brilliant!

(from Domino magazine... RIP)

Don't you just love it when Brits say that? I do.

I've been dying to hang a gallery wall in my guest room, but I'm super intimidated by all the straight lines and exact measurements (Hi, my name is Mary Straton, and I'm a eyeballer.) But I really think I could do this method (spotted on LGN, of course). What do you think? Have you ever seen anything more genius? And I think I may have found another blog to stalk...

On another note, I'm re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in preparation for the upcoming release of the movie. I am not ashamed.

Have a magical weekend!

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* A sequined blazer. And no, I have nowhere to wear it. Let me dream.

* A cheeseburger and chili cheese fries for Lea Michele.

* Some black riding boots. I've had my eye on these for a long, long time...

* That I could walk past the Halloween candy aisle in the grocery store and not have to wipe drool from my chin.

* A great hat to wear to NYC in December! Brrr!

What's your wish?

game day grub

Look what we had at my tailgate this weekend...
Basically crack in Cheez-It form.

KK's "Fancy Cheez-Its"

3 boxes (11-ish oz) Cheez-Its
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix
1 T. dill weed
1/2-1 T. garlic powder
1 c. veg. oil
1 T (or to taste) red pepper flakes

Toss crackers in oil first, then add seasonings. Bake @ 350 for 5-6 minutes.

* I, of course, did not read all the directions before making these, and I mixed the oil with all the dry ingredients, poured over the crackers and tossed in a big bowl (it worked just fine). Also, I had to spread them out in 2 sheet pans to get them all baked.

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* That I loved to jog. I've tried.

* These curtains for my dining room. I think that purple would be awesome against the walls.

* That Stacy and Clinton would come WNTW my closet. Oh, and I'd like the $5,000 shopping spree, too.

* A secret little DVD player that would allow me to watch The Goonies at work.

* This dress. Don't we love the lace? And how cute under a boyfriend blazer and with boots?

What's your wish?

feeling blah...

I'm feeling kind of blah today, kids. Not sad, not down, just blah. You all know the feeling? I think this kitty cat does.

What can I do to lift my spirits?

i'm totally into...

Mary Janes. I don’t usually have any love for taffy, but they’re so cute and sweet and retro, and they have a little shot of peanut butter in the middle! I bought a bag last year at Halloween just because I liked the old time-y wrapper, but come to find out, they’re quite delightful.

My book, The Secret History. I have to admit, I’ve put down 2 books since I last did a review, and I don’t feel bad about it at all. They were lame, and I’m over it. But, I’m all up in this one. It’s by a Mississippi author and everything! Review to come.

WW String Cheese. If you follow me on Twitter, you read that I’ve recently re-dedicated myself to Weight Watchers. My consumption is out of hand, and that’s all there is to it. Anywho, these are so good and just 1 Point! Too bad they’re kinda expensive, and I don’t really like to share them. And am I really supposed to pull them into little strings? That sounds a little gross and unnecessary.

Autumn Salad. I don’t usually gravitate towards a salad (I make myself eat them), but throw in some feta and candied almonds, and I’m in. Here’s the recipe:

Autumn Salad With Candied Almonds

*1 ½ recipe feeds 12-13

8 cups mixed salad greens
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup slivered almonds
4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
½ cup salad/vegetable oil

Mix salad greens, feta cheese, and dried cranberries. Cover and chill for a couple of hours (Peggy says not to chill overnight – too long).

Place almonds and 4 tablespoons sugar in a small skillet over high heat. Cook and stir constantly until almonds are coated in syrup and light brown. Turn out onto a foil cover surface. Cool and break into pieces.

Combine salt, Tabasco sauce, white wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons sugar, and salad oil in a jar; shake well to mix. Drizzle over salad and toss to mix well. Sprinkle with almonds.

Have a great weekend, readers! Do something totally awesome – you deserve it!

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* To be able to sing like Mercedes on Glee. The girl can bring the thunder.

* An unlimited iTunes allowance.

* A Gemma Correll illustration of me and Kell like this one. Wonder what she'd put in the captions?

* That Whitney would quit pressuring me to go to the fair. She knows my policy on eating where livestock are present!

* New fluffy bedroom slippers. If only you could see the ones I wear now...

What's your wish?

is this thing on?

So I'm posting from my beloved iPhone using the BlogPress app!

Too bad I don't really have anything to say.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

i did it.

Some things are just intimidating: agency bosses, 18-wheelers, aerobics instructors. And truthfully, I’d always considered the cheesecake to be this elusive, diva of a dessert that I would never attempt. It’s probably because I don’t really care for them because Heaven knows I would have whipped one up before now if I were going to eat it myself. But thanks to my sweet MIL, I am the proud owner of a set of springform pans. And what do you make with springform pans? Cheesecake. And I did.

