Hangover Helpers

Here's the deal, sometimes, despite our best intentions, we can occasionally party a little too hardy.  What I mean is, a hangover is real life and it's not classy but it happens!  At my age, I feel the symptoms of a hangover after about 2 beers and too little sleep.  I rarely ever plan for a night of crazy drinking so instead, hangovers happen unexpectedly after a particularly fun dinner with friends (or a surprise engagement party!). 

And not to boast but I think I've devised a solid game plan to pull myself together the next morning and feel/look like a functional adult.  Up first is your immediate plan of attack upon waking up.  The next post will be some beauty tips to spruce up and make yourself presentable in public.    

Let's talk about feeling good.  You need to attack it from a few angles.  

1.  Hydrate.  Dear god, you need to hydrate yourself.  You're so parched.  But the problem is, water probably tastes funny (at least it does for me).  Welp, get over it and start chugging because your poor body needs hydration, desperately.  Coconut water is also a great alternative and I've got some friends who even use Pedialyte to hydrate.  Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

2.  Alka Seltzer.  Depending on how much fun you had the night before, your stomach maaayyyy be a little off.  Keep Alka Seltzer on hand and drink it first thing in the morning.  It adjusts the pH of your stomach (science?) and, frankly, makes you burp, which feels great.

3.  Advil.  Or Alleve.  Or Tylenol.  Any painkiller of your choosing.  Take one right when you wake up to preemptively stop a headache that is likely to form from too little sleep and too little water.  

4.  Caffeine.  I don't know why this works (especially since it can actually dehydrate you) but I've found that I feel noticeably better after I've had some coffee or a Diet Coke.  Or both.  So pick your poison.  

 5. Carbs!  Glorious carbs.  Especially of the refined variety.  Now is not the time to be health-conscious.  You can do that tomorrow.  Today you need french fries or hash browns or pad thai.  You need something satisfying and heavy to soak up all the mistakes you made the night before.  So many mistakes.  

6.  Nap.  Duh.  I think a good nap may be the key to making it through a rough day.  That's just a general life philosophy I have but it's especially true for hangovers.   

7.  Optional B12 Supplement.  I have no confirmed proof that this can truly help a hangover.  Some friends swear by it and I've even done it a few times.  The problem is, you have to remember to take it the night before.  You're relying on your intoxicated self to remember to take B12.  It seems unlikely.  But it certainly can't hurt and if all you get is a placebo effect that it cured your hangover than that's all you really need.   

These tips generally make the day more bearable for me but if you've got any other tips, please share them in the comments!  Of course, it goes without saying that I'm a very classy lady and I rarely, if ever, need to employ the strategy above.  #dontjudgeme

All pictures were pulled from Google Images


                                                                 

Banana Bread Tres Leches Cake

Making this Tres Leches Cake was the most selfless thing I've ever done.  Ok, probably not the most selfless but it's up there.  I suppose it sounds pretty terrible if my most selfless act involves baking a cake.  When it boils down to it, baking, for me, is actually quite selfish.  So ignore what I just said.    

But listen, I don't really like Tres Leches Cake.  Texturally, it just always seemed odd.  It's taking a perfectly good cake and then drowning it in milk.  And I don't have a problem with "soggy" things (hello, the last parts of a bowl of cereal are the best) but the Tres Leches I've tried growing up (which was admittedly limited) weren't soggy, per se, they were just....wet and spongey?   I don't know man.  

However, my darling boyfriend fiance (!) loves Tres Leches.  And after 8 years of dating, I've never once made it for him because I'm terrible.  But when I saw this How Sweet It Is recipe, it was quite possibly the perfect birthday cake for him.  I pinned the recipe weeks in advance and couldn't wait to give it a try.    

Soccer cake!

Eric likes few sweets aside from the occasional Kit Kat or Snickers but when it comes to banana bread or muffins, he's in love.  So that Banana Bread Tres Leches cake was calling my name when I was looking for a birthday recipe.  And since my focus last year was mostly on looks, I wanted this year to be about taste.  This cake did not disappoint.  It doesn't hurt that it's also easy on the eyes (just like Eric!).
    

And against all my beliefs and convictions, I loved it too!  It didn't have the spongey texture I remembered and I attribute that to the banana.  It makes for a denser cake that can stand up against a river of sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk, and evaporated milk.  With a few healthy dollops of freshly whipped cream, this cake was flavorful and hearty and satisfying.  Dare I say it's made me interested in exploring more Tres Leches recipes?!  Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner.....

Here's the recipe!  

Banana Bread Tres Leches Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, separated

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 bananas mashed (or 1 1/4 cup)

2/3 cup milk (whole, 2%, almond, soy)

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Caramelized Bananas (optional)

3 firm bananas, sliced

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a baking dish (I used 9x13 but the original recipe uses 8x11) with nonstick spray and set aside.  

2.  In a small bowl whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Set aside.   In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer in another small bowl, beat eggs whites until stiff peaks form, set aside.  

3.  In a stand mixer, combine yolks and sugar on medium speed until combined and creamy.  Add vanilla and bananas and mix to combine.  With mixer on low, add cooled butter and mix.  With mixer still on low, add half the dry ingredients, the 2/3 cups milk, and then the other haf of dry ingredients until just combined.  

