Monday, November 7, 2011

Making Healthy Banana Cookies

... and I never cook! Ever!

I woke up this morning, and saw my four bananas sitting on their little banana holder on top of the fridge. They were all super ripe, and I knew that if I didn't eat them all today, they'd go bad. I knew eating four bananas for breakfast wasn't my idea of a good time, so I decided to look up an easy banana recipe online. 

I found this:


It's important that you know that I never cook/bake ever.... EVER. But this seemed like something I could handle. I modified the recipe a bit, because I didn't have dates, vegetable oil, or vanilla extract. 

Here were my ingredients:

  • 4 ripe bananas
  • 1 apple
  • 2 1/2 cup rolled oats (I put half a cup more oats in to compensate for my additional banana and apple)
  • 1 1/2 cup dried cranberries (I bet just 1 cup would have been enough, but I am having a serious love affair with cranberries right now, and wanted more!)
  • 1/3 cup apple honey butter (I used this instead of the vegetable oil, but I also read you could just use plain applesauce, too. I didn't have any applesauce which is why I used this.)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

I was gonna use honey, too, but it was kinda hard and old so I tossed it.

First, I peeled the apple, and then cut it up into teeny tiny pieces.

(Yes, that is a cutting board in the shape of Maine. I'm a little overly proud of my state.)

Then I combined the apple and the bananas. It said to mash the bananas, and since I didn't really have a good masher other than a spoon, I just used my hands. This was kind of fun, and kind of nauseating at the same time. 


That's my laptop to the right. I know, I know, I could have spilled on it, but I didn't. I was listening to this, which really made everything much more enjoyable. I also kept glancing at the directions.

So then I combined all that other shit together...

The apple butter looks gross, I know.

....and mixed it all up.


Uh-huh!


I let the mixture sit for 15 minutes, and I preheated the over to 325 degrees - the original recipe says 350, but my oven is kinda effed up, so 325 worked better for me. I put tinfoil over my baking pan because my baking pan was old and nasty, and I sprayed a little bit of canola oil on the tinfoil so the cookies wouldn't stick. I baked them for 20 minutes (the original recipe says 15, but I did 20 because, again, my oven is sorta broken and a piece of crap).

Just out of the oven!

Hooray! 

They're not crunchy at all, very soft and kinda squishy... but in a good way!

And then I did this.

(Excuse my slightly disheveled state. I just woke up!)

Yum.
(The end.)

xo,
mandy

PS: This is most definitely not going to turn into a food blog. I love fashion and clothes WAY more than food. Look for some new Etsy listings today!

PPS: Did you see these AWESOME vintage ombre glasses I just posted yesterday in my shop? A serious LOLZ at my modeling, too! I get foolish when I have to model stuff on my face.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Apple Picking With Mom

A day of apple picking with my beautiful mother in Auburn, Maine.

xo,
mandy


photo.



A ladybug on my apple!

What a waste!



Riding on the tractor!

Momma! (I made that scarf for her last winter.)

lolz!



Auburn, Maine.


video.





Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Brooklyn Tweed's Newest Lookbook

I was lucky enough to work with the amazing yarn company, Brooklyn Tweed, for their latest lookbook. Here's a few of my favorites from the shoot, but you can view all of the photos here!

(Doesn't it make you want to learn how to knit?! Ugh!)






So perfectly fall.

I did most of the styling for this shoot, and the wardrobe is all my own. Lots of the pieces in the photos are clothes of mine that were passed down from Grandma June! Anytime I wear something of hers in a shoot, it becomes much more special and personal to me.

xo, mandy

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Swap is Tomorrow!

A citywide clothing swap?! YES PLEASE. (Jeez, my city is cool!) The lovely ladies from Swap Maine are putting on another clothing swap! I went last time, and scored some AMAZING pieces that I still wear daily. Come check it out, I'll be there! (And bring your unwanted garments if you have some!)

DETAILS.
  • If you have clothes to donate, bring your bag to the East End School (195 North Street, Portland) TONIGHT from 5:00-6:00. This will gain you FREE entry to the swap tomorrow!
  • If you can’t make it tonight, come tomorrow morning with your bag from 10:00-12:00 and only pay $5. You’ll get to nosh on delicious food and drinks from the 13th Cookie, Coffee by Design, Katie Made Bakery, Local Sprouts, Poland Spring, and the Stonyfield Cafe.
  • You can also come starting at 12:00 and pay $10 (with or without a bag of clothes).
  • The swap will run from 12:00-3:00 at 195 North Street in Portland!
  • Every person that comes to the swap will be given a raffle ticket. You can use your ticket to enter to win one of ten awesome prizes (see the list here). You can also purchase extra tickets for $1 each.


Saturday, October 22, 2011

Winter Inspiration

it's coming. get ready.
xo, mandy


photo.

 video.

 

 


Monday, October 17, 2011

A Daily Outfit - in .GIF format!


OUTFIT DETAILS:
CROPPED CHICOS SWEATER: Thrifted (vintage, 1990s)
SKINNY JEANS: Forever 21
MY FAVORITE SHOES EVER: Rachel Comey