Tempura fried cheese curds are my favorite happy-hour or game night snack! They’re lightly crunchy and perfect with spicy & garlicky Sriracha mayo.
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Everything Bagel Popcorn
Growing up, one of my all-time favorite things to do was spend the night at my grandparent’s house. My grandma and I would sew, take a ride in the golf cart, and have tea parties. My grandpa would buy me ice cream and take me to breakfast after church on Sunday mornings. Whatever sports game he was watching would blare throughout the house, and every time I smell Listerine, I think of my grandpa. He has a green comb that he keeps on a side table next to his recliner. My grandma has a violin hanging on a velvet backdrop across the room. My grandparents have lived in this house my whole life, and it’s still one of my most comforting, happy places. Continue reading “Everything Bagel Popcorn”
Pumpkin + Sage Cake with Brown Sugar Icing
While Insta has proven to me that the ~hip~ people of the world have been spending their weekends partying in bunny costumes, I have spent mine doing laundry, petting my hedgehog, and watching Stranger Things. *raises the roof*. I just got back from Toronto, where my friend Stephen took me to all kinds of breweries, Niagara Falls, aaaaand (!!) I had poutine for the first time! Where can I get poutine in Reno?? I need it more frequently in my life! Usually when it comes to deep-frying foods at home, I dodge it like it’s hot (the messssss), but for poutine, I might be willing to pull out all the stops. Or maybe I can rig it with some extra-crispy tater tots right out of the oven? Canadians: would that be sacrilege??
On another note, I will be spending my Halloween night eating white chili with my cousins and taking the kids trick-or-treating! I found an amazing vintage 1960s dress at a thrift store the other day that I was planning on utilizing in my costume, but now that I’ll be walking around in the cold weather, I’m thinking of pulling out my classic Rosie the Riveter costume and calling it a day. It’s almost a tradition at this point after all.
A couple of weeks ago, I surprised my parents for their birthdays by coming home from London a week earlier than I told them. (Although, they did end up going on vacation for their birthdays, so I had to pretend I was still in England for a few extra days yikes!). I showed up at their front door and rang the doorbell cake-in-hand. They were so excited, we went to a delicious steakhouse for dinner, and then we celebrated with this cake for dessert! It was exactly what I wanting, and they loved their birthday present (me, obvs). This cake was the perfect addition: a lightly sweetened pumpkin cake with a touch of sage flavor and a sticky brown sugar icing that tastes faintly of caramel and butter. It’s the perfect fall dessert and makes a great addition to a Halloween party or even a Thanksgiving dessert table (it has sage in it after all!). Plus, you can decorate it like a pumpkin or turkey or something if you really want to make it festive. Obviously, I went the easy way with a few sage leaves and a rustic ‘happy birthday’ sign. Have a spooky night!
Pumpkin + Sage Cake with Brown Sugar Icing
Serves 6-8
*Cake is for High-Altitude baking. Please refer to alternative measurements if you do not live at high-altitude!*
Cake Ingredients
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. + 6 Tbs. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder*
1/2 tsp. baking soda**
1 egg
1/2 c. Tbs. buttermilk
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. milk
Preheat oven to 350* F. Grease and flour two 6-inch cake pans. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, cream the brown sugar, sugar, egg, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Add half of the flour mixture and half of the milk. Then add the remaining flour mixture and milk. Divide the batter between the two cake pans.
Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick shows a few crumbs. Let the cakes cool. Meanwhile prepare the icing (below). Level each cake, and cut each cake in half so you have 4 even layers. Spread frosting between each layer, stacking them until there are 4 cake layers. Frost the outside of the cake. Decorate as desired.
* Use 3/4 tsp. baking powder for regular-altitude recipes.