4.  Remove bowl and stand and, using a spatula, combine egg whites into batter, folding carefully untill fully incorporated.  Pour batter into pan and bake about 18-20 mins (if using a smaller dish, you may need to bake a bit longer.  I recommend checking the progress around 18 mins).  Allow to cool slightly before turning cake onto a platter.  Cool completely before poking a lot of holes in the top of the cake.  

5.  In a large measuring cup, combine coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk.  Whisk to combine.  Pour mixture onto cake, letting it seep into the fork holes and let sit about 45 mins.  

6.  Whip your cream by adding cream to an electric mixer and beating on high until stiff peaks form.  Then, add powdered sugar and beat on medium until combined.  Slather whipped cream on top of the cake.  

7.  **To make bananas: Add butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Once sizzling, toss in bananas, salt, cinnamon, and sugar, tossing to coat.  Cook 4-5 minutes, storring occasionally until bananas are golden brown.  Garnish cake with bananas or serve on the side.   

**Note: Don't make the bananas until you're ready to serve the cake.  They don't retain their texture upon sitting so prepare these when you're ready to eat

Store the cake in the fridge until serving.    

Recipe from How Sweet It Is.  

Ritzy Toffee Bars

Ok so the original name for these bars are White Trash Bars and I just won't be having that nonsense.  Like, I get it, the bars are "trashy" because they use unconventional ingredients and they certainly wouldn't be considered refined.  However, the title "White Trash Bars" does absolutely nothing to describe the actual bars.

And the same goes for "Better than Sex Cake."  I loooaatthhhe that name.  First of all, let's not talk about sex and food at the same time because we're not George Costanza.  Second, I know nothing about that cake by the name.  Is it chocolate or vanilla?  Caramel?  Sprinkles?  Give me details!  Don't waste my time!

Thus, these bars are hereby called "Ritzy Toffee Bars."  See?  That wasn't hard.  Now you know what's in the bars.  My marketing degree hard at work!

And as odd as these bars seem, they are totally amazing.  The crackers still retain some texture but they also morph into salty chewy goodness with the sweetened condensed milk.  And the toffee adds flavor and depth but almost disappears into the texture.  Oh did I mention that they're made of literally 3 ingredients?  You can have these in the oven in a matter of 5 minutes. 

The original recipe suggested frosting the bars once cooled but, in my opinion, these were plenty sweet on their own.  If you're really looking for something extra, I think drizzled dark chocolate would be perfect.  But use a light touch, let's not trash these bars up.

Here's the recipe!  

Ritzy Toffee Bars

Ingredients

2 sleeves Ritz crackers (about 60 crackers total)

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups toffee bits

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick spray, set aside.  

2.  Crush crackers in a ziplock bag or food processor until fine.  Pour toffee bits into bag (or bowl) to combine with crackers.  Pour mixture into prepared pan.  

3.  Pour entire can of sweetened condensed milk onto cracker/toffee mixture.  Stir gently to fully combine and press firmly into the pan.  

4.  Bake 15-20 mins until edges are golden.  Allow to cool completely before slicing.  

Enjoy! 

Recipe from Cookies and Cups

What's Making Me Happy This Week

I've been tossing around ideas on what to name a weekly post about some odds and ends happening in my world and when it came down to it, I decided to just straight-up steal an idea from my favorite podcast (more info below) called "What's Making Me Happy This Week." Pretty sure it needs little explaining but basically, it's a chance to share anything and everything that's bringing a smile to face this week and hopefully(!) bring a smile to yours.


Part of what I love most about reading other blogs is learning more about the blogger on a personal level so I certainly intend to insert some personal news as well as things that just about anyone can enjoy. Here it goes ya'aaallllll!


1. ALL CAPS BECAUSE I'M ENGAGED!!!!!!!!! 

 I can basically end my happy list right here because this is all the happy I need. I just can't.even.describe. the shock I was in when it happened. And then I cried and cried and cried and barely remember what happened. I'll spare all the glorious mushy sappy details but just look at my bling!! 

2. Pop Culture Happy Hour- this is the podcast that inspired my Happy List and I loooovveee it. It's a roundtable discussion of all things pop-culture and it's hilarious and insightful and now I'm imaginary friends with the hosts. One time I tweeted Stephen Thompson (a panelist) and he tweeted me back and then I died.


3. I'm on a quest for Tank Top Arms by summer so I've been You Tube-ing arm workouts like mad. I should make the disclaimer that it's not really in my genes to ever have Tank Top Arms but a girl has to have goals in life. I've been loving these two videos because they're quick, easy, and involve relatively few props. I'll probably be an arm model soon.


4. Cheesy Caramelized Onion Volcanoes. HELLO.


5. Jurassic Park 3D is in theaters and it's totally something you should do. I hadn't seen it in over a decade (I think I'm an old person now) and I was reminded how wonderfully 90's the movie is. Delightfully 90's. I could take or leave the 3D part but it was fun seeing it in theaters and chuckling every moment Jeff Goldblum was on screen. -

What's making you happy this week?

