Was that long enough?!

Ummmmm wow!

Sorry I didn't realize almost 2 years had gone by since I did a blog post!  Did you miss me??  Well I miss you guys!

So today's post will be a mash up of sorts...

I've done some really neat things from redecorating my apartment, to learning the addicting art of making cheesecake, to finding easy ways to "fast soften" dry beans for soups and chilis!

Which one would you like to hear first?? Cheesecake?? Yea, I thought that one too... =)

Here are some of my most recent cheesecakes...

Raspberry Dark Chocolate

Wildberry

Inside of the Wildberry

I kind of went on a cheesecake making frenzy...and then I went on a fast. Talk about ROUGH! So before my fast, I had to go out with a BANG!!

PRESENTING...THE TURTLE CHEESECAKE

Turtle Cheesecake

This cheesecake is layers of chocolate graham, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, pecans, cheesecake batter, more chocolate, more caramel, and nut topping drizzled with caramel and chocolate!

Watch the video below...

How YUMMY does this look?!  My mouth is watering RIGHT NOW! I want another piece sooooooooooooo bad!!

I'm terrible at writing recipes but you need to know this one! *recipe below*

9 in spring form pan
2 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker or graham cracker crumbs
5 tbsp butter
4 oz Ghiradelli chocolate squares
3 8oz block of cream cheese (I like Philadelphia)
1 cup of sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon juice
Hot Fudge Sundae topping
Caramel Sundae topping
2 small bags of pecan pieces
1 small bag of nut topping

To make:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Pour your graham cracker crumbs into a mixing bowl
3. In a measuring cups, melt butter and chocolate squares together in the microwave
4. Stir until you have a liquid chocolate
5. Add the chocolate/butter mixture to the graham cracker crumbs until all of the graham cracker is completely saturated. If you need to add more butter, do so here
6. Press the graham cracker crust into your springform pan, going up the sides (here you may want to line to bottom of your spring form with a piece of parchment paper. Just put the sheet of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan alone. Then add the sides of the spring form, pressing tightly against the parchment paper for a tight fit...or you can just suffer with a messy pan!)
7. Next, pour in enough hot fudge sundae topping...DO NOT HEAT IT UP! This is very important... It will get warm in the oven, so you don't want it any warmer, or it will be runny
8. Then add caramel sundae topping. Same thing, don't heat it up.
9. Sprinkle your pecan pieces on top of the caramel.  Depending how much you like pecan, you can sprinkle 1 bag or both
10. In your mixer, add all of your cream cheese and the sugar
11. Beat with your flat beater on low until it is a creamy consistency
12. Next, add your eggs, one at a time, completely incorporating one egg before adding the other.
13. Then add your lemon juice
14. Add the vanilla
15. Beat on low until all ingredients are completely incorportated... DO NOT OVER BEAT. Your cheesecake batter will be really runny and you will have to start over.
16. Pour the cheesecake batter over the hot fudge/caramel/nut layer. Make sure it is completely smooth on top
17. Take your hot fudge topping and dollop a few spoonfuls onto the top of the cheesecake, using the spoon to guide some of the chocolate down into the batter
18. Do the same with the caramel
19. Take a knife and swirl the hot fudge and the caramel into a pattern of your choosing
20. Sprinkle nut topping around the edge of the cheesecake
21. Bake for 35 minutes. Check the cheesecake at the end of bake time. If it jiggles in the center but has a firm skin on top, it is done. DO NOT OVER BAKE
22. Take the cheesecake from the oven a place on a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes
23. After 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge of the pan to release the sides. Allow the cheesecake to cool on the wire rack for another hour. After that, wrap in plastic wrap (still not removing it from the pan) and allow to cool for 12-15 hours before serving.

To serve:

1. Release the sides of the springform pan
2. If you decided to line your pan with parchment paper, slowly lift the cheesecake and place it on your presentation dish.  Use a sharp point knife to cut the excess paper away. If you didn't cover your pan bottom, just serve straight from the bottom. Do not try to lift.
3. Warm up your hot fudge and caramel and drizzle over the top.
4. Use a smooth knife to cut and serve

I hope you enjoy this yummy cheesecake.  Leave comments below and let me know how it was!

