You'd better change

Today I was reminded of something my mom used to tell me.  It was haunting me the entire day.  She has told me, "if you don't feel good in an outfit, change."  "If you don't, it will effect you entire day."

So today I got up, got ready for work, looked in the mirror and said to myself, "this blazer looks like it was made for a 12 year old."  I tried to convince myself that this blazer would be ok, probably because I do like it.  But, then I remembered what my mom said...so I put a cardigan on instead.  I also had on a cute black hat because I wasn't having the best hair day.  I left for work. 

Then, at about 10:00 I'd had enough.  I came home, took the hat off, sprayed some dry shampoo in my hair, put it in a ponytail, threw on a head band and went back to work.  The rest of the day was still off...the outfit didn't work and my hair looked like I was set to go to the gym (like I'd do that!).  The day did brighten when I came home and put on my sweats and a hoodie.

Moral of the story...If you don't feel good before you leave the house, change, because if you don't it'll bring your entire day down.

Here are a few looks I like that would have made me feel just splendid today...If any of you wanna buy me any of this, I'll take it...contact me for sizes!

Shabby Apple.com
 

piperlime.com

banana republic.com

banana republic.com

 

Merry Christmas

Vanilla Bean Marshmallows

I found this recipe about a month ago on baked bree.com.  I was really excited to try it and told Ronny I was gonna try and make homemade marshmallows.  His response was, "you can make marshmallows?"  I guess some things we just all assume come pre-made from the store.

Let me tell you, these were easy...I'm pretty sure anyone could make them. And they are really good...just like a regular, grocery store marshmallow, but better.  Don't be scared to try making them, you can do it.  These would also be good to take to a Christmas party along with some hot chocolate.  People will think you are so fancy and talented.

Vanilla Bean Marshmallows

3 packets unflavored gelatin

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

powdered sugar

1.  Pour 1/2 cup of water into a small bowl.  Sprinkle the packages of gelatin over the water.  Give it a whisk.  Let the mixture sit while you make the sugar syrup.

2.  Combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, do not stir this mixture.

3.  Once the sugar dissolves, raise the heat to medium-high and cook until candy thermometer reaches 240 degrees.

4.  Put the gelatin mixture and vanilla bean paste into the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment.

5.  Slowly pour the sugar mixture into the mixer while on low speed.

6.  Whip on high speed for 10 to 15 minutes.  It will have gained volume and turned bright white.

7.  This is the most important thing to remember, dust the bottom of a 9x13 pan with powdered sugar.  Be very generous with the sugar, or you will never get the marshmallows out of the pan.  Pour the marshmallow out and smooth.

8.  Let the pan sit out, uncovered overnight.

9.  The next day, cut out using a sharp knife or cookie cutter.  Dip the knife or cookie cutter into powered sugar so that you can get them out.  Dust the marshmallows again, so they  don't stick together.

10.  ENJOY

P.S.  I'd like to thank my Grandpa for the lovely dishes featured in this blog

Crafty Christmas

I've been feeling super crafty as of late.  And, if you know me very well, you know that I'm not fabulously gifted in the craft department.  Well, let me tell you...I've been surprising myself.  My new craft arsenal includes; yarn, felt, hot glue and sometimes spray paint...I'm in love with spray paint...it can transform almost anything.

So here is what I've done for crafty and easy Christmas wrapping.  Kraft paper, yarn, felt, hot glue, and labels from ellinee.com.

Felt bow...made all by myself...no pattern, no template, no copying, no nothing but my idea

Felt flowers...cut a circle...then cut into a spiral...then roll up and glue

Yarn wrapped

Free form bow-smushed-clumpy-thing

All vintage ornaments.  Ronny even said this is his favorite Christmas tree style yet!

White Chocolate Peppermint Pie

This pie is so simple, but so delicious.  It would be perfect for Christmas parties...it's something different.  Make it the night before and you're set.  You will love it and so will everyone else.

