Thanksgiving drunken apple cake.

Oh.



Well, hello there. It's been a while, hasn't it?

Moist banana muffins.

Did anyone else forget I had a food blog? I sure did.

Strawberry summer cake.

The dorm is a ghost town. Slowly but surely, everyone dwindled away after finals, leaving only five of us left here. Technically, I should be gone myself, but I got my stay extended by helping out at one of the school's convocations - hooray for not being homeless for a week before my sublet! Still, the halls are undeniably and uncharacteristically devoid of people and their sounds. I have work to keep me busy during the daytime, but I'm not gonna lie - it's a little lonely around here.

In the time of cookies.

You'll have to excuse me - it's that time of the year (by this, I mean it's the time of the year that all my friends are already off from school and traipsing around the beach while I'm still a ways away from taking finals - the quarter system is a blessing and a curse). My posts will probably be sparse until I get out of school and move into the house I'll be subletting for summer vacation. You wouldn't know I was on break from the work schedule I've already devised for myself, but I will be getting a welcome break from those awful things known as "assignments" and "papers."

In the meantime, cookies!

Lemon cornmeal cake with lemon glaze.

I must apologize in advance. There is almost no photography in this post. I know that the entire reason I most people read food blogs is to drool over the gorgeous photos and then lament over the fact that they will never not be lazy have the skill to replicate such greatness in their own kitchens. For all you voyeurs, you might as well not even read beyond the jump and get right on to the moping part.

Peter's family brownies (with cinnamon, too!)

I couldn't begin to tell you where my obsession with food came from.

Chocolate peanut butter cake.

As you all can probably tell from the general makeup of my posts thus far, baking is the easiest form of cooking to do when you live in a dorm. It also makes you the most friends, when everyone stops by to ask why the kitchen smells so good and if they can help with anything, especially extra batter/frosting consumption (that is one of the most important jobs, you know).

Banana cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting.

[Sorry for the late post!]

It appears to be banana month around here. As a cheap poor college student who doesn't always have the time or the money to go out and buy ingredients, I've learned to make the most of what the dining halls have to offer. They've had a surplus of bananas lately, thus the muffins and now the cupcakes.

Gingerbread cake.

And so the cooking mishaps begin. I wasn't joking when I said I'd blog about my failures as well as my triumphs!

What could be wrong with this perfectly scrumptious-looking cake, you ask? Well, it definitely wasn't the texture - that was spot on. It had a moist, tender crumb and a slightly crunchy surface. Biting into it was wonderful. Tasting it was not. Given, I do have a bit of a cold now, so my nose and therefore taste buds are not working at optimal strength. Still, something was definitely up.

Banana chocolate chip muffins.

As a first-time blogger (who, for all intents and purposes, does not yet have readers), I'm honestly surprised by all the pressure I feel, especially writing this first post. Am I being funny enough? Will someone eventually read me? What if they make this recipe and it's terrible? What if I don't measure up? But then I remind myself why I chose to start this blog in the first place -- I love cooking. I love writing. I love food photography (though, I'll apologize now, there's very little in this post, and it was not taken by me). This is an outlet for all of those things I love, regardless of whether or not anyone reads it or actually tries any of the food here, and I'm going to try to keep in mind that nothing (especially not food, photography or writing) is ever perfect the first time around.

But I digress. On to muffins!

A brief introduction.

Hello! Welcome to Shaina does!

At a complete loss for how to begin this entry, I've decided to do it list-style!

First, about me:

1. My name is Shaina (pronounced 'shay-nuh,' for those who are curious, though I'm frequently entertained by the number of ways people manage to butcher it).

2. I'm just finishing up my second year of college in Illinois. As a girl born into the lush, tropical, consistently 80-degree climate that South Florida's famous for, it's been a change, but I can still say that I love seasons!

3. I'm fascinated by people - I love observing (read: creeping on) them, which reassures me that my newly declared major in psychology suits me perfectly. I started out as a journalism major, but that's a story for another time. I'm also hoping to declare a creative writing minor, either in fiction or poetry, before this year ends.

4. As of late, cooking and baking blogs have conquered my Google Reader, and my boyfriend’s taken to laughing at my audible pleasure whenever my very favorite one updates (especially with something sweet!). If you've somehow stumbled upon me and you do a little blogging of your own, feel free to share! I love finding new reading material.

Second, about the blog (blahg, if you will):

1. The title of this blog - "Shaina does." - comes directly from my life. Take a look at my Google Calendar for the quarter, if you'd like some proof. That's only what I do in terms of school, work and psychology research. In my spare time, I love cooking and baking, reading, crocheting (whenever I make this list, I'm reminded of what a good grandmother I'll be someday), writing and anything else that catches my fancy. I get restless when I have nothing to do, so I keep pretty busy.

2. Primarily this blog will be about my cooking and baking adventures. I use the word 'adventures' loosely - my successes ("I never want anything else in my mouth ever again"), my failures ("oh god how did sauce get on the ceiling"), my in-betweens ("probably would have been better if I'd remembered the flour") and anything else I come across along the way. I'm new to this whole kitchen business, but I can't wait to learn.

3. My updates most likely will not be consistent, at least not initially. While I've braved the kitchenettes in my dorm, they leave something to be desired (ovens with doors that close properly, dish soap, etc.). Also, when your Google Calendar looks like this, you don't always understand why it's necessary to even think about so much as microwaving something for yourself. I do, however, get a new apartment next year - one in which there will be no prepared dining hall or student center food to keep my tummy happy. Cooking will be required and thoroughly enjoyed (and documented, hopefully).

4. All photography (unless otherwise noted) is by this guy, who I guess I kind of like.

Happy reading!