The Best Combo Since PB & Chocolate

        My life has been nothing short of hectic lately. School's a killer, I tell you. I've been working on three major end-of-the-semester assignments, each due one after the other. They keep telling us students that we're supposed to have a maximum of one per week for the next few weeks, yet here I am somehow with three in one week. This kind of stress makes me want to scream into a pillow.
        Thankfully, I now have one of those three assignments out of the way… which means more time for a personal assignment. My own two-part assignment was as follows. Part 1: make cookies. Part 2: eat the cookies.

Malted Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

A Cookbook for the Avid Baker

       I have at least five gift cards to Chapters bookstore in my wallet at the moment. Bookstore gift cards are one of my two favorite things to receive as gifts for the holidays, the other being baking tools and equipment (yes you, beloved Kitchenaid mixer).
        What do I do with these gift cards? I buy books, of course -- especially baking cookbooks. I read regular books too, but I have one of those nifty Kindle e-readers for my regular reads… meaning I have lots of room left to spend money on cookbooks, which I absolutely insist be printed in full-color, large-photo brilliance. 

Dearest Pumpkin

        Fall is my #1 favorite season. I love everything about it -- the gorgeous colors, the little trick-or-treaters showing up at my door on Halloween, the distinctive tastes and smells of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg… and pumpkin. Dearest pumpkin.
        I have made new best buddies this year: pumpkins and scones. I was very eager to hop on the bandwagon and eat 'em as one. Pumpkin Scones... my weakness. 

Pumpkin Scones

Spelt, the Ancient Grain

         The days have just been whipping by for me lately. I get home from school and a few hours later the sky outside is pitch black. It will definitely take me a while to get used to this. How did this happen? When did this happen? Where have the days gone? Madness, I tell you.
        I decided to make something quick and simple that would be ready before night hits, but something that I could eat on a regular basis. So, I made a wholesome, hearty loaf of bread -- no yeast, no kneading, and no rising time involved. It's the perfect bread for busybodies such as myself. Here it is: Spelt Sesame Bread.

Spelt Sesame Bread

Like a Big Pizza Pie

        That's amore...
        Pizza. While dessert is often incredibly hard to pass up for most people (deep down, we all know we should), there are still delicious savory foods that succeed in having the same effect on us. For me, one of these foods is pizza. Particularly homemade pizza. Even more particularly, my Mom's homemade pizza. Pair that with a from-scratch pizza dough made with love, and you've earned my heart.
        During the summer I went to Italy with my family -- an experience I had anticipated for years. Italy was too beautiful to be described in words and every meal was incredible. By the end of the trip, I thought I had eaten enough pizza (plus gelato every day) to last me a lifetime. As it turns out, I didn't, because here I am again in the same position… eating pizza.

Spinach Goat Cheese Pizza