Peanut Butter Cookies

With no money to my name and very few sweets in my apartment, I rummaged through my cabinets to see what I could do about the problem other than pouring sugar down my throat. I realized I had most of what I needed to make peanut butter cookies. I followed this recipe for Classic Peanut Butter Cookies on AllRecipes.com. Here are the modifications I made:

• Since it's just me, I halved the recipe.
  
• I don't have any baking soda or baking powder (or money to acquire any), so I did without. While this of course affected the texture of the cookie, if I didn't know they were missing, I wouldn't know they were missing.
  
• I added a drop of cinnamon extract. It was just enough to add a hint of complexity to the flavor without distracting from the peanut butter.
  
• I also added a bit of honey. It's fairly dark honey. In the future, I would add less honey or add a lighter honey.
  

Overall, these cookies are delicious. I can't stop eating them, which could be a good or a bad thing.

Pretty Girls Use Knives

A friend of mine, along with some of her peers, have created a website/blog with kitchen tips. It covers everything from baking to kosher eating to party planning. Check it out.

The Hot Brown

This was so incredibly good. I defer to the Wiki page for the history and description of this amazing sandwich. I am also proud to say that I ate it in its birth home, The Brown Hotel.

Bananas

From World of Monkey. I personally go for 4s or 5s because I hate any sort of blemishes on the banana. I've only recently been able to eat bananas again, as I find their texture to be slightly unpleasant.

Hard Boiled Eggs

I love hard-boiled eggs because they're tasty and full of protein. I will often have one as part of my breakfast or a post-work-out snack. Here's how I usually make my hard-boiled eggs:

1. Put 1 large egg in a pot with water. Most people recommend covering the egg with an inch of water, but since the only pot I own deep enough to cover the egg that much is quite large and would take forever to boil, my eggs are not usually fully submerged and it's never been a problem.
   
2. Bring water to just boiling.
   
3. Remove from heat before the water starts really boiling. Cover with a lid.
   
4. Leave egg in covered pot for 15-20 minutes.
   
5. For softer boiled egg, remove from pot sooner. Otherwise, after 15-20 minutes, place egg in ice water until cool. (This prevents the green coloring around the yolk.)
   
6. Remove shell. Slightly older eggs are the easiest to de-shell.
   
7. Eat! (This is the shortest part of the whole process.)

Doritos Late Night Last Call Jalapeño Popper

I was hoping for something as spicy as Doritos Fiery Habanero when I decided to pick these up from the snack machine. I was slightly disappointed after the first bite, but the heat picks up slightly with the more chips you eat, and the overall flavor is still much more pleasant and subtle than regular Doritos.

Recipe: Jiffy Chocolate Muffin...Brownies!

I found a package of Jiffy Chocolate Muffin Mix at the grocery store and picked it up out of curiosity. Once home, I realized that I didn't have a muffin tin, and decided to go for a more dessert type dish instead. It was a smash with my friends.

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of Jiffy Chocolate Muffin Mix
  
• 1 Large Egg
  
• 1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
  
• 1 Tablespoon Instant Coffee
  
• ¼ Cup of Milk
  
• 5 Oreos, Crushed
  

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine dry ingredients until evenly distributed. Add egg and milk. Continue to stir until batter is fairly consistent.

Grease a small pan (mine was approx. 10" long x 6" wide x 2" deep) and then pour in batter. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. (Note: the box calls for the muffins to be baked 11 - 13 minutes. It took my dish considerably longer to finish.)