Saturday, August 30, 2014

Flourless Brownies (Gluten Free)- Sweet Saturday

Hello everybody! I hope all of you are doing well and have had a good week! My week was great but the best is yet to come! Today my team ALABAMA is playing football against West Virginia so that is what has got me through the week! I am such a football junkie so the fact that college football season is here, makes me very very happy. This Monday is Labor day which results in a three day weekend holla!! Needless to say I am in a very good mood right now and have a lot of look forward too!
 
As a lot of you know! I am allergic to Gluten and I am lactose intolerant so finding desserts that I can eat is difficult. In the past I have shown some pretty complex gourmet cakes from scratch which is always enjoyable to me, however, on days like this where I am glued to the TV or just want something to munch on while I watch football, these are perfect. Not only are these delicious and taste just like brownies, but they satisfy all my allergy needs and sweet tooth. Because I was such in the football mood, I decided to frost the brownies like a football of course but you obviously don't have to do that. Enjoy!

 
Ingredients:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups almond meal or ground almonds
 
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Melt the chocolate and butter over low heat in a saucepan, stirring until smooth.
Take the pan off heat, mix in vanilla and sugar and let cool for a couple minutes.
Stir the eggs into the saucepan, then add the almond meal. The batter will be a little grainy but that's ok.
Pour batter into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool before serving.
 
What is your favorite thing to munch on during sports games? Comment down below or email me!
 
 
Hope you enjoyed and Roll Tide Roll!

 
Wednesday, August 27, 2014

If I Stay Book vs. Movie



Hello everybody! I hope all of you are doing well! Today I am going to be comparing the book and movie version of 'If I Stay' which recently came out in theaters! I have done this before with both The Fault in Our Stars (here) and Divergent (here). I picked up this book a couple days before I saw the trailer for the movie and was super excited to compare them together! I did a full review of just the book under the book list tab (here).
 
As always, the movie can never measure up to the perfection of the book, nor can it fit in all the small details we love in writing! I can say however, that the movie did a marvelous job portraying the mood and emotions of the characters from the text to the big screen. I am always super meticulous about small details and I wasn't the least bit disappointed.
 
The movie definitely focused just the right amount on the romance, family, and music which I thought was magnificent. I loved how spot on the character Adam was played because when I heard the book was becoming a movie I was praying they didn't turn Adam into a cheesy character and they didn't which made me super happy. They made him true to himself which was very evident in a lot of the scenes.
 
One thing I wish they had spent a little more time on however, was Mia's relationship with her best friend Kim. In the book you really come to love her too, but in the movie she is kind of just there, not really playing a vital role.
 
The family and the accident scene were both portrayed quite nicely and the characters were just how I pictured them. The ending of both the book and movie however, are just horrible because you demand more answers! 
 
I OF COURSE recommend reading the book first because you will definitely appreciate the movie more after doing so. In my opinion, this movie was.. dare I say it... better than The Fault in Our Stars movie because I just felt more in tact with the characters emotions like I did with the book.
 
By all means go see this movie after reading the book, and bring tissues... you will need them!
 
What did you think of the book or movie? Comment below or email me!
 
 
Hope you enjoyed, talk to you soon!

 
 

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Mississippi Mud Cupcakes (Gluten Free)- Sweet Saturday! + ALS Ice Bucket Challenge!

Hello everyone and welcome back to another Sweet Saturday! Today I am sharing a recipe for Mississippi Mud Cupcakes which are delicious to say the least. I definitely feel like I am running out of adjectives to describe these amazing recipes lately. Today, when I whipped up these little guys, I was so surprised at how little time it took to make them! These scrumptious desserts have a slight coffee taste with chunks of chocolate that melt the minute they touch your mouth. They are super gooey and pleasurable. Is your mouth watering yet? I left out the pecans of this recipe because I am typically not a fan of nuts but feel free to pop those right in if you desire! Enjoy!

 
Ingredients:
- 1 cup hot coffee
-3/4 cup lightly packed premium unsweetened cocoa
-2 cups of (gluten free) flour
- 2 cups of sugar
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon fine sea salt
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1 cup tasted pecans
-1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
-2 eggs
-1 cup of butter milk
-1/2 cup canola oil
-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
-Your choice of frosting or powdered sugar for the top

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a small, whisk the hot coffee into the cocoa. Set aside to cool.
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk the mixture together by hand and then add in the pecans and chocolate chips.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and cooled cocoa mix. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir the batter together.
Pour the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake tins. Bake for about 20 minutes and allow to cool for a while before frosting or adding the powdered sugar.
Serve and prepare for the guests to be impressed!

~ Side Note: I was challenged to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. ALS is a horrible disease and the Ice Bucket Challenge raises money and awareness for the cause. I challenge all of you to do it! ~



What types of recipes would you like to see in the future? Let me know in the comments or email me!
 
