Coconut Rum Cupcakes with Buttercream icing

To preface this... I completely stole this recipe from the website Grin and Bake it.  It has become one of my favorite websites and I'm a bit obsessed.  Kate, I love you.

Coconut Rum Cupcakes with homemade

buttercream icing

Cake

1 box white cake mix 

1 cup pineapple juice

1/3 cup coconut rum

eggs (according to package)

vegetable oil (according to package)
maraschino cherries (for decoration)

Buttercream Recipe

1/3 cup white Crisco shortening, softened

1/3 cup stick butter or margarine, softened

4-6 tablespoons half and half

Pinch of salt

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Food coloring

Buttercream icing

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat together shortening and butter. Add whipping cream, salt and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth (about 2 -3 minutes). 

Add in sifted powdered sugar, gradually, beat well until smooth and fluffy. 

 Add food coloring and blend well. 

Coconut Rum Cake

Add mix, eggs, and oil according to the package. 

Substitute water for 1 cup pineapple juice and 1/3 cup coconut rum. 

Blend well with electric mixer.  Make sure it was well-drained and mix until just blended.  

Bake according to the package instructions.

Bon Appetit!

Oreo Truffles

Oreo Truffles

1 package oreo cookies (divided… use cookie including the cream center)
1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)
white chocolate bark

Sprinkles

Cupcake holders

Place cookies in  a ziploc bag and finely crush them (I rolled a red bull bottle over the ziploc bag after crushing them with my hands).

  Stir in softened cream cheese and use a large spoon to mash them all together (or use your CLEAN hands).

 Roll the mixture into 1″ balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.

Melt chocolate as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate.  Before the chocolate cools and dries, dip one end (or the whole thing, your choice) in sprinkles for some *Flair* then place in the cupcake holder thing to cool and dry.

 Once dry, refrigerate and enjoy!

Makes about 36 truffles.

Bon Appetit!

Lemon Butter Scallops - EASY TO MAKE!

Lemon Butter Scallops

Easy to make!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter (more for a larger pan)
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 6 ounces large sea scallops
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 of a lemon squeezed to juice
• 
  
• 
  

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 

Stir in garlic, and cook for a few seconds until fragrant. 

Add scallops, and cook for several minutes on one side.

Turn over and continue cooking until firm and opaque. 

(I personally like to brown them on the side)

Remove scallops to a platter.

With extra sauce, whisk in salt, pepper, and lemon juice. 

Pour sauce over scallops to serve. 

This tasted amazing and is sooo easy to make!

Bon Appetit!

All my jewels....

All my Jewels...

So one of my oldest friends, Miss Rachel Mahaffey Hyers (thats so weird to say!) had this amazing creation for her jewelry!  So I stole the idea and made an ok ripped off version of it.  

Ingredients

Frame of your choice (I got impatience looking for a pretty, inexpensive one, so I figured I can paint this one if I want some piazza) 

Fence material ( I wanted smaller holes than the one Rach had)

Wire cutters (im such a handy woman now)

Hooks and Eyes ( mine were 1-1/2")

Duct tape

Nails 

Measure out how much fence you will need by using the backing from the frame.  Rolling it out and getting it to stay is a bit of a pain, but try and gently bend it the opposite direction, and it will kind of straighten out.  Use the wire cutters to cut to the fence to the size.

Secure the fence with duct tape and TRY to bend down the "holders" on the frame.  Do the same to the opposite end.

Use the wire that came with the fencing to TIGHTLY secure the fence in place.  Do the same to the opposite end and take off the duct tape after the fencing is secure all over the frame.

Finito!  Finished product (already on my wall)

Begin hanging your earrings.  Use the hook and eyes to hang necklaces, bracelets rings and hoop earrings on 

Marvel at your creation :)

Mahi Mahi with zesty basil sauce

Mahi Mahi with zesty basil sauce

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus additional for seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus additional for seasoning
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) mahi mahi fillets

**Now this is a side note on how to easily finely chop garlic...

Peel the garlic clove and lay it on a cutting board. 

