Happy Halloween - with owl cupcakes! :)

A few of my owls seem to be sleep deprived. 

Over the last year, I've come to slowly realize that I might really love owls. There's that Hedwig necklace that I have, along with the snowy owl Build-a-Bear I got for my birthday in college. OH and that awesome "Doctor Hoo" shirt I bought on an impulse. There's also the fact that I tend to gravitate towards owl-themed items, like these owl teacups that I really want. Maybe it's because owls have been trending in fashion and art in the past few years, enhancing my love for them.

Halloween/Fall Themed Baking

Why yes, that is a giant spider in the cobweb flowers

My house had a Halloween party this past weekend, which for me means, another opportunity to go crazy with the baking.

Butterscotch cookies!

COOKIES. That is all. 

Current status: food coma.

By request: peanut butter chocolate butterscotch brownies

After consistently baking once or twice a week, I've become known as "that girl who bakes." Part of the responsibility that comes with that title is that people start requesting certain recipes. I actually don't mind taking requests - I enjoy trying to make new things and it really does save me the trouble of figuring out what the baking project of the week is going to be.

Basically: SUGAR!

My roommate posted this recipe onto my Facebook wall the other day for Brownie Peanut Butter Magic Bars and it looked so good, so clearly, I had to try it. It was really quite simple - brownie crust with a peanut butter chocolate in the middle and a condensed milk layer drizzled on top for heavenly sugary goodness.

A little bit of everything - custard tarts!

Green: green tea; Yellow - maple; Orange - pumpkin,
Speckled black - poppy seed

So today I was chatting with my friend online when he tells me "Hey, you should check out Cookie Clicker!" It's this site where you click on a cookie and then use the cookies you collect to buy upgrades to help you click on the cookie faster. My initial reaction was "Um....yeah. This is stupid." Five minutes later, I was like "HOW DO I GET MORE COOKIES?"

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I used to think that seasons back home in Minnesota were messed up - bitterly cold winters and super hot summers, with a few measly weeks of spring and fall in between. Then I moved to San Francisco and realized that seasons basically don't even exist here. I've lived here for a year already and without seasons or a summer break, time passes strangely - everything just kind of melds together.

Chocolate fudge cookies

Chocolate cookie pyramid - the best kind of pyramid

The month of September has been hectic - between Omaha/Sioux Falls, Monterey, Yosemite, and Tahoe, I've barely had a weekend just to chill out and relax. Luckily for me, October looks to be much more laid back, starting with this weekend. A fun Friday night in the city followed by a relaxing Saturday eating at my favorite places in SF, enjoying the amazing warm weather. Had lunch at Pakwan, my favorite Indian food place in the Mission (love their chicken tikka masala), followed by ice cream at Bi Rite Creamery (their ginger ice cream that they have right now is amazing - like a gingersnap in a cone). Attempted to do "work" outside on the patio, but really got distracted by the weather. Rode on the back of a motorcycle up to Grub for dinner (best mac 'n cheese bar in the city, hands down), followed up a second trip to Bi Rite because the weather simply allowed for two ice cream trips in one day.

Baking Double Feature - Maple Cookies and Poppy Seed Rolls!

Maple cookies - perfect for fall!

Whenever I bring my baked goods into work, I always have an irrational fear that no one will eat any of it and that there will be tons leftover for me to deal with. Every single time, my fears are proved ridiculous, with the cookies and cupcakes disappearing usually before lunch. This week was no different: I brought a dozen and a half of chewy maple brown sugar cookies into the office and within three hours of me setting them down, they were all gone.