the evolution of Leni

Candy Pumpkins Are My Favorite

Image source.

Candy pumpkins are my favorite, with regular candy corn coming in a close second. (Don't even try and tell me they are the same, because they DEFINITELY ARE NOT!)

In case you were wondering, the brown, harvest candy corn doesn't even make the list.

 

 

A Colorful Treat

Candy coated sunflower seeds are my most recent obsession. Not only do they taste good, but they are also pretty to look at!

Plus, anything that colorful always makes me happy.

You can get your own at your local store or you can purchase them here online.

Almost-Famous Restaurant Recipes

I was so excited when I came across this that I had to share it! Food network has recipies that are similar to popular dishes from major restaurants. They call them Almost Famous Restaurant Recipes. I can't wait to make the pumpkin cheesecake, Bread sticks and that blooming onion!

Pain a l'Ancienne

One of M's coworkers loves to cook bread so much, that he installed a bread oven in their kitchen when they remodeled it. I mentioned to him that one day, my goal was to cook bread on a weekly basis so that I would never have to buy it again. He gave me this book the next time I saw him:

For the last couple of months, that book has been collecting dust on my bookshelf. Now that I have more free time, I decided to tackle one of the bread recipes. The recipe I made was called "pain a l'Ancienne" (M's coworker recommended that I start with that bread recipe first and then branch out to harder ones.)

I used a digital meat thermometer to measure the temperature of bread. Once it reached 205 degrees Fahrenheit it came out of the oven to cool.

I set it to cool for 20 minutes before cutting it open for the taste test.

Using the digital thermometer was nice because the bread came out PERFECTLY! It wasn't dry or raw on the inside, but perfectly moist and soft. I will definitely be making this recipe again and again.

This fresh bread will go great with the Greek Village Salad that we're having for dinner tonight!

Recipe for Greek Village Salad

I love Greek Salads. I honestly can't get enough of them. M and I share one practically every night. Technically it's called Xoriatiki Salata which translates to Village Salad in English.

Ingredients needed to make a Greek Village Salad:

• Tomatoes (Ripe off the vine is the best!)
• Cucumber
• Red Onion
• Feta Cheese
• Kalamata Olives
• Greek Oregano
• Salt and Pepper
• Greek Olive Oil
• Vinegar
• Lemon Juice

A Chocolate Fix

Cadbury Mini Eggs are one of my favorite Easter candies.

And the Cadbury Cream Eggs are a close second. [In all honesty, I just like to eat the creamy inside and toss most of the chocolate shell.] But for some reason, they have not been able to satisfy my chocolate fix.

I am actually not a big chocolate fan, but lately I have been CRAVING chocolates from Leonidas. There used to be a Leonidas store near M's place, but they closed it several months ago. Driving all the way out to Pasadena or Santa Monica is a long drive just for some chocolate. I have had this craving for Leonidas chocolate for months now, but have not managed to make the trip to get some. I have a feeling that M and I will be making a trip to get some very soon.

Made With Love.

My sisters and I made a cake yesterday. I have never baked a cake from scratch before, so I figured it would be in my best interest to enlist some help from my sisters so that I would not completely ruin it. 

We used this cake recipe and this chocolate ganache recipe. It was delicious. The cake is super moise and delicious. The frosting is just perfect. The ganache is very rich. I'm not a big chocolate fan, so next time I will try something different for the center filling.

One thing I learned and will remember for the next time:

The cake must be fully cooled before being frosted, otherwise the frosting will slowly melt.

In case you don't remember, baking a cake from scratch was #24 on my 27 before 27 list . Now I'm one step closer to completing it.

Thanks Lex and Timmy for helping me make this cake and cross it off my list!

Pocket Apple Pies

I was so excited when I saw this little Pocket Apple Pie gadget in the Martha Stewart magazine last month that I just had to buy one and try it myself.

This is the photo from the Williams Sonoma website of what they are supposed to look like:



And here is what mine looks like:



Although they were not the prettiest pocket apple pies, they were delicious. It is possible that this gadget doesn't work well with all pie crust recipes, so I am going to try it again using the pie crust recipe on the back of the box.

St. Patrick's Day Recipes & Crafts

Tomorrow is all about GREEN. Don't forget to wear some, otherwise, you just might get pinched!

Breakfast:

Green Eggs and Ham 1, 2, 3
Oatmeal (just add green food coloring!)
Any cereal (just add green food coloring to the milk!)

Entrees and side dishes:

Green Risotto (You could also just add food coloring to regular rice before cooking if you preferred.)
Mashed Potatoes (You can also add food coloring to these as well.)
Irish Blue Cheese Fondue

Green Desserts:

Pistachio Ice Cream (Make it from scratch, or just buy it! Other green ice creams include mint chocolate chip,
St. Patrick's Day Cup Cakes

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (You can also add green food coloring to these!)

Drinks:

Irish Coffee
Green Beer (Just add food coloring to your favorite beer!)
Stout and Ice Cream Float

And here are some traditional Irish recipes:

Irish Beef and Stout Stew
Corned Beef and Cabbage

Fun Crafts Ideas:

Shamrock Pins
St. Patrick's Day Magnet

And here are some fun printables:

St. Patty's Day Card
Scavenger Hunt
Tiny Treasure Hunt
Luck Bucks
Shamrock Maze

Date Night With Homemade Pizza

After a long day walking around the Pasadena Flea Market and finding some awesome jewelry at amazing prices! (I'll try and post pictures later this week of my finds.) M and I decided to take a nap. And by nap, I mean we intended to sleep for about an hour, but didn't get up until 5 hours later!!! I ended up making yummy homemade pizza again. This time, I topped them with caramelized onions. They were delicious. For dessert we had brownies (I used a cute heart shaped pan that I found in Target's dollar section!) topped with ice cream.

I hope the time change didn't negatively affect anyone this time around. (I'm so glad to have switched back! I swear I never adjusted to the last time change!)

Have an awesome week everyone!