Turn your knife to the side (use a larger kitchen knife)

Carefully apply pressure with the side of the knife onto the clove, and flatten it.

After flattening the clove it will be much easier to finely chop the garlic!

and now back to our regularly scheduled program...

Combine the butter, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and basil in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat.  Stir until the butter melts.  

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Season the fish with salt and pepper, to taste.  Cook for 3 minutes then turn and cook until opaque in color (or around 3-4 minutes)

Garnish with fresh basil.

Ok I know you are thinking, what a fatty look at all that butter, but I can assure you there was very little butter used in comparison for me trying to "guesstimate" the amount of lemon used...take it from me, MEASURE THE LEMON if you measure any ingredient.  It unfortunately overshadowed the other flavors used...but the fish was great :)

Bon Appetit!

Corkboard

Ok so I know having a corkboard is kind of middle school....but I have honestly always had one, whether my mom made it for me when I was 3 and spray painted it blue (because it is my favorite color, even back then) or when my sorority sister had made me one, which was painted blue (because it is still my favorite color).  Being the ripe old age of 26 now, I thought a blue spray painted may be a little bit juvenile.  I have been looking for beautiful and fun frames kind of every time I go out and have realized something.....


There are a plenty of frames out there, they just happen to already have unattractive pictures like sinks or grapes in it. 

 Example.

I decided to just buy a frame that I loved at JoAnns (my home away from home, as pathetic as it is) ugly picture or not.  I then went over to the cork section and bought some rolled cork.  MAKE SURE YOU HAVE DUCT TAPE ALSO!  Steps....


1)  I ripped (literally ripped with pliers) the picture off the back of the frame


2)  The glass still intact (apparently it was glued on), so I wrapped the whole frame in a towel and knocked the glass out with a hammer.


3)  I rolled out the cork to the size of the hole on the back and cut the cork to fit.


4)  I secured the cork with white duct tape.

The finished product.

Just be love...

. Just be love .

This painting was inspired by something my roommate heard from the singer Jason Mraz.  She said in this interview of Mraz, he and a couple friends were getting a tattoo that said, "be love." 

(the picture of the tattoos are above)

His reason behind it, though I can't find the exact quote anywhere is that basically everyone is looking for love or wanting love or showing love....

Maybe we should all just BE LOVE.

I just thought that was such a beautiful concept.  If everyone just was love, it would cover all the bases and the world would be so much more..incredible.  

I also just watched the movie "seven years in tibet," and feel a bit foolish that I didn't know that any of that was going on. 

Thanks AP History.

The tibetians are such a loving culture, I loved the scene where the people are building a movie theater for the Dali Lama and they are pulling worms out of the dirt and blessing them and reburying them in a safer location.  They believe in not inflicting any pain on any living thing, because that could essentially be your mother, from another life.  I mean, it is worms.  

It's just such a beautiful concept to just love everything.  

Just exude love.  

Just be love.

Pizza Meatballs

Pizza Meatballs

2  lbs     Ground beef

2 cups    Seasoned breadcrumbs

1 cup     Milk

2 tsp      Garlic salt

1/4  tsp  Pepper

8    oz    Mozzarella cheese

2           28 oz jars pizza sauce

1/3  cup  All-purpose flour

1/4  cup  Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Parsley

Fresh Basil

Italian Seasoning

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Cut mozzarella into cubes, 1/2 in. each    

In a bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients just until mixed.

Shape into Small Meatballs

Push a cube into the center of each meatball, covering the cheese completely with meat.

Roll lightly in flour. 

In a large skillet, cook meatballs in oil until browned: drain. 

 

Remove the meatballs from the skillet and put in a baking pan. 

Cover the meatballs in the pizza sauce, sprinkle the parsley and Italian seasoning on top.

Bake for 30 minutes.

To keep warm, house in a crock pot.  Add extra sauce as needed.

Bon Appetit!