October 30, 2012

Best. Cookies. Ever.

Holy crap.
These are literally THE BEST COOKIES I have ever had in my life. Ever. The first time I ever tried one of these bad boys, I was in heaven.
Most of the time when you pick up a cookie in plastic wrapping, they're hard, semi-stale, and bland. So it was a huge shock to me when I was handed a Yeah! cookie and none of the above applied.

On the contrary, these cookies are fabulous.

Eastsider Diaries, Yeah! Cookie
Eastsider Diaries, Yeah! Cookie
And here's why:
1. They're made from scratch at the hands of the kind and generous Yeah! creator, Aaron
2. He uses raw ingredients (none of that funny business that you can't pronounce) which means...
3. There are ZERO preservatives
4. Since they're so basic, they're pretty good for you
5. They taste absolutely amazing

Eastsider Diaries, Yeah! Cookie
Golden Raisin Date
Eastsider Diaries, Yeah! Cookie
Honey Pecan Date
Eastsider Diaries, Yeah! Cookies
Classic: Chocolate Chip
Since Aaron makes these yummy treats by hand (usually by himself too!), they're as fresh as can be. So when you grab your own Yeah! cookie, you know it's only a day or two old which means maximum freshness. How many other packaged cookies can you say are as good as that, hmm?

I mean honestly, you really only get it this good when it's straight from the oven. And that's exactly what these Yeah! cookies taste like, except better.

Eastsider Diaries
Honey Pecan Date. YUM.
Eastsider Diaries

So far there are 6 naughty types of Yeah! cookies. They include:
- Golden Raisin Date
- Honey Pecan Date [my absolute favorite!]
- Chocolate Chip
- Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Sour Cherry Date
- Vegan Golden Raisin Date

To get your own Yeah! cookie check out the website and contact Aaron.
I can't stop raving about these and once you try one, you'll be as obsessed as I am!
Xx


October 21, 2012

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

This weekend mom & I went on a baking spree and made some autumn inspired treats. To start, we made some fabulous pumpkin spice cookies.

Eastsider Diaries, pumpkin cookies
Ingredients:

  1 cup canned pumpkin
  1 cup white sugar
  1/2 cup vegetable oil
  1 egg
  2 cups all-purpose flour
  2 teaspoons baking powder
  2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon baking soda
  1 teaspoon milk
  1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
  1. In a blender combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. Mix together until completely mixed.

  2. In separate small bowl, dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add to pumpkin mixture.

  3. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Slowly add to pumpkin mixture. 

  4. Add vanilla, chocolate chips

Eastsider diaries, pumpkin spice cookies
Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm. Taste, and enjoy!

Eastsider Diaries, pumpkin spice cookies
Eastsider Diaries, pumpkin spice cookies
Eastsider Diaries, pumpkin spice cookies
Eastsider Diaries, pumpkin spice cookies

Well since we had extra pumpkin mix, we decided to make some mini pumpkin pies! Super easy- just find a pie dough recipe and mix up the pumpkin mixture like you're making pumpkin pie. Find a little muffin tray and you're all set! 

Eastsider Diaries
Then of course we had extra pie dough... 
SO we made mini cinnamon rolls 

Eastsider Diaries
Needless to say it was quite a tasty weekend on the Eastside!

Eastsider Diaries
Happy October 
Xx

October 16, 2012

Tokyo's Finest

I wish this post was talking about the city in Japan. But, alas, I'm actually talking about Tokyo's Japanese Restaurant in Factoria.

Sushi, Tokyo's Restaurant
Sushi, Tokyo's Restaurant

This is hands down the best restaurant to get sushi at. I've been to my fair share of Japanese restaurants around the Eastside, and let me tell you, dear friends, this is the place to be.

None of that conveyer belt business [although every once in awhile you might stumble upon a worthy sushi-belt]. No no, this place is authentically Japanese. My parents & I have been coming here for years. We were good friends with the head sushi yasan but he ended up retiring this year.... But still, the other men working the bar are the best around! Even my Obaasan (Japanese gma) gave it her stamp of approval when she came to visit this summer. So, that's that.

