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! 

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

Summer Drinks: Homemade Lemonade

Picture from:
http://koreeunveiled.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html

1 pitcher

3-4 lemons 

1 cup sugar

3 cups water

Ice cubes

1. Roll the lemons on a hard surface before cutting each in half (this makes it easier to juice). 
2. Juice the lemons and add the juice to the pitcher.
3. If you want to make the delicious old school lemonade then continue by adding the water and sugar to the lemon juice in the pitcher. Continue adding sugar/water to make it more or less sweet.
4. If you want to try something more adventurous, but also delicious, continue by making a syrup by boiling 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar before adding that to the lemon juice. After combining the lemon juice with the sugar syrup, add 3 more cups of water (more or less depending on the preferred sweetness)
5. Add ice cubes and slices of lemons for a cool and refreshing drink. ENJOY! 

P.s. The syrup works really well for blending the sugar and water. I tested it out the other day and it works really well! 

What are your favorite summer drinks??

*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!