Carrot Salad with tahini + balsamic dressing

I was looking on my insta, scrolling down all the food pages I follow, and I was seeing a lot of "zoodles" (zucchini noodles).  The thing is, raw zucchini is disgusting.  One time I ate a zucchini thinking it was a cucumber, but I felt bad putting it back when I realized it wasn't and it made me want to throw up.  The other problem, I don't have a spiralizer (something that makes noodles out of vegetables).  They sound like a lot of fun, but there are ways around it.

To make mine, you use the food processor to shave the carrots, and although the shape is different, it is still a fun way to eat the carrots.

Dressing:
-tahini
-balsamic vinegar
-garlic
-olive oil (optional)

Ok, so the dressing is really easy to make and really tasty.  It's different than most dressings so it's a nice change for a salad.  This dressing is completely to taste, more vinegar than tahini, but you can do whatever you want.  The dressing is thick, so don't worry if this happens to you.

Mix all the ingredients together, taste it, change it, do whatever you want and pour over the carrots.  Mix it all together and enjoy.  This is also a good dipping sauce for vegetables or homemade sushi or whatever else!

Rosemary Baked Potatoes

These are absolutely delicious!  I made a huge batch of them to go with my family's dinner, but obviously you can reduce (or increase) the amount of potatoes you use.  These are super easy to make but look really elegant and fancy so it's kind of perfect for dinner parties (which are awful).

Ingredients:
-5 russet potatoes
-2 (huge) sweet potatoes
-1 onion
-2 cloves of garlic (roughly chopped)
-olive oil
-salt
-pepper
-chopped rosemary (as much as you like depending on how rosemary-y you like it)

Note on the chopped rosemary: if rosemary ain't yo thang, that's fine!  You can always use sage or thyme or pretty much any other spice you want.  This is just a super basic recipe and can easily be tweaked.

Ok, so cut the potatoes into rounds, or half moons, whatever you like.  Toss them in a bowl.

Next, cut the onion into fairly large size pieces, pretty much the same size as the potatoes.  Toss those into the bowl as well.

Add the two cloves of garlic, olive, salt, pepper and rosemary and give it a really good mix (this is a serious hand workout).

Add a little more of each ingredient if you feel it needs it.  This is really the beauty of this recipe, it requires no measuring and you pretty much can't mess it up.

Once that's all mixed together, pour the potatoes onto a deep baking dish lined with parchment paper (you don't want these beauties sticking to the pan).  I topped it with a little more rosemary and oil and popped them in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, give them a good mix so that potatoes on the bottom can be cooked through.  Pop them back in until all the potatoes have cooked through (this takes a while).

In total, I cooked mine for about 1.5 hours (maybe a little longer).

These are great as a side dish for pretty much any meal.  You really can't go wrong with them!

Chocolate Covered Nanners

Nanners are bananas.  I've made these before (one of my first blog posts) and I'm making them again. I had these again recently and they were just as delicious as I remembered them being and so that's why I'm made them again.  Wow, that was boring.  What is so great about these is that they are relatively healthy and could be made vegan for anyone that wants that.  Also, you can dress them up with whatever nuts or sprinkles you want so they are very cute as well.  I didn't do that because I wanted to eat them.

All you need is:

-frozen banana (peel banana, cut in half, shove popsicle sticks in each half and freeze)
-1 cups chocolate chips
-2 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil

Melt the chocolate and oil in the microwave or over a double boiler.  Once that has melted and there are no lumps, dip the banana half in the chocolate, rolling the banana to make sure the chocolate coats every part.  You could also drip the chocolate over the banana.  Trust me, the first time you make them the chocolate will not be even, but the more you practice, the better you will get!

Then, enjoy!

"Drinking Buddies" a(nother) movie review

I was looking over my blog and I saw my movie review for Footloose and not to toot my own horn, but I thought it was kind of funny.  Then again, I know my own sense of humor and I read it in my own voice, so obviously it's going to be funnier than when another person reads it.  So, I was thinking (or rather, my sister told me I should) about doing another movie review.  So, here it goes.

**spoilers**

Plot:
A guy and a girl work at a beer factory.  They are besties and there is clearly some romantic connection despite them both being in relationships.  They go on a couples weekend at some lake house and things get a little steamy.  Olivia Wilde's boyfriend and Nick from New Girl's girlfriend kiss, but only for a second.  Then, when they get back, Olivia Wilde gets dumped and resorts to alcohol, which is plentiful because they work at a brewery.  She becomes an annoying drunk.  That's as far as I got because the movie was terrible.

