Happy Thanksgiving!

Snow Day Dreamer

Guess what fellow dreamers??

                                         Yesterday it snowed... and snowed... and snowed.. until: 

Over a foot of snow! All in one day! Isn't it so peaceful and pretty??

So...  I decided to shovel: 

And got my dog dressed for the weather (but let's be honest, she hates the pink sweater... with a passion, and is humiliated whenever I make her wear it, but it was BELOW freezing, so with her best interests at heart (of course) I put it on her). Aint she just the cutest?? 

Then, we made delicious treats called, well I'm not sure they have a name, but we'll go with Saltine-Caramel-Chocolate-Pretzel Bars, and let me tell you, they are AMAZING!! Like seriously, this whole plate was gone by today (that's less than 24 hours of existence) and there are only two of us living here (good thing I shoveled earlier!). 

What are your favorite snow day activities??

xoxo
Kirsten

Recipe: Lemon Meringue Pie

The other night, CJ and I went to a friend's house for dinner and I always like to bring a dessert as a sign of appreciation for having us over. I'm not sure why it popped into my head but with 4 hours until we had to leave, I came up with Lemon Meringue Pie. It was delicious by the way and it says it needs at least 3 hours to make but we managed to whip it out in 2. I did however forget to separate the egg yolks and egg whites, but it turned out fine (just a bit less together, so don't forget that crucial step). It was fairly easy to make (I was especially impressed with how well the crust turned out-- I would definitely recommend making it rather than buying it-- it's super easy and tastes wonderful). 

Oh and this was our first time making this dessert. 

Click on "Read more" to see the recipe! 

Kung Hai Fat Choi– Happy Chinese New Year! Hong Kong Travels

Last week my brother and I set out for the distant land of... Hong Kong, China, and by distant, I mean 15-hours-away-distant, a.k.a. LONG flight. But it was well worth it. My dad lives on Lantau, an island where people mostly ride bikes, cows roam the streets (see below), and local life is a slower pace and chill. My brother and I have spent our days riding bikes 5 minutes to the grocery store, where we discovered a local fav of Brazilian chicken feet (toe nails included), and some of our favorite items: Milano cookies, popcorn, and Tim Tams (not all the food choices are as exotic as the first). 

The Chinese New Year is here (10th of February, I believe), and everyone has decorated with beautiful red paper lanterns and lovely trees with small oranges filling their branches. Most people get between 4 and 8 days off of work, school, etc., to be with their families. There is also usually a huge fireworks display at Victoria Park, as this is the most celebrated holiday here. This year is the year of the Snake. 

Hong Kong Island (View from the ferry)

Hong Kong Ferry

Mui Wo local beach

Hong Kong Island at night

A decorated orange tree (for New Years) and pretty flowers

Flowers at the Pui O local garden shop

My brother and I spotted this lovely herd of cows wandering up and down the streets of Mui Wo on our bike ride and I couldn't help but notice how cute the calves were! So, being the picture taking guru that I am, I dismounted my bike to capture some photos of the baby calves. The little ones immediately came over to me and started licking my jeans as well as the red fire hydrant. Loving the local wildlife!

What is your favorite place you've traveled to & why??


Happy New Year (Kung Hai Fat Choi)
XOXO,
Kirsten

Update: Final Cake

So, I finally finished my cake decorating class and this strawberry and whipped cream filled chocolate cake was the end result: 

Ok so on the lettering, I cheated... Truth is, I only got a picture before I did the Happy Birthday message, but it looked similar to this. I wanted to put it on so you could get a feel for how the cake looked when it was finished. But everything else is 100% real. And the cake didn't taste so bad itself :) We took it over to my friend's mom for her birthday! And I had such a fun time decorating it! Next challenge: fondant! 

xoxoxo,
Happy Chinese New Year!!

With love from Hong Kong, 

Kirsten

It Feels Like Christmas

Three weeks ago, I returned home from the warm beach temperatures of Sydney, to be greeted with a beautiful white snowfall the next day. But, even with the snow, my  sunburn-turned-tan and wardrobe of summer dresses has made it hard for me to actually feel like Christmas is coming. Usually I have time to prepare – autumn leaves start falling in October, the warm weather slowly drifts away, and Thanksgiving comes around. By then I usually start getting excited about Christmas. So in an attempt to make myself more excited, I have been:

and

It worked! 

10 more days until Christmas everyone!! 

xoxo,

Kirsten

Tips & Tricks to Making Delicious Home-made Pizza

I've been cooking on my own (and with friends) for about a year now, and have attempted to make home-made pizza on multiple occasions. This is the best way that I have found to make fool-proof pizza. I usually use an easy dough mix from the grocery store that provides the base mix and a yeast packet, and all I have to do is add warm water and knead the dough. (Pretty simple). I've found that mixing together this type of dough tastes much better than buying an already partially cooked pizza base, and it cooks much better in the oven. 

