à cuire: (Fr) To Bake

Coconut Cranberry Granola Bars

 It's been a spell since my latest post.  College life doesn't nearly produce as many interesting tales as a stay in Jerusalem does.  Not to say that these past months have been dull-not in the least.  Spring has arrived and with that comes much more to time to experiment in the kitchen. It also means I'm a few more months closer to graduating.  Graduating college. Just 2 semesters left.  Seems like a day that would never really come.  After high school, college was a natural step, but after college opens a box of ambiguity.  However, that box for me is looking more and more like a box of chocolates...I don't quite yet know what my post undergraduate plans will be, but I know that they will involve food and travel.  And most definitely chocolate.

I'm staying down in college central this summer which has it's pros and cons. Luckily, my campus has free copies of the New York Times available to students-I read it voraciously. I am sure to snag the Wednesday edition without fail and hoard the food/dining sections in my desk drawers.  It's been a classically Utah spring lately which means the weather flirts between sunshine and storms.  One particularly breezy Monday demanded some serious culinary investigation. The product of that Monday's adventures are pictured above.  Seems silly to purchase granola bars when they are a delight to make and photograph too well, right? Next experiment must include chocolate and peanut butter, with some cinnamon.


My last post hinted at Christmas festivities.  Gift giving this year resulted in the possession of the most beautiful cookbook.  Jerusalem: The Cookbook captures quite brilliantly the beauty of the city through food. That's really all I'm asking for out of life-exploration through food, family, friends and funds for travel.  Naturally when the Times had recent culinary coverage of Middle Eastern cuisine, I had to crack open the pages and test out a few recipes myself.  This cardamom chicken with basmati rice and herbed yogurt sauce was delectable and tasted better than photographed.  Nicely chosen, Ottolenghi and Tamimi.

Friends made in the Middle East have remained friends.  We mostly connect over food-sharing stories and recent finds in Provo.  One friend in particular is quite the culinary accomplice and we had a lovely time recreating Levain Bakery dark chocolate-walnut-chipped-cookies.  Unfortunately for the roommates, spare cookies were savored secretly.  I handled the half dozen share quite nicely on my own.  Yours truly, Emily Ruth: independent college student, cookie munching, Times hoarding, cookbook reading delight.