To begin, this movie made me so uncomfortable.  I really don't know why, but it did.  I watch a lot of TV and I don't remember ever seeing a commercial for this movie so I'm guessing it didn't do very well.  And I understand why.  There wasn't that much dialogue and the characters all acted in a way that made me uncomfortable because they seemed uncomfortable.  Especially Olivia Wilde's boyfriend in the movie, who was awkward but in a not rom-com cute way, if you know what I mean? Like, he seemed physically uncomfortable the whole movie and therefore made me physically uncomfortable as well.

If that was the aim of the movie, then I guess they did a good job.  But, also, if that was the aim, it was a weird one and a sure way to get the viewer to want to stop watching (which I did).  So, congrats to the directors for making me feel incredibly uneasy!

Next, the acting.  I really have no complaints about the acting.  I mean, it was good.  A little forced at times.  Like, playing cards is not all that funny, and I always hate when I have to watch people pretend to be drunk.  Oh my god, I feel like I'm at a frat party or something.  Personal preference, Anna Kendrick was just kind of annoying the whole time in the movie.  I guess the idea was for the viewer to dislike her character, so good job at that, but I mean she really bothered me.

I couldn't even finish the movie so I don't actually know what happens at the end, but I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Olivia Wilde and Nick from New Girl end up getting together because they are clearly meant to be.  I really just wanted to watch a good rom-com on Netflix, something like 50 First Dates, but Netflix doesn't have a rom-com section, they only have romance and the movie selection in that subject is very limited.  Hence, me watching this movie.  I really wouldn't suggest this movie to anyone.  It was borderline depressing, which is probably why I was so uncomfortable.  There was no happy music playing and a lot of just silence, which I guess is artistic but let's be honest, it's really not.

This is in no way a rom-com, barely even a rom, definitely not a com.  Don't watch it.  Or do, and feel uncomfortable and sad when you are done.

(Edit: I looked the movie up and it actually got good reviews.  Why it got good reviews is beyond me)

Green/Unripe Mango Salad

Now, I don't know if green mango is a different thing than unripe mango, but for this recipe I just assumed it wasn't.  I looked it up a ton of times on answers.com/wikipedia, you know, all the reliable websites.  After much research, I ended up using unripe mangoes, because they are green, in this recipe.  I really like papaya salad, which I looked up too when I was looking up how to make this dish.  One time, my family went to an all you can eat sushi buffet, which was amazing.  Except, when I took my first bite I inhaled a pepper and choked for a good 10 minutes, starting tearing up because that's just what happens when you are choking and coughing.

So, making green mango salad really isn't that difficult, because if it were, I probably would not really feel like making it.  I am incredibly lazy, although I seem quite on top of things, and would much rather just eat the food that my older sister makes while I sit in bed, than attempt to make food. I mean, I do enjoy cooking, don't get me wrong, it's just that I enjoy eating way more.

I ended up having practically none of the ingredients for the recipe so I improvised and it was fine.

Ingredients:
-green mango (possibly just an unripe mango)
-red pepper flakes
-soy sauce
-brown sugar

This is the recipe I used, but the other recipes I looked up called for lime and real chilis or jalapeños, which I'm sure would make this taste a lot more authentic.  But, for the ingredients I had, this did not come out that badly.

So, as usual, mix the wet ingredients together and set aside.  Slice the green/unripe mango into thin strips and toss in the sauce.  Then serve.  I scooped out the mango and put it on top of lettuce so it wasn't drenched in liquid.

Enjoy!

The OG Congee

Aight, I have wanted to make congee for a while.  I actually had it on a plane when my family went to Thailand a couple years ago.  The trip was amazing, but that is not what this post is about.  I actually woke my mom up from sleeping on the flight just so she could have the rice porridge.  She wasn't too excited and we still laugh about it.

Anyway, congee.  It is a savory rice porridge and like everything else I post, it is incredibly easy to make.  Especially if you have a rice cooker, which, as you know, is one of my favorite kitchen items.

Ingredients:
-half a cup of rice
-4 cups of water

Technically that is all you need, but of course you want to add some spices.  I added salt + pepper + garlic powder + this vinegar we got at an asian food store.

Put the ingredients in the rice cooker, give it a little mix and then put it on.  It needs to cook for quite some time until it gets to a porridge consistency.  Check on it, mix it, taste it, smell it, whatever.  You'll know when it's ready, or when you're hungry and ready to eat it.

