Cookie Cake Inspiration

Hooray!  After being under the weather for almost 5 days, I'm happy to be feeling good enough to do some baking.  Tomorrow evening we're having a "small" gathering...and by "small" I mean 90 RSVPs...to celebrate one of our co-workers who is leaving our company after 28 years.  So I am making yummy mini bites for said gathering :) 

On the agenda:
Mini Chocolate Chunk cookies
Mini Yellow Cookie Cakes with Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Buttercream
Mini Devils Food Cookie Cakes with Almond Buttercream

The chocolate chunk cookies are my go-to cookies & have made them many times...still super yummy though...this recipe does not disappoint!

Have you ever made cake mix cookies? They are not quite a cookie & not quite a cake...here's the idea I followed, only I used a yellow cake mix & no chocolate.  Then, I made the pumpkin buttercream using this recipe as a base, but I used 1/2 butter & 1/2 cream cheese...I had to use alot more sugar than called for since I added the cream cheese, just add it until it looks "right" :)

After making the chocolate minis, I simply cannot decide which ones I like best...the chocolate may just be slightly better thanks to the Almond Buttercream :)  Yummo!

Here's hoping everyone at the party enjoys my mini yummies!

Dr. Suess, crepe paper, tea, fruit & a lap-full-o-kitty!

What's with the name, you ask?  These are all wonderful things I got for my birthday!!!

Let's start with Dr. Suess; my sweet friend F decided I needed the following (I suppose this is due to my reignited want to travel the "world")

Crepe paper...oh yes, crepe paper...this was what I found when I walked into my office

...please exuse the messy desk :)

TEA...now, we all know that I loooove tea...so, my Mommy decided I needed some more :)

The fruit was the biggest surprise of all...definitely unexpected & oh-so-scrumptious!



And no birthday is complete without spending cuddle time with those you love...even if they are furry, right?!



Goodnight ~ from a pretty darn happy birthday girl :)

Pinterest & Fun with Hair - pt. 1

Since finding Pinterest, I must admit that I've become very addicted...very quickly!  The beauty of this website is that I can find inspiration on many different things all at the same time...watch out for inspiration overload :)

This is the first Fun with Hair item I pinned & wanted to share how it came out.  I actually tried this last Sunday & it looked more like the original; but tonight I decided to try it again a little differently.  Instead of putting the bobby pins in vertically, I put them in at a diagonal which gave me more of a french braid look.  Either way, I really like the ease of this style...plus it keeps my hair out of my face - one of my biggest pet peeves ever!

So, without further adeiu...(please excuse my messy counter)

Thanks to Kate at The Small Things Blog for an awesome how-to video & a super cute 1/2 updo :)

Happy October...or rather Crocktober!

Even though I'm totally stealing this from Stephanie O'Dea - the Crockpot lady, I plan to put my slow cooker to good use this month :)

I stumbled across a recipe last night for an apple chai latte that you mix up in the slow cooker & let it warm all day or night (if it lasts that long). While the recipe is not one I want to try...after all, who wants to make their OWN chai? With all of the tea mixes available, I see no reason not to use that shortcut! Since I do not own an actual teapot (to keep my steeped tea hot), I've been toying with the idea of using my slow cooker to keep my tea at the perfect sippable temperature in lieu of a teapot.

It's currently 9:15am, LSU football comes on at noon & I have a mountain of packing to do...I can't believe I'm moving in 3 weeks! Eeek! All that to say that I don't think a trip to the store is in the cards for me today...unless it's after football :)

Instead of apple chai, I think I'll just whip up some vanilla chai, add some coconut milk, of course, sugar & slow cook that baby! Hopefully, my house will smell wonderful & my tastebuds will be greatful :)

While this is not my picture, it sure looks tasty...and hopefully, mine will be just as gorgeous!

