Bailey's Salted Caramel Chocolate Pie...in Honor of Pie Day

March 14.

3-14

3.14

Pi.

Today is Pi Day.  Also known as Pie Day for those that like pie, such as myself.

For Pie Day, obviously I wanted to make some pie.

I've had a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream that I've been needing to use up for a while.  So I did a Google search for "bailey's pie."  And I stumbled upon this delicious creation from She Wears Many Hats.

It was super easy, most of the ingredients I already had and it required no baking.  It was a done deal.

It came out soooo good.  The slight bitter taste of the alcohol balances the sweetness of the chocolate, leaving it not too sweet and me wanting more.

I actually made this a day ahead and it was killing me something fierce to not take a bite yesterday.  But my patience paid off.  I dived into my slice after a workout and I can't even explain the joy I had.

Booze and desserts are always a good combo with me.  This pie is a win if you're like that too.  I wouldn't recommend feeding this to minors though.  Because baking isn't involved, the alcohol is definitely present.

Bailey's Salted Caramel Chocolate Pie
from She Wears Many Hats

-6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips or morsels
-1 c heavy cream or whipping cream
-1 tbsp sugar
-4 (or more) tbsp of Bailey's Irish Cream (your choice of flavor, I imagine it would taste good regardless)
-chocolate cookie pie crust (make it yourself or buy it)
-course salt for sprinkling
-and whatever toppings you want; I drizzled melted caramel over it

Melt the chocolate and set aside.

Beat together the cream and sugar until soft peaks form.  You want it pourable but enough of a solid to hold a shape.

Mix in the Irish cream and melted chocolate.

Pour into the pie crust and top with the salt and additional toppings.

Put it in the fridge for 4-6 hours, or until it sets.

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

Georgeous weather (albiet not exactly beach or pool weather). 

Lamb burritos from R&R Taqueria.

Long walks with the dog.

Eating Cold Stone Creamery ice cream by a duck pond.

Reconnaisance of our new apartment.  The place is still occupied so all we could do was walk into the building and around the outside. 

Drives through random roads and neighborhoods.

Comic book store. 

Chinese food and sushi.

Starting the Fables series of graphic novels by Bill Willingham.  Finished the prequel story and am now hooked.

Arrested Development on Netflix.

February 14

Google kindly reminded me that today is George Ferris's birthday.  Without the ferris wheel, I wouldn't be able to say I've operated one and probably wouldn't have met the BF.  So thank you Mr. Ferris and happy birthday!

Anyway, it's also Valentine's Day.  If you're the type to celebrate, I hope you had a good one.  I don't particularly care for this holiday.  I personally think it's turned way commercial.  But I'm not knocking anyone else that partakes on this day.  In fact, V-day does give me an opportunity for themed deserts...which I indulged with Triple Decker Red Velvet Cupcakes.  Yes.

Bu anyway, yesterday, the BF did surprise me with some small things for the occasion, even though I kept telling him we're not doing anything for Valentine's.  He works late tonight and wanted to see my reaction, so he gave me my gifts early.

It was pure nerd joy.  I've had an obsession with owning my own Wookie.  And I finally got one!  Albeit, he is small, but I love him nonetheless.  I'm also a fan of Star Wars, so the rest of what I got was awesome too. The biggest surprise was a Nerf gun.  Heck yes.  We've been talking about owning a Nerf gun for years, but never buying one because they are kind of expensive considering it's essentially a piece of plastic.  So I was completely shocked to see one in my possession.  And I'm pretty sure he got it because he wanted one just as equally, but used Valentine's Day as an excuse.  We've already been target practicing with the dog's squeaky toys.  It's only taken me 27 years to get a Nerf gun...

For the cupcake:

-Use your favorite red velvet cake recipe.  Once baked and cooled, cut them into thirds (or halves and just use the bottoms from other cupcakes).

-Pipe your favorite frosting in between the layers and on top.  I used a mix of butter cream and marshmallow cream for my frosting.

Post Christmas

Our Christmas was a good one as you can see.  The BF and I have a thing for extreme cheesiness.  We both think tacky Christmas sweaters are hilarious and cannot see how anyone can seriously wear these things.  So in tribute, we staged a photo shoot, with mugs in hands.  We were so proud of this, I tagged this picture to Comedy Central's #MistletoeMoments promo.  The animals also took part wearing their respective reindeer antlers.  The cat wasn't too pleased.  I'll probably see the destruction he left for us when I get home. 

So I'm hoping now that Christmas is over, I'll actually have time to relax.  I still have one more batch of chocolate cookies (recipe will be posted eventually) that I'm gonna send out as New Year gifts/thank yous. 

I'm working today and tomorrow, but after that I'm off til Jan 3.  Here's what I'm hoping to accomplish:  clean, get my winter clothes out and go through more stuff to possibly donate again, and learn to sew.  I've had my sewing machine since the end of summer and I really need to do something with it...

In other news, I'm gonna be an aunt today (or tomorrow)!  Miss Lola should be coming into the world tonight or tomorrow.  I'm bummed that I'm all the way out in Maryland and she's in Arizona, but I'll meet her soon enough.  Can't wait!

I love this bearded man.

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey

I'm thankful for everything that makes me happy and content :)

Since we've moved to Maryland, except for one year, the BF and I have always had a Thanksgiving at home, with just us since we're our own little family.  We're home bodies, so we're totally fine with pigging out and just watching tv/playing video games for the day.  I usually make a big dinner (since there are two of us, we have leftovers for days).  And every year, I like to try out new recipes, while keeping some of the old.  