 
Hope you enjoyed! Talk to you soon!

 
 
 
Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Clinique 3 Step System- My Skincare Routine


 
I have found the perfect system for me and I have no doubt I love it and it works because I have been using it for 3 YEARS NOW!! Crazy right? That really goes to show how much I love my routine. I use the Clinique 3 Step System because it is custom to your skin type, very powerful and kills any little blemish before it is really there, and at the same time is gentle on the skin. I have been, like I said, using this for three years so it's no secret that I am a fan and this is what started my obsession with Clinique. I have pretty clear skin considering I am a fifteen year old teenager and for the most part, when I do this routine atleast once, sometimes twice a day, my skin stays looking clean, clear, and healthy! I have nothing else to say other than, I know it can be pricey but it is 100% WORTH IT!! Your skin wont become used to it either and quit working (obviously because I have been using mine so long... if my skin doesn't get used to it after this long I don't know if it ever will!) Definitely give it a shot and have the ladies that work at the Clinique counter near you, help determine your skin type and what you need! I have never looked back and thanks to Clinique I love my skin!
 
What is your favorite skin care brand? Let me know by commenting down below, or email me!
 
 
Talk to you soon! Hope you enjoyed!

 
Monday, August 18, 2014

Coming After Christ- Weekly Devotion

 
Hello everybody! I hope all of you are doing well. Today I am sharing a devotion that touches on a subject that I have been thinking about recently.
People often compare a relationship with Jesus to a relationship with a friend of a parent-child relationship or even a love-hate relationship, but you never really hear pastors or anyone compare it to a romantic relationship. This sounds quite strange I know but recently I have been thinking; how many more people would know about my great God if I talked about him as much as us girls talk about our relationships with other boys. 
I all the time listen to girls or guys talk about the amazing time they had with their boyfriend or girlfriend the other night as they show pictures, brag, and rave on about how amazing they are. I wonder sometimes what would change if we Christians started talking in class about the GREAT time we had in our devotions chatting with God the other day, or if we raved about how amazing and sweet God is! What do you think would happen? I think that we would see a lot more people curious about this God fella' we talk about.
However, if we don't talk about him or rave about how awesome he is, do you think people are going to think we love him? No, probably not! 
Most likely, when you start a relationship with your boyfriend ladies, or girlfriend guys, you want everyone to know. If you don't talk about it, how are people going to know you are dating? How are people going to know how crazy you to are about each other? This could easily be applied to our relationship with Christ.
 
What is the craziest thing you have done for someone you liked, had a crush on, or someone you loved? I bet a lot of you could name some pretty crazy things you did all for the person you loved because you simply were just in love with them. Sometimes I think about the weird crazy things I have done to get a boys attention that I likeband than try and think about the crazy things I have done because I love Christ. I mean to be honest, if I had a boy I liked or was dating in one of my classes at school I wouldn't be missing that class for any ole reason because I probably really wanted to see him, however, I go to bed past 11 and I wake up and might make the whole "I'm tired" thing an excuse for not going to church early that morning. Now that isn't a deep deep love now is it? Now think of the crazy extent Jesus went to because he was just so crazy in love with you. He had thorns put through his head, he carried the cross which is no easy 5lb lift on his back for miles, had nails put through his hands a feet, was beaten, made fun of, spit on, and killed, all because he was mad in love with you and wanted to give you the best gift he could give; forgiveness.
 
I don't know about you, but until recently, I never really put it into perspective that way. I never really thought about comparing my relationship with God to a romantic relationship. It does work however, because I now know that there is a guy that went through such a horrible horrible death, because he was crazy about me. He was, and still is, madly in love with me, and all he is asking for is a little of my time. Jesus just wants to talk to me and spend time with me and you.
 
Whenever you feel that you aren't loved remember what Jesus went through for you. If you have any thoughts feel free to comment down below or email me!
 
 
I hope y'all enjoyed! Talk to you soon!
 

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Lemon Steamliner Cake (Gluten Free) - Sweet Saturday

Hi everybody and welcome back to another Sweet Saturday! I haven't blogged in about a week and I apologize! This week was my first week back at school (so yes, that means I did survive) and I have taken a little time to adjust to my new schedule and all! I am back in action now though and ready to write write write! I have some fun posts planned for this week so get ready!
 
Today I am showing you how to make a Lemon cake I made! My mouth starts watering just thinking of the amazing flavors of this cake! This is truly a great treat! I am usually not a huge fan of Lemon and I was licking my plate! I made some adjustments to the recipe so that will be what is in the Ingredients and Directions below! I recommend making the lemon custard first because that does have to set in the refrigerator for about 2 hours! If you aren't as fond of the Lemon flavor and want to use a say buttercream frosting on top instead, feel free. The cake part has a hint of lemon but the majority of it comes from the custard! My family and I really enjoyed this cake and I will definitely have to bake it again!