Crocktober Update:
~ Chai Latte turned out wonderful...sipped all morning then put the rest in the fridge to warm on another day.
~ Made chili...browned the meat on the stove, then dumped all the fixins in & slow cooked away...yummo!
~ Made homemade tortillas...totally awesome!  Kept them warm in the slow cooker :) Ate those with the chili!
~ Cooking corn on the cob...tried wrapping the corn in wet paper towels instead of foil...we shall see :)

Love, love, lovin my slow cooker!!!

September 22nd & the elusive 100th post

Happy September 22nd!  Here's a little ode to the day from the talented Nathan Angelo :)



Big Thanks to Nathan Angelo for excellent subject matter for my 100th blog post!

Rolled out of bed, put on some clothes
Brushed my teeth and hit the road, on the coaster again
Another day has just begun
And she’s already beating like a drum
It’s crazy again
But I cannot escape the pounding in my chest
It tells me there’s something that I must address

If blood’s flowing through my veins
And there’s air to breath, life to live
Then I’ve got a song to sing
On this normal day, September 22nd

I see the writing on the wall
And realize that after all life’s not so bad
I walk around, start to smile
Watch the joy go dancing down the aisle
It travels like a fad
Cause you cannot escape the pounding in your chest
It’ll tell you there’s something that you must confess

If blood’s flowing through my veins
And there’s air to breath, life to live
Then I’ve got a song to sing
On this normal day, September 22nd

September 22nd
Just a normal day but I’ve got air to breath
I’ve got blood flowing through my veins, life to live yeah

Cause I cannot escape the pounding in my chest
It tells me there’s something that I must confess
If blood’s flowing through my veins
And there’s air to breath, life to live
Then I’ve got a song to sing
On this normal day, September 22nd

If blood’s flowing through my veins
And there’s air to breath, air to breath, life to live
Then I’ve got a song to sing
On this normal day, September 22nd

One Day of Labor

Are you missing your motivation today?  Did you misplace it, leave it at a friend's house, wash it by accident?  If not, I have a theory...I STOLE IT!  Oh.yes.I.did!  That is only thing that can explain why I've been so utterly motivated today...so, if you are the poor unsustecting soul whose motivation I comandeered, please send me your address & I'll promptly send you a lovely box of homemade cookies :)

After sleeping in & finally waking up to a lazy rainy day, my day decided to be anything buy lazy :)  Starting out with homemade pancakes, ending with double chocolate chunk cookies sandwiches and quite a bit of cleaning & cleaning out in between.  My upcoming move has got me decluttering & throwing away...and I couldn't be happier!

What's most interesting is reading my blog from last Labor Day & seeing that I was motivated last year too...looks like Labor Day is always good to me & for me :)

Cupcake Wars

Tomorrow is the 2nd of 4 installments of our Food Drive Bake Sale at work and it has officially been dubbed Cupcake Wars.  I'm not sure how many of us are baking, but I know there will be at least 5 different kinds of cupcakes.  My contribution to this friendly war is Chocolate Caramel cupcakes :)

As most people know, I'm a cake mix girl...it's not that I have anything against making a cake from scratch, it's just so much easier to use a box & it's almost as good as from scratch...nuff said :)  Devil's Food happens to be my favorite chocolate cake, so that was the box of choice.

Now, onto the frosting...frosting is something I feel should ALWAYS be made from scratch...after all, cake is just a vehicle to get the frosting in your mouth, right?!  Yesterday, I made some semi-homemade caramel using my friend's recipe/method.  Once completely cooled, I whipped said caramel with a stick of softened butter, an obscene amount of powdered sugar (okay, maybe it was only 1-2 cups), a tsp of vanilla bean paste & then beat this bowl of sweet stickiness into submission!

Hopefully, we'll have tons of cupcakes & an equal amount of cupcake eaters tomorrow!  Wishing you a night of caramelly sweet dreams :)

15 days & counting

Getting through the next 15 days feels both like an eternity & then again, simply not enough time...for what, you may ask???  Two words that make my heart sing...

COSTA RICA!

I absolutely cannot wait to get away (and I mean really away, not just a state or two) for an entire week & enjoy the beach, maybe see a waterfall, maybe visit the botanical gardens & catch up with an old friend & her family.  I've always been intimidated to travel to any Spanish speaking country since I really do not know the language...outside of a few vocab words that somehow managed to stick in my brain from high school. 

These words include:

leche - milk

lechuga - lettuce

gato - cat

carro - car

biblioteca - library

ropa - clothes

zapatos - shoes

cara - face

There may be a few more such as numbers and colors, but that's about the extent of my Spanish :)  Thankfully, my friend not only speaks English, but is also from NC so this alleviates my fears of not being able to communicate in a foreign country.  And I'm definitely looking forward to getting a stamp in my newly acquired passport - which will be 1 year old this October :)

So, until I get to take & post my own ultra fabulous Costa Rica pics...here are a few to drool over :0)

Costa Rica update:  I had to cancel my trip due to my accommodations falling through :(  But, I did manage to take a wonderful vacation to Surfside Beach, SC with my sis :)

Show yourself friendly

Am I the only one who gets realizations in strange places?  Like in an elevator...seriously!  My latest realization did indeed happen in an elevator...a quite unassuming place and while the message did not part heaven & earth, it was quite profound to me.  As a child of God, I've always searched for my purpose - this search has caused me to struggle at different points in my life, yet the search continues.  As I was getting in the elevator at work on Friday heading to lunch, I heard the unmistakable voice of the Holy One say "You are called to be a Friend".

A Friend.  It's amazing how many people either don't know how to be a friend or simply will not take the time to invest in being someone's friend.  This realization has definitely given merit to my acts of just being a friend.  I'm one of those individuals that has always taken to heart Proverbs 18:24 - A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.


I feel like being a friend is a lost and dying art, so I strive to be the best friend that I can.  Thankfully, God has recently brought me some absolutely wonderful friends - whom I needed very much.  The best thing is that we are able to be "that" kind of friend for each other...both giving & receiving equally - and that, I believe, is God's plan :)
 
So, here's to finding God's plan for your life & no matter what, always being a great friend :)
 

Bake Sale Beauties

Tomorrow, our company is having the first of 4 bake sales to raise money for the Atlanta Food Bank - of which we are one of the largest contributors :)  So today, I've been baking a couple of my favorite things & thought I'd share the recipes :)

My aunt Penney makes the best chess pie you will ever put in your gourd!  The recipe came my from my grand-mother's sister, Mildred, and I've never attempted it until today :)  I was able to procure said recipe from the aunt last Thanksgiving after indulging in this yummy sweetness & have been waiting for the perfect occasion to try it out.  So after stopping at 3 different stores, I finally found mini pie crusts - a must for a bake sale and have now baked my cute little pies & am extremely pleased!

Without further adeiu, here is Aunt Mildred's Chess Pie

1 box brown sugar
3 eggs
1 (5oz.) can evaporated milk
1 stick butter or margerine (melted)
3 T. flour
1 t. vanilla
dash of salt
2 unbaked pie shells or 14 unbaked mini pie shells

Mix all ingredients together & pour into unbaked pie shells.  Bake at 350 for 35-45min for regular pies & approx. 30min for mini pies.  Let cool completely...approx. 2 hours.

Now for the chocolate chip cookies...I actually love the recipe that's inside the Crisco Baking Sticks Butter Flavor - I know, I know...not real butter, but I've come to realize that if you put real butter in chocolate chip cookies they tend to spread out way too much & be very thin & crispy instead of nice & chewy. The only change I made to this recipe was using a chopped bar of Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate instead of chocolate chips & I'm so glad I did...super yummy!

Ultimate Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 c. Crisco baking sticks
2 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
1 large egg
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 t. salt
3/4 t. baking soda
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (or 1 4 oz. bar of Ghiradelli 60% Cacao bittersweet chocolate - chopped)

Heat oven to 375.  Combine brown sugar, shortening, milk & vanilla in large bowl.  Cream together until light & fluffy; beat egg into creamed mixture.  Combine flour, salt & baking soda; stir slowly into creamed mixture; then add chocolate.  Drop rounded tablespoons 2-inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes for chewy cookies or 11-13 for crisp cookies.  Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to cooling rack.  Makes 3 dozen smaller cookies or 1 1/2 - 2 dozen larger cookies.

