Heath Toffee Cookies

I made these yummy cookies for a bakesale a few weeks ago and basically only used what I had in the pantry. They're semi-healthy with the wheat flour and margerine (or so I tell myself). I wish I took pictures, but they're much better tasting than they look. In fact, they were DELICIOUS!

1 1/2 c. sifted white wheat flour, minus 3 TBL
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. margarine (I used Parkay)
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3c. toffee bits (1 package)

1. Combine flour, soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream margerine and add sugar, egg, and vanilla. Mix until smooth and creamy and stir in dry ingredients.
3. Blend in candy.
4. Drop 2 inch apart onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Makes approximately 3 dozen

Tangerine Chiffon Cake

When I was home for Easter a few weekends ago, we had over my best friend's family for dinner. We had a very spring-like menu for dinner and when I was put in charge of dessert, I wanted to do something light and airy. I've always liked the way a chiffon cake sounds, I guess because I love the fabric. This Tangerine Chiffon Cake I made was delicious - flavorful because of all the zest, moist and light. I also attempted to make the candy flowers they suggested to go on top. They looked cute on the cake, but I don't think I'll make them again - they were much harder to do than I thought!

**Also, enter my Orient Watch Giveaway and Petit Rococo Giveaway!

Guest Post: Sarah Bimmel

Raspberry Lemon Pudding Cake

When spring arrives, I tend to want lemons and berries all the time. Well, that's a lie—I don't want actual lemons. Straight-up, they're a bit too sour for me. What I really want are lemon desserts that are light and pillowy and preferably come with berries. When those desserts include include pudding, so much the better. Am I right?!

That’s why I adore this recipe for lemon pudding cake. It’s never failed me, and I’ve made it many, many times—it can be whipped up in less than a half hour, and it’s divinely delicious whether warm or cold. Plus, it’s perfectly suited for any kind of accompaniment. If you don’t have raspberries, try blackberries or blueberries. No berries at all? No worries; just stick on a dollop of whipped cream and some lemon zest along with the confectioners’ sugar. You can’t go wrong! The cake makes four giant servings or five to six more moderate portions.

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Ingredients

1/4 c. flour

2/3 c. + 1/4 c. sugar, separated

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 c. buttermilk

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1/4. c. fresh lemon juice

2 T. melted butter

2 large egg yolks

3 large egg whites

1 1/2 c. raspberries

Confectioners’ sugar
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Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius), and spray an 8-inch square baking pan or similarly sized soufflé pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the flour with the 2/3 c. sugar, the salt, and the nutmeg. Add the buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth.
Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they are foamy. Add the 1/4 c. sugar to the whites, one tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg-white mixture into the buttermilk mixture, just until combined.
Finally, fold in the berries, reserving a scant 1/2 c. to scatter on top of the cake. Pour the batter into the baking pan, and place the pan in large casserole dish that is filled with 1 inch of hot water. Bake the cake for 35 minutes or until it springs back lightly when touched. To serve, sprinkle on the berries and sift the confectioners’ sugar over them. It might be simple but it’s a beautiful spring treat!

This post was contributed by Sara Bimmel, who equitably divides her time between baking and writing about Halloween costumes over at StarCostumes.com

Sash-a Fierce

I just bought The Sash from American Apparel in Mint Green. Two of my friends had it in pink and dark purple, so I saw how much versatility this little sash had. I hate being a copycat, but with all the colors it comes in and all the different ways you can wear it - it can transform countless outfits into something new. I don't think we will ever wear it with the same thing or style it the same way, which is the beauty of The Sash :)

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Also, my Orient Watch Giveaway ends Sunday 11:59 pm - enter now!

In My Place

My roommate and I decided to move into another dorm together - our close friend's - because her roommates had transferred. So now we each have our own room, un-lofted beds, and an unbelievable view of King St. and the beautiful bridge (those pics to come...). Moving also meant a new bed size,a full, and more wall space to be decorated. I ordered this reversible quilt from UO.

For above my bed, I got this paper towel roll art idea from Design Sponge. It was free to make and only involved toilet paper/paper towel rolls, scissors and a stapler! I thought it went well with the leaf motif of the quilt.

...and my closet: uber organized and never closed (I want it to be like a California Closet haha)

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ALSO, you have until this Thursday night 11:59 pm to enter my Jewels of Denial Giveaway!

Check out the other rings they have too!

