Sweet & Salty

I made these a few days ago to use up the very bottom of a bag of chocolate chips/canister of mixed nuts. They came out so good that I will be definitely making these again! They would be great for a holiday party.

Salted Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters

Melt dark chocolate chips in the microwave (heat 30 seconds, stir, repeat until melty.) Once melted mix in the nuts. Scoop chocolate and nuts into liners in a mini muffin pan.Add a tiny pinch of sea salt to each cluster. Set in fridge until solid.

These were such a hit! Even Ian's friends, who I can't get to eat sweets for the life of me, loved the sweet and salty combination. 

Have you ever come up with a favorite recipe on the fly? What is it? I'd love to hear.

-Kristin Lynn

Fruit of My Labors.. ha

Tonight I made mini apple pies with the apples we picked earlier this afternoon, with whatever I had on hand. These are the easiest, fastest, mini pies to make -  maybe not the prettiest, but they sure taste great!

Mini Apple Pies

-1 Ready-made pie crust

-3 Large apples

-1/2 Cup sugar

-1/4 Cup flour

-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon sugar

-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

-1/4 teaspoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2. Core & skin apples, and cut into small pieces.

3. Toss with sugar, flour, cinnamon sugar, & nutmeg. 

4. Lightly spray cupcake liner with Pam, cut pie crust to fit each spot (obviously, I was not very precise with this!)

5. Fill with apple pie filling

6. Use a cookie cutter to cut remaining crust and place on top of filling

7. Bake for 10-15 mins, take out when crust is brown and pie filling is a little bubbly.

Makes the perfect portion for one person. Serve with caramel sauce or your favorite ice cream.

-Kristin Lynn

Halloween Party Menu

Today I pretty much finalized the menu for our upcoming Halloween party:

Via Martha Stewart

Munchies:

Authentic Kettle Corn
Habanero & French Onion dips for chips

Appetizers:

Stuffed Mushrooms
Crabbies
Nacho Pie

Desserts:

S'more Whoopie Pies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Mini Cheesecakes w/ Halloween Oreos

Drinks:

Bourbon Apple Cider
Red Sangria "Blood" Punch

All images via Pinterest

And of course, large amounts of Halloween candy. Now off to pick up the rest of my supplies for making decorations!

-Kristin Lynn

It's finally Saturday..

Last night Ian & I made homemade Reese's cup using Elsie's recipe. They were soooo good. Would make a great homemade gift.

I picked up a few vintage inspired cocktail rings on Ebay this week. Can't wait for these to arrive!

From seller sinyocell

From seller jewelleryplaza

Now off for a lunch and vinyl hunting date with my mister! Love the weekend :)

-Kristin Lynn

Fall Treats

Here are a few goodies that caught my eye recently, would love to try these out soon!

Source: explorethecabin.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Pumpkin Cheesecake via Explore the Cabin

Source: myrecipes.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Oatmeal Cream Pies via Myrecipes.com

Source: marthastewart.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Apple Crepes via Marthastewart.com

Source: abeautifulmess.typepad.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Pie Inspired Pop Tarts via abeautifulmess

-Kristin Lynn

Nutella Cookies

Tonight I tried the Four Ingredient Nutella Cookies from tastykitchen.com. Extremely easy to make and the Nutella flavor was great!

Nutella Cookies

-1 cup Nutella spread

-1/2 cup sugar

-1 cup flour

-1 egg

Mix ingredients and roll into 1 inch balls. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes or until set. '

I added chocolate chips because... I'm not gonna not. Enjoy!

-Kristin Lynn

Party Dip

We were invited to "watch the game" at a friend's house Sunday, which for me means eat snacks, drink beer, and talk with the ladies. Whenever we're invited to something super casual, I always bring this dip along.

Five Minute Spicy Party Dip

1 Can hot chili with no beans

1 Block Velveeta

1 Can Chili-style diced tomatoes

Cut Velveeta into small cubes, melt in a sauce pan over medium heat with the chili until combined. Garnish with cilantro and jalapeno slices, serve hot. 

