Current Favorites and a Playlist

Hey lovelies! So this is a post I actually started writing back in August and since I’ve become the worst blogger ever, I forgot to post it lol. But I decided what the hey, might as well post it a couple months late lol. Yep, this is what blogging has come to for me… half finished posts that rarely ever see the light of day. ;) Hope you enjoy reading anyway!

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Watching: Once Upon A Time!  I know I mentioned a couple months ago that I had started watching it on Netflix after my sister recommend it to me. Oh my goodness, I never expected to get this addicted to that show!! Seriously, it’s getting ridiculous, I have been watching like 2 episodes almost every night lol. I have just a few episodes left before I’m all caught up and ready for the premiere of season 5 on September 27th! Eek!!

Listening To: my Summer playlist on Spotify! Yes, I know it’s almost fall, which I’m so looking forward to, but I’m still loving these songs and summery vibe they give!

And this album, always:

Ah, what can I say? I just can’t deny it, I’m in love with this man… (cough) did I say this man? I meant this album. Yep, I’m all about the music, I swear! ;) No, but really, there is not a bad song on this album, just so so good! And that voice, boy can sang! I mean, anyone who can belt out a song like that has got my full attention. No, I don’t agree with everything he sings about or stands for but I do very much enjoy the art he makes.

I’ve had a love affair with basically every track on this album, where it’s the only song I want to hear for days at a time lol. Currently obsessed with this one:

I can’t explain it, it’s just so… morbid lol but so pretty all at the same time. It feels like a very Irish thing to do, putting devastating lyrics to a very pretty melody. He’s really such a good story teller that you can’t help but find yourself getting caught up in the story. Then suddenly you find yourself crying and thinking, “Why am I listening to this? This is devastating!”… Ahem, not that I would know or anything. Anyway, just listen to it and you’ll know what I mean!

Eating: these yummy grilled peaches with homemade whipped cream and cinnamon!

I got the idea from one of my favorite vloggers, Rachel Talbot from her  Summer Treats video. This has become one of my favorite mostly healthy treats!

And pretty much always eating these Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans from HEB lol. Chocolate + coffee = my favorite treat in the whole world! Not even kidding! They’re so much better than chocolate covered espresso beans, in my opinion. They have a nice crunch to them but not quite as hard as choc. covered espresso beans. Try them but beware they are somewhat addicting.

Making: French Macarons!! Yes, finally, after years of Macaron fails and down right disasters, I have now baked my first ever successful batch!!! They even have feet!!! Finally victory is mine (insert evil laugh here)!!!

These lovelies, which are filled with Strawberry Raspberry Mascarpone Buttercream, were made using the Italian Meringue method. This method may be slightly more involved but yields beautiful consistent results. Let me tell you, I will never go back to the French method, it just never worked for me. The Italian meringue method is way less fussy and delicate. I will definitely be blogging more about this in the future!

For now, I’m really excited to start trying out different flavors and colors! The possibilities are endless!

Also have been making lots of this cold brewed coffee! It’s my favorite way to drink coffee in the summertime. I love having a couple jars full of coffee concentrate in the fridge for those sweltering summer afternoons when I need a cold drink.

Loving: My workouts! Maybe this should fall into a love/hate category lol. No, on most days I actually do enjoy working out. It’s taken me a long time to get to that place, trust me. But I really love how strong, energetic, and healthy it makes me feel.  I try to workout out 5 to 6 six days a week and change up my routine so I don’t get bored with anything. Mostly I do videos on YouTube and then 3 days a week my cousin Pam and I workout together on Skype! Which has been so fun and motivating! I love that we can still workout together and push each other even when we live a couple hours away!

Thinking About: How much I miss this pink haired girl! A couple photos of my sister Cecily and I when she visited in July! We had so much fun hanging out, talking, baking, watching movies, and taking a trip to Austin! My parents and I are headed over to GA to visit her in December and I can’t wait.

Wishing: I could’ve gone to the Jon Foreman concert this past Sunday in Houston at Warehouse Live. Can’t even tell you how much it broke my heart to miss that. He recently released two of four EPs from his “Wonderlands” project and they’re amazing!! This song from the “Sunlight” EP has been my favorite: All Of God’s Children. Would love to see these songs performed live at some point! Jon is one of my very favorite songwriters, whether it be with Switchfoot, his solo music, or in Fiction Family. Plus, he’s been a huge role model and inspiration to me. Anyways, I will probably be pouting about this one for a while. :(

Looking forward to: Fall!! I’m so ready for pumpkin spice lattes, fall décor, making glitter pumpkins, watching Coraline while eating pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (for some odd reason it’s become a seasonal tradition for me), leaves falling, Halloween and Thanksgiving, and of course what everyone in TX is dying for right now… cooler weather! Can I get amen? Plus, my birthday is in the fall! Just my favorite season!

