Food Inspirations!

   Hey guys! This is going to be a quick post, but I wanted to get one in before I head off to the beach today!(yay!) So, since I made the delicious Strawberry Shortcakes last night I really wanted to find a picture that described it for me. One that, when I just glanced at it, I thought of my dessert (which I'm now planning on making for breakfast!) I searched high and low on stumbleupon and finally found a picture that I loved. Here it is!

   I can't really explain W H Y this makes me think of my dessert. I think it's because it has an element of fun, but it's a classic ride, just waiting for it's chance to make a come back. (this picture was taken at a retired six flags in new orleans!) Just like strawberry shortcake, it's fun to look at & fun to eat. Plus, it's a classic also just waiting to make it's come back! 

   That's all for now! Stay Inspired!

Late night snack!

   Hey guys! How's everyone doing? I'm up to five followers, even though I really should stop following myself because technically I only have four...

   Anyway, I just finished making (and then eating) the most delicious late night snack ever! Okay, I admit that it wasn't T H A T late, around 9:45 pm. But it W A S delicious! I made up the recipe just from what I had. I saw the strawberries in the fridge and I R E A L L Y wanted strawberry shortcake, so I looked around for some sponge cake/ sponge cake mix, but I had no luck. So I moved onto looking for some kind of bread that I could use, I found some day old baguette (is that how you spell it...?) and thought it would be perfect, but you could probably use any kind of bread you have on hand! Here's the recipe! (I ate it so fast that I didn't remember to take a picture of it! I know I hate making things that don't have a picture, but honestly, if you like strawberries and sweet things, you'll like this! I also didn't have any whipped cream, but H E Y I saved myself some calories and I honestly didn't miss it!)

~Strawberry Shortcake-The Little Chef* Style!~
-a little over a half of a cup of chopped strawberries
-one teaspoon of sugar
-one teaspoon of water

1. Let the sauce simmer until the strawberries are soft and the sauce has thickened (about five minutes.)
2. Toast slices of baguette in a toaster (this recipe makes a perfect four slices!)
3. Spoon the sauce onto the baguette slices & E N J O Y !

   Let me know how you like this recipe in the comments below! Thanks for reading! That's all for now! Stay Inspired!

A little help here...?

   Hey guys! So, if you read my blog at all you know that I've been R E A L L Y trying to get my blog 'out there'... so I'm asking for a little help here! If you're reading this & you have a blog & you wanted to mention me in a post, I'd be sure to return the favor!

   If you're reading this & you don't have a blog & you actually L I K E my blog, then please tell your friends, you don't know how much it would mean to me! Thanks S O much everyone for helping me out when I need it!

   That's all for now! Stay Inspired!

The Hidden Flavors Of Paris!

   Hey guys! I've missed you! Even though no one is even reading this, but whatever. I've tried to get it out there & nothing's worked, so now I'll just blog for MY own pleasure & if someone reads it- GREAT- but if not, it's fine.

   Anyway, rambling over with, I wanted to show you a link I found ! I've always wanted to go to Paris, that place just A M A Z E S me from every angle. From the food, to the people, to the atmosphere to the architecture. It's my dream to get there, even just for a day. But this is a link that I would T O T A L L Y print out and bring with me if I ever went. When go to a new place, of course I want to go into town & explore all the traditional 'tourist sites' but I also want to find the hidden gems! I want to actually explore the city on my own & find a place that almost no one knows about & discover that it has A M A Z I N G food, then go back time & time again to my little hidden gem. A little poetry there for you. Haha. But honestly, this is my dream as a chef, to go out & discover the unknown foods & tastes of the world. If this is your dream too, then here's a link that will help you out in Parisss!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/22X8dF/www.lonelyplanet.com/france/travel-tips-and-articles/42/57794%253Faffil%253Dfb-fan

   Hope you liked! That's all for now! Stay Inspired! ♥

The Little Chef*s Favorite StumbleUpon Recipes!

