Tuesday, January 31, 2012

A little preview:



    So  I did say that a portion of this blog was going to be dedicated to clothes. WOOhoo, I love clothes! - a very true statement for those people who know me. I currently work at J.Crew and love it! I get to dress people for a living.....well, it is a lot harder than that, but it is still tons of fun. I am also a bargain shopper; I love finding good clothes cheap, and making a cute outfit. So in these sections you will find J.Crew outfits, under $40 dollar outfits, how to wear an item more than once, and inspirations I find everyday. Above is one of my favorite go to outfits. All you need is a stripe shirt, pencil skirt and a leather belt and you are good to go. A no brainer especially if you let the snooze button get the best of you. (so above and to your left you have a J.Crew catalog photo from May 2011 and to the right you have little o' me dressed in the same J.Crew top, a vintage pencil skirt, and J.Crew factory skinny studded belt) Below, is my lovely husband, Ed. You may see him every once in a while, and I thought I would introduce him to you now. He is the spice of my life, literally. There is never a dull moment with this bear of a man.


Monday, January 30, 2012

Oreo cheesecake cupcakes

The best, tastiest, and by far the easiest cheesecake recipe i have ever made! I loved the fact that I could get up before work and make this recipe. Through Pinterest, of course, i followed this recipe to Cates World Kitchen and began my journey. To seal the deal, even my dear husband, who does not like dessert, LOVED the dessert - definitely a keeper in my book!


I love getting all my mise en place together before I cook. F.Y.I. mise en place means "putting in place." So i gather all my ingredients first so that i am not running around the kitchen in a panic because I forget to put the eggs at room temperature!
And as the french say "Magnifique"

Ok, so below are the directions I followed. Definitely give it a try and let me know what you think! 

Ingredients
  • 22 Oreos: 16 left whole, and 6 coarsely chopped
  • 2 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature (Neufchatel is fine)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • Pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 275 F.
  2. Line 12 standard muffin tins and 4 ramekins (or 16 muffin tins, if you have them) with paper liners.
  3. Place 1 whole Oreo in the bottom of each lined cup.
  4. Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium. Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla.
  5. Pour in the beaten eggs, a little at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
  6. Beat in the sour cream and salt.
  7. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared tins, filling each almost to the top.
  9. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, 22-25 minutes.
  10. Cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, on a wire rack, then transfer to a plate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

New Year....here we come!

GREETINGS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!


welcome to my little blog... I am very excited to announce that i am finally starting my own blog. I have been talking for some time about starting a blog, and now that the New Year has arrived, what better time than 2012 to start my own blog. I love food, fashion (at a bargain!), home renovation, and D.I.Y.; so i can't promise you anything spectacular, because my computer skills are not that great. But with some help from some close friends and family I hope this will be a fun experience. Please feel free to email or post any ideas or comments for me, I am always open to new and exciting opportunities.