Sushi, Tokyo's Restaurant
Tokyo's Japanese Restaurant
Tokyo's Japanese Restaurant

I always sit at the sushi bar. It's fun to watch the sushi masters at work & I love to see how precise and delicate they are with the fish.
Eastsider, Tokyo's Restaurant
The whole purpose of my trip to Tokyo's was to show B how the Japanese fancy their sushi. It's not all California roll's my friends, and surprisingly he enjoyed everything I ordered!

Sushi, Tokyo's Restaurant

10 brownie points for him, I dare say.
And if you're ever in the mood for some REALLY GOOD sushi, I'd HIGHLY recommend Tokyo's.

October 14, 2012

Fall To-Do List

I've been waiting and waiting for the sun to go away and the temperature to drop. Don't get me wrong, I love summer and I love when it's hot outside- but when its October, sunny and still 80 degrees in Washington, it's rather exhausting.

Last week the leaves began to change and there was a whisper of rain on the horizon. I immediately started drafting up my fall to-do list. Then on Friday the clouds rolled in, the temperature fell to a cozy 60 and the rain drizzled on and off all weekend long. It is officially autumn! Now, time to check off some things on my to-do list!


To check off the first item of business, B & I headed off to the Remlinger Farm to find ourselves a pumpkin to carve! 

Before we left, we tested our skills at un-haunted corn maze. B tried convincing me to go on a haunted on later that night... nope, not happening. 
Then the fun part-- carving our pumpkins
My pumpkin was obviously Harry Potter inspired. And B gave a shout out to his Ducks - no surprise there either! 

For both outings, here's what I wore:
Boots by Hunter
Leggings/ pants by TopShop
Shirts by J.Crew
Jackets by North Face
Bag by Tori Burch

I have plenty more things on my fall to-do list, stay tuned!
xx

October 12, 2012

Miracle Spice

No, no. This isn't the cheesy name of a new Spice Girl. Although... I do miss the Spice Phenomenon from the good old 90's...

But no. The "miracle spice" I am referring to is Cinnamon.

The other day at the office I was fixing myself a little lunch and my coworker was sharing the kitchenette with me. She pulled out her steamer (yes, she has a steamer handy at the office) and started heating up her asparagus. I was about to head back to my desk when something caught me by surprise: she put the veggies on her plate and sprinkled them with-- wait, Cinnamon?

She happily informed me that Cinnamon should't just be used in rolls or pastries.
In fact, she said, you could put Cinnamon on anything you wanted. It's really good for your body and it tastes good. So I did a little research and found out some brilliant things about the spice!

Here's what you need to know about Cinnamon:
- It can reduce the proliferation of lymphoma & leukemia cancer cells
- It has an anti-clotting effect on blood cells
- It acts as a natural food preservative [it stops bacterial growth & stops food from spoiling!]
- If combined with honey, it has been found to relive arthritis pain
- 1/2 a tsp a day can lower your cholesterol & stabilize blood sugar which is great for weight loss
I know what you're thinking: how have we not known about this?!
Cinnamon is amazing, it's like nature's way of saying "Hey human, I love you, sprinkle this magic miracle spice over your food every now and then and you'll live forever!" Or, at least, healthier!
So for the last few days I've been adding Cinnamon either to my tea (delicious!) or to my yogurt.

Greek yogurt with banana and Cinnamon 
I have yet to take the dive and sprinkle it on my veggies, but I'm curious to try it and will obviously tell you how it is! Here are a few recipes that showcase Cinnamon that I found on some great foodie blogs:
Cinnamon pull-apart bread
Black bean & sweet potato chili in Cinnamon & cocoa
Chicken stew with apples & Cinnamon


For these delicious recipe's check out Green & Seed, Not Enough Cinnamon, and Inquiring Chef !
Xx