Cherry Limeade & End of Summer Playlist

Summer is quickly coming to a close and so I thought maybe I should finally post my summer playlist… you know, before fall gets here. I have been posting summer music playlists for the past few years now and I always mean to post it early… somehow that never seems to happen. I have no idea why really other than this annoying thing called procrastination. But better late than never, right? So today I’m sharing all the tunes that have made up my summer! But first… a recipe!

One of mine and my family’s favorite places to go for a coke and a burger is Sonic. It’s one of the few fast food places in our small town so we go pretty often but I find myself frequenting it more in the summer. Especially during happy hour for half priced sodas (what I call the “non-drinkers version of happy hour” ;))! While my usual order is a Dr. Pepper with vanilla, every now and again in the summer, I crave an ice cold Cherry Limeade. But I just discovered that with a few simple ingredients, you can make it at home! And it seriously could not be easier.

This refreshing and sweet drink is the perfect pick me up on a hot day… and we Texan’s still have quite a few of those ahead. Be sure to fix you a pitcher before summer ends!

Sonic’s Copycat Cherry Limeade -

(Recipe found @ http://www.sixsistersstuff.com)

Who knew that a simple mix of limeade concentrate, Sprite, and cherry juice could be so delish?! That’s pretty much all this drink is and it tastes identical to Sonic’s!

Add in lots of crushed ice, a few cherries, and garnish with a slice of lime! It’s really the perfect summer drink! :)

Ingredients:

1 can frozen limeade concentrate

1 (2 liter) bottle of lemon-lime soda

Juice from 1 (10 oz) jar of maraschino cherries

Fresh limes, sliced (optional)
Ice

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and serve immediately. You can also throw in some maraschino cherries if you would like. For a slushier drink, use limeade concentrate that is completely frozen. Add ice and garnish with a slice of lime if desired.

End of Summer Playlist -

“You bring the ocean, I'll bring emotion. Together we'll make a love potion.” – St. Croix by Family of the Year

(Photo of the pretty bay in my town.)

So in my crazed music obsessed mind every season, every holiday, every occasion needs its own soundtrack. And summer is always a fun one for me to make. Some of these songs are old favorites, like “Summertime” by Mae and “Love Love Love” by Tristan Prettyman. And some have become recent summer staples such as “When I’m With You” by Best Coast and “St. Croix” by Family of the Year. All of them make this hot & humid season a little more bearable for me. :)

Have a fun & safe Labor Day weekend and enjoy what’s left of your summer! :)

End of Summer 2012 Playlist!

Lazy days at the beach, popsicles, homemade ice cream, fireworks, vacations, music festivals, and BBQs are just some of the lovely things about super hot summer days. I can’t believe summer is almost over and fall is just around the corner (seriously cannot wait!). Stores are already stocking up on fall decorations and Halloween candy … think this starts earlier every year. And while it makes me smile, I think we might be jumping the gun just a little bit as unfortunately, there are yet to be any signs of fall whatsoever …well at least not here in Texas anyway. The ridiculous heat is still making me crave massive amounts of iced coffee (cold brewed coffee to be specific, try it, now.) and rockin’ summer tunes…which come to think of it, doesn’t sound so bad after all. ;)

My Summer 2012 Playlist ~

These are the songs I’ve had on repeat and have been dancing around to all summer long. Hope you enjoy listening and that you’ve had an awesome summer! :)

Key Lime Pie

What's better in the summertime than a nice slice of a classic dessert like Key Lime Pie? It’s cool and refreshing plus it takes very little prep and bake time. As much as I love baking sometimes the last thing you want to do is spend too much time slaving away next to a hot oven in the sweltering heat. Though it is nice to have a pretty pie that gives off the illusion that you did. Seriously this took like 5 minutes to whip up!

I made this around the 4th of July when I was on a weird key lime pie kick. I blame one of my favorite restaurants called The Local, about hour away from my town; they have an awesome key lime pie! And for some reason after I taste a really good dessert at a restaurant I always seem to have to attempt to make it myself…it’s a sickness, I think. ;) 

Key Lime Pie -

I might as well admit, yes,  I used a … store bought crust {gasp}. This is probably one of the only times I will advocate store bought over homemade; it’s really just as good and makes the process even simpler. But you can make your own if you feel so inclined. On this particular evening, I just wasn’t. This semi-homemade pie turned out really delish; creamy and tangy with a little crunch from the graham cracker crust.

One thing I didn’t skimp on was homemade whipped cream to pipe on top. It takes a little extra effort but it’s so worth it! Trust me, once you make homemade whipped cream you’ll never go back to the store bought stuff again. I personally don’t really care for the taste of Cool Whip and Ready Whip melts like 2 seconds after you use it (learned this the hard way when it basically destroyed a dessert I had made). This whipped cream recipe is simple, only take a few ingredients, doesn’t melt too fast, and tastes amazing!

I also garnished the pie with a slice of lime and a little zest. Happy pie making people! :)

Ingredients:

pre-made graham cracker crust (or you can make your own)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup lime juice

4 egg yolks

pinch of salt

lime zest

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, egg yolks, and salt and whisk until smooth. Pour into crust, leaving 1/8 inch at the top. Bake 20 – 25 minutes, or until filling is set around the edge; slightly loose in the center. Allow to chill in the fridge for a few hours then garnish with whipped cream, lime slices and zest.