   Snicker doodle cupcakes! Here's the recipe that I found on stumbleupon & I'm looking forward to making them either today or tomorrow. We ( my family ) are picking up our exchange student for the year at the airport tonight, so I might make them today. Or maybe tomorrow..? Who knows. Anyway, here is the recipe! They look S O delicious! On a side note: can you tell I'm obsessed with stumbleupon ever since using it ? Haha. Here's the link!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/8i4WA7/www.marthastewart.com/316419/snickerdoodle-cupcakes

  I'm back! This is the blog that I had already posted, but now I'm editing it so I can show you this delicious looking & sounding bread that I A L S O found on stumbleupon (what a surprise right?). Haha, here's the link!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/5DjbyG/www.joythebaker.com/blog/2011/03/cinnamon-sugar-pull-apart-bread

   So, I changed the name from "Snickerdoodle Cupcakes? Um, Y E S!" to the title that it is now, because i just couldn't stop running into delicious sounding recipes! So, here's another link, & more to come!

http://annies-eats.com/2009/11/16/smores-cupcakes/

   This cake looks S O delicious and it looks super duper easy to make! And not too many dishes either, which is what my parents like to see (; Here's the link!

http://sipsandspoonfuls.com/2010/12/moist-chocolate-cake-one-bowl-cake.html

   These are literally the most adorable & thoughtful valentines day gift you could give! Does anyone else agree with me? Well, you'd have to see it to agree! Also, you can buy store bought marzipan (an ingredient you need for this recipe!) Or I think you could just use store bought (or homemade if you prefer) fondant! I feel like it would have the same affect as the marzipan !

http://www.fullcircleadv.com/2011/02/valentine-petits-fours.html

  I just keep finding Favorites! I can't explain how much I love stumpleupon! You can type in a key word (mine was cooking! surprised?) and you just click "Stumble!" and the website generates a new website/picture/recipe/blog about your desired word! It's A W E S O M E ! So, here's another cute gift idea!

http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/2011/05/cheesecake-in-a-jar.html

   OMGHHKP! This is the best website ever! As a budding chef that always wants to cook, I can A L W A Y S make something with this website! The best, the best, the best! Here it is! I'm so excited that stumbleupon found this for me!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2pOrlJ/www.myfridgefood.com/mobile/index.php%253Fkitchen%253Ddetailed

   This website has about 4 different recipes that all sound delicious! I'm going to leave this post now so I don't make it T O O long, but I hope you guys enjoyed these recipes & start to use stumbleupon yourself so you can find as many great recipes (along with other things) as I did ! Here's the last link!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2FvHhQ/todayscreativeblog.net/skinny-recipes/

   That's all for now! Stay Inspired!

Food Inspirations!

   Hey guys! I know I literally J U S T posted about my new series, but I just wanted to show you guys this picture & add it to my collection of "Food Inspirations!"
   Here is the picture!

   I also found this one on stumbleupon but I thought it was simply beautiful! This just reminds me of the homemade mac & cheese I make. It's an original recipe & I'll post it sometime if you guys would like! Let me know in the comments below if you want that!

   Anyway, this picture reminds me of that dish because it has such soothing colors & I just imagine sitting in that lighted window people watching out my window & listening to the cars rushing by. I feel like I'm already there eating my delicious mac & cheese & sitting with my family. I've always wanted to live in a suburb on NYC, so I could be close to the city but not T O O close. This describes it perfectly!

   That's all for now! I might post another "Food Inspirations!" later if I find another picture that I L O V E !

OMGHHKP! I haven't blogged in FOREVER!

   OMGHHKP guys, I am S O sorry. I literally haven't blogged in like 2 weeks. That's S O not okay! It was mostly because I was feeling like "why blog when nobody reads it & you only have 3 followers, 2 not including you !?" But then I came to my senses and realized it's mostly M Y fault that no one reads my blog because I haven't taken the time to get it out there.

   So, a while ago I was planning on doing a blog about my F I R S T strawberry pie everrrr! I made it all by myself under the direction of my aunt. I wanted to do a whole blog about it with before and after picture & OCTA tips (One Chef To Another Tips) but right after I made the pie I went off to camp where my camera got S T O L E N ! I was S O bummed that I lost all my pictures! But I've reluctantly & camera-lessly moved on & I just want to give you a quick OCTA Tip before I get onto the main point of this blog!