**Use 3/4 tsp. baking soda for regular-altitude recipes.
Icing Ingredients
1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. milk
1 3/4 – 2 c. powdered sugar
Melt butter in a saucepan. Add brown sugar. Boil over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool to lukewarm – add milk. Gradually add powdered sugar, and beat until thick. If it becomes too stiff, add a little hot water to thin. Frost over cake!
xo Sara Lynn
*Song of the day: Atmosphere by Joy Division
Beef Sliders with White Cheddar + Bacon + Peach-Bourbon BBQ Sauce
Well guys, I’m graduated!!! A couple weeks ago, I crossed the stage, didn’t even trip in my tallest heels, and I’ll be mailed my actual diploma in a few weeks time! It was great. The tradition at UNR is to go to the famous college bar, The Little Waldorf, before graduation and drink mimosas and maybe relive your most wonderful/awful times as a college student? Idk, because I had never even been to The Wal until that day, but I was able to get past the sticky, beer-soaked floors that I’m sure have never been mopped, and my friends and I drank cheap champagne on empty stomachs and it was perfect. After graduation, I stuffed my face with Thai food at our favorite local joint, and then after I attempted a nap, we had a huge graduation BBQ with my friends and family. My parents ended up playing rage cage with all of us young kids, and also it was my first time playing! Of course I had all of my college experiences the day I graduated. But it was a super amazing time, everyone drank and had fun, and I got to sleep the whole next day with a less-than-fun hangover (shoutout to Gatorade for getting me through that one).
I’m off to Europe in less than two weeks (!!!), so I’m trying to enjoy some of my favorite Reno summertime activities before I leave. Namely, Lake Tahoe, fun outdoor bars, and sitting at patios at cute local restaurants. Also, I spent the last weekend in San Francisco drinking lots of coffee and cocktails with my cousin. We even found a bar that had a “bondage” theme, and I was impressed. Oh SF, I <3 u.
Since I’m leaving so so soon, I’m trying to get all of my cooking in while I can. Although I’m soooo excited to eat at wonderful European restaurants for 4 months, I also will miss the luxury of a kitchen, even though I’m sure my airbnb hosts will be accommodating if I really get the itch. Namely, I’ve been taking advantage of my BBQ, because we just got a brand new sparkly one, and in the summertime, I’m pretty sure the only acceptable food is any that is BBQed. The other day I was craving burgers like no other thing in the world, but I wanted something a little more creative than my standard beef-cheddar-veg-bun combo I normally go for. I really love smashed burgers, but since it’s summer I have a difficult time cooking indoors when my brand new sparkly grill is in eyesight from my kitchen window. Also, I really wanted something with BBQ sauce but not ribs or pulled pork, so I just combined everything into one package and then added bacon for good measure.
It’s a little more work to make the homemade BBQ sauce, but it’s honestly a super easy recipe and totally worth the effort. However, if you really can’t be bothered, you can always buy some store-bought sauce, but you’ll probably miss out on peaches and bourbon which is not the kind of world I want to live in.
P.S. the BBQ sauce will make quite a bit, and you definitely won’t need all of it for the recipe. You can either put it in jars and seal it (if that’s your thing) or you can use it for another recipe, but I’d use it within a week (or two if you’re willing to risk it, which I am). This sauce would be perfect on pulled pork, ribs, or chicken.
Also, I served my burgers with wedge salad, but some oven fries would be amazing too.
XO Sara Lynn
*Song of the Day: Warned You by Good Morning
Mascarpone Cheesecake with Orange & Amaretto
I am unashamed to admit that I am currently involved in a love affair with a cheesecake. I have to say, this is fairly out of character for me, considering I’m not a huge cheesecake fan – cheese = yay! cake = yay! cheesecake = meh. Many of my friends and family are cheesecake lovers, but I tend to fall more towards the creme brulee side of the custard spectrum – I can’t resist a burny-caramely top, and I hold firmly to that belief. I find many cheesecakes to be a little too creamy, or even worse, crumbly, and oftentimes they aren’t sweetened enough, leaving the filling reminiscent of a bagel that’s been sitting on the counter getting cold. Not a pretty visual there? Well, that’s how the cookie cheesecake crumbles, and I think there absolutely needs to be a seminar on how to properly bake a damn cheesecake. Sorry, not sorry – I’m putting an end to this.
