{Image thanks to: Patrina Tinsley, Coralie Bickford-Smith, Pete K Design, Plush Palate, Oh Hello Friend}

Before I dive into this post, I want to first say THANK YOU to everyone for the amazing feedback of my Behind the Scenes post on vmacandcheese. A very special thanks again to Victoria for having me! I’m so excited to welcome my new readers, so let’s all share a little treat…

Who doesn’t love an oatmeal cream pie? I mean really. I think it’s the definition of a comfort snack. We ate pretty healthy foods growing up – balanced meals and processed foods in moderation. When I was in 4th and 5th grade my younger brother and I would go to our neighbor’s house after school until our parents got home from work. One of the perks of this situation is that Mrs. Fritz always had Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies stocked in her pantry. It was one of those things that I had never had before and I never ate anywhere else. As soon as we dropped our backpacks, we headed toward the pies. I even loved the crinkling sound of opening its plastic wrapper. It was the perfect individual afternoon treat – sweet and nutty, with a little taste of rebellion.

Every so often I get a familiar craving for an oatmeal cream pie. As part of my new mantra, “just bake it already!” I made them when I was dreaming of something sweet and nostalgic this past weekend. These absolutely did not disappoint. They completely transported me to those after school days, but of course they were even better home made. Please go make these cookies soon…I promise they are perfect.

Oatmeal Cream Pies – Adapted from Martha Stewart

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Oh, and did I wish you a Happy February yet? I guess these heart shaped pies are a bit of a Valentine’s homage (or just a testament of my oatmeal cream pie love). Since I don’t have a Valentine this year, I’m sharing this holiday with a bunch of my favorite bloggers. For the week leading up to the 14th, check back for some seriously amazing guest posts. I’m totally feeling the blogger love this month!

December 2010 – 4 by Hiroshi Matsumoto

 whisk | measuring spoons | cheese knives | ipad case | mini latte bowls | pillow

If you’d like to be a part of of this blogger series, get in touch with Supal and she’ll get you on board for March!

I am so thrilled to be participating in the Behind the Scenes series on vmac+cheese today! Victoria is one of my favorite bloggers…she is so genuine and supportive, plus we both share an equal passion for food and design. If you aren’t reading her blog, well, you must start today! So, thank you Victoria for having me!

I loved writing this post – it was such a fun, introspective exercise. I hope you learn a few new things about me. Go check it out!

{Image thanks to: one | two | three | four}

{Image thanks to: D Magazine, Decor Pad, Design Sponge, House Beautiful, Courcy Design, Elle Decor}

They’re one of my favorite food groups. So many varieties and sizes. Oh, I could eat them all day long. But, here’s the thing about croissants…they’re a giant mess! When I eat them I get flakes all over myself. When I lived in Paris, I’d casually stroll down my little neighborhood in the 17th arrondissement, taking in the gorgeous homes and nibbling on a warm buttery croissant. I was so cute and Parisan, except that I had croissant flakes all down my black outfit and stuck in the crevices of my scarf. I can’t recall how many times I thought to myself: “How do the French do it? How do they eat these things every day and not make a mess?” I was sure the flakes spelled American on my chest.

Most Sundays, I head down the street to the Dupont Farmer’s Market and along with some seasonal produce, I pick up a croissant or two from Bonaparte Breads. I really recommend you add one of these croissants to your Sunday routine (and save an extra one for Monday morning too) – they’re fantastic and totally bring me back to those Paris streets. But every time I bite in to one of them…flakes everywhere!

So, I guess flakiness could be a sign of a good croissant. I’ve pretty much have learned to embrace the flakes. Or possibly I’m eating them wrong? What do you think?

Something to ponder on this Monday morning…

{Image thanks to: France Ruffenach Photography in the Country Cooking of France}

{Image thanks to: the Wall Street Journal}

• {week one} District Commons with Olga, Jenna, and Melissa. The breakfast hash with short ribs was perfection.
• {week two} Ardeo/Bardeo with Julie, Rosa, Kelsey, and Rebecca. $25 for two courses and bottomless mimosas + great atmosphere and service – this place is a gem!
• {week three} Bitches Who Brunch healthy new year brunch at Mint with Jenn, Emily, and Rachel. I should always try to pair yoga class with my Sunday morning brunch routine.
• {week four} I’m taking Kaoru and Miemo to Birch and Barley, since they’ve both never been to my favorite DC brunch spot. I’ll be thinking about the doughnut trio until they’re in my mouth…and probably long after.

I think this is a tradition I’d like to keep going. Who’s coming with me?

Have a great weekend!

{Image thanks to: Elle France 2007 found here}

(ok, DC not so much, but that’s not the point)

Find your state here.

But then this happened…

Yes, the top layer totally just slid off. See, I’m not all pretty pictures on this blog…you get to see my mistakes too. Usually something like this would get me so frustrated, but this time I just sat on my kitchen floor laughing. I really don’t know for all long I was there. I just couldn’t stop laughing. There’s really nothing else I could have done. Just pure cake comedy.

But once I collected myself, I was able to put it back together just a bit…

And before it could fall again, I completely deconstructed it and turned the cake into a giant parfait. See, if something goes wrong with your cake, don’t fret. Just cube the cake, mix with the pudding, and layer with whipped cream. It still tastes just as great and decadent. And look how inventive you are!

Oh, I also made a few matching cupcakes with leftover cake batter. Oh so cute!

So the point of this post? I had high hopes for how this cake would turn out and how it would photograph. And well, in that respect, it failed miserably. But I had a ton of fun. And really, that’s what it’s all about.

In the past few months I’ve had the chance (yes, lucky me!) to spend some quality time alone. It’s not always easy. It can be lonely. But I’ve come to enjoy it and embrace hanging out with my super fun self. This cake fiasco was one of those moments. When I was sitting in my kitchen laughing hysterically at this over-turned, ridiculous, over-the-top cake, I was truly having fun. And that’s a discovery worth celebrating with some chocolate pudding cake/parfait/cupcake.