CHRISTMAS DINNERRRRR LET'S GOOOO including steak, green beans, roasted carrots, mushrooms, stuffing, and a red cabbage salad––all of which was delicious!! While I'm thankful to have the opportunity to indulge in such good stuff, I'm looking forward to lighter affairs in the New Year! "OTL

A few days before Christmas, my family and I went out to dinner at an upscale spot. First we split calamari topped with a delicious green slaw for an appetizer. Perfectly battered, the rich squid was well-balanced by how bright the greens! We also ordered a salad to share, but I forgot to snap a picture, oops. For dinner I had a really delicious chicken sandwich paired with spicy potato chips. On the sandwich was a barbecue sauce that was to die for. Dessert stole the show, we split two plates as well and YES the meringue on the pie was that tall! * __ * Typically I'm not a fan of butterscotch, but I thought the pudding was quite tasty anyway!!

TOFFEE REAL!!! Real with butter and sugar still in a happy marriage!!! Okay yes, toffee can be a cruel mistress (and other candies tbh), but when made properly is worth the effort. Buttery and sweet, it gets ADDICTING. This recipe makes a huge batch too which is perfect for sharing. Little bundles of it make great gifts!!

Traditional chocolate chip cookie with the addition of caramel chips for a tasty twist on the classic! This was my first trying this particular chocolate chip recipe and I thought they were yummy––will make them again! Thank You Miss Martha Stewart For Your Baking Contributions (￣人￣)

One of the cookies I made for my party––the holidays mean Too Many Sweets (not such thing!). I've made these before and they're soooo freaking GOOD! Chocolate-y without being too rich and soft as a brownie. For some reason they've been hitting a particular spot for me this season; I keep reaching for them, haha! ;u;

A simple butter cookie that I made like... three times across the holiday season this year lmao. They're straightforward to make and perfect for parties! I like reducing the flour a bit so they turn out extra tender after baking.

We smoked beef ribs one night during my family's visited. I love a good crunchy(tm) salad!!

Dinner out at a local Mexican restaurant. I always said that if I could only eat one food for the rest of my life I'd rather just photosynthize like a plant, but my runner-up choice might be a burrito. They're just so versatile!

My dessert for Thanksgiving! My first time making bread pudding, this recipe ended up being a delicious way to finish off the meal! Sweet and creamy, this was suuper duper rich but totally worth having for special occasions like this. The texture was very custard-y, soft enough to melt in your mouth. Anything apple works well for Thanksgiving, but when you spice it with cinnamon and nutmeg... ooh talking about it makes me want to bake it again, ahahaha ;u;

Not the prettiest picture, but that's okay because I was really pleased with how this pot pie turned out! The chicken and vegetables were tender and not super mushy, which can be an issue with pot pie. Next time I would add more salt while it was cooking, but sprinkling extra on after the fact worked just as well!

MY NEW PRIDE AND JOY, MY BANANA PUDDING PIE!! I'm SOOOO proud of how this pie turned out, I can't even begin to explain it lmao. Each part sings. The Nilla Wafer crust is firm without breaking your teeth, The meringue has a marshmallow flavor, and is so soft and plush. The filling is sweet and rich without being coying--there's a warmth and depth to the flavor. And! Making it wasn't that hard either! It all came together!! I sound like such a shill for them at this point, but I LOVE recipes from America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated/etc. The way they construct and create things instill so much confidence into a homecook and it makes me excited to keep learning! ;w;

This dinner was a team effort! My dad smoked the ribs while I tackled the positive salad. It was a "Greek" pasta style, and contains cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, artichoke. I tossed it with a dressing made from olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice. Nice and bright and acidic tasting, which is a great counterbalance to the richness of the ribs!

WAH blurry picture, but hey, here we are! ANYWAY, I had tackled a copycat recipe of the famous Levain Bakery's chocolate chip cookies and here's how they turned out! Not the prettiest, but they were quite tasty! Thick cakey cookies like these are definitely my favorites over thin crispy ones. Next time I make these I plan on taking them out of the oven a couple minutes earlier and diversifying the types of chocolate chips used. If you want to try these, then here's the recipe I used!

Checked out a new bakery and cafe with some friends. These are the treats I got! I looovveeeee pastry cream * __ * Because the eclair was so filling I ended up bringing the cream puff home. Everything was delicious and I'm excited to go back!

A cashew chicken stir fry that includes carrot, onion, pepper, and snap peas! Really wonderful flavor with a lovely combo of veggies. I caramelized the cashews I kept gnoshing on them lol. This recipe took more time than expected though; I wouldn't recommend making it on a busy weeknight!

Went out to dinner with my family and we split this bread pudding for dessert. The flavor was apple butterscotch––a bite of autumn on a hot summer's day! Sooo delicious and rich! * __ *

The man, the myth, the legend, the key lime pie I made for Father's Day. Store bought key lime pies can be painfully artificial tasting, but this was not at all like that. Zesty and tart in the best way, this is super refreshing on a hot summer's day! The recipe I followed was straightforward, too. Instead of using graham crackers for the crust, I used Nilla Wafer cookies!

Hands down the best steak kabobs I ever had. Juicy and tender and oozing with flavor, they did not taste at all like tough old boots. The marinade was worth the effort, and the vegetables were also soaked in it. Super duper pleased with how these things! Drink was a strawberry gin smash.

Veggie pizza from one of those hipster-y places that only serve one flavor a day. This one had corn, onion, spinach, garlic, and chile poblanos. The guy was kind enough to throw in a few extra pieces in our box!

Homemade pesto sauce with Italian sausage! Pesto is good anytime, but especially so in the summer when basil is extra fresh. Loveddd how the flavors melded together!! The drink was a cherry lime mojito.

Organge-glazed chicken wings with a side of rice and roasted broccoli. Honestly the wings tasted even better reheated when they were able to get a bit crispier.