Step 1: 

• Mix pizza dough according to package instructions. *Remember to use warm water if there is a yeast packet because this makes the yeast react, thus allowing your crust to rise* 
• Preheat the oven according to the directions on the pizza dough package.
• Cut veggies and prepare toppings. As for the cheese, instead of shredded mozzarella, I cut slices to layer on top of the sauce (but this is just my personal preference). I also bought a pre-made sauce from the grocery store which turned out to be pretty good. You can also use tomato paste, or even make a white sauce if you are feeling skilled or have some extra time. 

Step 2:

• Flatten/roll out dough and lightly grease the oven pan that you are going to use. 
• Add sauce and spread over pizza base with a spoon.
• Assemble your pizza with your fresh toppings (I used red peppers, red onions, and mozzarella). 

Step 3:

• Bake your pizza for the time according to the pizza dough mix box. (My oven was 240*C (not fahrenheit) and it took about 12 minutes to cook- but it depends on the oven that you use as most ovens are different). I would suggest checking it every 5 minutes. 
• Enjoy your home-made pizza :) 

*If you want to make thick crust (as seen in the left pizza above), use a pan similar to the one pictured on the left that has some height on the sides. Pizza pans (like the one on the right) work well for normal crust. 

*You can also use pizza dough mixes to make delicious garlic bread- there are usually recipes located on the sides or back of the package. 


Comment below to let me know your tips for home-made pizzas and how yours turns out :)  *Kirsten

Fajitas- easy cooking

For all those self-catering college students, this meal might in fact be one of the easiest in the history of cooking. It takes about 20-30 minutes to prep & cook and involves 6 ingredients. Take note:

What you'll need:
1 Green Pepper (aka Capsicum)
1 Red Pepper
1/2 or 1 Whole Red Onion (depending on how much you like onions)
Tortillas
2 Good Size Chicken Breasts
Taco Seasoning Packet

Step 1: cut chicken into 3 or 4 inch strips
Step 2: cut peppers and onion into strips (as pictured)
Step 3: cook chicken in a pan on medium-high heat and add taco seasoning packet
Step 4: once the chicken is fully cooked, add the veggies to the mix (keeping the heat on medium)
Step 5: cook veggies until they look glossy and fade in color
Step 6: Heat up tortillas & enjoy!


*These are so easy to make and taste delicious!! 
What are your favorite easy dishes to cook??

*Kirsten

Summer Treats: Strawberry Pie

Years after ripping out a Strawberry Pie recipe from Family Circle magazine, I finally decided to make this delicious summer dessert. And to my surprise, this was one of the BEST pies I have ever had (literally amazing). This no-bake (apart from the crust) treat is the perfect accessory to an outdoor BBQ or summer party and is fairly easy to make. All you need is:

Ingredients

• CRUST
  6 ounces Nilla wafer cookies (graham crackers or a package of plain cookies/biscuits works too)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• FILLING
  2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup cran-raspberry juice (I used plain cranberry juice and it worked just as well)
• 2 quarts strawberries (8 cups), hulled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Happy 4th!

This year my family and I showed my boyfriend CJ how we celebrate the 4^th (he’s from Australia). We spent the day shooting hoops and grilling some delicious hamburgers and Oscar Meyer Turkey hot dogs- I’m not usually a fan of hot dogs, but these ones were pretty good! Not to mention, CJ is obsessed! He tells me on a regular basis that he is crazing hot dogs.. 

After dinner we headed to my best friend Bri's house for some tasty desserts including a fruit pizza (which Chris and I put together RECIPE HERE) and some beautifully patriotic decorated strawberries (idea from Pinterest). 

Due to the ban on basically any kind of outdoor fires, we got creative and roasted marshmallows over the stove (which to my surprise worked a charm, see above). Our smores were AMAZING! A great idea for making smores on a rainy day; just be careful not to let the marshmallows fall onto the stove. All in all, a successful & fun 4th of July! 

What are your 4th of July traditions??  


xoxo
Kirsten 

How To: Fruit Pizza

What you need:

• Any kind of fresh berries or fruit that you like (enough to cover your fruit pizza)
• Sugar cookie dough
• Cream Cheese (8 oz.) 
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1-2 tsp vanilla
• Baking pan

1. Roll out the sugar cookie dough, put into the baking pan & bake for 8-10 minutes or follow the baking directions on the package
2. Mix cream cheese, vanilla & sugar until blended
3. After the sugar cookie has cooled,  apply the cream cheese frosting evenly (leaving a slight border is optional)
4. Place berries on top of the frosting and chill for 1 hour or indulge right away if desired & ENJOY!