Day Three

Dear Parents,

Thank you for being such good parent growing up, but can you please tone it down just a bit now. I'm already 23 years of age and you still treat me as if I am still ten. I know you do everything because you love me but still come on, you have an adult child. I feel that since you always hovering in my life that you are not letting me experience being an adult. Many times I find myself missing opportunities because I still feel that you wont let me.

Dad, you are always invading my privacy, going through all my stuff, cant a person have some privacy, have some secrets? Mom, I know we are so similar and that is why we argue a lot. Always wanting to be in charge and wanting things to be our own way; but please, I don't bother you when you do thing differently from me, so please be considerate and not complain that I am doing things wrong, when in fact I am doing just as I feel is correct. There are different ways to do things.

~Leli

Day Two

To my crush,

To all my crushes; past, present, and future crushes. I am talking to all of you who I have liked. You who have had no idea that I liked you. You have become in my eye all the leading guys in TV and in movies. You have become something more in my mind. Being the prince in every book I've read. Knowing that you can only stay in my imaginations and dreams. I see your name everywhere I go, whether it is in a scrap of paper or in movie credits. You, who I cannot approach with these feelings because I know you do not return the sentiments. I don't want to be a fool again. You have no idea that I like you and that's okay. Don't expect much. Crushes are for little girls who are bored. Crushes do not lead to anything. They are just there to torment me, of what I cannot have. In the end you'll just become someone completely different in my mind, that the real you, I'll stop 'crushing' you. Maybe its not a good thing for you to be my crush. Maybe you can become someone that I can actually approach and just like you. To have a real connection and not just an idealize relationship in my mind. Maybe, just maybe it can happen.

~ Leli

Day One

To my Best Friend, my Soul mate,

I have not been a good friend these past few months. You have been away for almost a year and I have not contacted you one to really talk to you, to see how you are doing in China and in Indonesia. These past few months have been such a blur that looking back I do not have much to report. I remember those nightly 30 minute phone calls, back when talking on your cell phone

and driving was still legal. How much we exchange about our day. Oh how I miss them. But you know me, I tend to be silent for long periods of time and you know I need them. I know that once all these life problems we are having are long past, we would once again get together and start conversing once more.

There are many times when I want to tell you everything that has happened, but I stop myself and tell myself I don't want to bother you. And because of those thoughts, that I am not being a good friend. I'm sorry. Hope I can start talking to you more. I really cannot wait until you get back to the States. It should be anytime right, from July to November.

~Leli

30 Day Letter Challenge

So I have been MIA from my blog for the last few months, neglecting to write the recipes I tried. While I was gone, I have been reading and following other blogs, and trying out the recipes. I am going to try and write frequently now. There is a 30 day letter challenge going on and I will like to connect it to cooking. So bear with me these 30 days.

http://letterchallengetumblr.tumblr.com/post/670539707/the-30-day-letter-challenge

Blueberry pancakes

Basically this whole week I have been cooking and baking a lot, cause what else can you do when you don't have a job and there are no places to go when it is raining. The only reason I have not posted the recipes is that I haven't uploaded the picture for them. This morning I woke wanting to eat some blueberry pancakes. And since it's my sister's birthday, I decided to treat myself (cause of course I need an excuse). I was going to make my traditional pancake mix but then I'll be making 20 pancake just for me. I search online for a recipe for one and I found one that sounded good. I got it from this other blog CupcakeMuffin but of course I altered it a bit. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

1/3 c plain yogurt

1/3 c blueberries (fresh)

1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil

1/3 c vanilla soy milk

1. Whisk together the dry ingredient is a bowl.

2. In another bowl mix the egg, yogurt, berries, and oil together with a spoon (so you do not pop the berries).

3. Combine the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient bowl. Add the soy milk.

4. Heat up a skillet with some butter. Pour 1/3 of the batter and gently spread the batter to create a uniformed layer ( you can add more blue berries at this time if you want). Flip the pancake when bubble appear on the surface of the pancake. When underside is golden remove from skillet onto plate. Recipe makes three pancakes.

To make blueberry syrup. Heat up 1/8 c of maple syrup and a handful of blue berries in the microwave for 30 second. Pour over the pancakes and you'll have a wonderful breakfast for one.

Oatmeal Cranberry Pistachio Cookies

Today was dad birtdhay and I wanted to make something to sort of celebrate his birthday, even though I am not there celebrating his birthday with him in Mexico. I had this oatmeal cookie craving so I look for one that was chewy and crunchy and delicious. I wrote down the recipe and a freind of mine actually did the cookies. They turned out quite delicious.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 c butter

2 1/2 old fashion oats

1 c light brown sugar

1/2 c white sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla

1/3 c dried cranberries

1 c unsalted pistachio, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a large bowl mix flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

3. In another bowl cream together the butter and sugars. Mix in the eggs. Then add the honey and the vanilla. Mix into the large bowl.

4. Add the cranberries and the pistachios. Then mix in the oats into the batter. Place dough into the freezer for fifteen minutes.

5. Scoop cookie dough with a small ice cream scoop, 2 inches apart. Bake in the oven for 9-11 minutes.

6. Let the cookies settle in the sheet for a minute of two then transfer them into a cooling rack.

Enjoy the cookies with a nice cold cup of water or some milked tea.

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Days like these, raining all day and having no place to go, I feel like taking out all my baking supplies and take note on all the things I have; and then I search all my books and online websites for that right recipe to quench the need to bake. That is what happened to me: I had all the ingredient to make this bake good( found on thefreshloaf). I had everything but the blueberries but i was able use berry jam instead.

Here is the recipe:

2 c all-purpose flour

1 c sugar

1/2 c cold butter

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp lemon zest

3/4 plain yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

2 large egss

6 oz cream cheese

1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 350 F. Butter a 9- inch round pan or an 8x8 inch pan.

2. First Layer:

1. Mix flour and 2/3 cup of sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the cold butter. Put aside 1/2 cup of the mix. Mix in baking soda, baking powder, and lemon zest.

2. In another bowl, mix together the yogurt, vanilla and one egg. Add the mix to the large bowl. Pour onto the baking pan. This is the first layer.

3. Second Layer:

1. In a bowl mix cream cheese, lemon juice, one egg and 1/4 cup of sugar until it has a creamy consistency. Pour over the first layer in the pan.

4. Third Layer:

1. Mix in a 1/2 cup of jam with 1/8 c of cold coffee. Pour over the cream cheese layer.

5. Fourth Layer:

1. Mix the saved 1/2 cup of flour/sugar/butter mixture with 4 tbs of more butter. Working your finger to create a crumbly consistency. Sprinkle over the third layer, concentrating around the edge.

6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Making sure to rotate the pan halfway through. Take out and let the cake settle for fifteen minutes. Enjoy.