Okay, maybe I have a holier-than-thou attitude towards cheesecake, but seriously, have you ever read reviews on any NY cheesecake recipe? Good lord, those east-coast peeps have a cheesecake power complex of epic proportions. (Okay, I really do get it though – you’re a tried and true New Yorker, and you’re desperately trying to recreate the cheesecake your grandmother used to throw together sans recipe. I promise, my family has been trying to do this with my grandmother’s enchiladas for years, and we can’t get it right – this is what happens when you let a Norwegian woman make Mexican food).
Anyhow, let me tell you, those recipe-reviewing-cheesecake-aficionados know their craft – crumbly cheesecake? Waterbath. Chunky chunks of cheese? Room temp the cheese and eggs! Genius. Props to you guys (and your grandma’s tips!). I appreciate you and your power complex (;
And on another note, here I am about to crush your OG-cheesecake loving souls. Because I added mascarpone to my cheesecake. And I added orange zest. And I added amaretto. And the crust is made with almond cookies. And it’s the most delicious, light, wonderful cheesecake I ever did eat. If it makes anyone feel better, I’ve heard a lot of Italian cheesecakes use mascarpone and amaretto! Does that help? Bueller, Bueller?
Anyways, I decided to use mascarpone, because as I said earlier, I don’t love the super-thick, creamy cheesecake in most restaurants (I’m especially looking at you Cheesecake Factory). However, the mascarpone rids of that overly-rich cream cheese taste and adds a fluffy, light texture that I adore. Orange zest was added to get away from the lemon that typically adorns cheesecakes. As for the amaretto, it was almost not added – I stared at that bottle in the grocery store for approximately 15 minutes, walked away from it, and thought, “Sara, that is so not the spirit”, turned back to the liquor aisle, and added it to my cart. It was a dilemma of vast proportions, but it made the cut, and I’m so relieved it did. Alcohol helps desserts always.
Btw I brought this cheesecake to my parents’ house for a family dinner and, I almost freaking DROPPED it while slipping on ice. But not to fear, my clumsy footing still appreciates the sanctity of $12 worth of cheese. I held onto that cheesecake like Harry held onto the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Yes, I did just make a HP reference, and I stand by that decision.
XO Sara Lynn
*Song of the Day: Stay This Way by Peter Bjorn and John
The Best Damn Pie Crust of Your Life
IT’S FINALLY HERE. Even after countless pies and months of promising you all the best pie dough recipe in the whole damn world, I had not delivered. That is, until now. I really should stop making promises like these considering I’m a full-time student, I have 2 jobs, plus I try to volunteer a few hours a month on top of all the normal things I have to do on a day-to-day basis a.k.a. I’m freaking busy and don’t always have time on the weekends to do a pie dough tutorial. Honestly, I don’t know how I have free time sometimes, but bless my marketing internship for giving me college credit to work only a couple hours a week from home is all I have to say. Aside from that major tangent, my point is that I know the wait was worth it, and I would like you to agree with me, because it would make me feel much better about my slacking.
Let’s have a conversation about pie dough, my friends. I’ll try to keep an open mind here, but let’s just face it, I’m biased and totally Team Make Your Own Pie Dough. Most people refuse to even try to make their own dough, settling for either freezer-aisle roll-out pie dough (boo) or worse, store-bought pies from the grocery store (double boo). We’ll call this side Team Wrong. No offense if you’re on that team, I understand why you are, but hear me out. I have a major theory that pie dough is one of the most misunderstood forms of pastry, and I can attest to this, because I was a frozen pie dough fan for many years. After making pie dough once, I was a forever changed woman. It’s so. damn. easy. Surprisingly so, but it makes all the difference in the world. If you care about pie, make your own dough! I’m not kidding, you will not be able to go back to the store-bought stuff. It’s really life-changing, especially this recipe, which yields the flakiest, buttery-est crust I ever did eat. Thanks to Bon Appetit magazine for inspiring me to give it a try and also for giving me the recipe. I appreciate for real ♥
So, after a long guilt trip from Team Make Your Own Dough, do you feel inspired to make your own pie dough for (please, at least one of) your Thanksgiving pies?! Yes you do!
Let’s get started!
