The One Where I Try to Not Talk ALL About Wedding Stuff...

So, it's been a couple of weeks since I updated. Since then I've done a few things around the house and I've flown to Florida to plan my just-after-Thanksgiving wedding. I still think it's crazy that I'm the bride this time around and that I know what I'll be wearing and where I'll be standing when I say "I do." So, here's what's new:

I started juicing. How could you not after watching the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead?" I'm a sucker for lifestyle changes after watching those. And... I have a dress to fit into. "Forks over Knives" is another good one if you want some motivation!

 This is my refrigerator these days. It's so strange!

 I'm gonna have a new last name on in less than 7 months!

 We've had some campfires, s'mores, wine, and dog play time in the yard.

 She seems to be super happy at the prospect of having a dad!

 We had a planting and mulching partner this year!

 I got this super cute cork board for the side of the fridge that makes my kitchen look so cute:

 Chicago had some major rain and flooding during that hell week a few weeks ago. My basement took on water for the first time. Fortunately it's all good and cleaned up now.

 I've added some family pictures all over the house

 We've been happy

 My mom and I went down to Florida to marathon plan a wedding. Everything fell into place perfectly

 Chris went ring shopping with my mom. After we got engaged she sent me this. How cute is that? And how sweet is it that he took her?!

 I'll be getting married here. I'll give more details later on. Sorry, but I don't want mystery blog readers attending... There is only so much room ;)

I bought a super cool piece of furniture for the basement that will act as a bar and a game area. All we need now is a high top table!

Sorry for the random photo dump blog post, but it was all I could manage. The good news is that I think I'll be painting the kitchen cabinets white this summer and have a few other fun projects planned so this blog will be back to normal soon! 

Independence Day Awesomeness

My soldier brother is in town this Independence Day! I'm so excited to have all of my brothers together with my parents! I'm hosting the second annual family party at my house (I have a killer view of the fireworks from my back yard) this week. I started prepping yesterday. I started off by making cake pops minus the pop. :) Want to know how to make some yourself? 

First I used this recipe/tutorial and adapted it. If you like to get really messy and make yours chocolatey go there. If you like Starbucks birthday cake cake pops stay here! These are SUPER CLOSE! 

Buy a cake mix of your choice. I bought classic yellow. Mix and prepare it as normal. Line your baking pan with tin foil that you've sprayed with cooking spray. 

Delight in the fact that Eggland's Best also happens to share the same initials as you :)

Cook the cake just like normal:

Here's where the tutorial link and I differ. I don't like to get all messy. I have a Kitchenaid. I'm special like that! Here's a screenshot I took of when her blog got a little too messy for me! 

I, on the other hand, dumped the cake into the mixer and busted out my frosting. I used classic white. Put about 1/2 of the frosting in with your cake and mix it up. 

Once it's all mixed up you can use a mellon baller to scoop out the right size of batter to roll with your hands (still messy but not as  bad) onto a foil lined baking sheet. 

Put them in the freezer to firm them up. They're good to go after about 15 min. 

Then get ready to decorate! I used almond bark instead of candy melts. You can use either. If you tint it use the gel instead of liquid food coloring or the bark will harden too quickly. I thought I would, but kept mine white instead. 

Heat a few at a time so that it doesn't harden up. If it does and reheating doesn't help, add a little shortening to soften it up again. I used a spoon to roll the ball through the almond bark. It came out smoother than a bunch of other things I tried. I imagine it's easier if you use a stick. 

And, Here's the completed product!

I also wanted to make a quick drink that would be great in hot weather. I bought two packets of Kool-Aid that seemed like they'd be good together, and some ginger ale. 

The colors spread as the cubes melt and taste delicious! 

Happy 4th everyone! 

A Little Late, but an AMAZING Easter Cake

My mom is a genius. Today she made this guy from a picture she saw on Pinterest:

She used the picture from Pinterest (it goes to a dead link on Etsy)

 and the white cake recipe from here which she added food coloring to. Each recipe makes 1 9x9" pan, so she made 3 batches and split it between 4 pans. 

For the frosting she made a Lemonade Buttercream:

3 c. and 3 Tbsp. of confectioner's sugar

1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature

1/8 tsp. of salt

1 tsp. of lemon extract

This size of cake requires 2 1/2 batches of the frosting.

So if you're looking to make an Easter cake late this is a great, and beautiful, one!