White Chocolate Peppermint Pie

1 pre-made chocolate cookie crust

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup milk

4 oz.  cream cheese

1 small box white chocolate instant pudding mix

3 cups Cool Whip, thawed

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

5 peppermint candy canes, crushed

Combine condensed milk, milk, and pudding mix in a large bowl.  Mix well.  Fold in Cool Whip until smooth and add extract.  Gently stir in candy canes, reserving some for garnish.  Evenly pour into crust.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours, overnight is best.  Garnish with crushed candy canes and cool whip if desired.

*adapted from hungry girl.

Cake Batter Blondies

Here is a quick and easy dessert I found while looking on Pinterest.  It is from Six Sisters' Stuff blog.

I'm pretty sure you'll love these.

Cake Batter Blondies

1 box Funfetti cake mix

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3-1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Sprinkles for top

Frosting (recipe below)

Combine cake mix, oil, and egg in a large bowl.  Add milk slowly (you want the batter to remain as dense as possible).  Then mix in white chocolate chips.  Put batter in a greased 9x9" pan.  

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  They will be soft, but don't over bake.  Let cool in pan for at least 30 minutes.  Once cooled, frost and enjoy.

Frosting:

1/4 cup butter, softened

2-3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients until well blended.  Spread on blondies and add SPRINKLES.

These would also be great for  Christmas parties...just use a vanilla cake mix and add red and green sprinkles.

Vanilla Bean Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats

These might look like your everyday, ordinary, ole Rice Krispies, but let me tell you, they are so much better.  You wouldn't think that cooking the butter a little longer and adding vanilla bean paste would make that much of a difference, but it does.  These Rice Krispies are amazing...you must try them.

Vanilla Bean Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats

4 tablespoons salted butter

1 (10.5 oz) package mini marshmallows

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

6 1/2 to 7 cups Rice Krispies

Coat a 9x13 pan with butter or cooking spray.  Put aside for later.

Melt butter over low heat until it turns golden brown and smells toasty.  It took me maybe 10 minutes.  Be sure not to burn, be patient.  Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla bean paste.

Add Rice Krispies, stirring until well coated and combined.

Using a buttered spatula, press Rice Krispie mixture into the pan.  Let cool and enjoy.

If you don't have vanilla bean paste just use vanilla extract or leave it out if you want...but don't...it's so tasty with the vanilla.  If you want vanilla bean paste, mine is Nielsen-Massey from Williams Sonoma, but I'm sure you can find it elsewhere.

Enjoy this new version of a traditional Rice Krispies Treat.

DIY Scent Bricks

I'm sure most of you guys buy candles.  I know I sure do.  And I'm guessing a lot of you have the Scentsy-style warmers.  So, that means you buy candles and you buy the scent bricks (scented wax)...I do anyway.  What are you supposed to do when you've burnt the candle down and there's still a bit of wax at the bottom?  Throw it away?  NO.  Here's what ya do.

  

Melt what's left of your candles

Once the wax is melted pour it into an ordinary ole ice cube tray...be careful the candle jar is probably HOT

After wax has dried and hardened for a few hours, pop it out, just like ice...I used a few different candles, so I labeled mine...Tyler Candle Company in Family Tradition and Butter Vanilla and Yankee Candle in Almond Cookie.  Can you tell I like food scents?

Finally, place scent brick in warmer and enjoy.

Now you don't have to throw away any candle wax again.

National Cake Day

Happy National Cake Day.

In honor of this day of cake I will be telling you a story about a cake my mom and I made at the first of this year.  I don't know about you guys, but my mom and I always see things on TV or in stores and say, "we could make that."  Well for once we tried, here it goes.

