Strawberry Apple Crumble Pie

I must confess, I made these pies for Pi day back in March. And I`m posting them in May. Normally, I feel too lazy to bake pie for Pi day, but when I found out this year was extra special because it was 3.1415 (this year added to the irrational number perfectly!), I knew I had to bake pie!

It was a coincidence that I had fresh strawberries and thought I would make some strawberry and apple pies! Since I decided at the last minute to bake a pie for Pi day, I didn`t want to worry about chilling pie dough and then roll it out...so I used Joy's recipe for a crust that you make and simply press into the pie pan. Honestly, I have been meaning to try the crust recipe since I got her book years ago. Better late than never!

Even though I made these for Pi day, they`ll be great for the upcoming Memorial weekend! And definitely for the 4th of July. If you`re attending a BBQ or potluck event, pies are great for sharing. The fruit filling brings out a great summer vibe.

Berry Syrup for Berry Milk + Strawberry Lemonade

I guess I have been on a kick to recreate things I eat lately because this post came about when I bought berry milk from a little shop and it blew my mind. I realize it`s not really anything new...I mean flavored milk like strawberry, banana, and melon milk are pretty darn popular. It just never occurred to make them at home!

This little shop was a drinks and ice cream shop. At first, I was like, um, I`m not paying $4 for strawberry or berry milk...but I didn`t want anything else from their menu so I went for the berry milk. After a few sips I just knew I had to make this or else I would have to spend $4 each time I wanted some, which quite frankly, is every single day.

It actually took me awhile to perfect it. I mean, each time I made the berry milk, it tasted good, but not excellent. Life`s too short not to eat excellent food, right? Fed up that I couldn`t make it amazing, I went back to the shop and bought a bottle of strawberry milk. I let my mom try it because it was so good and she was like, "It seems like they added sweetened condensed milk!" My eyeballs grew big. It made sense though. It was a Vietnamese store and Vietnamese iced coffee is known for having condensed milk instead of milk and sugar! I rushed to make it immediately. It helped that I already had the berry syrup made!

California Roll Crunch Sandwich

I`m so terribly relieved I`m done with my exams for graduate school. Let`s hope I pass so I don`t have to retake them again! I feel so excited to start graduate school and start another chapter of my life!

Now, I`m feel to bake, bake, and bake! Today, I want to share this awesome recipe for lunch. It`s rare that I post a non-sweet recipe. Yet, this recipe required a croissant (totally a baked good) and the use of an oven to toast it. I have an addiction with baked goodies and the oven... ;)

Sometimes for work I only have 20 minutes to eat lunch because I drive to different locations throughout the day. As much as I would love to save money and make my own lunch to bring on the road...it`s not practical for me. I don`t have anywhere to keep my food, except my car. No refrigeration. Just the heat from the sun, shining into my car. I definitely do not want to eat a soggy or warm salad for lunch. So, I go to this South Korean bakery chain called Paris Baguette. They have these AMAZING pre-made sandwiches. Can you guess which one is my favorite?


Yup. Their California roll crunch rolls. I took my first bite and wanted to melt in my chair. It was just SO GOOD. It`s like eating a sushi sandwich. I loved the crab salad inside, the cucumbers, the lettuce, and oh, the avocado!

Lemon Snowball Cookies

You know those recipes you have tucked in your memory that is on your forever-long baking list? Yes, those recipes you want to make, but never got around to. I know I`m not the only with these to-bake lists! These lemon snowball cookies/Russian Tea Cakes/wedding cookies/butterballs have been on my list for awhile. Gosh, with all those alternative names, you know it has to be popular!

Despite my undeniable love for peanuts, cashews, pistachios, and all sorts of nut butters, I prefer them to not be in my cookies or brownies. As a lover of lemon flavored desserts, I knew it was meant to be when I discovered lemon snowball cookie recipes. In hipster slang, I was like, YASSS, because "yasss" was even a thing.

Ginger Lemon White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I`ve been stressed out lately with studying, graduate school stuff, and just life that cookies are a must! Who doesn`t love a good cookie, right? Chocolate chip cookies, as classic drop cookies, are simple and easy to bake often. Growing older, I have learned to appreciate more "adult flavors" and wanted to try ginger lemon as drop cookies.

As a lover of all lemon-flavored desserts, I knew I was going to love these! My first encounter with this ginger-lemon flavor combo was when I tried the ginger lemon cupcake from Sprinkles Cupcakes. Yeah, I totally fell in love with that cupcake! I`m devastated they no longer offer it in their menu anymore. I need to learn how to make them! I transfer that love into cookies, because I can bake cookies way better than cupcakes.