Cake & Cookie Sandwich

I found a picture of a two layer cake & sandwiched inbetween the layers was cookie dough. A lightbulb went off & I thought, 'I can do that'! I simplified everything to make this take as little time as possible & still be able to WOW people. I'm taking this to a party tonight, so I can't show you what it looks like when it's cut until very late tonight or tomorrow.

Ingredients:
1 box of chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp milk
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
1 container of classic white icing

Follow the directions on the box to make the cake mix (this may require eggs, oil, etc. so be sure to look at the package before you leave the store). Use (2) 8-in round pans to make the cake.

As for the cookie dough middle, beat the butter, brown sugar, & sugar together. Once those are good & mixed, throw in the milk & vanilla. Beat until smooth. Slowly add the flour into the mix. You're done with the mixer! Toss in your chocolate chips & mix with a spoon.

Wait until both cakes are completely cool, then spread the cookie dough on top of one of the cakes. This cookie dough is more than enough for the cake, don't feel like you need to use it all... bake some cookies or better yet, save it for a snack here & there!

Now it's time to frost! I chose to dye my icing purple, but feel free to choose whatever colors you'd like. I always start with the sides, then move to the top. It gives me time to think of what decorations I want to do.

It's ok if the icing gets all over your cake plate, or in my case the carrier. Just use a wet paper towel to wipe around the eges of the cake. It will clean up nicely!

Check back for a picture or 2 of the cake when it's cut!

XX

School's Out For Summer

School's out for summer & I could not be more excited! I had two finals today, one of which I passed & the other, which thankfully doesn't count as an actual grade, I need to retake. As far as I'm concerned, it's summertime!
In case you were wondering how my teacher's retirement party went (I mentioned it in this post), it was flawless! My teacher was completely speechless. I have a few pictures to share with you.

She's a cute little old lady who was definitely ready to retire.
I'm assuming most of my class is celebrating becoming 75% RN by drinking, but that's not my style. Tonight I treated myself to toast slathered with Nutella.

I was going to torture you & show bite by bite pictures... I decided to be nice!
I have a treat for you tomorrow!

XX

Macaroni Salad

To celebrate my teacher's retirement, my class & I decided to throw her a surprise party. Everyone was asked to bring a dish & a couple bucks for a gift. For my dish, I thought I'd go to an old favorite- macaroni salad!

Ingredients:
1 lb elbow macaroni
2 cups mayo
1 large green pepper (chopped)
Dijon mustard (to taste, I used about 1/2 cup)
1 tbsp sugar (you may need more, depending on how sweet the mustard you use is)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Ready for the directions? Cook the macaroni per the directions on the box, drain & rinse with cold water. Mix everything together (it makes a terrible squishing sound, but the end result makes it worth it).
That's it!
Refrigerate for a few hours & give it a good taste test before serving. If it's too tart, add some sugar; if it's too sweet, add a little lemon juice or extra mustard.

I hope you find this as amazingly delicious as I do!

XO

Homemade Sushi

J has been on a real sushi kick lately & instead of going out, he thought he would make his own sushi for dinner. After many hours of rice preparation, they were ready to roll! Hubbs wanted crab, avocado & cucumber on one roll & he opted for jalapenos, cucumber & cream cheese on the other. He made me my own special (very non-Japanese) roll of jalapenos, cucumbers & cream cheese without the seaweed wrap.

My sushi roll (below)

J's sushi rolls (below)

The rolls were edible, but we were both a tiny bit disappointed. J was really expecting these to be amazing & taste like they do when they're made by people who have been making them for years (silly, I know!). I think from now on we'll be heading out whenever he gets his craving...

Have you ever made sushi? What did you put in it & how did it turn out?

xx

Picnic At The Lake

Hubbs & I decided to quickly pack a lunch & head to the lake for a picnic. We had some fun in the sun, but it was still waaaaaay too chilly to go for a swim.... or do anything without a sweater on!

All of the trees & flowers are beginning to bloom & the fresh air smells so good.
I hope your weekend has been as relaxing as mine!

xx

A Bridal Shower

I recently went to a bridal shower for someone who is marrying into the family.
I thought I'd share a few pictures of my hair, nails, clothes... & also a few from the shower.
The event ended with a dilemma, one for me & a bigger one for the bride.
One of her bridesmaids dropped out of the wedding (with only 2 months to go!) & the bride asked me to fill in.
First, I think you can guess as to how I feel about being asked to "fill in" & second I don't know the bride that well.
What would you have responded?

I did a loose braid across the front of my hair & pinned it down low, then my put my hair into a messy bun, unpinned my braid & tucked it into the bun. (& yes, I put makeup on eventually!)

I ventured away from my normally pink nails & spiced them up with a color called Unicorn by Sinful.

I wanted to be casual & comfortable. Not knowing how dressed up the bride & bridesmaids would be, I wanted to play it on the safe side.

Sweater: Express

Tank: Abercrombie & Fitch

Leggings: Maurices

Below is the gift I won during a game we played!

The food was delicious & the bride received so many gifts. Overall the shower was a success.

Now back to the dilemma. I told the bride to try to work it out with her friend. It's not that I don't want to be a part of her big day. I just really feel that if she wanted me to be in the wedding, she would have done so when she asked her other bridesmaids, not after someone dropped out at the last minute.

Like I said before, she's not someone I regularly see or know very well, so I don't feel bad about my decision. I do, however, feel upset for the bride about being down a bridesmaid.

My wedding day was perfection & I wish that for this bride too!

xx

Pasta Peperonata

Alright all you dieters, this one is for you...... & anyone else who wants to have a light, healthy meal.
As I mentioned before, my Grandmother recently passed away, & I have inherited her cookbooks.
A lot of the meals are full of calories (& deliciousness I'm sure), but some of them are on the lighter side, which is what I try to go for.
When I came across this pasta peperonata recipe I thought it was perfect for dinner last night!

Ingredients
3 sliced bell peppers, any color (I used 2 red & 1 green)
1-1/2 sliced onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried marjoram leaves
4 oz linguine, cooked
Grated Parmesan cheese

Start cooking your pasta however you like it. Slice up the peppers & onions.

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with a very thin layer of olive oil.
Turn the heat on to medium & wait until the pan is very hot.
Then place the peppers, onions, marjoram, basil, & garlic into the pan.
Cook until the veggies are soft & the onions are caramelized.

Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Spoon the pasta on to plates, then top with peperonata.
Add the Parmesan & garnish with a basil leaf (or 2).

While this doesn't taste like spaghetti sauce, it is very flavorful & passed J's taste-test. That means it has to be good...

Enjoy!

xx