First, you’re going to start off with 2 sticks + 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter. Cut the butter into cubes, trying to work quickly to avoid melting the butter with your warm hands. I like to use a bench scraper for this so I don’t have to touch the butter, but a regular knife works well too! Put that butter in a bowl and pop it in the fridge while you gather your dry ingredients.
Now we’re going to prep for the next few steps. Whisk together 2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour, 2 Tablespoons of sugar (1 Tablespoon for a savory-pie crust), and a scant teaspoon of kosher salt. Also prepare a glass of ice water and set the glass aside. Toss the butter in the flour mixture.
Now, working quickly, use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour, creating shaggy pieces of butter. Some of the pieces should be thin and long while others are chunkier. Be careful not to let the butter melt in your hands.
Mix together 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with 3 Tablespoons of iced water. Swirl to combine.
Drizzle the vinegar-water over the butter mixture, running your fingers through the flour mixture to incorporate all the ingredients. Quickly knead the dough until it starts to come together. It will be a little crumbly and dry, but resist adding more water or your crust will turn out tough.
Turn your dough onto a floured surface and knead it a few more times, incorporating the drier areas.
Cut the dough in half and press into 1 inch thick discs.
Wrap your dough in plastic and set it in the fridge for at least an hour and up to 5 days. You can also freeze the dough for up to 2 months! I like to make dough in advance and save it in the fridge for big events like holidays. When you’re ready to use it, roll it on a floured surface and fill with whatever makes you happy.
Here’s a few pie ideas, if you needed any (;
Apple Pie with Sugared Crust
Pumpkin Pie
Beef & Veggie Pot Pie
Deconstructed Chicken Pot Pie
Pear & Ginger Galette
Strawberry and Grapefruit Galette
Mixed Berry Pie
And here’s a handy-dandy recipe card:
I hope this recipe makes the pie dough of your dreams as it did mine ♥
XO Sara Lynn
*Song of the Day: Where is my Mind? by Pixies
A Day in SF – French Food and the Botanical Garden
As I’ve mentioned countless times in the past, visiting San Francisco for the weekend is one of my favorite things to do, especially since I live so close! I will be posting updates with all of my best SF recommendations as I continue to visit. Stay tuned for my favorite restaurants, bars, activities, and places to go!
The last time I was in The City, I dropped by Haight-Ashbury to hit some of my favorite spots. Haight-Ashbury has an incredibly unique art culture and history, so I always try to stop by if I have the chance. In addition to going to some of my favorite stores, I have been learning more about the neighborhood restaurants, coffee places, and other local spots. As soon as the Uber dropped us off, I grabbed a capp at Stanza Coffee Bar and went to this really cool art store called Mendel’s to pick up some fabric. I always try to stop by Mendel’s when I’m in the city, because they have a huge variety of art supplies you can’t find in run-of-the-mill places. Afterwards, I went to one of the most unique thrift/vintage shops, Decades of Fashion, just to check out what they had in stock – if you love vintage clothing or unique costumes, definitely stop by! I also made sure to hit one of my favorite record stores, Rasputin Music, which has a large variety of CDs, records, and DVDs, both old and new, classic and recent. After a couple hours of shopping, we were pretty hungry and looking for restaurants close by. I had never eaten at a restaurant in Haight-Ashbury before this trip, so I was excited to see what the neighborhood had to offer. Trusting solely on Yelp reviews, we decided on what turned out to be an amazing French restaurant called Zazie, just a few blocks up on Cole St.
Zazie is located on a quiet street in a narrow space, that I believe is an old apartment building. The ambience is classic French bistro, with yellow walls and pretty wooden tables. They have many of the French favorites, breakfast, lunch, and specials including the pancakes I got! I had poppy pancakes with lemon curd and strawberries, and they came with a side of potatoes. I also got their house tea, which was amazing! Other orders were the Croque Madame and the French toast, which were both delicious (based on the few bites I had!).
