WaterCourse Foods

I have a new contender for favorite restaurant, WaterCourse Foods in downtown Denver. It is self-described "vegetarian comfort food" and I would definitely agree. So far my (and my mother's) meals have included:

Sweet potato and black bean tacos

the Juan wrap (with sweet potatoes and cilantro pesto)

and the Andalusian pasta (with butternut squash and green olives). 

Scrumptious vegetarian foods that I will definitely be attempting to replicate in the future!

Sock bun

As someone who has very long hair and wants to keep it that way, I am a huge fan of any form of styling that allows me to avoid using heat.

Thus, I had to try the sock bun phenomenon that was all over Pinterest. I slept in the bun overnight.

This is what I had in the morning. I really liked the results. My hair didn't stay like this, by the end of the day it ended up looking polished, with curled ends, and I liked that look even better.

Instructions here.

Low twisted bun (with a twist)

Had an interview today to volunteer at a hospital nearby, and I decided that I needed a special hairdo for the event (naturally). Here's what I came up with. 

A bunch of little twists collected into a twisted bun. This part was pretty similar to a hairstyle I did here. I took the part of the bun that was farthest from my head and pinned that down below the bun. Finally, I added a little flower for good measure. Fun, sophisticated, and very secure. 

This was my inspiration, found here.

 I ended got the position (very likely due to my fantastic hairstyle of course)!

Tips and tricks

Such a good idea! Bobby pins stored in a tic-tac case.

Plus, don't the tic-tacs look better in my cute little Anthropologie jar?

More clever ideas here...

Gnocchetti

Had gnocchetti for dinner tonight, which are basically small gnocchi. I love how versatile they are, almost like pasta. Tonight's meal consisted of steamed asparagus with butter and garlic salt, garlic bread, and gnocchetti topped with pesto, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese.

Mondel bread

My roommate's mother makes delicious mondel bread (somewhat similar to biscotti) and although hers is from a secret family recipe, I was able to find one of my own online that produced similarly yummy results when slightly altered. 

I used:

1 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. oil

3 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup dried cranberries

Cinnamon and sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl (except the cinnamon and sugar listed last)

Make two "loaves" of dough on a greased baking sheet

Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes

Remove from the oven and slice into 1/2 inch pieces. Return to oven for 10-15 minutes (or until golden brown)

Then enjoy with a drink!

Yummy Sunday

I love it when my roommate announces she needs to make four batches of cupcakes. Absolutely has to. So we go to the store and get strawberry and Funfetti mixes and much frosting. Can you tell that I have such a hard life?

We made many cupcakes, and I got to use my new cake decorating tips (though some of these were decorated by a roommate).

I even learned how to make a frosting rose, a skill I have always coveted. Pretty proud of my first try :)