Mixology

I'm always interested in the "new" trendy nail polish color, so when I saw this Taupe Nails post over at WhoWhatWear, I knew it was something I wanted to try. I couldn't find a taupe in stores (but I am nowhere near an ULTA) so I decided to mix up some colors I already had: brown, white and a little yellow. I mixed it up on a piece of tin foil and painted my nails with the brown brush. As a tip, only make enough color for the first coat because it will get tacky between coats. You can easily match up the 2nd batch of color. I'm quite proud of my resourcefulness ;)

Also, don't forget to enter my Jewels of Denial Enamel Ring Giveaway! It ends Thursday! Check out more cool rings they have!

Ruffles

I made this cake over winter break and was inspired by fall leaves. I took my piping bag and put a dollop of yellow and orange in there at the same time and came out with this effect. It has a cool ombre effect to it. I topped the cake off with yellow and gold edible glitter (my signature touch to every cake - edible glitter!). I think the 2 color icing idea would work good on cupcakes as well, just don't do contrasting colors, like blue and orange because you will get an ugly brown color! Happy decorating: )

Peppermint Party

Here are some pictures from the Christmas dessert party I had the other night. It had a peppermint color theme and was inspired by Amy Atlas' dessertscapes.

I made my usual yellow cake with cream cheese icing covered in candy. I bought the huge lollipops on either side of the cake at Target, stuck it in Styrofoam and tucked red cellophane wrap all around it so you couldn't see it through the glass.

These huge tissue fans can be found at partycheap.com

^ Party or not, every year I make homemade gingerbread with royal icing.

To rim these cups filled with eggnog, I lightly dipped the rim of the cup in light corn syrup and then dipped it in a bowl of sugar sprinkles and let dry overnight.

The chain on the table cloth is actually stapled candy canes. Click to see a larger picture.

Peppermint bark!

Overall, it was a very successful party with family and friends - I love when people linger till 1am , it means they're having a good time :)

I wish all of you a very happy Christmas, I am leaving town tomorrow to visit family but will resume blogging again on Sunday. here is my final Christmas playlist of the season:

.1. The Winter Solstice – Sufjan Stevens
2. Snow Angel – Tori Amos
3. Winter Wonderland – Kate Havnevik
4. The Blizzard of ’96 – The Walkmen
5. I Celebrate the Day – Relient K
6. The Heartache Can Wait – Brandi Carlile
7. Wish You Well – A Fine Frenzy
8. White Christmas – Bing Crosby
9. Interlude – Joshua James
10. Let It Snow – Diana Krall

Kiddie Kit

As imperfect and juvenile this may look, my best friends and I made this gingerbread house last Christmas using one of those kits. I feel that as I get older and older the spirit and excitement of Christmas is becoming less and less. As a kid I was carefree, had no gifts to buy and believed in Santa. Now around the holidays I am taking finals, shopping for gifts and working at the bakery. So i try and do things like this to put a little joy and nostalgia into the season, like how its supposed to be :) I wish this time of year lasted longer than a month so I could actually relax and enjoy it - oh well, must make the best of it!
I must say the ice skaters are a nice touch ;)

Inspiration Board

I am finally doing the inspiration board post that little boat tagged me in. This is the bulletin board in my room at home consisting of magazine cutouts, tags I like and other little trinkets. See if you can spot these on my board:

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Eye: I LOVE eyes. I draw them constantly when I'm doodling in class. Kinda creepy, but I just freaking love eyes!

Mask: The invite to my Masquerade themed senior prom.

A baby: I love cute chubby babies. Their roundness just makes me smile.

Keira Knightley: Always one of my favorite actresses and she is my #1 red carpet style icon. No one can compare.

Jenny Lewis: If you have read my blog for a while, you will know that I am obsessed with her and her music. She is a rock goddess.

Cupcakes: Its my job and a love of mine to make and decorate these.

Italy: Reminds me of my memorable, beautiful trip there.

Target Tags: Also, I obsess about Target a lot on Modern Marie, especially their designer collaborations. Tags are usually pretty and are the closest thing I will ever get to designer clothes, so I save them :)

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What is on your inspiration bulletin board?

Ready, Set, Carve!

Don't forget to carve a pumpkin and roast the seeds!

Spider(wo)man

Can fashion inspire food?

When I was asked to make a Halloween cake, I was bored with the idea of the typical pumpkin, orange and black theme. Instead that inspired me was the Rodarte FW08 collection. Rodarte always impresses me with their ethereal, lookslikeafairymadeit clothes. This collection in particular looks like a bunch of fashionable spiders all got together and spun these red and black dresses and tights.

To make the spiderwebs, I melted chocolate, put it in a Ziploc back, snipped off the end and made spiderwebs onto wax paper. Before they dried, I sprinkled big clear crystals on them.

