10-Minute No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Miss Anthropist

I don’t think there’s any dreamier combination than chocolate and peanut butter. It just can’t be beat.

Not only that…but a chocolate peanut butter recipe that can be made in 10 minutes flat? This is my idea of a perfect recipe.

They look crunchy, but they’re not…the crunchy looking things on it are actually the rolled oats I used. The cookies are really soft (and not crumby at all), and have this perfect creamy peanut butter chocolate taste.

The recipe called for unsweetened chocolate, but I couldn’t find the unsweetened kind, so I used…

Nesquik! Continue reading →

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Zucchini Alfredo (made low-fat!)

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Miss Anthropist

My childhood memories are more-or-less limited to Rugrats and Nintendo 64 (aka the good old days)…but from what I can recall, zucchini was one of those vegetables that made us whine and groan and mumble whenever it the star ingredient at the dinner table.

In case you can’t imagine it, it went something like this: “Moooooooooomm!”

My mom used to make it only one certain way, and although my taste buds have matured enough for me to appreciate it now, it certainly wasn’t appealing back then.

But let me tell you something…if my 6-year-old self had tried this zucchini alfredo…she would have been shocked. From that point on, she would have liked zucchini. Loved zucchini. Possibly eaten zucchini while playing with her barbies.

Okay, not really to that last part. But seriously, this is some good alfredo.

I made the sauce low-fat by using low-fat milk and fat-free cream cheese just so you can have seconds…not that it matters, because you’d probably have seconds anyway.

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Mini Blackberry Cobblers

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Miss Anthropist

It’s blackberry season! …No, not the BBM kind of blackberry. I’m talking about nature’s blackberry.

Blackberries are totally underrated. Sure, they’re a little tart and not as sweet as their raspberry or blueberry cousins, but once they’re paired with a little sugar, you can’t get enough of them.

In case you’re not fluent in culinary language and are wondering what the heck a cobbler is, cobblers are more or less like pies…the main difference is that instead of pie crust, you make this pastry dough type thing (which takes approximately 10 seconds to make), slap it on top of the filling, and you’re good to go. Easy, right?

I decided to make mini-cobblers because I figured it would be cuter. I mean, seriously…the ramekins just made them over-the-top cute.

This cobbler is easy and delicious.

And in case you were wondering…the best way to eat a cobbler is with a giant spoon.

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Petite Lasagnas

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Miss Anthropist

Ah, Garfield the Cat would be so excited for this post. (Anyone remember Garfield by the way?)

Although I’m not much of a lasagna person, I thought these little treats were delicious! I made them with my friends (which is why you can see 2 hands in the first picture) the same day we made the parmesan zucchini bread sticks. It was a yummy day.

But…here comes the shocker: there is absolutely no pasta in this recipe.

I know. We were confused too, but as soon as we tasted it, we understood why. Somehow the wonton wrappers end up tasting exactly like pasta.

I don’t have a proper picture of the final result, but I don’t think it matters. I think it’s obvious how delicious this is. Lasagna lovers rejoice!

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No-Bake Strawberry Pie

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Miss Anthropist

Sometimes I just can’t muster up the motivation to blog.

I have to bake something new, take decent pictures, edit said-pictures, and write an entire blog post about it. Also, I tend to get lazy once I’ve watched a 3-day Harry Potter movie marathon (even though the books are 100x better).

My laziness is precisely the reason you should subscribe to the blog by email (found on the right side >>) and/or like the page on Facebook…yes, it sounds like I’m spamming, but believe me, it’s far easier than checking the site to see if I’ve updated. I’m not very dependable.

But! When I am dependable, I tend to make really delicious things. Take this strawberry pie for example. But no oven for this pie, no sir–this is a no-bake strawberry pie!

The advantages of strawberry pie:

  1. It’s easier than apple pie. You don’t have to peel/dice the strawberries–only halve them.
  2. No butter required! Which means less fat…which means more pieces for you.
  3. You don’t bake it. Just bake the crust while you’re preparing the filling.
  4. It’s unique and full of greatness. When was the last time you heard of strawberry pie?

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Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Miss Anthropist

Are these legal? Because I’m not so sure.

I mean, can anything this good be anything but illegal? Crunchy breadcrumb/parmesan outside with a soft, baked zucchini inside.

They’re incredible. They’re ridiculously easy to make. They’re addictive.

But wait! Don’t call the cops just yet. I want to share it with you. Because that’s what friends do. Friends exchange greatness with each other.

And a little secret? They’re unbelievably great with tomato sauce dip. One bite and you’ll think you’re in an Italian restaurant.

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Mother’s Day Rose Cupcake Garden

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Miss Anthropist

Happy Mother’s Day! What did you get your mom?

I got her flowers.

Lots of flowers.

I was innocently browsing the bakeware/cookware section when I stumbled upon these adorable silicon pot cupcakes. I realized Mother’s Day was coming up, and since my mom loves flowers + I had leftover marshmallow fluff fondant, I thought homemade flower cupcakes would be a real treat! Continue reading →

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Spinach-Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes…and Toast

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Miss Anthropist

I’ve developed an addiction. A serious addiction.