After brunch at Zazie, we drove over to Golden Gate Park to enjoy the beautiful NoCal weather. Golden Gate Park is one of my favorite places in San Francisco, so I definitely wanted to take a long walk, especially after a few stressful weeks at home. Previous to this trip, I had walked past the Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park multiple times, but I had never actually gone in. This time, I thought it would be fun to walk around since the tickets are fairly inexpensive, especially if you have a student ID! The Botanical Gardens were beautiful, with all kinds of unique plants and greenery. It was a very peaceful way to spend an afternoon, especially in the busyness of the city.
Later that night, we walked around near the beach and enjoyed a quiet dinner (can’t remember the name of the restaurant – if I see it next time I’m in SF, I’ll update).
If you need any more recommendations, feel free to reach out! San Fran is one of my favorite places to go, so I have lots of things to share!
For a list of my favorite coffee places in SF, click here.
XO Sara Lynn
*Song of the Day: Horchata by Vampire Weekend
Basic BLT
Living in Reno means that I live a short three and a half hours away from the beautiful Bay area and amazing wine country, which has both its perks and its downfalls. Perks include relaxing weekend getaways, good wine being delivered straight to local mom and pop’s doors, and the influence of The City* trickling into the BLC**. And the downfalls? Weekend getaways are $$$. Good wine is $$$. Then there’s The City’s influence on Reno…
See, Reno’s culture has significantly changed in the last few years. Reno has gone from a failing casino city to a hip, local college town with amazing restaurants, bars, coffee shops, thrift stores, record stores, book stores, parks, events, music, etc. etc. etc. Not all people appreciate BLC culture, but damn I love it. However, with the influence comes the the traffic, and the increase in rent, and…the fusion. Asian fusion. Greek fusion. Italian-German fusion with a twist of California fusion. And, okay fine, fusion can be cool, but some things are just meant to be left alone. Including BLTs.
It seems as if every restaurant I go to lately has “their version” of a BLT, with 100 other letters attached to the end to show how different their bacon sandwich is from every other restaurant. BLTTC = Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Turkey, Cheddar, which I’m sorry is just a club sandwich. BLTGC = BLT grilled cheese, which just shouldn’t be a thing. And BLTA?! A BLT with avocado?!?! Okay, that one’s fair, and it works, but I have a slight allergy to avocado, so it doesn’t work for me. BLTs should be BLTs and nothing more. Nobody asked for this madness.
Luckily, you have me to set the record straight. Here’s how you should be doing your BLT.
- Grab a loaf of good bread. I like sourdough, but white or buttermilk also work. Toast it ya’ll.
- Bake your bacon. I swear. You better do it.
- Find a good tomato. It has to be a good one. Slice it thinly. This isn’t a tomato sandwich.
- Freshly ground black pepper does wonders.
- Add avocado if you must, but please don’t tell me.
There’s definitely some gaps in there, but I’ll fill them in later. For now, I want to clarify what is deemed appropriate to serve with BLTs. Hint: it’s potato chips and beer. Iced tea if you don’t drink alcohol.
Okay, that’s it. Those are the rules. And here’s the recipe:
If you want some other do-not-mess-with-me recipes, check out my 3 Bean Chili and Vanilla Creme Brulee!
XO Sara Lynn
Song of the Day: Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg
*The City = San Francisco
**BLC = The Biggest Little City a.k.a. Reno
Mixed Berry Pie
I have the tendency to delve into projects that require far more time than I had ever anticipated. I usually know what I’m getting myself into and enter an inner-cranium deliberation with myself. It normally goes along the lines of: “Hey! I have a great idea to make this really beautiful thing, and yeah it will probably take an hour or two of my life, but in the end, I will be so proud of this beautiful, wonderful thing that I made and everyone will think I’m great!”. And then instead of taking one or two hours, it takes three or four or ten. In this case, it was hand-cutting stars out of pie dough, because apparently it’s totally obtuse to believe that I could find a star-shaped cookie cutter within a week of the Fourth of July. I’m not sure if it has to do with them being sold out or that there’s just no demand for star shaped scraps of metal, but there were no stars to be found, so it was back to the drawing board.
