Angel Food Sheet Cake with Toasted Coconut

  I feel like a bit of a jumble.

  One hand points to cookies, cupcakes, and cobblers; the other points to an education and four years in a place not well-known to me, in a land of dormitories with small kitchens and a fixed food budget.

  But I think it must be done, I think I need the time to grow up a little.  I can't be in my comfort zone, or any zone, really, forever.

Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

  Seems like I've been on a peanut butter and chocolate kick lately.

  Seems like that's entirely ok with me.

  This recipe is so simple you'll freak, and so addictive you might need to get to know your neighbors.  Like, right now.  Whoever thought of this is seriously an evil genius, and is probably thoroughly enjoying their five minutes of blog fame, thanks to Pinterest.

  Oh!  On a very unrelated note, I'm on vacation this week.  No biggie, I'm just gone up north Thursday-Sunday, so don't freak if I don't answer your pressing comment or email.  I'm not gone for too long!  I've got some scheduled posts for you, so don't feel too abandoned.

  Anyway!

  The method:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie

  Sometimes, things are messy.  Sometimes you don't let your pie freeze long enough before pictures because you have to get ready for a social event you don't want to go to.  Sometimes you get frustrated if things aren't super neat and don't go according to plan.  Sometimes you wish you'd given yourself more than one day to fiddle with a recipe before sticking it on the internet, even though it's ok and everyone's raved about it.  Sometimes it seems like you're trying to make things difficult.

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies, Perfected

  "I am in serious need of Nutella cookies after this week."

  So read the post on facebook from my sister Emma.  Emma is smart, she's doing some intern research on cancer cells and stuff.  It's definitely harder than it sounds.  And it's definitely worthy of Nutella cravings.

  I can't help the fact that she's living out of a hotel for quite a few weeks or that she doesn't know anyone, but I can send cookies.

Sweet & Salty Guinness Chocolate Marshmallow Pie

  I don't know about you, but I've got a pretty cool dad.

  My dad can make a killer omelet, knows his way around hot oil, can drive a tractor, gives a darned good bear hug, and knows how to listen.

  When Father's Day comes around, I always want to give him just the right thing, or make him the best card.  I want it to be perfect, I want him to know how much this family cares about him.

Spinach Peach Mango Peanut Butter Smoothie

  Let me tell you something.  Green smoothies, they're for real.  Most people can't get through morning without their coffee, I prefer to start mine with a bubbling, fruity, green-colored smoothie.

  I loved how Joy opened this "recipe" in her book: "A girl cannot survive on biscuits and bacon alone."

  Words of truth!  I love biscuits, and bacon.  Especially when combined.  The key is to love those things in moderation, and drink green stuff through a straw the rest of the time.  Especially during swimsuit season.

Chewy Chocolate Ginger Cookies

  The cookie jar was empty. 

  Sooo I made some cookies.  Don't fall out of your chair or anything.

  Thing is, I made these cookies Wednesday.  Today is Thursday, and there are no more cookies to be had.

  A good sign, eh?

Soft Buttermilk Garlic Knots

  This past Thanksgiving was kinda bonkers.  I contributed by making rolls, a braided danish, a fricken amazing Greek salad, herb compound butter (fancy!), and I don't even know what else.  Maybe that was it...but it doesn't feel like it.

  Know what else is bonkers?  I'm seriously considering making 200 or whatever of these for my graduation party next year.  I'm seriously thinking of kneading several batches of dough, sticking bowls of it all over the warm spots in my house, separating them into little spheres, knotting all of the said spheres, letting them rise on several million cookie sheets, glazing them, baking them, and freezing them; using up an ungodly amount of bread flour in the process.

  Worth it?  Oh, I definitely think it could be.  Can't you see these slathered in butter and oozing with BBQ pork?  Or maybe some crazy shredded roasted garlic rosemary chicken?

  Somebody save me from myself.

Avocado Pound Cake

  Now, don't look at me like that!  I know what you're thinking.  I do.  First, I put avocado in cupcakes.  You understand that, it was for vegan reasons.  What you don't understand is why on earth I would willingly put mashed avocado into a perfectly good pound cake batter, when it's not even vegan.  Am I right? 

  Pshh, you're so predictable.  Live it up!

Brown Sugar Bacon Cheddar Biscuits

  Let me tell you a few things about biscuits.  First, you want your butter cold cold cold cold cold.  Dice it up and stick it in the fridge, don't over-mix, all that good stuff.  Cold butter chunks are what give you the flake-y fluffy factor. 

  Second, don't overbake.  You want your biscuits lightly golden, and the exterior should have a just firm shell.  A gentle poke should prove the presence of a very soft inside, and you should feel a slight squish.  The biscuits will firm up more as they cool.

Puffy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

  Sometimes, when I'm feeling confused, crushing on someone, or dealing with a heavy case of premature senioritis, I need to fall back on something.  I need to sit down, and if there's a mirror involved, really look myself in the eye.  I give myself a good talking to.  And, depending on which of the three scenarios I'm dealing with, find someone to give me a few sound kicks.

  Answer to scenario number 1: Get a grip, stop over-thinking, and read a non-conflicting book.  It'll all come when it's good and ready.

  Scenario number 2: Really?

  Scenario number 3: Bike like a maniac, mow the lawn, weed the garden, count how many times you can circle your property, don't think about your ACT score, buy a new dress, type random words into your favorite blogs' search bars, make cookies.  Some of these may also be used for scenario number 2 remedies.

Strawberry Cookie Dough Ice Cream & Chocolate Marshmallow Cones

  After accumulating all these ice cream toppings, it's only natural that one should wonder what I put them on.  Well, when I'm not eating them by the spoonful, I drizzle them on whatever ice cream happens to be sitting in the freezer.  Sadly, more often than not, it is store-bought.  But last summer, I did start delving into the ice cream world, diligently trying out both the Philadelphia and French methods.

  One recipe in particular was a cookie dough ice cream, a double cookie dough ice cream.  While it was pretty good, it honestly wasn't great.  The chunks were kind of brown and buttery, and just not entirely resembling any kind of dough.  The reason I tried it was because the base itself incorporated cookie dough ingredients, so I thought it had to be pretty good.  Meh.

Strawberry Brown Butter Banana Bread

  I have for you an equation.  It's fairly simple, no worries if you're not into arithmetic.

  Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard about the phenomenon that is brown butter.  This is the first factor of our equation.