I'm fancy and so I topped my congee with some extra fixings.  The top is just some sautéed broccoli (olive oil + red pepper flakes) and the bottom is sautéed spring mix done the same way.  I have to say, I really enjoyed this sautéed spring mix.  I also added some sriracha just for an extra spice.  

I then almost choked because I made it too spicy and burnt my tongue because it was all too hot.  But, besides that, I really enjoyed it.  I'm not kidding, it's really good.  I personally like savory food way better than sweet.  Actually, breakfast is kind of my least favorite meal of the day because I don't like typical breakfast food.  If we go out to breakfast, which really never happens, I will order something from the lunch menu because most restaurants serve lunch starting earlier.  Oh, it's the worst when the   lunch isn't served until 11:30, like I just want my grilled cheese and not this pancake.  

So, in conclusion, this breakfast is perfect for me.  Try it and let me know what you think.  Or, don't let me know because nobody really comments on my blog anyway and I'll just assume you liked it.  

Don't forget to check out my instagram for up to date photos of food I make/eat! (@theresnotvinmydormroom)  School is starting soon, sadly, and most of the posts will be food that I eat, unfortunately because I cannot cook at school.

Carrot and Sweet Potato Chips

These seriously could not be easier to make and they're healthy and tasty.  So, as Michael Scott would say "win, win, win."  (That's from the episode where Angela ends up wearing her cat poster as a shirt for all you newbs who don't watch the show)

On top is obviously the sweet potato and on the bottom, the carrots.  Ok, so they are both made the same way.   All you do is cut the sweet potato and carrots (I used baby carrots and cut them in half, although I'm sure it would be better to just use the large carrots and cut them in sticks), toss them with some olive oil + salt + pepper + whatever other spices your heart desires (oregano is always good).  

Next, lay them flat on a baking sheet.  This is important because if they are not flat they will not cook properly.  

Pop them in the oven at 350/400 for about 20 minutes.  Flip them over and cook until the other side is  golden brown and crispy.  Warning: the sweet potatoes will take longer to cook.  

These are perfect as a snack or a side dish.  I dipped my carrots in dijon mustard and I usually eat the sweet potato plain, but I'm sure it's good with some sweet chili sauce as well.  Enjoy!

Also, I started watching Luther and Oh em g, it's amazing!  I really liked Dexter and this show is like a grown up version of that.  I don't mean like R-rated, you little nasty nasty (Raven - That's So Raven), I just mean it's a little more dramatic and intense.  Check it out and try it while eating these "chips" because it will obviously make it even better.

Raw cookie dough

I don't remember exactly how I made this cookie dough.  I used a recipe from healthforhappy's blog (http://healthforhappy.weebly.com) but didn't follow the directions exactly.  I also made another cookie dough without eggs that had brown sugar and butter (which was equally delicious).

Here are photos of both:

 (with eggs and butter)

         (with chickpeas)

Ingredients:

-chickpeas

-chocolate chips

-oats

-peanut butter

optional:

-brown sugar

-butter

Mix the ingredients together.  I don't really know the measurements but you just keep adding ingredients until you get a consistency you like.  Also, it helps to put the dough in the fridge to let it harden a little because with all the mixing it can get warm a little liquidy.

Sorry for the somewhat lame recipe.  I am watching The Fosters and eating sweet potato and banana right now and I am kind of paying more attention to those.  

Mango Lassi

Alright, first blog post about food in a while.  I will try to do two each day, but that might not happen so don't get your hopes up.  I know you all (can I even say that if pretty much nobody reads this?) are just pumped for my new blog posts.

Ok, so a mango lassi.  I love these and I always get them at the farmer's market.  It is a mango smoothie with cardamom and it's delicious.

Super easy to make and healthy for a pre-meal snack, because let's be honest, it's most definitely not filling enough for a meal.

Ingredients:
-frozen mango
-splash of milk
-2 cardamom pods broken and ground (it would probably be a lot easier to just buy pre-ground cardamom)

Put the ingredients in a blender and blend away!  Then enjoy.

Also, I have been making a conscious effort to eat slower because I realize that I literally inhale my food and don't really take the time to savor the flavor.  I'm also making a bigger effort to get through all my shows before school starts so I don't start school behind.  