You see guys and gals, here’s how it goes. I get an idea in my mind, and once it’s there, it will not leave. So when I started seeing beautiful freedom-inspired pies taking up the likes of Instagram and Pinterest, all hope for a simple double crust pie with some slits across the top was lost. I needed stripes. I needed stars. And it had to be red, white, and blue. I found a particular pie that would inspire my own (I believe it was from Williams and Sanoma) that was cut to look like an American flag. It was beautiful and picturesque, and I thought “How hard can this be?”. That’s when the star escapade came to be, and I realized how hard it actually can be and that a star-shaped cookie cutter was not in the…stars… :I
After getting slightly frustrated, I determined that I was just going to wing it, since that’s how I’ve essentially been living my life for the past year or so. I rolled out the pie crust and started cutting it into strips. In that moment, I taught myself how to lattice a pie, and trust me I realize this is probably not the correct Martha Stewart-esque way to do it, but listen, that’s just not how my life goes. And then I started cutting out little stars by hand, and while they did take a while, it really wasn’t that bad. Once you get a hang of it, they go pretty quick. I’d say to cut out 12 stars took about 20 minutes. I lightly traced little stars (like you used to draw in elementary school) using a fondant cutter, although a knife would work too, and then I just cut around the edge. And everything was okay.
Also by hand-cutting my stars, my pie is now artisan, right?
As for the pie, I just mixed a bunch of berries that I had around the house together with some sugar, tapioca starch, and lemon. I have to say, this pie is amazingly delicious, especially since I completely winged the recipe. I used strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, but you could use any combo of berries you like. Also, my pie was slightly tart, so feel free to add more sugar. For a juicier pie, use less tapioca starch.
P.S. You can use cornstarch instead of tapioca starch if that’s all you have on hand. However, I am firmly team tapioca starch, because I think it makes a more stable pie.
Happy 4th ♥
XO Sara Lynn
*Song of the Day: American Girl by Tom Petty
Trying Something New
Lately, I’ve been in a major need for some change. A lot of frustrating/sad/difficult events have been happening in my life so I’m trying to take it as an opportunity to make myself happier and not let my anxiety take over. While a lot of these changes are not within my jurisdiction, I’m taking this time as an opportunity to focus more on my goals and the direction I am going with my life. I’m getting rid of anything I feel is toxic or not helping me progress toward my goals and focusing more on travel, music, food, and making friends.
Like any 20-something, I’m looking for success and happiness and love and adventure and any sign that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be with my life. This story is not new, and everyone experiences it, but that does not mean that we don’t struggle with our choices and chances either. At times, I shelter myself, not because I do not want to put myself out there, but because I’m perfectly happy being on my own. I’m working toward opening up and having more fun!
A few weeks ago, I spent the weekend at my aunt’s house to watch her puppies and have some time to relax by myself. It was nice to get away, watch movies by myself in my jammies, eat Thai food, and enjoy some fresh air with a beautiful view.
One of the nights, I decided to go out for a solo dinner after a particularly long day at work. I decided to wear this romper, which honestly, has been hanging in the back of my closet for the past year or so. When I first saw it, I fell in love with the print, and I actually thought it was a dress. I don’t usually wear rompers, but again, the print was amazing, so I tried it on and eventually bought it because it was on sale. I usually wear it with a skirt over it so the top acts as a shirt, but since I am trying new things, I decided to wear it as a romper and step out of the box. I will admit that this is not the biggest leap of courage, but sometimes small steps are better. At first I didn’t feel comfortable, but the more I wore it, the better I felt, especially with my favorite Lucky boots. It felt nice to wear something that I normally wouldn’t and take a “risk” with my fashion choices.
Getting away for a little while helped ease my mind, and I had a lovely weekend petting some cute pups (who you might notice as little blurs in some of these pictures. They were afraid of the sound of the camera timer, which was pretty funny, so they showed up as little blobs. Oops!). Taking pics with some of my aunt’s vintage furniture was really amazing as well – such a cool house to get pictures in! I’m looking forward to what the future has to bring, solo travels, and new opportunities, friends, and people.
Have a happy, relaxing weekend and be looking out for some exciting upcoming posts! I just got back from San Fran, and I have some fun stuff to show you all 🙂
Xo Sara Lynn
*Song of the Day: Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths