the top ten things i learned in my twenties...

1. surround yourself with the most amazing people you can find.

ones who are passionate, thoughtful, and generous.

friends really are the JOY of life.

it's about quality not quantity.

2. your worth is not determined by your accomplishments.

you are worth far far more than anything you will ever achieve.

ribbons, trophies and promotions aren't WHO you are.

3. the best is yet to come.
the best days are truly ahead of you and not behind you.

4. family is everything.
make your family a priority.
celebrate birthdays, send christmas cards, do life together.
friends may come and go, but family is forever.

5. travel is a marvelous thing that lets you see
and experience things you will never forget.
travel has been one of the greatest gifts i've ever been given.
travel as much as you possibly can.

6. do something that makes you happy.

both personally and professionally.

even if it's not the coolest, sexiest or most popular thing.
it will bring you JOY and will make your days worth living.

7. generosity is a lifestyle.
be generous with your words, your time and your money.
build people up, don't tear them down.
you don't have to be rich to be generous.

8. happy girls are the prettiest girls ~audrey hepburn

don't take life to seriously! laugh at yourself!
put a smile on your face and let loose a bit!

9. step out in faith.
go on an adventure. try something new.
passionately pursue your dreams.
you have nothing to lose.

10. a smooth sea never made a skillful sailor. ~franklin d. roosevelt
trials and tribulations and surprises WILL come along the way.
embrace these! look at them as opportunities...
to become a better person, learn a lesson,
have a second chance, and ultimately to step
into the better days that are ahead of you.

vanilla pear cocktail

on nights i don't cook my routine is pretty standard.

i go to the pcc 2 blocks from my house

and pick up a 1/2 pint of a tasty looking salad

and one bottle of my all time favorite wine alianca vinho verde

yesterday, while picking up my

'i'm currently moving and my life is chaos' dinner meal,

the cashier that carded me commented that my birthday

was right around the corner.

first of all, my birthday is in november.

so while it's approaching, i wouldn't really say it's 'right around the corner'

then he commenting on my age. LOL.

apparently he has a long list of things he wants to

accomplish before he turns 30, so he can say he

accomplished 'all this crazy stuff in his twenties'

it's not a bad plan.

look for a 'to do in my twenties list' in the coming weeks...

recipe via two tarts

ingredients

12 oz (1.5 cups) pear juice

6 oz vodka

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

vanilla sugar, for rim

1 cup ice, plus more to serve over

directions

1. mix pear juice and vodka in a pitcher or shaker.
split open the vanilla bean, and scrape the seeds into the juice and vodka.
add 1 cup ice, then give it a good shake.

2. pour into cocktail glass rimmed with sugar.
 makes 4 drinks.

confession: i didn't LOVE this cocktail.
it had all the right ingredients, it was just too sweet for me.
if you love sweetness & pear juice in particular - you'll love it.
but you know me, i always love experimenting! :)

party popcorn

i'm a sucker for anything with rainbow sprinkles.

they make me smile every single time :)

this batch of party popcorn is lovingly dedicated

to one of my favorite people: heather brannan kuns

who i get to go on vacation with starting TODAY!

yayayaya!

recipe adapted from here

ingredients

6 cups popped popcorn (bag or stovetop)

6oz high quality white chocolate or candy melts

1 tablespoon coconut oil

rainbow sprinkles

wax paper

directions

1. pop your popcorn and spread over a pan covered in wax paper

2. melt chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave safe container

for 30 seconds at a time until completely melted

3. drizzle lightly over popcorn.

follow with salt and sprinkles.

4. let the popcorn cool. then, break apart and serve :)

taste the rainbow :)

birthday cake martini

i have a friend named emily.

she is one of the most delightful people i know.

today is her birthday, so i wanted to celebrate with something special.

i just couldn't pass up this adorable way to use sprinkles in a more adult fashion.

LOVE THIS!

ingredients

1 part vanilla vodka

1 part cranberry juice

champagne

rainbow sprinkles

a lemon wedge

directions

1. pour your sprinkles in a flat dish.

turn lemon wedge gently around the top of your martini glass.

dip into the sprinkles gently.

2. pour 1 part vanilla vodka, 1 part cranberry in a shaker with ice.

(about 1 shot each will do)

shake vigorously and pour into your prepared glass.

3. top with champagne.

tip: leave some room at the top, so the sprinkles won't slide into the glass.

give me a break - this is the best grown up birthday party idea EVER.

you could use any cocktail recipe you want.

enjoy! :)

and happy birthday emily!!! :)



vanilla citrus pinwheel cupcakes

guess where i am right now?

