Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Weekend Recap, a Recipe and a Teaser!

This weekend, I went to Penn State.
 
The place my heart belongs. I love it up there for so many reasons. Autumn in Happy Valley is like no where else. The trees are brilliant colors, the air is crisp, the coffee tastes better, the town smells like booze-- oh wait, that's not one of the perks.
Alex got me a GPS because he loffs me, not because I'm directionally handicapped.
The town is alive though, and this weekend was homecoming, so you better believe it was hoppin. I arrived Friday afternoon with a plate of Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries because I love my boyfriend THAT much.
Who knew the dining commons had such awesome taco salads?
We spent our weekend people watching, hitting up some of my favorite spots (Dunkin, Starbucks, the Creamery and Pickles), tailgating, taking walks and doing a whole lot of nothing--it was fabulous.
THIS is tailgate food. Blueberry pancakes with syrup, whip and fruit.
I had an opportunity to be in contact with a few companies that are going to send me samples this week and I cannot WAIT. I'm on a big health kick right now, and by that I mean I will probably still eat dessert every night but I might throw in a few more wellness-esque tips and tricks... oh and more pictures of oatmeal, as I was so inspired by Kath Eats Real Food: Tribute to Oatmeal. Holy cow, that lady loves her oats.
A big bowl for a big gal!
 I made some this morning. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip oatmeal. You're going to love it so I'll give ya the recipe.

What ya need:
1/3 cup quick cooking oats
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1/2 banana, sliced
1/8 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp brown sugar
Chocolate Chips
Peanut Butter

What ya do:
1. Combine the oats, water, milk, banana and pumpkin over medium heat.
2. Let alone until bubbling. Once bubbling, start to whisk quickly and non-stop until oatmeal reaches desired consistency. Add vanilla and brown sugar (to taste).
3. Pour into bowl and top with peanut butter and sprinkle of chocolate chips. You will be full for hours!!
Anyway... this is us after a date night at TGIFriday and Penn State's Creamery.
Take me to get ice cream and have my heart forever.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough because I don't like creamery chocolate, shhh!
Vanilla Ice Cream for a Vanilla Guy... BOO-RINGGG
And, this past weekend my parents got home from Ireland. My mom also celebrated her 40th (yeah right) birthday. I won't tell them how old you are Ma! And for that, a cake is in order. It's baking in my oven as I type.

This cake will be incredible. It smells out of this world. And I tried the batter...again, out of this world. I can't wait to cut into it tonight and post about it tomorrow. If you have good taste, and you do-- you're here, then you will love this Butterscotch-Apple Cake.

Come back tomorrow for the incredible recipe-- Happy Tuesday!

4 comments:

Debbie said...

Oh those fall colors are driving me crazy! I love when the leaves change color and completely agree on your ice cream stance. My hubbie learned a long time ago that ice cream is the key to my heart ;-)

GreenGirl said...

what a beautiful view, great photos, thanks for sharing

Astrid said...

Thank you for saying I have good taste. You are ridiculously talented, by the way. I always look forward to seeing what you create next. Are you coming to FoodBuzz?
The cake looks amazing by the way! I visited Penn State a few days ago during the winter. It was gorgeous and I almost went there for grad school.

Monet said...

How beautiful! I miss the fall season on the East Coast...the colors are so vibrant! I'm glad you had such a fun weekend...you are such a cutie...and I can't wait to see all the fun samples you're going to receive. I'm also looking forward to your cake recipe...I'm all about apples right now!