An addiction to Pinterest.

In case you didn’t know, Pinterest is a website dedicated to “pinning” pictures of links to everything you love, whether it’s food (me!), photography, crafts, furniture, etc… it’s great. I’ve been pinning food for the past 4 days and have over 120 pins on my list now.

The site has given me inspiration. It’s motivated me to cook! And take pretty pictures. And create things like these spinach-sour cream-onion-cheddar cheese-stuffed twice baked potatoes…in a word? Scrumptious.

When you bite into one, all is right in the world. The flavors are fantastic (just don’t hold out on the sour cream and salt), and the texture is smooth and creamy.

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Root Beer Cupcakes

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Miss Anthropist

Hi. I have a little math quiz for you.

My brother winning first place in a county writing competition (so proud!) [plus] the fact that my brother loves root beer (the nonalcoholic beverage of course!) [equals] …

Root beer cupcakes!

Fact: Root Beer Frosting is heavenly. Like, lick-your-fingers-and-the-whisks-and-the-bowl-heavenly.

Fact: I had no intention of watching The Royal Wedding but did anyway because everyone was getting a hernia over it. Call me old fashioned (and Muslim), but weddings nowadays have lost their charm because of all these prenuptial relationships (a person doesn’t exactly require marriage in order to conceive a child nowadays, if you catch my drift). I feel like since they were already together for 8 years (doing God knows what), it wasn’t really… “magical”, albeit an admittedly magnificent wedding altogether.

Back to the cupcakes! I bought root beer concentrate a while ago because they were non-alcoholic and I figured one day I’d probably make something for my brother, who happens to be a root beer aficionado, with it. These cupcakes couldn’t have turned out better (in my humble opinion).

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Marshmallow (Fluff) Fondant

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Miss Anthropist

Remember when I mentioned how disastrous my last attempt with fondant was (and had to make the dulce de leche cake instead)? I’d wanted to make a fondant drum cake for my brother’s birthday since he asked for a drumset (yeah right little brother). Unfortunately, I’d made the frosting too runny and sticky on the cake and it ended up messing up the fondant, so I just decided to do without it.

I figured, though, that the marshmallow fluff fondant might be an interesting thing to share :) This is the fondant I used to make the icons and buttons on the iPhone cake. If you attempt to make marshmallow fondant, all you need are 2 ingredients!

Marshmallow fluff and powdered sugar. That’s all there is to it! And of course, you’ll need a nonstick spray to keep the fluff from sticking to your bowl.

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Dulce De Leche Chocolate Cake

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Miss Anthropist

*opens door* Lucyy, I’m homeee!

Lucy? Anyone? *looks around* Hey, where’s my clapping audience?

*silence*

I brought cake. Chocolate cake.

*hears whispers*

With dulce de leche filling.

And topping.

*audience claps*

That’s better! :)

I made this cake for my brother’s birthday because the fondant idea went straight down the drain, a long sad story I’ll save for later.

You can use your favorite chocolate cake recipe…the beauty in my opinion is in the dulce de leche. In case you’re wondering…dulce de leche is kind of fancy talk for caramel. It’s delicious. I have no idea why it turned out so runny, but I’m assuming it’s because I don’t have an electric mixer and didn’t whip it long enough. It doesn’t matter though…I thought it was perfect.

Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of the final cake product, but my grandma’s birthday happens to be coming up and she requested I make this cake for her. I’ll be sure to take some pretty pictures!

It’s good to be back, folks. :)

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Chocolate Chip “Coffee” Cake

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Miss Anthropist

You might have noticed that I put coffee in quotation marks…consider it a warning.

This cake has no coffee whatsoever. Apparently it’s called coffee cake because it’s supposed to be served with coffee. It’s not like I’d call a cake a chocolate milk cake just because I eat it with chocolate milk…’cause then a lot of cakes would be called chocolate milk cake, amiright? Misleading misnomers…

But you know what? It’s a pretty delicious cake. And I substituted all of the butter in the recipe for apple sauce and it turned out great! Yup, you won’t feel guilty reaching for that second piece. :)

And in case y’all were wondering where I was the past week Continue reading →

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Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies

Posted on March 6, 2011 by Miss Anthropist

Stop the presses!

In my kitchen I have created something so delicious they should be considered a sin–but no. We’ll call it a marriage. A marriage between two magnificent desserts, and this is their one hundred percent, legitimate, beautiful, yummy child.

This dessert should be called “breezecake” for two significant reasons. The first reason is obvious… brownies + cheesecake = breezecake. But the second reason is because they’re a breeze to make (albeit messy if you’re me).

Taste and poor-naming aside, I absolutely adore the marble effect. So much fun!

Just make sure you have a gym membership or a working treadmill…kay?

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Posted in Brownies, Cheesecakes | 37 Comments