LASIK Surgery

Recently the opportunity of having Lasik eye surgery came up and it was quite the experience! I’ve been wearing glasses since middle school, so they’ve always been a part of my life. Lately they’ve been more of an annoyance than help. I knew that Lasik was something that I wanted to do but it wasn’t really on the table until a close friend had the surgery and had very positive results. I looked into Parkhurst Nuvision, which is located right here in San Antonio, and scheduled my consultation!

Consultation day was a breath of fresh air. I’d always been a little put off with the idea of doing Lasik, just because I assumed that it hurt a little or I psyched myself out into thinking what if something went wrong during my procedure.

Throughout the entire experience, all of my questions and concerns were answered. If I forgot to ask a question, Amanda, my Lasik counselor with Parkhurst was only an email away.  After leaving the consultation, I felt good about everything. I mean, I was told I would be in the operating room for less than 10 minutes! That alone made me feel a little better about the surgery.

The day of surgery had arrived and this is when things really started to hit me. After my consultation, all of my worries were put at ease and I never really thought about anything after that day…until the morning of surgery! All of those worries came back to torture me and I started to think “What if I feel it while I am in surgery? What if the “happy pill” doesn’t work? What if something goes wrong after surgery and I get an infection?” I thought about anything and everything. My husband tried to calm me down but it’s all I could think about until they were ready for me. Luckily a few minutes before, the pill finally kicked in and I felt a little more at ease.

I made my way to the operating room (with the help of the staff and my husband since I couldn’t walk too well) and there were so many people there to make me feel comfortable. I was guided to the station and laid down at the table. I was given a blanket to stay warm and I even got to listen to a Pandora station of my choosing (I chose The Postal Service). As small as these things were they put me even more at ease and made me feel better. To top it off, Dr. Parkhurst was there to walk me through everything that he was doing. He told me what he was doing to my eye that way I wasn’t surprised or caught off guard.

The first machine that I was under basically created a flap on the surface of both my eyes (each eye took 10 seconds or less to actually do and it was completely painless!) so that the prescription could be put in. Then I moved onto the second machine (with the help of the wonderful staff), and that’s where the laser put the prescription in my eye. Dr. Parkhurst then used a tool that put the flap of my eye back over where it would seal up naturally. Again, this was another 10 seconds in each eye. After that I was done! I could actually see!

Next, my job was to go home and sleep (no problem doctor!), so that is what I did. I went back in around 3pm to have my same day checkup and everything looked good. I continued my medicated drops for another week and then they gave me artificial tears to use at least 6x a day to help with any dryness or irritation. I also was to wear my eye mask (looks just like something out of star wars so I was okay with it) for the first day, all day. Then, I only had to wear the mask at night for the first week.

 I just had my 1-week post-op check up and everything looks perfect. I am able to wear makeup again (thank goodness) and play sports.  

I would say the first couple of days were the most intense for me, and I wouldn’t even say intense. My eyes were definitely really dry the day of surgery and the following day, but after that they were relatively fine. I went to watch my husband play soccer on Sunday (surgery was Friday morning), and I felt great, and could see! I was constantly and religiously using my artificial tears and I think that helped. I was on top of my drops, and I think that helped my recovery time. Plus, I'm only 1 week out now and that's pretty much already over!  

 I honestly don’t know what I was worried about? If they say it’s painless, why would it be painful and why would they lie? It definitely was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I would recommend it to ANYONE. Seriously check them out at sanantonio-lasik.com if you’re even considering Lasik.  

 I know so many people that have done Lasik and not one person has anything bad to say about it. I can’t say one bad thing about my experience. I really think being in the hands of the Parkhurst team made things run more smoothly. They are a group of knowledgeable and friendly people that will squash all of your worries. I couldn’t be happier. I can’t wait to play in my next soccer game, to go hiking, to travel, and to see things that I never would have been able to see without my glasses. 

A Day in the Life of The Ginger Snap

One of my favorite people ever, Kathleen, came over to film the process of me making my donuts. She stayed awake the entire time, filmed everything from start to finish, and then edited it all. I absolutely love what she did and can't thank her enough. Check out some of her other videos to see what she's up to! And check out her latest video she made with me, below :)

Matcha Shortbread Cookie Recipe

I'm currently obsessed with matcha, among other things, so I am always trying to use/create/tweak/test recipes that include it. I love the Peanut butter chocolate chip shortbread cookies that I make and a friend asked me to do some sort of matcha cookie, so I thought...matcha shortbread cookies! I use Martha Stewart's recipe as a reference and tweak a few bits. What to make with matcha next?!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 3 tablespoons green tea powder or matcha powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, or granulated sugar will work too
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
• Raw sugar for rolling
• Matcha sugar (matcha powder and granulated sugar combined) for rolling

DIRECTIONS

• Whisk together flour, matcha, and salt in a small bowl. Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer bowl on medium until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low, slowly mix in flour mixture until just combined.

• Transfer your dough to a piece of parchment paper; shape into one big log or you can make multiple logs to make it easier. Scatter raw sugar and matcha sugar on your piece of parchment paper. Roll each log up and down the parchment paper to cover it in sugar. Using plastic wrap, wrap your log (s) up and secure them (I use a paper towel roll cut down the middle; see picture). Freeze for one hour or refrigerate for two.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap frozen/cold logs and slice 1/2 inch thick. Place an inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until edges turn golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets on wire racks. 

