Bowl Etching

My absolutely gorgeous and wonderful mother got another year older in Febuary. Ugh I know I am so behind on posts, aren't I??? Silly me, I need to get it together. Anyway, we got together and had dinner and did some gifts a couple of times. Part two was slightly better than part one. We got our wires crossed you see. My family and I live in different cities and I don't get to go home as often as I would like, so when I went home the day after my mom's birthday I thought we were waiting to celebrate until my other two sisters could be there, but plans had changed and I showed up unprepared. So we just did it again the next time I came home and my mom got 2 birthday dinners. Last year, my parent's kitchen got a complete makeover, except of course the kitchen ware. Somehow people also forget that part. So I thought I would use my new glass etching skills and some permeant outdoor vinyl to put together some new personalized kitchenware and everything turned out really well. You can find the glass etching tutorial here and the vinyl I got from vinyloutlet online and it is outdoor vinyl that I cut with my cricut. The bowls and the casserole pans are pyrex.

Life Happens

I had made this goal to have a blog post once a week and I realize now it has been over a week and the one before that wasn't exactly a week after the one before it. Let's just say life has happened. I am juggling school, work, studying for my exams, family, crafts, and volunteering while trying to get some decent sleep, oh yes and I decided it was the perfect time to get healthy. I am learning how to use to word no and constantly feel guilty for saying it, but it is an important thing we all must learn at some point. I have made the decision to have a few months of selfishness. Or at least as selfish as I can possibly be as I still love to make people happy. Mostly, what that means is I am trying to learn to say no, live for me, and not pursue any relationship avenues so I can keep up with my busy lifestyle. I enjoy the feeling of freedom like I never thought I would. My sister always told me that I should be happy being alone before I decided to be with someone else. I guess you can say I am finally at that point where I enjoy being with just me and doing my own thing. One day in the future I will return to the dating scene, but today isn't that day. But I digress. Even though I haven't shared everything with you all, I have been working on several great project much of which are finished. I put together a few things for my mom's birthday at the beginning of Feb and then for a baby shower at the end of Feb. I'm also working on a small little thing for my nieces birthday this week and finished some things in the office. I have tons of projects I want to work on and just not as much time as I would like. However, I will be sharing with you all the projects I have been working on in the next several weeks and then look for a full week of posts from my sister as she has officially finished my niece's room and let's just say it looks AMAZING! She made tons of things from a clock, to a quilt, to new wall arrangements. I can't wait to unveil the whole ordeal for you all in a couple of weeks! As spring approaches and life begins to happen, I am sure you all will be busy as well trying to keep up and planning things for birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, weddings, etc. May spring be a happy, productive time for us all!

Tiramisu Cheesecake: The finale

So my family loves tiramisu. Though I pretend to a fan, really I am not. So when my sister mentioned making a tiramisu cheesecake for dessert I thought it was a great idea for my grandparents. Good thing it wasn't a dinner for me. However, as we were finishing up and played cards after the dinner it looked tempting so I decided to try a bite, or a piece I should say. It was WONDERFUL. Turned out really well and was a huge hit with the grandparents. When my brother went to grab a piece there was a comment from my grandpa about if another piece of cheesecake disappeared the cheesecake would disappear to the safety of his locked truck. Let's just say it turned out great and was a wonderful ending to a perfect evening. Our guests gave us great reviews and I just received my thank you card in the mail from the two of them. I can't wait to repeat the experience! We of course are cooking up the next great idea for my grandpa's birthday and then perhaps another dinner in May for their anniversary.

My sister got the recipe from a magazine a couple years ago and can't remember where you came from but here it is.

What You Need

7 ounce package crisp Italian-style ladyfingers, coarsely chopped

6 tbsp butter melted

1tbsp instant espresso powder

1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, room temp

1 c sugar

1 c marscapone cheese

1tsp pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cps mini semisweet chocolate chips

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees . Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with foil and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Using a food processor, grind the ladyfingers into fine crumbs. Add the butter and espresso and pulse until incorporated. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press to form a crust halfway up the side of the pan. Bake until set, 8 to 10 minutes; let cool. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees .
3. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar at high speed until smooth. Beat in the mascarpone, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
4. Set the springform pan in a roasting pan. Pour the mascarpone-chocolate chip mixture into the baked crust, then place the roasting pan in the oven. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the top is golden and the center is set but still jiggly, about 1 hour. Let cool in the water bath for 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Refrigerate for 6 hours or up to 2 days. Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan. In a small, heatproof bowl, melt the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips in the microwave at low power, stirring until smooth. Transfer the chocolate to a resealable plastic bag. Snip a hole in the corner of the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the cake.

I'd also like to give a special THANKS to our local coffee shop Hazels for giving us some of their ground espresso . We have been going there for years and they have amazing drinks and the people are wonderful!