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie

So these cookies have made their way around the interwebs for quite some time.  And it's because they're totally freaking awesome.  And as much as I love chocolate chip cookies, I'm actually not much of a chocolate chip cookie snob. 

I actually have emabarassingly low standards when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. Mostly, if it's got flour, sugar, butter and chocolate and they're not burnt, then I probably think it's pretty delicious. I mean, it's sorta hard to mess it up.    

But also sorta hard to get it really right!  When it comes to ingredients here, there really isn't anything fancy required.  This cookie is ALL about the technique.  It's about taking simple ingredients and using a little kitchen magic to make them great.   

Check out the size of this cookie!  Three and a half full ounces.  These beauties spread in the oven to make a gooey center with a crackly top and a crisp bottom.  Every bite has just the right texture with a kick of salt and a healthy dose of chocolate.  As all doses of chocolate should be.  

And here's the deal.  Don't skip any steps with this recipe.  It's actually pretty easy to whip up but you do need to allow the dough to chill for at least 24 hours.  Usually, I'm incredibly impatient and I try to take shortcuts where I can but in this case, the dough really does need time to rest.  A cold dough makes for crispy edges but a gooey middle.  #science.  Go forth my friends, and discover the best chocolate cookie you've ever sunk your teeth into.

Here's the recipe! 

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie
Makes about 18 cookies

Ingredients
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour (8.5 oz)
1 2/3 cups bread flour (8.5 oz) 
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/3 cups dark chocolate chips (at least 60% cacao) 
sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions:  
1.  Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl set aside.  

2.  Cream together the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle until light and fluffy, about 5 mins.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.  Then add vanilla.  Turn mixer to low and slowly add dry ingredients until barely incorporated and no dry flour remains.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chips.  

3.  Seal dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 72 hours.  

4.  When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment or silicon mat.  

5.  Scoop 3.5 ounces of dough (I used a kitchen scale) and roll into a ball.  If you don't have a scale, aim for the size of a large golf ball.  It will seem too large but these cookies are big.  Repeat until you have six balls of dough on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle with sea salt and bake until golden brown and still soft, 18-20 mins, rotating the pan half way through baking.  Allow to cool about 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Serve with a huge glass of milk.  

Enjoy!

Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker via New York Times

No Bake Chocolate Malt Cheesecake and an Anniversary!

Eeeepppp!  Annie's City Kitchen is 1 year old!! 

I sort of can't believe it.  It certainly hasn't felt that long and I still feel like I'm learning more about baking and blogging every.single.day.  I'm SO thankful for my readers and everytime I blog I try to imagine what recipes would excite me as a reader.   I hope to keep challenging myself in the next year and providing recipes that people love to bake and eat.  

I knew when I hit my one year anniversary I wanted to make something colorful, fun, special, and (duh) chocolate.  

This recipe is an adaption of a Sprinkles Bakes recipe that originally used a graham crust and strawberry milk for flavor.  I made it for my sister's birthday last year and just new that a chocolate adaptation was in order at some point.  It was such a simple ingredient swap and SO worth it. 

This cheesecake is light and fluffy and topped with chocolate whipped cream.  It even tastes great frozen!  It does need a little time to set up (in the fridge or in the freezer) so plan according.  OR just make, store it in your freezer, and eat a slice a day for a whole week.  JUST AN IDEA that I totally didn't try myself.  

Here's the recipe!  

No Bake Chocolate Malt Cheesecake

serves 8-12

Ingredients:

Crust: 

2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (I used Teddy Grahams)

1/2 cup multi-colored sprinkles

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Chocolate Malt Filling:

2 1/4 cups heavy cream

1lb (2 8oz packages) cream cheese, softened

1 cup chocolate Ovaltine mix or other chocolate malt drink mix

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy shipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions: 
1.  Lightly spray a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.  
2.  Prepare the crust.  Put crushed graham crackers, sprinkles, and salt in a bowl and stir to combine.  Drizzle in melted butter and mix until graham crackers resemble wet sand everything is well combined.  Place crumbs in springform pan and gently and evenly press into the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the side.  Set aside. 
3.  Prepare the filling.  In an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachement, beat cream until soft peaks form.  Add softened cream cheese and beat again to combine.  Add chocolate malt mix and sugar to cream cheese/whipped cream and mix to combine.  Pour mixture onto prepared crust and set aside.  
4.  Prepare the whipped topping.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk cream until soft peaks form.  With the mixer still on, slowly add the sugar until fully combined.  Gently fold in cocoa to combine.  
5.  Put whipped cream into piping bag fitted with desired tip (I used the Wilton 1M tip) and pipe stars around the edge of the cake and in the center.  Adorn with multi-colored sprinkles, if desired.  
6.  Cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and place in freezer for 4-6 hours or overnight.  Gently unmold the pan (you can use a warm towel wrapped around the outside of the pan to help losen it a bit) and allow to thaw in the refrigerator slightly before serving.  It's easiest to slice while still partially frozen.  

Enjoy!

Recipe slightly adapted from Sprinkle Bakes