Impulse Buy: Truffle Salt
Store: Far West Fungi (In San Francisco’s Ferry Building)
Cost: $12.50

As I strolled through the Ferry Building I fet like a kid in a candy shop, pasting myself up against the windows of various shops and squealing with delight. I stopped suddenly at a little storefront selling various mushroom things. Because I happen to be a huge truffle fan (no seriously, I was probably a truffle pig in my previous life), I veered into the store, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at all the truffle-tastic things. Because I’m also a umamimaniac (say that 5 times fast!), …

Treat. Yo. Self. I wish I came up with myself, but alas I can not take credit for this slogan from the show Parks and Recreation. Oh Aziz Ansari, I bet we would be besties in real life, we could buy matching cashmere sweaters and we could food nerd out together. (Fun fact: Aziz Ansari is a huge foodie who, through twitter, got GQ magazine to fund a food trip to Tokyo for him and some pals.)

Anyways, as college gals, we are often looking for a way to save money, be thrifty, and grab a quick slice rather …

The grill I’ve always dreamed of having.

A Flour Frenzy follows my mistakes, flubs, culinary whoopsies, and flour-covered disasters that I deal with in the kitchen. These often come as a result of my Veruca Saltness “Daddy, I want it now!” as I sit in front of the oven, impatiently waiting for something to cook, or speed reading a recipe.

A week ago, I housesat/dogsat for a friend, which meant I would have an outside grill to my disposal for a whole week! I happen to be a HUGE grill fan and in my mind, I’m Bobby Flay, standing in …

I met Avery through work, and after hearing tidbits of her fascinating life-living in France for a year, staging at Per Se, baking bread at Manresa, moving across the country spur of the moment, just to name a few examples-I followed her around like a puppy dog to learn more about her fascinating life. As a baker, chef, and college graduate, she has some really great insight into life, living for the moment and enjoying yourself in the kitchen!

Kelsey Krasnigor: You’ve traveled quite a bit, so what is your favorite food city/location?

Avery Ruzicka: New York City…

You might remember when I sang the praises of a glorious cookie when I talked about the bests of Santa Cruz, but this cookie deserves its own post. Really it deserves to be crowned by the Queen of England. But since I currently don’t have a direct line to my pal Queen Lizzy, I’ll just have to appreciate it all on my own.

To begin with, it’s huge. I like to think it’s big enough to qualify as a meal. Or it’s good for sharing, if you’re into that sorta thing. This cookie is the PERFECT combo of chewy and crunchy, with three different kinds of chocolate hand cut by none other than Mary herself.

Watermelon. Soaked in alcohol. What could be better? Well maybe planning in advance, but we’ll get to that later. A friend had brought one for a party once before and since it’s now summer break, I take any and all excuses to combine alcohol and fruit.

Here’s a little convo that went down once I decided that I wanted to try out what I’ve dubbed the “watermelon bomb.”

Me: Ohmygoodness, I have the best idea EVER. I’m going to make an alcohol-soaked watermelon for her party tonight!

Friend: You know that takes like 24 hours to work and taste good, …

Cherries, stone fruit, are always a sign that summer has arrived. Because cherries are both tart and sweet, they can be used in a variety of recipes and in many different ways. They are a powerful little fruit, high in antioxidants and are great to consume to reduce inflammation. Besides the most common red cherries, there are also rainier cherries, or “yellow cherries,” which tend to be less tart and more sweet. Cherries are a great addition to any summer picnic.

**All About Cherries**

In Season: Cherries

When to Buy: The peak season for cherries is the summertime, so …

I have a problem. I love food. But sometimes, I am an incredibly lazy cook. Also, as soon as I start to bake, I want to eat whatever it is I’m baking instantly. My patience is that of a small four-year old on Christmas morning. (I also want to meet the person who has enough patience to let brownies cook and not sample the batters beforehand.) I’m all about instant gratification. This is like that same conundrum where I go to work out, but I want to park in the front row of the gym. #collegegirlproblems.

On a separate topic …

Confession time: I reallly wanted to title this article “How To: Be a California Girl” à la Katy Perry. You know since we are unforgettable, undeniable and apparently tend to be sippin’ on gin and juice quite often. Oh Katy, how’d you know?

Anyways, over here on the West Coast, it is officially summer weather. Although instead of gin and juice, it’s more like guzzling margaritas and I’m not so sure that I’m melting any popsicles. But, I digress.

I don’t know about you all, but by the time I finish my last quarter, I’m so ready for the …

Recently I turned 21, which opened a door to happy hour, classy cocktails, and purchasing alcohol for more than 2 bucks. Basically I feel like I’ve entered actual adulthood. And yes, I will admit to fully exercising my newly minted ID card by purchasing incredibly girly drinks (champagne…oh you fancy, huh?).

And for those of us on the West Coast, we have started to get some amazing summer weather, which makes me crave summertime vegetables, strawberries, corn, walking around barefoot and being tan. I’m ready to not resemble a Cullen.

So what better to celebrate the approaching season with a margarita-esque cocktail? I personally am a HUGE fan of margaritas. You’ve got your salty and sweet and that amazingly fresh citrus. Great, now I want to make myself one of these cocktails and it’s only 1 in the afternoon. Well, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere right? Or rather, I’m in college, so why not?!