~OCTA Tip!~ 

   When you are making a pie crust & it comes time to roll out the dough & you realize that you don't have A N Y wax paper, D O N ' T  F E A R! The OCTA Tip is here. Hahaaa. So, all you need to do is take a grocery shopping bag (one of the plastic ones, not the reusable square-ish kind!) and cut off the handles and cut along the two sides (I don't cut the bottom off because I don't think there is a need to, but if you'd like to then you can!) Then just place your dough in the center & R O L L ! It's non-stick & I think it's better than wax paper! This was my aunts idea while making a pie crust at her house when she found out she didn't have any wax paper! Just thought I'd share! Now onto the R E A L point of this blog! 

   So, I found this B E A U T I F U L picture on stumbleupon & it reminded me of my blog & that's mainly why i decided to blog today! So, this is the picture! 

   This is going to be part of a new series that I want to call "Food Inspirations!". This series will be all about me finding pictures that inspire me to cook different kinds of food or a picture O F food that makes me want to make that R I G H T away. So, basically just a visually appealing picture that makes me think of/ or inspired to cook food! If I D O end up making something inspired by the picture, I will post the inspiration picture W I T H a picture of what I cooked (I can use my mom's phone for a camera d; )

   This picture- for instance- makes me think if Paris at night time & it makes me want to make some B I G French meal for my family. I actually might tonight! Or it makes me want to go to France immediately and eat their delicious food! Like un croque monsier ! Y U M ! 

   So, basically this blog is just me explaining why I haven't been blogging lately & that I'm sorry! Also, there's a fun OCTA tip & my new series! I'm definitely going to work on getting my blog out there, If you're reading this & you like it please tell your friends, mention me in a video/post or just comment letting me know that you like it! Positive words do S O much for me! Thanks so much to my two followers for sticking with me even though I haven't posted & thanks so much to the people reading this for taking the time to! 

   That's all for now! Talk to you guys later! Stay inspired!    

Cookbook Review!

   Hey guys! So today I wanted to do another cookbook review; it's one of my favorites & I'll tell you why in a second! First, here's what the cookbook looks like!

   It's basically a way to eat healthier [and maybe lose some weight] without going on a diet & giving up the comfort foods you love! This book has so many great recipes & here's the B E S T part! With each recipe; there is a dish that you would buy at a regular restaurant with a list of the calories, fat, & the money you save! So this way, you K N O W exactly what you're saving yourself!
   That's all for now! Bye!

August!

   W O W, August already? Time flies when you're having fun, I guess. Summer's almost over, but N O T   Y E T ! There's still YoungLives Camp! Woo! I'm so excited! I won't go into complete detail about what this camp is, but basically all of the childcare volunteers watch babies/toddlers for about 6 hours a day while their [teen] mothers go have fun, get pampered, & are brought closer to God. It's so fun, & of course my favorite part is being with babies A L L day, because quite frankly, I   L O V E   B A B I E S ! Anyway, my second favorite part is the F O O D !

   Let me tell you, I can't even tell you how delicious this food is, I feel like I've died and gone to heaven while eating it. I don't know how those chefs do it, but when I grow up, I'd L O V E to be a chef there. Every time I eat a meal there I walk away feeling fuller than full, sometimes I can't even bear to get up I'm so full! But trust me; It's the best kind of full there is! I mean, it's probably not the healthiest food out there, but it's delicious & it's vacation, so who cares? Another thing is; they have a vegetarian option at E V E R Y meal which is great for my mom [because she's a vegetarian].

  So, if you're ever in and/or near down-state New York & you want to sign up for a childcare volunteer position at YoungLives Camp; D O   I T ! You'll get the best food ever! That's all for now; see ya later!

   O H ! And p.s. ; I know my posts haven't been super 'cooking' related lately, & it's actually because I haven't really cooked much lately. Which I don't like, but I've been busy with friends, band, & summer projects for school. I also want this blog to be about the appreciation of food as well as cooking, so look forward to more posts like the one's I've been posting lately. Okay, now that's R E A L L Y all for now!