Recipe: Easter Oreo Eggs

Ever wonder where I get my love of creating from? 

My mom! She made these guys and I just had to share the super easy 3 ingredient recipe:

You will need 

-1 Package of Oreos

- 8 oz. of cream cheese

-Chocolate dip (the kind you'd purchase at a craft store like Michaels)

- Combine Oreos with cream cheese. 

-Roll the mixture into an egg shape and chill

-Roll in the chocolate dip and let cool

-Add remaining chocolate dip into a ziplock bag. Cut off the corner and pipe dip in desired decorative shapes. 

-Sprinkle with colored sugar

-Have a happy Easter and eat a lot!

Quick Tip: How to Shred Chicken FAST

Again, not the most interesting topic in the world... But shredding chicken is a pain. Sitting there ripping apart chicken with forks or your fingers takes about thirty minutes to get two cups. I have several recipes that I love to make, but I don't make them as often because I hate to shred chicken!

Guess what I discovered.

-Start with defrosted boneless, skinless, chicken breast. 

-Toss them in the microwave for about 8-10 minutes for a pound of chicken to cook it quickly:

(looks gross huh?)

Now comes the fun part:

-Toss it in the bowl of your mixer (I have a Kitchen Aid. I have no idea if other mixers will do this as well. Sorry!).

-Use the flat beater to shred your chicken

-Turn it on. 

I like to lock it (on the right side) because the beater might move up in the beginning. 

-One minute later you have shredded chicken! One minute! I've lost hours of my life shredding chicken for no reason! 

This concludes today's quick tip. Enjoy!

Best Recipe EVER: Truffles

I'm known for a few things that I make really well. One of them is my truffles. The great thing about being known for making them well is that when people ask me to make them they're easy and only require two ingredients! Whipped cream and chocolate. I'm going to do the opposite of my norm and show you the after image first:

Ready to see how to make them?

Today I went to buy whipped cream and I had my choice of it in tiny cartons or a big carton of heavy cream. I had no idea what the difference was so I bought both. I googled it when I got home. There is a difference in milk fat content (or something like that), so make sure you buy whipped cream!

I used 2 cups of whipped cream and 2 pounds of chocolate. This made 80 good sized truffles. 

Buy good chocolate. I like Ghiradelli (and they're not paying me to say that!) 60% Cacao chips. Some people think they're a little too bitter. I mellow out the taste by doing 2 bags of my chips and 1 bag of semi-sweet.

 Most truffle recipes I've seen have a giant bar of chocolate that someone spends forever cutting up into tiny pieces. That's why I'm lazy and buy chips. I try to cut most of them in half. Once you've broken them up toss them into a bowl and set them aside.

 Now you're going to heat up your whipping cream. Heat it until it's just boiling. 

 Remove it from the heat and slowly pour it over your chocolate.

 Let the mixture sit (without stirring it) for 5 minutes. 

 This is what it looks like when you start to stir it.

Scary.

You'll begin to doubt me. You'll think you need way more chocolate because it doesn't even look like chocolate milk. 

Just keep stirring.

 After a few minutes it will look like this! If it's still lumpy you can fill up the bottom of your sink with hot water and put your bowl in it. This will heat up the chocolate enough to melt the lumps.

 You can put this in a shallower bowl if you want it to harden faster. I was working on a million things so I didn't care. 

Put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

 Once your chocolate has hardened find whatever it is that you want to coat the truffles with. I have done several different things. These are my favorites:

Powdered Sugar

Unsweetened Coco

Ground Chocolate 

Sprinkles

Colored Sugar

Cinnamon (I forgot that this time)

I'm sure you can use other things like coconut or something, but this is what I like!

 Get a mellon baller or something to scoop your chocolate with and bowls with anything you want to roll it in.

These guys are messy. I put them in my hands and roll them into balls and then roll them in the topping. Every so often your hands will get so chocolaty that you'll have to stop to wash them. The chocolate also goes soft after a little while and you might need to take refrigerator breaks if you don't work quickly.

I cover my cookie sheets with foil or wax paper. After I fill one up I stick it in the refrigerator to firm the truffles up.

I also buy lots of dorky stickers and chinese food boxes. People love to get them as gifts (or so they tell me!).

In fact, I've been making them for a few years:

Anyway... Back to today's truffles. 

Here they are! Beautiful huh?