 
Custard Ingredients:
-Grated zest of 2 lemons
-3/4 cup whole milk
-1/2 cup sugar
-4 egg yolks
-1/2 teaspoon  fine sea salt
-2 tablespoons cornstarch
-1/2 cup lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
-1/2 cup butter
 
Custard Directions:
Combine the lemon zest, milk, and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until just hot.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, thoroughly whisk together the egg yolks, the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and the salt until well combined, then whisk in the cornstarch, then the lemon juice.
Slowly whisk a third of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk and cook over medium low heat, whisking steadily, until the custard begins to thicken and bubble for 1 minute.
Pour the custard into a clean bowl and stir in the butter until it has melted.
Place a piece of cling wrap around the bowl and let it cool and set in the fridge for 2 hours.
 
Cake Ingredients:
-1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
-3/4 cup sugar
-3 tablespoons canola oil
-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
-3 eggs
-2/3 cup buttermilk (I cant have milk so instead, I poured a little bit of lemon juice into the mixture and about 2/3 cups coffee creamer)
 
Cake Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
To make the cake, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then whisk the mixture.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, canola oil, and vanilla on low speed until blended; gradually increase the speed to high and cream until very light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.
Blend in the eggs one at a time.
With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in alternating with the buttermilk.
Spread the batter in the pan evenly and place in the oven for about 40-45 minutes until it is a nice golden brown color.
Spread the lemon custard on top of the cake after the cake has cooled for at least 30 minutes.
Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve and be prepared for a lot of praise because this cake is sure not to disappoint!
 
What is your favorite dessert? Let me know by commenting down below or emailing me!
 
 
I hope you enjoyed! Talk to you later!

 
Saturday, August 9, 2014

Vanilla Muddy Buddies Gluten Free ~ Sweet Saturday

Hello everyone! How are y'all doing? For todays Sweet Saturday I thought I would make something a tad bit more simple than recent ones. With school starting back we are all going to be really busy and when we want a quick simple dessert to eat while at school, we don't have time to make a gourmet cake. Many of you have heard of Muddy Buddies and I am sure a lot of you haven't! Some of you may know them as "Puppy Chow" as that is what I have always known them as! This is a great snack you can munch on in class without making a mess and still satisfies your sweet tooth!
 
 
 
Ingredients:
9 cups Vanilla Chex cereal
1 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
 
Directions:
1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside
2. In a microwavable bowl, microwave chips and butter uncovered on High for 1 minute; stir and microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resalable food storage plastic bag.
3. Add powdered sugar; seal bag. Shake until well-coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
 
That is it! Your are then done with your little treat and you can bring it to school or wherever you want a sweet little treat to munch on! Enjoy!
 
Let me know if you try this recipe by commenting down below! Feel free to email me about anything as well!
 
 
Hope you enjoyed! Talk to you soon!

 
Friday, August 8, 2014

Back To School Personalized Supplies Haul

I don't know if y'all know this about me but I am a huge monogram junkie! Nothing solid colored goes un-monogramed! You name it, I have it monogramed! Something about it I love and even though it is partially depressing that school time is rolling around again, I do look forward to getting some super cute school supplies and getting organized! Today I am going to be sharing with y'all what school supplies I decided to pick up and give you some ideas possibly!
 
 
I obviously took my Jansport backpack to be monogramed at a shop near me but you can also look on Etsy for monogramed backpacks already done, however, I really like the way my turned out. I had my initials done in navy so that it would match my blue and navy lunch box from Marshalls. This is a super quick and easy way to have your backpack and lunch box match without having it look too matchy matchy if that bothers you.
 
I also inserted monogram binder covers in the front of my binders which you can see in the picture. This was very complicated which is why my best friend basically had to do it all for me. You basically have to play around with powerpoint to do it or you could always find websites that make them for you as well.
 
I of course had to buy a Lilly Pulitzer Agenda because since the planners they give us at school are way to small for my big chunky hand writing, I like to have my own. The Lilly Pulitzer agendas are super similar to the Vera Bradley ones as well so if you like those patterns more than I recommend those. I find both adorable and I find them SO handy! I may have bought some matching highlighters to go with that agenda also!
 
The '#craycray' notebook is from staples! I knew I had to have it when I saw it because cray cray is a phrase I happen to use way to often so that was just a miscellaneous must!
 
What are your back to school must haves? Let me know by commenting down below or sending me an email!
 
 
I hope y'all enjoyed and I look forward to more Back to School posts! Talk to you soon!
 