Autumnal Equinox

Yesterday we celebrated the first official day of fall with a delicious fall cocktail!

Bourbon Apple Cider

2 parts apple cider

2 parts ginger ale

1 part bourbon whiskey

Garnish with cinnamon sugar

Recipe via The Tampopo Post

Enjoy!

-Kristin Lynn

The Sweet Things in Life

Two more sweet treats made for Baby V's shower!

Cake Batter Blondies (Recipe via Two Twenty One)

-One box yellow cake mix

-1/4 cup vegetable oil

-1 egg

-1/2 cup milk

-3/4 cup white chocolate chips

-Sprinkle

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine cake mix, oil, and egg.

3. Slowly add milk to bowl.  The batter should be dense.

4. Mix in white chocolate chips.

5.  Pour mixture into a greased pan.

6. Bake for 30 minutes / until edges begin to turn golden brown.

White Wine "Sangria"

Source: highstreetmarket.blogspot.com via Kristin on Pinterest

To make this white wine "sangria", I used three bottles of wine, 1 2 liter bottle of Fresca, and apples and strawberries as the garnish. 

-Kristin Lynn

Red Velvet Cookies

My future sister in law is having a baby shower tomorrow. I immediately thought of these cookies. They are delicious but not too sweet (as sugar cookies can sometimes be) and very rich.

 Betty Crocker's Red Velvet Cookies

1 pouch sugar cookie mix
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 egg
1 container cream cheese frosting

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine cookie mix, coca, butter, sour cream, food coloring, & egg until you have a soft dough.
2. Roll into 1 inch balls, place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8-10 minutes until set.
4. When completely cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting and add sprinkles or chopped nuts.

-Kristin Lynn

Taco Flavored Kisses

It's taco night over here, but I was craving seafood. This is what I came up with.

Quick & Easy Crispy Shrimp Tacos

-1 package popcorn shrimp
-Flour tortillas
-Shredded Mexican cheese
-Avocado Slices
-Sour cream
-Lettuce
-Tomato
-Fresh cilantro (to taste)
-Hot sauce (to taste)

Prepare shrimp as according to the directions. Melt cheese on a flour tortilla, fill with selected toppings and wrap up.


Did I mention this was really easy?

-Kristin Lynn

Weekly Pins

Happy Labor Day! I am celebrating the day off with a fun sister lunch & shopping date.

Here are my pins throughout the week.. I LOVE Pinterest. So many great recipe & decorating ideas in one place. Here's what caught my eye:

1.

Source: None via Kristin on Pinterest

This is such a great idea for hanging anything too pretty to be tucked away in the closet!

2.

Source: penniesonaplatter.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies. Seriously cannot wait for a reason to try these. 

3.

Source: thewanderingartist.tumblr.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Sparkly pedicure. The color is Deborah Lippman in "Happy Birthday."

4. 

Source: midwestliving.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Stencilled Lampshare. Quick & inexpensive way to redecorate.

5. 

Source: plumpiecooks.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad. Yum. Would be great for packed lunches for Ian & I.

Happy pinning!

PS - the blog has undergone a little bit of a face lift. Check it out!

-Kristin Lynn

A Few Things

Here are a few things this week making me happy:

Classic Lasagna via Annie's Eats (From Pinterest)

-Staying in and making a home cooked meal with my fiance

-A closet full of dresses, most thrifted for under $10. Can't go wrong there.

Red Velvet Brownies, recipe via Smells Like Home

-Sister shopping date where after these delicious brownies and baked and quickly consumed

-New bar set up for entertaining, all pieces thrifted (except the booze ;)) Ian makes a mean Old Fashioned.

Looking over these photos makes me want to take a trip down to my favorite Saver's. However as we are in the middle of Irene I think that will have to wait... Hope everyone is staying safe out there!