My neglected blog

I have been MIA for quite some time.  You know me though, pretty busy watching TV, eating food and stressing about school coming soon.. but I am back!  Over the next few days, if I am not too busy catching up on all the shows I've missed (Kardashians), I will be posting plenty of new recipes I have tried.  So, this was just a warning that more posts will be coming soon.  Unfortunately, this post has no food.  But, here is a funny pun:

(Justin/Case = just in case)

Banana ice cream

I made banana ice cream.  I know most people call this "nana" ice cream, but I refuse to call it that.  It's a stupid name and what some people call their grandma.  So, no, I did not make "nana" ice cream, I made banana ice cream.

Ingredients:

Frozens bananas (as many as you like)

vanilla (optional)

all the toppings you want

Now that we got that out of the way, here's how to make it.  You take bananas, however many you want, I used two, cut them up into bite sized pieces and freeze them for at least a couple of hours.  The riper the banana the better.  Then, once they are frozen, take them out and put them in a food processor and pulse away until it is nice and creamy.  

Super easy and super good!  I topped mine with some homemade almond butter, but you can go as crazy as you like with the toppings.  

Almond Butter

While I continue to binge watch Scandal on Netflix (I've gotten through two and a half seasons in about 4 days), I also continue to eat.  I loved my homemade peanut butter I made the other day.  It's been delicious on bananas, oatmeal or spoons.  It's so good that I've decided to experiment a little with nut butters.  I'm going crazy now with almond butter.  It's made the same way as the peanut butter, so it really doesn't take much skill.  

Ingredients:
Almonds (as much as you like, but enough so that the food processor has enough to puree)

Take some almonds, put them on a single layer on a baking dish, place them in a 350 oven for about 15-20 minutes.  Make sure to toss them around a little while they are baking.  Then, once they are nice and toasty (you should be able to smell them at this point), pull them out and put them in a food processor and blend them up until it's nice and smooth.  You might have to scrape the sides down a few times.  It takes a while, it first becomes like a bread crumbs but just keep blending and you'll get there.  It would also make a great gift, just a small jar of homemade almond butter.  Or, you can just enjoy it yourself, which is what I do obviously.

Tofu "fries"

I love tofu!  I know people hate people who say that, but I'm being completely honest.  I like it plain, sautéed, with sauce, well, it's obviously better with sauce.  This is a delicious, easy and most importantly healthy snack.

Ingredients:
Tofu
Oil (just to spray the tofu, not necessary)

Preheat oven to 350.  Meanwhile cut the tofu into strips.  Gently press a paper towel on the tofu to soak up any liquid you can.  Lay the strips on a baking sheet, making sure the tofu is not touching each other.  Spray the tofu with a little oil and pop it in the oven for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes flip the tofu over and cook the other side for about 15 minutes or until the tofu crisps up a little and the sides are golden brown and delicious.

I served mine with a little sweet chili sauce on the side and it was absolutely delicious!  You could also cut and bake the tofu into cubes to toss in salads or for an easier way to eat them on the go.

Now, go enjoy your tofu fries with a little TV on the side!

It's oats, for breakfast!

Alright, so I already posted about my oatmeal before, but I thought I might as well post again.  I think the picture is prettier this time too.  Oatmeal is super easy to make and a really healthy and filling breakfast.  I use my rice cooker, but you can do it on the stove too.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup oats
1 cup water (or 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup milk)
whatever toppings you want to add

Rice cooker instructions:
Put the oats and water in the rice cooker and turn it on.

Stovetop:
Put water in a pot on stove and when the water starts boiling pour in the oatmeal and stir.  Then, turn the heat down and cook a little longer until the oats are exactly how you like 'em.

Then top with whatever you want.  I used dried cranberries, almonds, blueberries (sorry mom for taking a few of yours, needed them for the picture) an raspberries, of course a little brown sugar too.

I've been watching Scandal and I liked it at the beginning, but it is getting kind of old. I was really into Dexter and I highly suggest it if you haven't seen it!

Also, if you don't already, follow my instagram @theresnotvinmydormroom for all the latest photos of ma food!  Enjoy!

Homemade Peanut Butter

It's been a while since I have posted anything.  I really have no excuse except I'm incredibly busy finishing a season of Scandal a day (that is not a lie, by the way, I watched a whole season in one day and I'm almost done with the second).  I've been really into food instagrams and was inspired to make my own peanut butter, which is incredibly easy.  I think you're supposed to roast the peanuts first but I didn't and it turned out fine.  I used pre-salted peanuts.  If you roast them first, just lay peanuts on a tray and put them in the oven for like 30 minutes or until the oils have started oozing.  Then place the peanuts in a food processor and blend it up until it is nice and smooth.  It's absolutely delicious!  Also, check out my new instagram where I will post only food photos: @theresnotvinmydormroom

On another note, Kim Kardashian's wedding was a couple weeks ago and from the photos I saw, it was absolutely over the top and beautiful!

