4 Recipes To Bake When You're Bored

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted in this space. Since I've been home for the last 2+ weeks social distancing, with the exception of a few quick trips to the grocery store, I've been trying to think of ways to fill my time so I don't go stir crazy. The funny thing is, I'm an introvert at heart but these days I find myself longing to go out and see people. I miss having people over, visiting family, and going out on Saturday morning breakfast dates with my husband.

I've spent a good portion of time making a mess of the kitchen...I mean baking...and then cleaning up the kitchen. Does anyone else feel like they are living in the movie Groundhog Day? I get up, clean/read/eat, go to bed, and do it all over again the next day. I've been trying to make the best of our time at home, which means we've been having lots of home cooked meals and yummy baked treats. I often share what I've made on Instagram stories but I figured it would be nice to have them documented here as well.

1. Soft and Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies by Mel's Kitchen Cafe

I think these might be my all time favorite cookies, especially when they are fresh out of the oven! Not only are they incredibly tasty, they make your whole house smell amazing! I halve the recipe, use half brown sugar & half white and leave out the ground cloves (just because I don't have that in my spice cabinet). These also freeze well. Just take a few out and pop them in the microwave.

2. Healthier Carrot Cake Banana Bread by Ambitious Kitchen

I'll admit, this is the closest I've ever gotten to making carrot cake. I love that this recipe offers the flavor of carrot cake without all the extra ingredients. It has great flavor and is the perfect amount of sweet. Don't skip the cinnamon cream cheese frosting...it makes it even better! The only thing I did differently was use half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour and regular milk instead of almond or coconut.

3. 1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls by Gimme Some Oven

This was my first attempt ever at homemade cinnamon rolls and I have to say, they turned out really good. We don't eat super sugary treats like this often but I like these for special occasions! I was quite surprised at how easy they were to make, as the thought of making homemade dough has always intimidated me. One thing I'll note for next time, I can cut the amount of icing in half. It made way too much, even for someone who enjoys a good icing-to-cinnamon roll ratio.

4. Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins by Ambitious Kitchen

I have to let you in on a little secret...I've loved every recipe I've made from Monique at Ambitious Kitchen. It's one of my go-to recipe sites and I love that she makes health conscious recipes that taste as good as they look. These muffins are great to have on hand for a quick breakfast, snack, or end of the day treat. They are lightly sweet and delicious warmed up with a little bit of butter! I use cocao powder instead of cocoa and prefer the taste of maple syrup over honey or agave.

Now that I've shared a few of my favorites, I'd love to hear yours! Share with me what you've been whipping up.

"As long as you know how to bake, life is sure to be sweet."

As always, I hope is all is well with you and yours.

| Alyssa |

Healthy Smoothie Recipe

Who doesn't love a good smoothie? I started making them a few months ago as a way of getting an extra dose of fruits and vegetables into our diet. In addition to health benefits, making smoothies at home has other great perks.

1. Saves You Money

Purchasing the ingredients might seem like a mini investment but it will save you money in the long run. Many places around Raleigh that offer whole food, healthy smoothies charge upwards of $10 for ONE. That adds up quickly.

2. You Know Exactly What's In It

I was shocked to see how much added sugar (in the form of juice) was in one of my favorite smoothies from a large smoothie chain. When you make your own, you get to control what goes in it. That means no surprises, no iffy ingredients, and no added sugar in a smoothie that already has naturally occurring sugars from fruit.

3. Quick And Easy To Make

From start to finish, it will take you 2 minutes tops. Grab your ingredients, throw them in the blender, and blend. Simple!

My go-to smoothie recipe only has 5 ingredients and can easily be customized to your liking. All you need is baby spinach, frozen pineapple, frozen mixed berries, turmeric, and water. 

Note: Customize the smoothie by picking your favorite frozen fruit. If you don't like spinach, try another leafy green, or add extra fruit. Chia seeds, nut butters, or protein powder would make a great addition. To add more flavor, use milk or another liquid in place of water. 

While we're on the topic of fruits and veggies, I wanted to share the Dirty Dozen list with you. The list, created by EWG, contains the 12 dirtiest produce due to exposure/spraying of pesticides. It is recommended that you purchase organic. Because strawberries and spinach hold the top spots, I always buy them organic. Walmart sells organic spinach for less than $2 so I always add it to my pickup order. You can also find a 2-pound bag of frozen organic mixed berries for less than $9. 

Let me know if you try the smoothie recipe or feel free to share your favorite with me! I'm always on the hunt for new ones to try.

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Decorated Sugar Cookies

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Decorated sugar cookies, it's become a sort of holiday tradition for me. For many holidays and family birthdays/events, I make a special batch of cookies to deliver to my family. This little "tradition" started back in 2017 when we hosted our first Christmas party in our new home. It came about after following the Instagram account doughmestichousewife created by Holly Thomas. Her account features an assortment of pictures and videos of the many beautiful cookies she has decorated. She is so talented! Her videos make it seem really easy to whip out a batch of cookies so I figured I'd give it a shot. Don't be fooled...it's a lot more work than it seems and if you're anything like me, your kitchen will look like a complete disaster afterwards BUT I'd say it's worth at least a couple of tries.

I did a bit more research to figure out everything I would need. I bought my first set of Christmas cookie cutters, icing coloring, piping bags, decorating tools, and meringue powder. I used, and still use Haniela's Sugar Cookie Recipe for Cut Out Cookies as well as her recipe for Royal Icing. I've found her blog and Youtube channel to be so helpful for beginners. She has FAQ's, tutorials, tips, and step-by-step instructions for baking/decorating.

This sweet set was my first attempt at decorated cookies. For having little to no artistic ability and not much experience baking on my own, I think they turned out well. What helped me the most was watching videos and reading all I could about decorating before I started. I made sure I understood the basics and then started. I would also recommend starting SIMPLE. Starting with a complicated design that involves mixing lots of icing colors will just make you frustrated. For your first attempt, 3-4 colors is plenty. Even now, having baked and decorated a decent number of cookies, I still prefer a simplified color palette.

This was a birthday set for my sister-in-laws birthday. It was my first time trying the lemon royal icing with the basic sugar cookie. If you are a fan of lemon, use the whole 1/4 cup of lemon juice. I like a more subtle lemon flavor so I use a little less lemon juice. Cookie cutters are by Sweet Sugarbelle.

 This was for my little brother's high school graduation party. He was heading off to college at UNC and has been a longtime UNC fan, so I thought these would be a fun party favor/treat.

This was my most recent cookie set for Easter. It took me about 6 hours to decorate 2 1/2 dozen of these sweet treats but I love how they turned out. Pastel colors might just be my favorite! Cookie cutters are from Michaels.

If you would like to see more of my cookie creations, I've created a special Instagram account (midtowncookieco) just for decorated cookies. I'd love for you to follow along and if you decide to make your own cookies, I'd love to see how they turn out. You can DM me on Instagram or post a picture in the blog comments.

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