Basic Whipped Cream Recipe -

(Recipe found @ http://melissaraydavis.hubpages.com)

Ingredients:

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Mix the liquid ingredients in a bowl. Mix any additional dry ingredients with the powdered sugar then mix the dry ingredient mixture with the liquid ingredients.

Whip the mixture with an electric hand mixer until raised peaks form in it and hold their shape. It should take about four minutes (or much longer if using a manual hand mixer or whisk).

Serve over your dessert and enjoy! (Makes enough for at least 8 dessert servings.)

Chocolate Espresso Shaker

If you’re looking for a delicious drink to cool you off during these scorching hot summer days and happen to be a chocoholic like me…you might want to keep reading.

I’ve never been much of a summer person; even after living in TX all my life I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the humidity and triple digit heat. So I can’t deny that I’m counting down the days till happy pretty fall… which for us Texans doesn’t usually show up till late October. But if there is anything that can make the rest of these summer days bearable it just might be chocolate and espresso shaken over ice, poured into a glass, and topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Can I get an amen? ;)

I got this lovely concoction from a new cookbook that I bought called “Chocolate Bar” (and for those who know me I’m sure it’s no surprise that I instantly gravitated to this book). It was written by Matt Lewis and Alison Nelson who are the owners of a chocolate shop of the same name in New York City’s West Village.

(Yes, a bar of chocolate can double as a very delish book marker when you need it to. ;))

This shaker is the shops most popular summer drink and after you taste it, you’ll understand why. So may I suggest putting on some awesome summer tunes, relaxing in your favorite lawn chair or hammock, and cool off with a Chocolate Espresso Shaker on us! :)

Chocolate Espresso Shaker -

(Adapted from “Chocolate Bar” by Matt Lewis and Alison Nelson )

This drink is a rich, creamy, and frothy treat. It takes very few ingredients and is really easy to whip up.

It starts out with a base of Versatile Hot Chocolate. Owners, Matt and Allison have actually nicknamed it “Liquid Candy Bar”, “Melted Chocolate”, and “Party Pick-Me-Up in a Cup”… so that should give you an idea of just how decadent this hot chocolate is. And trust me, it lives up to those names. This would be awesome all on its own in the wintertime but since it’s summer, we’re going to put this baby on ice.

Next comes the happy shot of espresso! I picked up some ground espresso at my local bookstore/café and used my sister’s espresso machine that she got for Christmas like two years ago and only used once. Which I believe we named Preston Jameson … for reasons that I just simply cannot recall right now.

Once the espresso is brewed you toss it, along with the chilled chocolate, into a shaker with ice and shake it till frothy. Then if you want to get a little fancy with your chocolate (and who doesn’t?), you pour it into a pretty cocoa rimmed cocktail glass! Which I did by first dipping the rims of the glasses in water then in a mixture of cocoa and sugar. Last but not least, finish this lovely off with some whipped cream and chocolate shavings (yes, because what this drink really needs is more chocolate, right? ;))!

My only complaint about this drink is that the espresso could have been more prominent… two shots next time maybe? Other than that, you have the perfect  drink to keep you cool and impress your dinner guests this summer! :)

Versatile Hot Chocolate:

Ingredients:

3 ounces bittersweet (60% to 70%) chocolate, chopped into small pieces

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp. light brown sugar

Directions:

Place chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Bring water to a boil and pour over the chocolate pieces, making sure all the chocolate pieces are submerged. Set aside for about 3 minutes. While waiting for chocolate to melt, place cream and milk in a medium saucepan and bring mixture to a simmer. Stir in brown sugar.

Whisk chocolate and water mixture until smooth, then pour immediately into milk and cream mixture. Whisking constantly, bring mixture just to a boil.

Take off heat and let it chill in the fridge. Yields 2 to 3 servings.

The Shaker -

Ingredients:

1 shot of espresso

8 ounces of chilled chocolate

handful of ice

whipped cream and chocolate shavings (optional)

Directions:

Place the espresso, chilled chocolate, and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake over ice. Strain the ingredients into a chilled cocktail glass. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings if desired. Yields 1 serving.

End of Summer Playlist!

I know it’s a little late for a summer playlist seeing as how we are officially a few days into fall, though sadly in Texas you wouldn’t know it (Tx missed that memo). ;) But I’m a notorious procrastinator… not proud of that fact, but it’s true, and I somehow never managed to post my summer playlist. I wasn’t going to do it after all but I thought these songs were too good not to share. These are the songs that walked with me through the scorching hot-drought ridden Texas summer and made my days a little brighter! Hope you guys had a fun summer and wishing you a lovely fall (my favorite) season! :)

“Courage, my love, will make me bolder. Expecting softness can lead to foolishness. When I choose my color, be razzle dazzle rose.”  - Razzle Dazzle Rose by Camera Obscura (song lyric I constantly had in my head this summer)