Here's the menu (with links to the applicable sources):

Breakfast
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Appetizer
Broccoli Bites
----These were really good.  A little ranch dressing on the side and they were perfect.

Dinner
Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Apple Cider Gravy
Cheesy Stuffing/Dressing (I never stuff the bird, but I still call it stuffing :)
Paula Deen's Green Bean Casserole
7 Up Biscuits
North African Spiced Carrots
Cheddar and Bacon Smashed Potatoes

Desserts
Cinnamon Roll Dutch Apple Pie
Chocolate Eclairs
----We're doing two desserts in case the pie is a flop.  The eclairs are also the BF's favorite dessert ever and I don't want to disappoint.

I prepped everything yesterday, so all I have to do is assemble and cook.  I have everything organized and I've made a schedule of the order I need to do things.  The turkey is already in the oven and everything is going according to plan.  Honestly, the hardest part of today will be the dishes....which I'm hoping I can pass on to the BF....

Now since I have some time to kill, I'm gonna surf the interwebs to see what kinda of shopping deals I can find....

Happy Halloween!

Hurricane Sandy wasn't too bad here.  Just some rain and crazy wind.  Although, the storm did bring in some gnarly looking clouds...

Happy Halloween though!  As a kid, this was one of my favorite holidays...mainly because of the candy.  I grew up in a minimum sugar household, so Halloween was always a good way to stockpile for the year.

I'm not a big fan of candy corn.  I can eat a couple, but then I just hate the taste.  But, for my own Halloween treat, I made a fruity concoction with the candy corn look.

Not the greatest picture thanks to my phone...

One version was lemon jello and pineapple, mandarin oranges, and Redi Whip.  The other version was just pineapple, oranges, and Redi Whip (they're opposite in the picture).  The lemon pudding I could completely do without, so I don't think I'll be sticking with that version in the future.  The plain pineapple with the oranges and whipped cream...OMG, it was so good.  I'm pretty sure I scarfed it down in one go around.

DIY Flag Shirt

So I've been seeing these flag tank tops around the internet, thought they were cute and decided to do one for my own.  After seeing a couple of websites on the how-to, I kinda just winged it.  All you need:  stars, white t-shirt (one size bigger than you normally wear), painter's tape, and blue and red spray paint.




I used clipart for my stars.   





Tape down the stars and line your shirt with the tape to resemble a flag.





Let it dry for a couple of hours.



I cut off the sleeves and the bottom seam and cut around the neck.



After washing (I hand washed this at first, then again in the machine), use stretched scrap strips from the sleeve to tie the back.



And you have yourself a cute shirt!


Before tying the back, I also pulled and stretched out the cut shirt to make it look more worn and to curl the edges.  The best shirt to use is one with a thin material.  The back will bunch up, so the stiffer and thicker the shirt, the more it'll bunch up and stick out.    

This is a great way to repurpose those too big tshirts or the ones with the pit stains (don't lie, we all have them) that you just can't get rid of.

The BF and I plan on going to Washington DC for the fourth and I can't wait to wear it.  It's supposed to be in the high 90's so this'll be light enough to wear. 



Stay classy,
Heidi

Pineapple Lemonade Punch

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to summer and with the temperatures lately, it definitely feels like summer. 

I wanted to make a nice little drink for the holiday and I came across one through Pinterest.  This drink came from Froggy and the Mouse. 

One cup of lemonade mix (I used Countrytime).  Two cups of water.  A 46 ounce can of chilled pineapple juice.  Two cans of chilled Sprite.  Mix all of it together.

The BF and I thought the pineapple was a little too sweet, but we added some Bacardi rum and it drowned out some of the sweet.  It was actually a little hard to taste the rum...which could be a bad thing.  I had 2 glasses of this stuff and I had a bit of a buzz.  It's a nice adult ending to a hot day :)

I also got my Warby Parkers a couple of days ago, and I'm in love with them.  I find them to be really flattering on my face and they were so much cheaper that going to LensCrafters.  I lurve them...

Stay classy,
Heidi

Low Fat Pineapple Cupcakes!

I was so upset from Easter, I forgot to post about the amazing low fat pineapple cupcakes I made.  The recipe is from Skinnytaste (a great source for healthier and delicious foods).  These cupcakes were by far the easiest I've ever made.  1 bowl, 4 ingredients.  Did I also mention they were low-fat!?  No added sugar, no oil, no eggs.

Pineapple Bliss Cupcakes from Skinnytaste.

-Betty Crocker box of yellow cake mix

-20 oz can crushed pineapple in juice (DON"T DRAIN!)

Mix together in a bowl.  Pour into cupcake liners, about 2/3 full.  Bake in accordance to the cake mix directions.  Set aside to cool.

Pineapple Fluff Cream Cheese Frosting

-8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese

-20 oz can crushed pineapple in juice (DRAIN THIS ONE REALLY WELL!)

-3/4 c marshmallow fluff (I think I used more.  I just eyeballed it.)

Combine all the ingredients and mix well.  Spread on the cooled cupcakes right before serving.

For Easter, I topped them with candy coated chocolate eggs.



And Gypsy is doing alot better by the way.  She's healing up well.  Poor thing is probably gonna have a bald spot there though...

Stay classy,

Heidi