Hiatus...cause everyone needs one! =)

So hello Blog world!

I know. I've been gone since, like, THANKSGIVING!  Please try not to kill me...

I have been rather productive in my months off.  Since I've been gone, I did some super crafty treats compliments of Pinterest for Christmas, I've made Christmas cupcakes as Christmas gifts for friends, and I've started a cupcake business titled none other than...The Ivory Cupcake!

Stay tuned for back logged posts to keep you updated on all my fun over the last few months!

DIY post... Cause I'm bored!

     Sooooo I was sitting at work around 4:30 a.m., completely bored out of my mind! I had to find something to keep my mind jumping back and forth so I can stay up until 7:15 (a.m. that is) but I was completely unsure of what!!!

     So I decided to surf a few DIY/Crafty blogs... at first I wasn't really interested because I didn't know what I was looking to create. But after surfing Pinterest for about an hour, I found something completely interesting.

     I love scarves and always have.  But this new interesting scarf that I can't wrap my head around is this infinity scarf! I mean, I absolutely LOVE IT! Whoever thought of it is GENIUS! I bought one from Old Navy this past weekend during their Black Friday sale and was talking about them to one of my church member when I mentioned to her that I had run across a blog (My World Made by Hand) that featured the "No Sew Infinity Scarf" made from a t-shirt!

     Well I sent the link to her so she and her girls could have a blast making them and thought, "Why don't I just get a little more in depth with this thing."

     So I surfed more and discovered, there are TONS of people who have their own variation of this "no sew" infinity scarf! Over at the CAFBlog (I can't write the whole name cause my mom reads my blog! lol) she put an spin on it by cutting the shirt in strips and then weaving them together with another piece of fabric.

     At Harmonic Mama, she did a quick and dirty and her scarf still came out simple and gorgeous in 5 minutes! Way to accessorize on the way out the door!!!

     I can't wait to try my hand at these super simple and super easy infinity scarves...who know, maybe theyre will be a few Christmas presents out of it! http://harmonicmama.com/2011/10/super-simple-5-minute-no-sew-infinity-scarf/

Giving Thanks...a few days late!

Happy Turkey Day everyone!!

I must say, I think I was worrying for no reason!  I was under a lot of pressure for this Thanksgiving dinner to go off without a hitch.

I was originally making a peach cobbler, hanging out at my mom's house and then going to visit my in-laws all before going Black Friday shopping with my sister.  About 3 days ago, though, I found out I was making a full Thanksgiving dinner, with all the trimmings and hosting dinner at my house!  Well with a little encouragement from my sweet husband and a little assistance from my mom, I pulled off MY FIRST THANKSGIVING DINNER!! =)

My menu for Thanksgiving:

Turkey

Dressing

Mac n Cheese

Yams

Green Beans

Corn

and Peach Cobbler

Looks good right?! AND there were NO ER casualties! 

But what felt the best is how proud of me my mom was and the praises I got from my husband.

Not to be cliche, I would like to list the things that I am thankful for:

1. I am thankful for my faith, because without it, I have no idea where I'd be.
2. I am thankful for my mother, because without her, I have no idea who I'd be.
3. I am thankful for my husband, because without his love, I have no idea what kind of person I would've become.
4. I am thankful for my family.
5. I am thankful for wonderful friends.
6. I am thankful for a roof over my head.
7. I am thankful for transportation.
8. I am thankful for employment.
9. I am thankful for my supporters.

I am just simply thankful.

In the meantime, I think I'll pat myself on the back for now....

AGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

You ever just want to scream?? No I mean like, REALLY SCREAM?!  Like Macaulay Culkin HOME ALONE Scream?! Well, thanks to Thanksgiving being tomorrow, that is me...RIGHT NOW!

I was in my own little world, minding my own little business for Thanksgiving and only making a peach cobbler. Now folks, I AM MAKING AN ENTIRE THANKSGIVING DINNER! Turkey and all! I don't know how to make a turkey! I don't really know how to cook! I just fake it really well until I get good at it! Lol.

Well now, I'm cooking dinner for myself, my husband, my mom and dad, and my sweet niece Rebecca... WISH ME LUCK!