French Style Country Bread Recipe

My husband and I love bread! We eat it with pasta, with soup, and we are always eating toast in the morning. Talk about carbs! So, with that being said I thought I should try and make my own at home. This way, I know what is going in it while feeling a sense of pride for accomplishing what some claim to be a tough job (and it definitely is). Here is a recipe I follow from King Arthur Flour.

Starter

• 1 cup cool to lukewarm water (90°F to 100°F)
• 1/2 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) white whole wheat flour or premium whole wheat flour
• 1 Mimosa (optional)

Dough

• all of the starter (above)
• 1 cup lukewarm water (100°F to 115°F)
• 3/4 teaspoon active dry or 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 3/4 to 4 cups unbleached bread flour 
• 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 teaspoons salt, to taste

Instructions

• To make the starter: Stir all of the starter ingredients together to make a thick, pudding-like mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 2 hours. For best flavor, let the starter rest longer; overnight (up to 16 hours) is best. How'd that mimosa get there?!?

• To make the dough: Stir down the starter with a spoon and add the water, yeast, sugar, 3 1/4 cups of the flour, and the salt (I add 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt for a better taste). The dough will be a loose, messy mass. Let it rest for 12 to 15 minutes, then stir it again; it should become more cohesive and a bit smoother. Dough handles better once it's had time for the flour to absorb the water while resting and relaxing. By using this method, you'll tend to add less flour, and have much bigger holes in your finished bread.

• Knead the dough, adding more flour as necessary, to make a soft dough, 10 to 12 minutes (or 3-5 minutes in a stand mixer with a dough hook).

• Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or plastic container, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rise until almost doubled (this could be 1 to 2 hours). If you're going out, or if you prefer, let the dough rise slowly in the fridge. If your dough has been refrigerated, allow it to come to room temperature before shaping; it'll warm up and rise at the same time.

• Deflate the dough gently, but don't knock out all the air; this will create those "holes" so important to French bread. For one large loaf, form the dough into a round ball; for two loaves, divide the dough in half and shape into two balls.

• Place a cornmeal-dusted piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet (I use my dutch oven). Gently place the ball(s) of dough on the baking sheet (or dutch oven), seam-side down.

• Cover the bread gently with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rise until it's puffy and about 40% to 50% larger, anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes.

• Preheat your oven to 475°F.

• Slash or cross-hatch the bread with a sharp knife or lame. Dust it with a little flour. Spritz water into the oven with a clean plant mister, and place the bread in the oven. Reduce the heat to 425°F and spritz with water every few minutes for the first 15 minutes of baking.

• Bake the bread for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until it's a rich golden brown, and its interior temperature registers at least 190°F on a digital thermometer. The smaller loaves will bake more quickly, so keep your eye on them.

• Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a rack. Store bread, loosely wrapped in paper, for a couple of days at room temperature; wrap it in plastic and freeze for longer storage.

• Yield: 1 large or 2 medium loaves.

Enjoy!

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San Antonio Magazine Feature

In the latest issue of San Antonio Magazine (March), I and five other instagrammers were featured as "social media gurus". What an honor! When SAM messaged me about including me in the March issue, I was definitely taken back and all in. I love being apart of the San Antonio Community. Whether thats through instagram, baking, eating out, etc., I enjoy it all. The article briefly talks about how instagram is "famous (or notorious) for transforming iphone pics into envy-inducing peeks into what often looks not like the good life, but a perfect life." It then goes on to advise its readers to follow the six "snap-happy" instagrammers they feature. In my section, I mentioned that I would be selling my baked goods to our city soon enough (and here I am!) Others talk about what instagram means to them, what their instagram is about, and so forth. I am super happy I had the opportunity to work with SAM and the other ladies. 

Double Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

I have had the biggest urge to bake with fruits lately. For instance my mini apple pies I made the other day, and just this morning I attempted to make homemade fruit roll-ups (not a success). Then, my fiance requested that I make raspberry brownies (these are not gluten-free) and I thought "why not?". I thought to myself, that those two ingredients combined could make a killer brownie, so I did it. Once again I caved in to my husbands' needs (ladies stay strong!). I present to you, my chocolate raspberry brownies, with more raspberries on top. Enjoy!

*Makes: 16 pieces

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup (220g) semi-sweet chocolate chips 
• 3/4 cup (80g) milk chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1 cup (250g) butter
• 2 cups (400g) dark brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup (140g) plain flour
• 10 tbsp (50g) cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cup (240g) raspberries, chopped

Directions

Step 1: Heat your oven to 180C/160C fan/360F. Line a baking tray tin with foil and sprat with cooking spray. Set aside. 

Step 2: Put all of your chocolate, butter and brown sugar in a sauce pan on medium-low heat and gently melt, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until everything has melted and is combined well. Remove from the heat. Let sit for a few minutes before adding any other ingredients.

Step 3: Beat eggs before adding to the chocolate mixture. Once beaten, add them, one by one, into the melted chocolate mixture. Then add the flour and cocoa, and stir in slowly. 

Step 4: Chop up your raspberries if you haven't done so already and then stir half of them into the mixture. Scrape the mixture into your pan lined with foil and make sure the surface is even. Add the other half by scattering them over the top of the brownie mixture. Bake on the middle shelf for 35-45 minutes or, if you prefer a firmer texture, add another 5 minutes more. 

Step 5: Cool before slicing into squares. Serve with a cold glass of milk and some fresh raspberries on the side. Enjoy! (First picture was when it was baked for 35 minutes and then I put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes and that is the second picture. I would honestly leave it in the oven for closer to an hour if you don't want a gooey inside, but if you do, then 45 minutes should be okay!)