Footloose

I haven't really had time to eat/ make incredibly good food lately so I really haven't blogged in a while.  Well, my sister would say I have plenty of time because I am not pre-med, but still in my free time I seem to pretty much do nothing.  I watch a lot of TV, but I realized, I also watch a lot of movies.  How exciting!

Anyway, the reason I am telling you (I only have one follower, thank you) that I watch movies is because my sister had a genius suggestion to review the movies I watch.  Warning: I watch really trashy, bad movies, but you're lying if you say that you don't like to watch these movies too.

So, my first movie will be Footloose, the new one.  I have seen the old one (twice) and I have seen the new one, now three times.  In fact, I am currently writing this post as I am watching it again.

**Spoilers ahead** (but seriously, knowing what happens really doesn't ruin the movie at all).

Plot: Pay attention now because the plot is a little tricky.  Imagine a town where everybody seems to be very religious and the only thing those hoodlum tweens want to do is dance, but they can't!  The teenagers in this town are rebels, breaking da law... that says they can't dance.  There are no school dances, which to me really shouldn't matter.  I only went to one of my school dances and I didn't even want to go to prom.  So, these kids sneak out on Friday nights and go crazy...dancing.  I mean, this movie is incredibly unrealistic, but whatever you deal.

Characters: There is the rebellious boy from Boston, with his accent, coifed hair and white t-shirts.  He strolls on in and the preacher knows he is clearly here to cause some trouble.  Little does the preacher know, however, that his own daughter is off there shaking her little booty (she is played by Julianne Hough so she is in fact very "little").  I am never for low-rise jean shorts/pants/skirt with a crop top, but that seems to be the only thing that this girl has in her closet.  Very interesting because you would think her preacher father would not allow her to buy these clothes, but I'm guessing she snuck out one night before she went dancing to some store and bought them, just a guess.  Also, her hair seems to always be in a bump it and her eyes are like way too blue.

The worst though is her dress for the dance at the end of the movie, like it is so hideous.  It hits right above the knee, which I learned in middle school it really a horrible look (see below), and pink and has these flowy parts.   Just all around horrible.  She also has her ex boyfriend who looks like he is about 15 years older than her and causes a lot of trouble.  One time she goes crazy and starts hitting his car with a pole.  The only good character is Wren's (the guy from Boston) friend who is dorky and the only somewhat funny character in the movie.  

 (This is me in middle school.  I like to think of it as an optical illusion - is it a girl or a middle school boy?  I mean, I have a nice belly and some moobs.  The reason I am showing this picture is to demonstrate the length of her hideous dress, which clearly should not ever be used.  I don't look like this anymore.)

I don't really know what other parts there are to a movie review, but I will look some other stuff up so that next time I write one I have more to say.  The lines in this movie are incredibly cliche and I realized I really didn't like the movie, but I will most likely watch it again.  It is the type of movie that you watch by yourself, somewhat like while you're watching it, hope nobody comes in, if they do you start making fun of it so that you don't feel so uncomfortable.  I seem to watch these types of movies a lot.

"Limen" Poppyseed Cake

I've been wanting to make this cake for a while.  If any of you follow me on Pinterest, I went through this lemon poppyseed cake posting binge.  Luckily, I found a lot of good recipes to use for when I did finally make it, which happened to be today.

Well, my lemon poppyseed cake might not actually be lemon.  As you have probably read in the title, this is a "limen" poppyseed cake.  My sister planted a tree in the yard and then she forgot whether she planted lemons or limes.  Now, you probably think it should be pretty obvious to decide which one it is by the color, but, the outside of these are mostly yellow with some green and the inside is a light green almost yellow.  Very tricky.

Anyway, they are a citrus and I used them.  I used this recipe:

http://liza-messycorner.blogspot.com/2013/08/lemon-yoghurt-n-poppy-seed-cake.html

It is pretty simple and really tasty!  I actually made it in my rice cooker because I have been wanting to use the cake function for a while now.  Of course, you can just follow the recipe and make it in the oven and I'm sure it would be just as (if not more - but probably not more) delicious.