So, from my kitchen to yours...bake something yummy & make sure to taste the sweetness :)

Bag-o-Lazy-Bones

Yes, yes & a big resounding yes...while I hate to admit it, laziness has overtaken me :0(

I need a major rejuvination...a major motivation...a major kick in the arse...a major something to work for.

Not sure if this is the edge of depression...or just a phase...I'm hoping for a phase - and that it ends quickly.

My life cannot continue from my sofa...maybe I should sell it!  I am moving in a couple months - and that would mean less furniture to move...hmmmmm

Or maybe I should cut off my cable since it seems to consume the bulk of my time - and that would mean saving a little money...hmmmmm

Or maybe I need to to go on a missions trip or something to gain some perspective...hmmmmm

Or maybe I need to stop whining, put my big girl panties on & deal with it...hmmmmm

Either way, something has to change, but maybe - just maybe - tomorrow will bring something new :0)

UPDATE:
One vital option that I totally forgot was HORMONES!  Oh yes, this terrible fit of laziness was most definitely brought on my those dreaded villians!  Thankfully, the sea has rolled back & the laziness has become a bit less lately :0)

A.S.S. = Another Silky Shawl :)

I actually started this prayer shawl almost a year ago, but it was truly taking forever due to the size needles I was using.  So, after the success of my mohair/silk birthday shawl, I decided to up the needle size, pull the project out & start again.  Thankfully, I was able to finish in a few days rather than several months!

For this one, I decided to put a line of clear crystal beads up either side of the shawl & I'm definitely happy with the way it turned out.  I can't wait for my friend to get this little package in the mail...I hope she'll love it as much as I enjoyed making it for her.

Without further adieu, here it is :)

SAGEV SAL!

I just got back from my first trip to LAS VEGAS...and was very pleased that I quite enjoyed it!  While most of my time was spent at  a software conference, I still had a wonderful time.  I stayed at the Aria Hotel & Casino, had a fantastic room with a great city view & got to visit the one hotel I will be staying at the next time I go back...the Venetian :)  So, here are a few pics of my lovely trip :)

View from my room at the Aria

This may be the Rio Hotel - not quite sure though :)

View of the Strip from the Las Vegas airport

Night view from my room

Fremont in old Vegas

Dancing Fountains at the Bellagio

Inside the Venetian

The canal inside the Venetian

Gelato in the Venetian

Fountain in the Venetian

Atlanta from the air - almost home :)

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

Ok...not really!  But, I have found a very cool online trip map - that's completely free - where I can track all the places I've visited & keep track of places I want to go!

So...looking at my map, I've really got to get out of the South :)  While I do looove the South, I'm hoping to visit the West, the North & the East...as in across the Atlantic.  What does your travel map look like? :)

• View my profile
• Create your own travel map or travel blog
• Find the best vacation rentals at TripAdvisor

Cotton Candy Mohair

Every once in a while, God gives me an idea project that actually turns out amazingly beautiful & on Saturday morning, I woke up with just such an idea in mind.  I found out on Thursday that my new friend's birthday was on Friday & of course, I had no idea what to get her.  She has expressed interest in learning how to crochet & knit so I was thinking that something handmade would mean alot to her...but what on earth can you make in 1 day???

The idea I woke up with was for a pale pink shawl made out of mohair yarn with tiny beads throughout - quite a tall order for a Saturday, don't ya think!?!  Well, I got up early Saturday morning & headed straight to my favorite specialty yarn shop - as I walked in, I immediately saw the most perfect yarn for my project!  It was a mohair/silk blend from Italy in the most gorgeous shade of pale pink - now keep in mind that I have NEVER worked with mohair before & had no idea how easy or difficult it would be to knit.  Come to find out, mohair is very easy to work with...much better than those faux fur yarns - the natural quality of the yarn is amazingly soft, durable & a breeze to knit with!

