Pecan & Toffee Blondies

I've been wanting to make blondies for a while now since I first encountered them in a sundae at Milk. Conceptually, these blondies should have been delicious. In reality, they were good. But this was due to my own human errs. Because of my obsession with all things cute, I decided to bake these as mini blondie bites... big mistake. I ended up overcooking them a teensy bit due to them being in such a tiny pan! Don't get me wrong, they still had nice flavor but they were just a little hard rather than deliciously moist. One day, when my obsession with cuteness dies down, we shall meet again...

Pecan and Toffee Blondies

Yields: about 10 - 12 bars

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, original source: How to Cook Everything

Printable Recipe

8 tbsn. butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla 

pinch of salt

1 cup flour

1/3 cup pecans, chopped

1/3 cup toffee chips or Heath bars, chopped

Butter an 8x8 pan, set aside. Mix the melted butter with the brown sugar, beat until smooth. Next, beat in the egg, then the vanilla. Add the salt, then the flour. Add the chopped walnuts and Heath bar, incorporate well. Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 350 F for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before cutting into squares. 

Cranberry, Goat Cheese & Candied Pecan Salad

It's hard balancing life when you're a full time student, have a part time job, a boyfriend, friends, familial obligations and on top of that have desires to travel the world, dabble in photography, cook, and spend countless hours reading fellow blogs. Let me tell you, it takes a lot of negotiation. I often find myself having such conversations inside my head, "If a finish overviewing one lecture on cancer, I can spend a maximum of 15 minutes online... NO dilly dalling!" Of course that 15 minutes usually exponentially grows and I often have to pay for my procrastinations over and over, when will I ever learn?

Procrastination will always be a vice of mine but multitasking? Multitasking is my savior and I'm damn good at it too. Just ask B, he's witnessed me driving while curling my eyelashes, eating breakfast, AND talking at the cell phone all at once, and not a ticket in sight!  See, look at me below: eating my perfectly packed, crunchysaltysweet salad while studying! That deserves some kind of medal... or I could do without the medal, give me an A instead! 

Cranberry, Goat Cheese & Candied Pecan Salad:

Yields: Enough for 1

2 oz. of fresh baby greens

3-4 tbsp. of crumbled goat cheese, any variety

2-3 tbsp. of cooked diced pancetta, can also substitute bacon

2-3 tbsp. of dried cranberries

2 oz. of candied pecans (I get mine from Trader Joes)

Balsamic Vinaigrette, any variety

salt and freshly ground pepper

Wash and dry the greens, put on a plate. Top with everything else, drizzle with the dressing and enjoy.

Note: You can also add sliced granny smith apples for some bite.