First things first, lay out dem ingredients because not only does it make what I think is a good picture, but it also just makes everything a lot easier when baking.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups all purpose-flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup whole milk plain yogurt
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (or in my case "limen" juice)
zest of two lemons
Poppyseeds

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.

Next, in a separate bowl, mix the sugar, oil, yogurt, eggs and lemon juice and zest together.

Make sure to get all the zesty goodness from the back of the zester.

Also, this is my "limen."  See what I mean by the color on the inside, yet the outside is yellow.  Very confusing indeed.

Make sure to squeeze all the juice you can.  It is a lemon cake after all and you want to make sure you can taste all that lemon flavor.

Then just mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in batches until the dry ingredients and wet ingredients become one.

Get those poppy seeds (is this one word or two?  I wrote it as one on my instagram but then I edited it.  You get what I mean).

Put as many as you want.  Hopefully you use poppy seeds that are not stuck to the bottom of the bottle because let me tell you it is very difficult to get them out.  I have big hands and long fingers and I thought I would have been able to just use my fingers to get the extra out but it didn't work so I used a spoon.  

That story was incredibly boring I realize, but I am too lazy to erase it so it's going to stay.  I'm funnier in person.

Give it one last mix and then pour the batter into either a buttered and floured baking dish or your rice cooker if you want to experiment.  

I just cooked mine until a toothpick came out clean.  I think it took me like 40 - 45 minutes, but I wasn't really paying attention.  The recipe says bake it at 350 for 40 minutes.

It's a beautiful golden brown when you take it out, but I thought that looked ugly and so I turned my upside down later so that the poppy seed top was showing instead.

I made a glaze to go with it, which was pretty simple.  Just a little bit of warm butter with lemon juice and few tablespoons of water and powdered sugar.  Make it to taste and the consistency you want.  

I poured it over the cake and it fell on the sides and I thought it looked terrible.

I was tired tonight and that didn't help.  I started pouting and was really upset (don't I sound like a ball of fun?).  Anyway, I had to take it off the plate with the hideous glaze around it and move it to another plate.

The poppy seed top is so much prettier anyway.  The cake is SUPER moist and really delicious.  I bet my mom is agreeing right now as she is reading this.

My US Weekly came in today too so I obviously read that while I ate my dessert.

Unfortunately, I go back to school this weekend and so I probably will not be making food/ blogging about it so much anymore.  Hopefully I'll find some good restaurants that I can write about, until then, enjoy!

Arepasssss

Firstly (is that a word?), let me show you the amazingness that is my new phone case:

Yes, this is the instagrammed version, which only makes it better.  (Also, if you want to follow my instagram - I always love more followers - the majority of it is food pictures.  It's @morrissab)

Now, onto the arepas!  I love these.  The first time I had them was in Spanish class, and the only way I can really describe them is like a dense English muffin.  Usually, I have heard, you cut them in half and put cheese and/or meat in the middle.  Mine are a more California arepa - avocado.  

They are super simple to make, all you need is Maseca, water, milk and a dash of salt.  Maseca is just corn flour and is relatively inexpensive and can be used for making tortillas and I think tamales (one of my favorites).  Here is a picture of the flour I use for reference:

So, there really is not much measuring in this recipe.  I used two cups of the flour and poured some milk in and some warm water until the dough was able to come together in a ball.  Here are pictures of my steps (again, excuse the poor photography):

I start mixing it with a spoon, but eventually you will just have to use your hands.  

When the dough is ready, get a pan and put a little vegetable oil and heat it up.  I learned that you should not use olive oil when frying, and although you are not frying these, you do want to get them a little brown on the sides sooooo yeah, vegetable oil.

Form the dough into little english muffin shaped discs, as big or little as you like.  Make a lot of small ones and serve them as appetizers or a side for any dinner.

Got my nails done for the first time in a LONG time and it feels amazing!  I had to show them off.  If you were wondering, the color if Essie Ballet Slippers, very classy.

Put them in the pan and cook them until the sides are golden brown.  

Place the browned arepas on a baking sheet and place it in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until the insides are cooked (that sounds a little weird).  I didn't include a picture of this step even though I took a picture because it was so awful.

When they are ready, take one out and cut it in half.  

Then take an avocado and slice it up so it's nice and pretty.

Place the cut arepas on a plate and put the avocado on top (I added some shaved parmesan).  I also had garlic - olive oil dressing from a local restaurant on it, but it is just as good with oil or oil and vinegar or oil and salt, the possibilities are endless! 

Enjoy!

Also, I started watching this new show called Betrayal, it is very bad but I really like it.