Of course, before I went to the yarn shop, I stopped by Michael's to find a suitable gift box for my spectacular undertaking...here's what I found :)  It was perfect!

I decided to use a prayer shawl pattern that I have made exactly once before...but it turned out quite well & only took me 6 hours the first time.  It started small...as most projects do...see the little sparkly beads???

Although this project took quite a bit longer that my first shawl - 12 hours to be exact - it was so worth it!  The yarn is lace weight & I ended up using size 11 needles to make it extra airy.  There was no rhyme or reason to the beads, I just placed them wherever I thought they should be :)  So, after 12 long hours of knitting, here is the gorgeous finished product...I must say that I'm quite proud of it!  It's so light that it could be a cotton candy cloud :)

Close-up of bead work...can you see them?

All folded up in the box w/pink & white tissue paper



My lovely friend all wrapped up in her cotton candy mohair shawl :)

I'm still in awe at how well this project turned out & how quickly the knitting went...I will definitely be making more of these!  Who knows, maybe I'll get a few buyers :)

Rhythm & Blues

Sometimes I forget how much I truly love blues music...that is, until I run across something that reminds me!  While channel surfing, I landed on VH1CR &literally caught the last 7 minutes of the Blues Brothers - which just happens to be my favorite movie of all time.  I have most definitely lost count of how many times I've seen said movie & will never turn down an opportunity to watch it again & again :) 

To say that those few minutes made my night would not be far fetched, but what came after was even better.  The movie was followed by 2 music videos - the 1st one was a live performance of Bill Withers singing No Sunshine (dear Lord, that man could sing!); the 2nd one was a compelation video of James Brown singing Papa's Got a Brand New Bag.

No matter how much music I hear in my life, thanks to my Dad, I always find great joy & comfort from blues music (thus the 'bluesy' in my blog's name).  One of the first movies I ever remember watching with my Dad as a child was the Blues Brothers; it is seriously difficult to find better music than in that movie.

 Don't get me wrong, I love new music & have been fortunate enough to hear some amazing local talent here in Atlanta that rivals anything you hear on the radio today...but, ryhthm & blues will always be my first love.

Cuppa Cake Passion

I'm a baker...what can I say...I love cupcakes!!!  My passion for cupcakes goes way back before everyone else was obsessed with them...and it has never waned for one second :)

That being said, during the summer months I always seem to lose my drive to cook & bake.  I assume this is due to the crazy hot weather here in Atlanta, but nevertheless it happens.  I am happy to report that I cooked for the first time in over a month yesterday...and today I've got CUPCAKES in the oven!

I had some leftover lemon buttercream in the freezer that I've mixed with some of my homemade strawberry drizzle (half-way between jelly & jam) and it tastes sooo yummy!  I'm pairing it with vanilla bean cupcakes & this combo is sure to be a winner!  (Side note: while browsing at Home Goods one day, I found a bottle of Vanilla Bean paste - 1 Tbsp=1vanilla bean.  I added almost a Tbsp to a white cake mix to get vanillas bean cupcakes.)

I'm so glad that the folks I work with love my cupcakes - this allows me to get my baking fix & not have a whole heap-o-cuppa-cakes sitting around the house.

********************************************************************

Cupcakes baked - check

Frosting whipped - check

Cupcakes frosted - check

Cupcake enjoyed - DOUBLE CHECK!

Look at my pretty pink little soldiers...aren't they just adorable!!!

PAID IN FULL!

As of today, I have finally accomplished a goal that has only eluded me until now...the last payment on my car loan was made TODAY!  I've never had a loan long enough to pay it off; I always traded in & up - which put me in more debt.  And then there was that one time where I totalled my car & my insurance paid it off...but then I went right back in debt when I purchased another car.

I'm almost in shock to think that I actually own my car!  I can't wait to get the title in my hot little hands...maybe I'll frame it :)

With the final puzzle piece in place, this is a definite goal to mark off my list...and it feels sooo wonderful!