Elf Cheesecake (photo from Tasty Kitchen, too)

FOR THE CRUST:
24 whole Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
½ cups Melted Butter

FOR THE FILLING:
½ cups Hot Fudge Topping
¼ cups Jiffy Creamy Peanut Butter
4 whole Butterfingers, Chopped
6 whole Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Chopped
24 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 cup Sour Cream
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
3 whole Farm Fresh Eggs, Slightly Beaten

Instructions

For the crust: Crush the cookies in a food processor. Add the melted butter and mix well. Press onto the bottom and partially up the sides of a 10″ Springform pan which has been covered (on the outside) with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

For the filling:
Microwave the hot fudge topping until just soft enough to mix, but not hot. Mix in the peanut butter and stir until smooth; set aside. This will be for your peanut butter fudge ripple effect.

Chop up your candy in preparation

In a food processor, beat cream cheese, sugar, sour cream and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs and process an additional 5-7 seconds.

Pour half the batter over the cooked crust.

Drizzle half of your peanut butter/fudge sauce over the cheesecake batter and use a knife to gently ripple it into the batter.

Sprinkle half of the chopped candy over the top.

Pour the rest of your cheesecake batter into the pan. Repeat the ripple and candy layers with the remainder of each.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until the center is just set.

Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes; then carefully run a knife which has been dipped into boiling water around the edge of your cheesecake pan to loosen the softened candy from the sides. Do not remove the sides yet. This will make life much easier when you go to serve this later.

Cool another 30 minutes, then put in the refrigerator overnight.

My tips:

I'd always heard that cheesecakes crack all the time. To cool mine, when the cake was done (the inside will be a little jiggly), I turned the oven off and cracked the oven door to let the cake cool slowly for 30 minutes. Then I took the cake out and let it cool on the wire rack for another 30 minutes before I put it in the fridge. Say no to crack!

cupcakes + pretzels = skeletons! oh my!

I considered waiting until Halloween day to post this, but for those of you looking for something totally awesome to take to a fright night party, I wanted you to be able to take a gander.

How freaking adorable are these skeleton cupcakes from cookies and cups? Very. And check out the tutorial here; you can totally do this!

Have a scary good weekend, my buddies.

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* For this awesome weather to stick around. Welcome, fall!

* That Starkville Academy had a glee club when I was there. I would have been all up in it!

* A new rug for my living room. Too bad the one I want is $700.

* An Alice in Wonderland party. Look how fun this one is! (photo from where the lovely things are)

* Some cute booties. These Libby Story ones are just the ticket - you can fold them up or down!

What's your wish?

mug cake monday!

For those Weight Watchers devotees out there, I have a new recipe/trick for you!

1 Point WW "Mug Cake"

1 box Angel Food cake mix
1 box any other cake mix (I used red velvet, but I hear Devil’s Food is good, too)
3 tablespoons water

Mix together both boxes of mix. Mix 1/3 of a cup of mix with 3 tablespoons of water in a large mug. Microwave for 1 minute, and you have a little cake! 1 POINT! I put fat free Cool Whip on mine, and it was a delightful little treat!

just some things i love

I love unexpectedly finding cash money in pockets.
I love it when something you don't think will fit or look good on you totally does.
I love to clean the lint trap in the dryer.
I love feeling like my hair looks great.
I love hearing Kell laugh so hard that I don't hear anything.
I love a full tank of gas.
I love Lincoln Park After Dark.
I love it when Charlie turns around in a circle when he gets excited.
I love new clothes.
I love finding the perfect gift for someone.
I love to pretend like I'm in a music video.
I love Fridays at 5:00 p.m.
I love to eat outside.
I love my alma mater.
I love when someone thinks you're as cool as you think they are.
I love Twitter.
I love to see Harris do the Kitty Dance.
I love to sing.
I love to tell people fun things they didn't know.
I love to go eat lunch with friends.
I love Japanese culture.
I love to have fresh flowers in my house.
I love to wake up in the night and see that I have a long time left to sleep.
I love anything red velvet-flavored.

I love Dr. Seuss.

I love feeling at home in church.
I love making mix CDs and playlists for people.
I love cold weather.
I love that I've never read Twilight.
I love being Southern.
I love wrapping presents.
I love a robe in a hotel room.
I love it when my tickle box gets turned over.

...But enough about me! I hope you have a great weekend full of things you love! And if you'd love to share a few of 'em, go for it.

Because I also love blog comments.