toasted marshmallow and coconut lemon bars

Warning: These toasted marshmallow and coconut lemon bars are super sweet, super sticky, and super yummy. And they are super easy to bake up. In fact, I baked these before class one morning (which is surprising considering it’s pretty hard to get me to do anything beyond what is necessary in the morning) and then proceeded to daydream about them all day until I finally ate one after classes. And they definitely lived up to my expectations.

It has been a while since my last post. Two weeks. Needless to say, I have been swamped.

Can they just give me my degree already? I am so over school right now. Like, seriously over it. I spent between 15 and 20 hours last week working on a lab report. For a one credit hour course. I have a class that has exams pretty much every Friday (10 for the semester). And they are not easy multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank exams. They’re take-two-hours-and-hope-and-pray-you-gave-the-right-answer kind of exams. Oh yeah, and they are only two questions long. Two hours? For two questions?

Unfortunately, I could probably keep complaining for a long time about school right now. And quite honestly, I am tempted to do it. But, I do not want to bore you all to death. Or make you annoyed with my whiny-ness. Good thing I have a lot of Easter candy in my living room so I have something to stress-eat. Maybe I should bake these lemon bars again.

Not a bad idea…

Makes one 8×8” pan

Ingredients:
1 19-oz. box lemon bar mix*
3 eggs
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup sweetened coconut
½ 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease an 8x8x2” pan. Press crust (in a bag in the lemon bar box) into the bottom of pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk 1/3 cup water and 3 eggs together until homogeneous. Stir in lemon filling mix until smooth. Pour over hot, baked crust. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle with marshmallows and coconut. Drizzle over sweetened condensed milk. Bake for an additional 14-18 minutes, until lightly golden on top. If the top starts to get too brown, cover with foil to prevent burning. Remove to cool. Chill in refrigerator for a couple hours to slice easier.

*Baking instructions follow Krusteaz lemon bars mix. If using a different brand, eggs, water, and baking time may need to be adjusted.

Source: Adapted from Inside BruCrew Life

 

penne with peas and bacon

Basically, I love pasta. Pretty much any kind of pasta. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner pasta.

Well, maybe not breakfast, but you know what I mean, right? And bacon… who doesn’t love bacon? Put it together with some crispy peas and parmesan (and butter). Golden.

I was trying to think of something witty to write on here. Some weird story that had a hint of humor. But then I realized that I pretty much don’t do anything all day. Well, besides go to class or lab, eat, sleep, and watch TV.

I come to the realization that my life really is not that interesting a lot. Generally it’s during those moments when I think I am really funny and that I could have a TV show based on my life… something Kardashian-esque (admit it… you’ve thought the same thing about yourself!). But, then I realize most people probably don’t want to watch me in class all day or doing homework or pipetting chemicals into beakers.

I will admit that there are definitely times when I am the first one to laugh at my jokes. And sometimes the only person to laugh at my jokes.

But, hey, as long as I’m bringing a smile to someone’s face, even it is my own, I don’t mind. And sometimes a little bit of lightness is all you need to get through the day.

Makes 2-3 Servings

Ingredients:
½ lb. penne
4 slices bacon, sliced
¾ cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

Add pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until lightly crisp around the edges. Increase heat to medium-high. Add in peas and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until peas are heated through and beginning to crisp a little, about 5 minutes. Add in butter.

Toss bacon and pea mixture with pasta and Parmesan. Serve with additional Parmesan, if desired.

gooey butter cookies

If you are not from the Saint Louis area, you might not have experienced the delicious ooey-gooey-ness that is gooey butter cake. And if you have not yet had the pleasure of that wonderful cake, then I highly, highly suggest adding the ingredients for these gooey butter cookies to your next shopping list (if you don’t already have them in your pantry).

So, I’ve been absent for about a week and a half here, which might be surprising considering I have been enjoying the relaxation of Spring Break.

Scratch that. I have been busy writing my chemistry thesis, my Spanish thesis, a multitude of lab reports, and preparing for a presentation in front of a bunch of professors that I would rather not take part in. But, I also want to graduate, so… I guess I do not have that much of a choice in the matter.

I have been seeing all these photos of people going to beaches and far-away places for Spring Break. It makes me jealous. And here I am sitting on my couch deciding if I calculated the reaction energy correctly or not. I want a tan, too!

Oh well. I guess I’ll just put on some more bronzer than necessary and set my sights on summer.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 8-oz.package cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup), room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 16-oz.box butter yellow cake mix
3/4 cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and egg. Add in the cake mix in thirds, mixing until combined between each addition. Chill for one hour to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

Place powdered sugar in a bowl or plate. Roll cookie dough into 1” balls and add into the powdered sugar. Cover the dough with sugar and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for 11-12 minutes, until cooked through and lightly golden on the edges and bottom. Cool on baking sheets for a couple of minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.