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Divergent Book vs. Movie

 
Hi guys! How are y'all doing? I know I am super late hopping on the Divergent bandwagon, but I finally decided I would give this book a shot. I did a full review of the book under the 'Book List' tab (here) but today I am going to be comparing the book to the movie similar to what I did with the book 'The Fault In Our Stars' (here).
 
I read this book in about 4 days so obviously I was pretty hooked. The book had great details and you almost start to reciprocate the feelings the characters have because the writer does such a good job describing how they are feeling! You really start to love or hate certain characters. This is something I felt was lost in the movie. Though I love the people who played the characters (can we just talk about Theo James though..), and they looked a lot how I pictured them, I feel as though a lot of the details in each characters story was lost. Had I not read the book first, I definitely don't think I would have really understood the point of a lot of the different characters in the movie.
 
As far as the events of the story go, once again I prefer the book over the movie. The movie had some very neat and intense scenes but they felt rather rushed after you read about them in so much detail in the book. Also, I feel as though a lot of the key events that lead to certain consequences weren't present in the movie like they were in the book kind of leaving you confused at the movie.
 
Overall, I would say that you will enjoy the movie because the characters are great and it really is a cool story line (trailer here). However, if you have read the book (here), the movie will just continue to drive you crazy with all the missing details we all loved in the book. I recommend definitely reading the book first though because you will understand what is happening in the movie more after doing so.
 
Don't forget to check out the book review on its own under the 'Book List' tab here on the blog and let me know if you read the book or watch the movie by commenting down below! Feel free to email me about anything as well!
 
 
Hope y'all enjoyed! Talk to you soon!
 

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Goober Cake Gluten Free | Sweet Saturday!

Hi everybody and welcome back to Sweet Saturday! I haven't done one of these in a while and I apologize. Since I was out and about traveling I didn't have the opportunity to bake as much. Now that I am back however, I have some GREAT recipes coming your way.
 
This cake is definitely one of the better ones I have made and my family agrees, however you may want to invest in a gym membership after eating a slice or two. This cake is super rich and delicious but not very calorie friendly so I don't suggest eating this very often though it is very possible :)
 
A little warning; this cake takes a VERY long time to make at least in my experience so I would block out a pretty good chunk of time to do nothing but focus and enjoy baking this cake.
 
Overall though, I think that if you love peanut butter and chocolate you will without a doubt adore this cake. I made it with gluten free flour but if you don't have an allergy feel free to use regular flour!
 

 
Goober Cake Ingredients
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
Chocolate Ganache (recipe below)
Peanut Butter Frosting (recipe below)
 
 
Goober Cake Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then whisk the mixture by hand to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the brown sugar and the butter on medium until they are a smooth paste. With the mixer on low speed, drizzle the oil and the vanilla into the bowl until well combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and cream the mixture until it is fluffy, about 5 minutes. Blend in the peanut butter on low speed. Blend in the eggs on at a time. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. Stop the mixer before the last of the flour has been incorporated and complete the blending by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure you do not overbeat the batter.
Divide the batter evenly into three sections and smooth the tops. Bake in the over until the cakes are golden and firm and have small cracks forming on top, 28 to 32 minutes.
Remove the cakes from the oven and promptly run a thin knife around the edges of the pans to help the cakes retract evenly from the sides. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Flip the cakes out of the pans. Let the cakes continue to cool on the rack, top side up, until they reach room temperature.
To assemble the cake, place one cake on a flat plate, top side up. Using about on third of the ganache, spread a thin layer onto the top of the cake. If the ganache is warm, pop the cake in the refrigerator to let the ganache firm up before you proceed. Next, spread a third of the peanut butter frosting over the ganache. Place the second cake on top of the frosted cake, also top side up. Cover it with a thin layer of ganache and a third of the peanut butter frosting as you did with the bottom layer. Top with the third cake and do the same with the ganache and peanut butter frosting.
This cake keeps up to 3 days at cool room temperature.
 
 
 
Chocolate Ganache Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
 
Chocolate Ganache Directions
Measure the chocolate into a small heat- resistant bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the cream begins to simmer, quickly remove the pot from the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Swirl the bowl to ensure that all the chocolate is coated with the hot cream.
Cover the bowl with a lid to trap the heat, and let it rest for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and begin the slowly whisk the mixture until you have a smooth glossy frosting.
Leave the ganache in the refrigerator for about an hour stirring every 10 minutes until it stiffens to a spreading consistency.
 
 
 
Peanut Butter Frosting Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
 
Peanut Butter Frosting Directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the confectioners sugar, cream, and vanilla and continue beating until the frosting is light and creamy about 3 minutes.
 
 
I hope you all enjoyed this recipe! Let me know if you try it out by commenting down below or sending me an email!
 
 
Talk to you all very soon!