsed while I was packing. The other one had also been broken for some time but was still usable. I decided to replace them both with a single unit white metal clothing rack with three sections, two for long items and the middle section has a double rack for shirts and bottoms. It also has two shelves on the top for more storage.
Now the only non-white piece is my dresser/old baby changing table. It feels wrong to paint it white, but I may do it someday.
Products:
Angelica 70.08" Metal Clothes Rack
KALLAX Shelf unit, white 30 3/8x57 7/8"
KALLAX
Insert for bottles, white 13x13 " (used for shoes)
BILLY Bookcase, white 31 1/2x11x79 1/2"
Target 31" Stackable Shoe Shelf, white
Shoe Slotz Storage Units in Ivory
Peryman Velvet 71.6" Square Arm Sofa in Eggplant (similar)
I think this is the longest I've gone without adding to my closet, crazy! I guess that's what happens when you get older, have more self control and less need of clothes (especially if you work from home, ha ha.)
I did receive a pair of sandals in exchange for a post on Instagram and they're already a workhorse. Any time I have to run outside quickly I'll throw them on, I even wear them while cooking dinner for extra support because they're orthotics.
I started this post before I went on my annual camping trip in Vermont and technically I did buy a sweatshirt. Even though it's a "souvenir," I'm going to add it because I'll probably wear it around the house and occasionally on cool Summer evenings.
THE (modified) RULES
- Be mindful of purchases
- Quality over quantity
- Basics are best
MY PROGRESS
Clothes:
- *NEW!* VERMONT Sweatshirt in light gray via the Weston Village Store ($20, retail $50)
Basics:
- None yet
Shoes:
- None yet
Handbags:
- None yet
Accessories:
- Apple Watch 8 Midnight Aluminum Case with Elderberry Sport Band (gift from Christian)
Activewear/Swimwear:
- None yet
Gifted from Brands:
- *NEW!* Aetrex Maui Orthotic Flip Flops in Matte Black
Spent in June: $20
Spent in 2023: $20
Spent in 2023 - counting ad money: $20
Now that I've shared my few quick tips for a Disneyland trip, here are all the tasty treats and meals we had on our trip! Since we only had 2 days and 3 nights we had to be very strategic about where we ate. While I would have loved to do 3 sit-down meals a day to try as much food as possible we also wanted to prioritize all the rides that we don't have over in Disney World.
Disneyland Eats
Disneyland Popcorn Carts
Mickey Beignets
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| My Ratatouille Dooney & Bourke bag featuring Remy & Emile was ready for tasty food! |
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| Mint Julep |
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| Battered & Fried Monte Cristo - Sliced Turkey, Ham and Swiss with Seasonal Preserves and choice of Pommes Frites or Petite Salad |
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| Roasted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, Citron-Orange Salad and Coq Au Vin Jus |
Ronto Roasters - Galaxy's Edge
Café Daisy - ToonTown
WE had a super quick snack/lunch at Cafe Daisy on day 1 when my friend Caleb joined us. Christian and I shared the Pepperoni Pizza Flop-Over (Pepperoni, Mozzarella, Provolone with Tomato Sauce) and I stole a Daisy's Goody-Goody Donuts (House-made Mini-Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar) from Caleb. (didn't snag a picture because we ate super fast, ha ha.
Downtown Disney Eats
Naples Ristorante e Bar
Disney California Adventure Eats
Jack-Jack Cookie Num Nums - Pixar Pier
One of our favorite eats of the trip was the famous Jack-Jack Cookie Num Num which is a very large chocolate chip cookie served nice and warm. They have these at Disney World as well but we hadn't gotten around to buying one yet. Next trip to Hollywood Studios we'll be grabbing one to see if they're just as good.
Mickey Pretzels
Can't go to Disneyland without getting something Mickey shaped so I needed a Mickey pretzel! Yes, I know I had Mickey beignets too, shh! I got mine at Pacific Wharf Distribution Co. in Pacific Wharf (soon to be San Fransokyo) next to Pixar Pier.
Corn Dog Castle - Paradise Gardens Park
We were told we had to have an Original Corn Dog (dipped in Corn Batter and fried to a golden Brown served with Cuties® Mandarin or Small Bag of Chips) so we grabbed one for breakfast on day 2 of the trip. Meal times don't matter at Disney, ha ha!
Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
We're spoiled by EPCOT's food festivals so both of us were a little disappointed in the DCA Food & Wine Festival. I don't like cheese and almost everything on the menus had cheese, so the only thing I got was the Celebration Chocolate Fudge Brownie (Gooey Chocolate Brownie with
Pecans, topped with Chocolate Pecan Glaze and finished with Chocolate
Pearls and Silver Stars.) Christian got the Carbonara-Garlic Mac & Cheese with Nueske’s Peppered Bacon from the Garlic Kissed booth and loved it. Sadly he was disappointed by the Kenny’s Family Cheesecake topped with mixed berry compote from the Berry Patch booth.
Lamplight Lounge - Pixar Pier
I was very excited to eat at Lamplight Lounge but ended up disappointed.The restaurant is full of Pixar memorabilia on the inside and the outside has a beautiful view of Pixar Pier. Unfortunately we got seated at a shared raised rectangular table in the middle of the patio with a view of the people across the table from us. If we had known we would have asked to wait for a single table. The way we were seated, all next to one another, made it impossible to talk while eating, someone was always left out. The service was also pretty slow.
However, Christian and Caleb did enjoy their meals. They got the Kung Pao Bao and Al Pastor Pork Chop, respectively as well as the Donuts, a special cookies & cream version for the Food & Wine Festival. My Roasted Chicken wasn't as satisfactory, especially after the roast chicken I had the previous evening at Cafe Orleans. It lacked flavor even though it looked like it would be loaded with it. I would maybe try eating here again but request a normal table and try the pork.
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| Al Pastor Pork Chop - Marinated Al Pastor Bone-in Pork Chop, Oaxaca Cheese Polenta, Pineapple Relish, Charred Onions, Roasted Red Chili Butter and Green Chili Sauce |
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| Kung Pao-glazed crispy Pork Belly, soft Bao Bun, Red Peppers, toasted Peanuts and Green Onions |
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| Ale and Citrus-brined, Dry-rubbed Half Chicken with Seasoned Couscous, Pickled Red Cabbage and Smoked Almond Romesco |
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| Warm fluffy Donuts with cookies & cream dipping sauce |
