Saturday, April 6, 2013

Easter Appetizers & Desserts



 Stuffed mushrooms: simple, delicious, and always a crowd pleaser 


stuffed with parsley, parmesan, garlic, and the mushroom stems 




stuffed peppers with mozzarella 


 what to do with five pounds of chocolate? 


make bunny chocopops! 


what to do with extra Cadbury eggs lying around?


use them for decorating carrot cake cupcakes! 

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Mix your dry ingredients together: 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp. of baking soda, 1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1 1/4 tsp. baking power, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/8 tsp. ground cloves, 1/2 tsp. salt

Using a food processor, shred about 4 large carrots or however many it takes to get about three cups. In a separate bowl, mix four large eggs,  1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar, and 1 1/2 cups sugar together. Add in 1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil and then stir in the carrots and your dry mixture. Pour in to liners and bake for about 22 minutes. If you aren't a fan of cream cheese frosting, you can ice them with your favorite vanilla icing, but we went with a simple cream cheese frosting. 


For the frosting you'll need: 12 0z cream cheese, 8 tsp. of butter (room temp), 1 tbsp. vanilla extract, and 3 3/4 cups of powdered sugar 

Mix cream cheese + butter, then add vanilla. Gradually add in your powdered sugar and ice the cupcakes once they are cooled.


To make our cute little nests, we added three Cadbury eggs to the frosting and shreds of the extra chocolate we had lying around.




xx

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Window Shopping


Zara: all white


love every aspect of this outfit from Bergdorf's 



drama & feathers in Bergdorf's windows


Can you tell those are black feathers? Apologies for the glare



my personal favorite. 

xx

The Big Apple

There is no place like New York City. The Big Apple, NYC, Manhattan, whatever you like to call it, Manhattan has something for everyone. I love visiting the city anytime I can because of the constant energy. On this short day trip, we showed one of my best friends the city for the first time. How do you show someone Manhattan in just a few hours? We did Time Square, some shopping on Fifth, lunch at Fig & Olive, followed by a walk up to the Plaza, Bergdorf's, and Central Park. Obviously if we had more time, I would have loved to show her my favorite part of the city, Bryant Park and the Public Library, as well as Soho, and the Met. What are your favorite spots in Manhattan? I'd love to know!




Salmon & Shrimp with Avocado over Spring Greens 


Filet Mignon Panini



A delicious lunch spot!
 http://www.figandolive.com


how cute is that! 





soaking up as much sun as possible











taking some touristy shots 



some adorable Baked by Melissa mini cupcakes for the train ride back to Jersey! I love her small treats...the perfect bite size for someone like myself who never wants a whole cupcake.
http://www.bakedbymelissa.com/checkout/index.aspx


Anticipating some summer weather with light boyfriend jeans & a white tank







Levis Jacket & Jeans (Paint done by moi by mistake) | Forever 21 Tank | Zara Bag & Flats

see you in May Manhattan! 

xx

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

six snaps



Easter time at Rockefeller Plaza 


Colorful chocolates from Miette 

 Paper bunnies with cotton tails at Paper Source 


first time trying Baked by Melissa mini cupcakes! 


Peeps: they taste horrible, but it's Easter! Had to do it.


cute Easter cupcakes we made, stay tuned for the recipe coming soon! 


 Hope you enjoyed my Easter rendition of my weekly six snaps of photos. I was back east this past weekend, spending the Easter holiday with my best friend and her family, so I've been a bit scatter-brained, but am trying to get back in my normal groove. NYC pics to come as well as two delicious recipes! Have a great rest of your week.

xx