P.S. I Made This

I LOVE a good DIY - that's why P.S. I Made This is my new favorite blog! It teaches you how to make runway inspired accessories and clothes, as well as some really funky home decor. All the DIY's are relatively easy (love the pictured instructions!) and inexpensive to make. I cant wait to try some out and tell people "P.S. I Made This."

:)

Ants Go Marching

I made this cake at for a picnic last year celebrating the end of summer for my friends and me.

The ants are chocolate chips and melted drizzled chocolate for the legs.

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QUESTION: I want to try a new mascara (from the drugstore). I have used Maybelline XXL, Covergirl Lash Blast, and CG Eye Exact. What's your favorite inexpensive mascara?

Cheetah Girl

I was inspired by March's Teen Vogue editorial to do a funky cheetah/leopard print on my nails ( I cant ever tell the difference lol).

I painted my nails first with OPI Gargantuan Green Grape - 2 coats and let completely dry. Then I put orange imperfect dots and let dry. After I took one of those new Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens in black and added more dots (you could use a sharpie too). Topped it all of in OPI Rapidry Top Coat :)

Cant wait to try the other ideas in the editorial! Stay Tuned ;)

Music Search

It is a common question asked by bloggers about how I find and discover all this music that I feature on my blog. A lot of it has to do with mix cds my bestie gives me or songs my high school dance teacher played, but my main source is New Music Tuesdays on itunes. It is a little weekly ritual of mine to go open up the itunes store every Tuesday morning. Depending on the week and how much cool stuff comes out determines how much time is spent doing this (it could be up to an hour - whoops!). If you want to start discovering new music, follow these steps:

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1. Go though all the pages of the "New and Noteworthy" (usually like 4) and listen to artists you have heard of, whose name sounds interesting, or who has cool album art (I am a sucker for packaging). Sometimes you just need to listen to one song to know you don't like them.

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2. Look though the "What's Hot", "Indies" and "What Were Listening" to categories too.

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3. Always get the free singles every week - they have had some great ones like Lily Allen, The Fray, Amy Winehouse, etc. By the time these people got popular on the radio, I had already owned and loved the song. A lot of these singles are under the radar and are about to make it big. Just delete it if you don't like it - its free after all. Even download the latino single too, because even though I cant understand it, they still sometimes sound cool!

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4. The "Genius" (just for you) application is great too - look and preview through some of that. Also check out "My Alerts" to see if any of the artists you have purchased from out out any new music.

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5. Basically even if you never heard of the band and they look interesting, still check them out. You will most probs be pleasantly surprised.

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6. And since I can't spend 100.00 a week on itunes, I write down names of artists in a notebook (its now like 15 pages) to go back and look up when you want some good music. OR... you can create a playlist on your itunes called"wish list" or "to buy" and drag and add the songs you discovered at the store but cant buy yet or are still pondering to buy. It will stay forever in your playlist until you are ready to purchase the song. It keeps my wish list MUCH more organized!!

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7. Before you pay $10 for an album on itunes or the new $1.29 price for a single song, look it up at the amazon MP3 store. Cd's there have the same quality but are usually a few dollars cheaper and all their songs are .99. Those mp3 also automatically start downloading into your itunes library - its soooo easy!

Hope some of these tips help - HAPPY HUNTING!!

Baked Sushi

This is the "Sushi Cake" I made for my mom on her birthday (its actually Chunky Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - note: Instead of putting in in a 9X13, I put it in two 9 inch round pans - but you could do any flavor cake) because our family looooves sushi and I didnt feel like making the real stuff :)

The "sushi" part is actually homemade rice krispies treats formed with various candies and grape fruit leather. I just sort of played around with it - it was fun and pretty easy to make! There are tons of recipes and tutorials online - I didn't follow any one in particular but I just read a lot of them and went from there; Google "Candy Sushi". One batch of homemade rice krispies from the box makes a lot of "rice" for some trial and error.

I asked the sushi chef at my grocery store to give me some of those grass liners they put in the to go sushi boxes to go around the sides of the cake.

Swedish fish, gummy worms, orange jelly beans.

I recommend heating up the fruit leather (the seaweed) in the microwave a little before rolling it out, it makes it more pliable.

and to go with this whole sushi post, a Japanese themed playlist:

1. Sushi – Kyle Andrews
2. Life in Technicolor - Coldplay
3. Love Letter to Japan – The Bird and the Bee
4. Mock Origami – Matthew and the Arrogant Sea
5. Electric Feel - MGMT
6. Konichiwa Bitches - Robyn
7. Candyland - Cocorosie
8. Kaze Wo Atsumete – Happy End
9. Strawberry Swing – Coldplay
10. Tokyo – Telekinesis
11. Touch of My Hand – Britney Spears
12. Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love – Coldplay