I apologize in advance for any ER casualties... =)

Another DIVA post!! (Step-by-Step to my favorite 30 min self-manicure)

As I mentioned in my first post, I love all things fashion related!  I love hair and make-up and clothes and shoes and everything that makes you feel pretty!

I was feeling funky this go around so I decided to mix it up a little.

I used some Sinful Colors again that I got at Walgreens along with some of my favorite O.P.I. products.  I like the Sinful Colors because they are cheap and are O.P.I. quality.


SO LET'S HOP IN!

So first you need to take of any existing polish and wash your hands.  Next, shape and file the nails and use a cuticle oil around the backs of your nail beds to nourish them.  I like AVOPLEX by O.P.I.

Then apply a layer of OPI Chip Skip.  I LIVE by this stuff! It really helps the longevity of my manicures.

Next, use a nail hardener before the base coat.  My favorite nail hardener is OPI Original Nail Envy.  It really helped when I was transitioning my nails from gel and acrylic overlays to natural nails.  I usually use 2 coats if I'm wearing it alone.

Next you're going to need a base coat.  Any base coat will do.  I like CND Stickey but for this manicure I just used a basic beauty supply store base coat since it was the first thing I could get my hands on.  It's actually a top coat too so it will save me some time later! ;-)

Now for some COLOR!!


Using my beloved Sinful Colors, I decided to hop on into fall with a taupeish color called Nirvana.  It rivals OPI's You Don't Know Jacques.

Next, I wanted to funk it up a bit so I decided to do somewhat of a leopard print design.  Anyone who knows me, knows that leopard print is my weakness! <3

I used a lime green as the base for the leopard print.  This color is Innocent by Sinful Colors.  It also has an O.P.I. rival, Who the Shrek Are You?

Then, I used a darker color to outline.  You can use whatever darker color you prefer, but I used Ski Teal We Drop by OPI.

**Drumroll please!**

The finished product!

Seal with a top coat and enjoy showing off your new manicure!!

My new favorite thing!

So as you may know from a previous post, I have a puppy named Codee.  She is a lab mix.  She's super sweet but can be completely out-of-hand!

Codee Jade Ivory

Well since we've had Codee, we have gone through 3 phone chargers, 3 laptop chargers, 4 pairs of MY shoes (FYI, she should be homeless by now), 3 DVDs (at least and a few cases as casualties), an adapter for the portable DVD player, an adapter cord for the modem, an ethernet cord, frequent garbage can turnovers, 2 spray bottles, an ID badge reel...you get the idea.  She's a chewer.  And Mommy had gotten to a point where she just couldn't take it anymore.  She even began to scratch holes in the carpet by our bedroom door when she was mad at us for not letting her in.  She's a very temperamental baby.

This is the beginning of the hole...it got worse.

Well, I had pretty much had my fill of her and all of this scratching, chewing and biting.  I was on the verge of giving her to a shelter because I just couldn't handle it anymore but I decided to try one more thing.

*ENTER* GRANNICK'S BITTER APPLE SPRAY!

The most amazing invention ever!

This stuff is a savior for all pet parents. After hearing so many people at work rave about it I decided I would give it a try...couldn't hurt right? 

When I got ready to buy it, I almost didn't because I'm on a budget and didn't really want to pay the $10 for it. But then I decided that $10 is way cheaper than trying to replace another computer charger, cell phone charger, shoe, etc. So I went to PetSmart, broke down and purchased the Grannick's Bitter Apple.

I was so surprised that it worked! 

So here's what I had to resort to:

Please don't talk about my ghetto duct tape! Lol!

Everywhere that there is duct tape (please don't talk about me...it's only temporary. We're going to get the carpet replaced) is where she scratched up the carpet down to the wood. So once I bought the Bitter Apple, I taped all of the frayed ends down with duct tape.  Well of course my little tag-a-long was not far behind and got a whiff of that good ole duct tape a started licking those lips.  I knew that I immediately needed to spray it with the Bitter Apple so that it wouldn't smell the same to her.

She took one sniff of the treated duct tape, looked at me, looked at the duct tape, looked back at me and then WALKED AWAY! I KNOW!! IT WAS A MIRACLE!

When I told my husband what she did, his response? "Spray the whole house!" :)