So you may or may not know that I have a dream to own a bakery someday.  In preparation for this day in the future I have taken a cake decorating class and baked countless cupcakes to formulate the best recipes.  Well, I received a message from a high school friend wanting me to make a beautiful, 2 tiered first birthday cake for her daughter.  I was super excited.  But wait...I've never done that before...but what do my mom and I always say?...we could make that.  Oh, did I mention that my kitchen was in the middle of being remodeled so I had to go to my parents to bake and decorate?  Anyway, I'll just stop at that.  My mom and I together made the cake and some cupcakes...I knew once that cake was delivered that I would NEVER make a tiered cake again, cupcakes are my specialty.

Here's the cake...definitely not like the professionals, but it tasted so good

...and to make you laugh

This is what my mom's kitchen looked like after 

*A final note...Some things are best left to the professionals.

Happy Cake Day

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, tomorrow!  I decided to post today because I know tomorrow will be crazy busy for everyone.  I've decided to share a few pictures of some fabulous looking pies I've found at foodgawker (I might even sneak a few of my own pictures in!).  After all who doesn't have pie for dessert on Thanksgiving?



I know strawberry isn't a traditional Thanksgiving pie, but this one looks beautiful and tasty.



Pecan pie bars...amazing



Coconut cream pie



Pie on a stick



Pumpkin whoopie pie

This is a cherry pie I made last year...turned out ok, I guess

I made this messy looking apple pie last year

Sorry about the ugly "harvest gold" counter tops in my pie pictures...you gotta love old houses, not.  They have since been replace...maybe I'll share the transformation with you guys later.  Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving and don't eat too much...oh and have an amazing Black Friday, I know I will.

cupcakes to go go...a sweet review

I've said before that cupcakes are my absolute favorite dessert.  Since I'm such a cupcake fanatic I have taken it upon myself to find the best cupcakes in the OKC area.  Today I'm reviewing cupcakes to go go.  I have been numerous times (I love cupcake) and have tried quite a variety of flavors.

Location:  cupcakes to go go is located in Edmond.  Location wise...I don't know what to say...any location in Edmond can be a hassle to get to.  I'm in Edmond at least once a week, so it works for me.  Oh, they also have a cupcake van "food truck" that will deliver and that makes scheduled stops around OKC and the state, really.  The van makes cupcakes to go go just a little different than other cupcakeries.

Cost:  At $2.25 per cupcake, cupcakes to go go is one of the lowest, if not the lost priced cupcakeries in Edmond.  Ronny considers these cupcakes the best in Edmond based on this factor alone.

Selection:  cupcakes to go go offers a "daily 8" as well as a few different cupcakes each day.  Their menu lists over 40 different cupcakes all named in the theme of travel.  I've tried quite a few different cupcakes and haven't really been disappointed.

Cupcakes:  Today I got 3 cupcakes, Strawberry Hill, Salted Lake Caramel and Coconut Coast.

I am not a huge strawberry cake fan, so this is Ronny's review rather than mine.  This is a strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting (strawberry cream cheese frosting was also available).  "Delightful...it has real strawberries in the cake and I like the crunch candy sprinkles," Ronny.

This is a caramel cake with a salted chocolate frosting.  I have to say I am a little let down, compared to what I've had before.  The cake is marketed as caramel, but all I could make of the cake was a dense, slightly dry white cake.  The frosting was creamy, very rich and chocolate-y.  It had a caramel drizzle on top and sea salt either in the caramel or just on top...I'm leaning toward it just being on top.  There is a chocolate pretzel garnish, I didn't eat it, but can see the tie in between the sweet chocolate and salty pretzel.  Over all the flavor isn't bad...I liked the salty sweet combo...but I wouldn't choose this flavor again solely because of the dense, dry cake.  (Did you happen to notice the cupcake wrapper is pulling away from the cake?  I'm happy to see professionals have this issue too.)

This is a coconut cake with an almond cream cheese frosting.  It was pure coconut goodness.  I have to admit that I did eat this cupcake 2 days after I bought it, so I won't judge the cake on the fact that it was dry (what a bad reviewier I am).  The cake did have a strong coconut flavor...what I would expect from a coconut cake.  There was even coconut in the cake...that's a plus.  The frosting was almost amazing.  The almond flavor was very destinct...I LOVE almond flavoring.  It kinda reminded me of wedding cake frosting (yummy).  I will definately get this one again.