10,000 feet in the air, en route to colorado to watch

my little sister graduate from college. HELLO, so proud!

to celebrate her birthday just last month,

i made these delightful little cupcakes.

i served this alongside my chocolate mess cake.

so i wanted something a bit simpler and less rich!

i tried out these vanilla cupcakes with citrus frosting from bon appetit.

honestly - the cupcakes themselves weren't that amazing.

i followed the instructions exactly and they turned out a bit dry. bummer.

the frosting, however, was FANTASTIC!

it gave the cupcake a light citrus-y taste.

loved that little twist.

also - i could not pass up these pinwheels

(found at crate & barrel)

ADORABLE!

happy thursday!

cupcake ingredients

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons self-rising flour

2 tablespoons whole milk

frosting ingredients

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

4 teaspoons fresh orange juice

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

line 12 muffin cups with paper liners

2. using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in medium bowl until fluffy.

add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. beat in vanilla.

3. mix in flour, then milk.

(the batter will be pretty thick)

4. divide batter among prepared cups (about 1/3 cup for each).

bake until golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 23 minutes.

transfer cupcakes to rack and cool completely.

5. now for the highlight of this recipe... the FROSTING!

using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in another medium bowl until smooth.

beat in orange juice and lemon juice. spread frosting over cupcakes.

6. decorate with pinwheels, sprinkles, or whatever your heart desires.

the aftermath... :)

chocolate mess cake

inspired by this, i wanted to make a crazy,

outrageous, over the top chocolate cake.

i've renamed this beautiful creation a 'chocolate mess cake'

because, let's be honest, it's a chocolate mess.

you start with 2 round chocolate cakes...

(you can use any recipe you want)

i used the best loved chocolate cake recipe from BHG

(my go-to for basic recipes)

ingredients

3 eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups milk

directions

1. allow eggs & butter to stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

(best new thing i've learned in the kitchen - you need to let your eggs get to room temp!) 

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. meanwhile, grease three 8x1-1/2-inch round cake pans. paper.

3. in medium bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda,

baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside.

 

4. in large mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high for 30 seconds.

gradually add sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium until well combined.

scrape sides of bowl; 2 minutes more.

5. add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

beat in vanilla.

6. alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture,

beating on low after each addition just until combined.

beat on medium to high 20 seconds more.

stir in grated chocolate. divide batter among prepared pans.

7. bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean.

cool cakes in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.

remove layers from pans. cool thoroughly on wire racks.

NEXT....

time for our frosting.... (from the original recipe)

ingredients

4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/3-1/2 cup whole milk

(start with 1/3 cup of milk and add more until desired consistency)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

directions

1. mix together until smooth :)

(add more milk if needed)

2. cover middle, top, and sides of cake with frosting

(no need to be too precise with this, it's all going to get covered up anyway!)

NOW.... for the MESS :)

let me say... there is no wrong way to do this...

basically, you just want to cover it with chocolate,

then drizzle more chocolate on top.

i covered the side of the cake with chocolate chips,

and arranged hershey kisses in rings on the top.

then i melted more chocolate chips in the microwave and just drizzled like crazy.

i did criss crosses on the top, and then made sure it drizzled down the sides.

and VOILA! a chocolate mess

(and you thought those only happened on accident! ha!)

(happy birthday kinsey!)

overall, i think this cake was a hit!

it was crazy chocolately...

just what some of you chocoholics have been waiting for :)

ENJOY!

layer cake

 what do you do when one of your favorite people's

birthday falls on st. patrick's day?

make them a green layer cake :)

learn how to create this here.

it's somebody's birthday...

and her name is heather brannon kuns.

she is one of my dearest friends in the whole wide world

and today i get to celebrate her 30th birthday.

it's gonna be a good day :)

cream puffers

one of my favorite people turned 30 this weekend!
my dear friend emily woo, who just moved to capetown last month
is the most amazing woman, cook, and friend :)

in honor of her bday, and to make her feel a little closer to home,
i decided to make some delicious homemade cream puffs.

(recipe courtesy of all recipes)
(makes 10 medium cream puffers)

puff ingredients

1 cup water
½ cup butter

1 cup flour

¼ teaspoon salt

4 eggs

filling ingredients

2 - 3.5 oz. package vanilla instant pudding

1 cup milk

2 cups heavy cream

directions

1. preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. mix together pudding, cream and milk,
pour into a large ziploc bag and chill in the refridgerator until needed

3. in a medium pot, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil
stir in flour until the mixture forms a ball
(i used a wooden spoon, and cooked it for another minute after the ball had formed)

4. important: let cool for 10 minutes

5. add eggs one at a time, mixing feircely with your wooden spoon

6. drop about 1/4 cup onto ungreased baking sheet

7. bake for 20ish minutes

8. important: use a toothpick to poke a little hole in the side of the puff
to let the steam escape while cooling.
remove from baking pan and let cool on a wire rack...
this will ensure your puffers don't get soggy.

9. after the puffs have cooled, cut a little slit in one of the side...

they all have their own personality, so location can vary :)

10. now for the filling...
cut a small 3/4" section off the corner of your ziploc bag
squeeze into the puff until full

VIOLA! perfect cream puffers! :)

happy birthday emmy!!!