Easy Cinnamon Rolls

I've got a somewhat embarrassing confession to make. If you've been following this blog, you may already know. No, it's not that I'm a faux vegetarian with a secret (not-so-secret) love for beef broth.  Nor is it that occasionally, I get sucked into watching a riveting and equally mind-numbing marathon of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

It's worse. Much worse.

Okay. Here it is. I don't eat fruit. To be completely honest, I actually prefer not to even come near it. Haven't since I was four. (Unless you count that time in sixth grade when my brother "April Fools"-ed me with grotesquely juicy apples in my bed while I was sleeping. We didn't talk for a little while after that.) There is no rhyme or reason to my distaste for fruit. It's 100% mental. And 100% crazy.

I always ogle over breakfast recipes that center around in-season berries. What I wouldn't give to want to make an apple pie. Banana bread? Why must you repulse me so? Greek yogurt topped with fruit and honey? Why - that sounds like a perfectly acceptable and age-appropriate snack. But I can't go for that. (No can do.) (Also: I've been listening to quite a bit of Hall & Oates on the ol' Pandora lately.)

Instead, as you may have noticed, I opt for excessive amounts of sugar and cinnamon in my breakfast creations. I'm not complaining, and neither are the people I bake for. But - seriously Alexis - enough is enough. Act your damn age and integrate some berries into your repertoire!

Maybe soon. Hopefully. But definitely not today. 

These buns are truly easy and delightful. They're easy (and fast!) because they don't need yeast to rise. (And in turn, you don't need to be patient. Hooray!) They'll be in the oven in 20 minutes and in your belly in another 25. They're delightful due to the presence of cinnamon, sugar, melted butter, and the like. (And in turn, the absence of bananas, berries, etc.)

Bursting with dark brown sugar, ground cloves, and cinnamon and glazed with cream cheese frosting, these are a wonderful way to start your day. And are precisely how I started my Saturday last week.

Summer Orzo Salad

I have a thing for olives. I guess you could say...olive olives. (Cricket. Cricket.) The way that I love olives...you'd think we've been involved since I was a wee one. Untrue. Growing up, I detested olives. Hated. I think it's because my sister used to put those green olives that come in a briny jar (you know, the ones that are red in the middle?) on her fingers and suck them off, one by one, with a big smile on her face. Really grossed me out. I'm thankful that I've come around, because olives are definitely in the running for my top three favorite foods. (The list reads: 1. Butter 2. Ice Cream 3. Olives. Oh! And carbs! I love carbs.) Because I haven't yet discovered a way to successfully incorporate olives into butter and/or ice cream, this summer orzo salad is a more palatably acceptable alternative. And look! Carbs!

Make this for a potluck dinner. Or bring it to a picnic. Your friends will love you. Save some for yourself in the fridge. You will love you.

PW Pistachio Bundt Cake

I never make desserts that originate in a box. ("Never ever. Not even if there's a fire.") And I don't particularly care for pistachios. So your guess is as good as mine as to why I felt compelled to make a pistachio cake...from a box. I think it's because Ree made it look so dern perty.

The Good News: It's Easy. It's Pretty. (Brown + Pastels = <3)

In Other News: I'm not a huge fan.

In the cake's (and Ree's) defense, I've never enjoyed pistachios. I do, however, thoroughly enjoy chocolate. Which is why I'm whipping up some chocolate ganache. Eating excessive amounts of it with a spoon. And topping my cake with what's left. And, if nothing else, I have learned how to properly spell the word "pistachio" out of this experience.

But, please, don't take my word for it. Whip this up yourself, and let me know what you think. You'll love it...probably.

Sisters' Day & Marshmallow Bark

When we were growing up, each year my older sister Eleni and I would declare an annual "Sisters' Day" as our day to celebrate each other and our friendship. Sisters' Day typically involved at-home self-administered facials and manicures, long bike rides, movie outings, and photo shoots. As  we've gotten older, even though our lives have taken us on different paths and there is a pesky country between the two of us, I'm proud to say we still find time to celebrate our sisterhood. This March, I was lucky enough to have her with me in Oregon for a whole week. As a result, Sisters' Day has hereby been replaced with Sisters' Week.

The day she called to ask what she should pack, I had visions of her lounging on the balcony of her 42-story high rise, bikini-clad, mojito in hand, gazing out at the Atlantic. Either that, or on a boat somewhere off the coast of South Beach with P. Diddy and/or Kim Kardashian. Meanwhile, I was riding my bike through the rain/hail/mist, braving not only the coldest, but also the wettest March in Oregon's recorded history. It appears one sister has made more prudent life decisions than the other.

I told her to bring her best hippy gear and her rain jacket. True to form, she brought these. (I guess the corked heel satisfied the "hippy" qualifier?) And wouldn't you know it, they were a hit! An absolute hit, I say! So with Eleni decked out in 6-inch platforms, me donning Crocs covered in flour, and both of us with aforementioned rain jackets in tow, we hit Oregon by storm.

We had grand plans to make these, these, oh, and these too. Somehow, we succeeded in doing none of the above. Rather, we spent much of our time shopping (we are each other's only known viable shopping partners on the planet. We even bought matching designer sunglasses; "Sister Sunglasses" if you will, shown below. Which was completely justifiable, considering I haven't seen the sun since September 2010 and I currently earn just above minimum wage.), eating, cozying up in local coffee shops, and catching up on some much needed and much welcomed sister time.

Eleni's good friend from high school is the Capitol Baker (of http://www.thecapitolbaker.com/ fame). When it became obvious that we were never going to get around to the above recipes, we searched Jessica's blog for something easy and mouthwatering. The requirements: no more than five ingredients and no need to turn on the oven. And voila! The richness of the bittersweet chocolate coupled with the slight chewiness of the marshmallows makes for a perfect combination. They're almost shamefully easy, and bonus: you don't even need a mixer.