Overall cupcakes to go go is a cupcakery that you need to try.  It is at the top of my list.

It's because you're FABULOUS

I suppose inspiration can come from anywhere, right?  Well last week I watched Bad Teacher with Ronny.  You know, the movie with Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake...where Cameron is a less than appropriate teacher.  Anyway, I fell absolutely in love with Cameron's red, red, red lipstick.

I have never been a big fan of wearing lipstick.  I typically wear Burt's Bees chapstick and on a "special" day I might wear a nude shade of lipstick.  But after seeing Cameron's red lipstick I decided that I would get a red lipstick and wear it on a non "special" day.

So literally the day after I fell in love with her lipstick I went to the MAC  counter to get some.  I did my research and knew that Russian Red was THE red to get.  I mean it was made for Madonna to wear on her Blond Ambition tour.

                         

The woman at the counter had to do no work because I had already sold myself on it...I loved it.  I did ask her something though and the answer was amazing and something to remember.  I asked her, "If I wear this lipstick in the daytime will people stare at me like I'm crazy?"  Here is her answer, remember it...IF PEOPLE STARE AT YOU IT'S ONLY BECAUSE YOU'RE FABULOUS.

This lipstick can change your mood, your outlook and your appearance...it's FABULOUS.

Wassail

Sometimes you just need something nice and warm to drink on a freezing day.  Sometimes you need something to make your house smell so delicious and remind you of the holiday's.  It really doesn't matter why you make wassail, just make...it's delicious...you won't regret it.

I've read quite a few recipes for wassail and they are all different.  The basics do stay the same though.  There is usually some kind of fruit juice and some kind of spice.  I haven't found a recipe yet that is the same as the one I use.  Mine is a little sweet, a little tangy, a little spicy (the holiday kind) and I think a lot delicious.  Here it is.

Wassail

1 large can pineapple juice

1 bottle cranapple juice (64 oz)

1 cup sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

10 whole cloves (I never count...I'm just guessing)

Combine all ingredients in large pot and cook over medium to low for about 1 hour.  

Throw the cinnamon sticks in whole and if you have a spice ball the cloves can be put in that, if not, just throw them in...but don't drink them.  I have also made this in a crock pot set on low...works fabulous as well.  I refrigerate the wassail after cooked and then heat a cup at a time.  I'm not too sure how long it will last in the refrigerator...mine never seems to stay around more than about a week or so!

Dont' be afraid to try it...I'm sure you'll love it.

National Vanilla Cupcake Day

Happy National Vanilla Cupcake Day!  In honor of this most amazing day I am posting picutres of vanilla cupcakes I've found that look absolutely delicious.  Sorry I didn't make any...this fabulous day just snuck up on me.

                               

                               

                                

                               

                                 

All above cupcake pictures are from foodgawker.

Here are a couple of my own vanilla cupcake pictures.

                            

                            

                            

Enjoy the tasty day!

Tomato Basil Soup

This is a super easy soup that will warm you up on the chilliest of winter days.  It is perfect with a side of garlic bread  or great with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Here we go:  Diced tomato, chicken broth, cream, basil, sugar and butter.

Blitz tomatoes in blender until desired smoothness or chunkieness.

Add tomatoes and chicken broth to pan and bring to boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add basil.

Add sugar.

Add cream and butter.  Cook until butter is melted.  Then serve.

Tomato Basil Soup

1 (14.5 ounce) can tomatoes

1/2 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried basil (more or less to taste)

1 teaspoon sugar (more or less to taste...I like a little sweet)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup butter

In a saucepan bring tomato and chicken broth to boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add basil and sugar.  Reduce heat to low, stir in butter and cream.  Cook until butter is melted.

Makes 2 bowls full.  Adapted from allrecipes.