Recipie of the week is back baby!!

I have had the chance lately to have alot of down time. so, what do i do when i have nothing to do?... try to make yummy food! i have come to the conclusion that my favorite desert has got to be ICE CREAM CAKE! mmmmm.. so today i was able to experament, and the results are.... fantastic! here it is, it is so easy and fast to make, and as it is getting warmer outside, you may want to consider this!

Raspberry ice cream cheesecake:


1 package crushed oreo crumbs
3 tbsp. melted butter

aprox. 3 cups softened vanilla ice cream (you may use more than this depending on how much you like ice cream)

1 package softened cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
3 tbsp. raspberry jam
1 package whipped topping


-in a bowl, mix together crumbs and butter and pressinto bottom of a large pan (9 by 13?) let chill in freezer.

-spread softened vanilla ice cream over crumb layer, let chill.

-in a large bowl cream cream cheese and sugar. add raspberries and jam. mix in well wipped topping until smooth. spread over vanilla layer. top with fresh raspberries and chill till firm. then EAT!!

Mele Kalikimaka!

So, this year us garners thought that we would escape the bitter reality of winter, and head over to Honolulu Hawaii for christmas so our entire family could be together for the christmas season! it was GREAT to say the least! Many days were spent .... of course, laying on the beach, soaking up the sun, snorkeling, boogie boarding, eating lots of ice cream and shave ice :)... but i think the thing that was best was doing all of these things with my family! And, most importantly, remembering the savior and his birth with them! it really doesnt get much better than that!!
so, i figured in stead of trying to tell of everything we did, i would just post some pictures, hopefully you get the feel!


enjoying waimanalo beach!


getting ready for our christmas eve feast!!


excellent acting on all parts!!


enjoying a stick throw at the pcc.




my favorite neice and nephew ever!

A major time lapse... i'm sorry!

ok, so i'm sorry to all of my avid blog viewers! i have been majorly slacking the past little while! i will see if i can sum it up in a few paragraphs! there is alot to write about...
so, i live in a house now with 4 other girls, sarah, erin, janessa, and annie. they are all so much fun, once again, i am so lucky to have really fun people to live with! the only bad thing about them is that they have influenced me this semester to stay up pretty late! usually i am pretty on the ball about going to bed at a reasonable time, but lately i have been quite the little night hawk!
another really exciting thing that has happened is.. i finally got my hairdressing liscence! i passed all my tests, and it is such a relief!!!
for haloween this year, of course i sported the 80's outfit ( i mean, it's just a classic! you cant ever go wrong with it) and this year it was a really shnazzy puqe-colored one peice with shoulder pads and probably way to many pleats than i needed. with of course the black leg warmers and the big hair and make-up.
i also had another costume that sort of worked. i wore it to work, but waas pretty uncomfortable all day. i was a "windblown lady" so, it basically consisted of me putting wire in all of my clothes, pipe cleaners in the hair, LOTS of hairspray, random leaves stuck to me and, more wire! and had everything off to one side. it worked fairly well, but all day at work i kept poking people in th face with my wirey scarf. so that costume may not be repeated! but it was fun wile it lasted!
lately i have been staying fairly busy! i have lately been playing on a water polo team, although i dont really know what i'm doing, i just get out there and basically swim around. its defenately alot of fun, and definately a good workout!!
i have been involved in a few different choirs, the institute choir, ward choir, and then another group choir, it is so much fun, especially lately as we sing Christmas music. i have realized how much i love and miss singing!
now it's almost Christmas! i cant believe how fast the time goes! another year gone!! as my dad would put it...get busy livin or get busy dyin!

living on a dime!

So the summer is pretty much gone, and that means that my home is gone too!! But luckaly i have found another home. On Monday i moved into a nice little house that i will be sharing with 4 other girls. As i am the first one to move in, i get to experience all the lonelyness and emptiness. Living in a big house with absolutely NOTHING but what you brought, you really realize what you dont have, and how much you really do rely on others. so, needless to say it has been interesting. you may think that i have most of the bare necesities needed, living away from home for a few years now but, i have descovered.... not so much. things like a fork or a spoon, cups... just things like that that probably are usefull things to have.all things i used to have, but somehow got lost along the way. so, this morning i ate cereal with a measuring tablespoon (wich is not as easy as it may seem), cutting a very large watermelon open with a pizza cutter and my bare hands, making pumpkin bread in a saucepan, and saving all of my grocery bags, and using them as ziplock bags. so, today i think i may be making my way over to the dollar store. but, life is very interesting. i am so excited to have people fill this house in the next few days. it will be fun i am sure!!

Recipe of the week

So this week i was just a bit lazy trying to create a recipe, and usually when that happens i just end up throwing everything that is the most tasty, and probably the worst for you, into the mixer and coming out with something sooo good, but sooo bad at the same time!! so, it's not super creative, but to tell you the truth, they are pretty darn good if you like peanut better and chocolate (of course! .. i mean .. who doesn't!?!?)

WAY to good chocolate cookies with cream cheese peanut butter icing!

for the cookies:
1 package devils food cake mix
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup rice crispies
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup hot chocolate mix (optional)
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional) (but come on.. lets think about this!!)

mix all dry ingredients first, add eggs and oil. roll into balls, bake at 350 for 7-10 min (way better if they are a little under-done than over done!)

for the icing:
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1-2 cups icing sugar

cream butter, cream cheese, and peanut butter. add icing sugar until creamy and stiff.
spread over cookies! or sandwich them together.
:)

Recipe of the week

so it is freezing here in Alberta, it has been raining for a few days, and so i thought that i would make something that would warm me up a bit. to tell you the truth, this recipe turned out alot better than i thought it would!!!

Sweet potato Ginger soup:

1 large yellow onion chopped
1 large leek (cleaned and chopped)
1 large sweet potato chopped
salt / pepper
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 tbsp chopped ginger
pinch of cinnamon
1-2 tbsp brown sugar
olive oil / butter
1 box chicken broth
1 cup cream

brown the onions in the oil and butter, add leeks and sweet potato, cook till tender, add the remaining ingredients, boiling until sweet potatoes are cooked through. puree in a blender (probably not the best thing to use actually, seeing as how last time i did that, it exploded on me, and everywhere else, and i got a few minor burns) so mabey a hand blender is the best thing to use. puree until smooth. eat with soda crackers. yummmm!

Recipe of the week.

So this week i decided i would lighten it up and make something a bit more summery!
this is actually a great recipe, the tart recipe is not mine, but the filling is! it's a great combo, and really is best had with a scoop of ice cream on the side! (if there is extra dough left over you can make sugar cookies with it, they are amazing!!!

blueberry nectarine tart!

for the tart:
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup cold butter
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 tbsp. cream
1/2 tsp vanilla

for the filling:
2 cups blueberrys
2 nectarines
1 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
or orange zest

for the crumble:
2 tbsp butter
handfull of flour
handfull of brown sugar
some ground pecans or
whole nuts of some kind

for the tart, combine dry ingredients. cut in the butter. mix wet ingredients combine to form a ball, and refrigerate. after chilled, roll out and put in a baking dish.

for the filling mix all ingredients together and place in the tart shell.

for the crumble, cut the butter into the dry ingredients. sprinkle over the tart, and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.