Rubies and Emeralds: October 2012

Boo! Happy Halloween

I couldn't resist making some Halloween treats for my coworkers! I decided upon 2 spookyyyy desserts. Follow along below...but beware...

~Graveyard~

Ingredients:
- Chocolate Pudding
-Oreos
-Chocolate Frosting
-Rounded Cookies
-Gummy worms

~Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats~

Ingredients:
-Rice Krispie Cereal
-Butter
-Orange Food Coloring
-Package of Marshmallows
-1 Bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Graveyard: You can use store-bought chocolate pudding, or you can make your own! Layer the pudding into a rectangular dish. Next, mash up Oreo cookies (no cream) and sprinkle on top of the pudding. Place the gummy worms throughout so they look like they are coming out of the "dirt."To make the tombstones, put chocolate frosting into a plastic bag and cut off the one of the edges so you have a piping bag and write "RIP" on each cookie. Place these throughout!

Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats: Melt 1/4 of a stick of butter with a whole bag of marshmallows. Once melted, throw in your orange food coloring and mix till completely combined. Next, stir in 6 cups of Rice Krispie cereal until everything is combined. Spread out on wax paper and let them set. Once cool, form into little balls and dip into melted chocolate.

[Spread out the chocolate pudding evenly]

[Mash, mash, mash those Oreos!]

[Generously sprinkling the Oreos over the pudding]

[Making my edible gravestones]

[The Spooooky, finished product]

[Forming my Rice Krispies into equal balls]

[The best part...dipping them in chocolate]

[Ta Da!]

It's Apple Pickin' Time

Yucaipa, CA is the home to Oak Tree Village which happens to be the home of apple cider mills, apple pies, apple dumplings, apple orchards...basically, apple country! Let me summarize... it's an adorable little town nestled in the mountains where you can escape the city and enjoy some fresh air and beautiful scenery while shopping for trinkets, eating comfort food and picking apples right off the tree. My family, boyfriend and I had such a good time--we can't wait to go back next year.

We had a filling lunch at Apple Annie's where the waitress brought over some of the most delicious apple bread I have ever had. That was followed by some grilled cheese, fried chicken, chicken fried steak, and lastly... apple pie a la mode which was excellent! After we could barely breathe, we walked around the town admiring the wooden crafts, homemade candles, and glass trinkets. Then it was time to head up to the orchards and pick some apples! After we had soaked up enough mountain air and with bag of apples in tow, we headed back home.

Oh, and of course I had to pick up some Minnetonka Mocassins at the general store...shopping addiction strikes again!

Double, Double, Toil &... Cupcakes!

I was at Ralph's yesterday and I was feeling in the Halloween spirit and decided it was time to create a festive treat for my co-workers! I decided upon chocolate cupcakes--a natural fave. I considered making them from scratch, but quickly dismissed that idea when I remembered how quick and simple the box mix can be. Just because you are using a box mix, doesn't mean you can't make them your own! Follow my directions below to make your own Halloween treat!

What You Need:
-1 Box of Cupcake Mix (eggs, oil, water)
-1 Can of Frosting
-Bag of Candy Corn
-Halloween Platter/Dish/Tray

Follow the simple instructions on the back of the cupcake mix box. Once baked and cooled, frost each cupcake and place (1) candy corn on top. Then, position them on your serving tray and sprinkle the remaining candy corn around the cupcakes so you have a festive, colorful, Halloween treat!

[Cupcakes are ready to be frosted]

[Vanilla icing is the best]

[Candy corn time]

[Decorated & ready to go]

Sprinkles Ice Cream: A Decadent Treat

I was little skeptical when I heard Sprinkles was expanding into the ice cream market. In fact, it's been open for quite some time now and I haven't felt compelled to try it out. Maybe it's the 50 person standard waiting line that can be seen from the street which has been turning me off.

Well, the day had finally come. My family and I had had a nice, relaxing brunch at Nate n' Als, when we got the idea to walk down to Sprinkles Ice Cream for an afternoon treat. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out the gigantic line that day was for the cupcake ATM and the cupcake side... we walked right into the ice cream side!

We were so overwhelmed with delicious options from the moment we arrived. The flavors alone looked delicious, and then when I found out you could have a "cupcake sundae" or cover your ice cream in salted caramel sauce, I didn't know where to turn to next! I decided to keep it simple my first time and went with butter pecan in a red velvet waffle cone. My boyfriend was more adventurous and went with butter pecan/red velvet cupcake sundae (they put the bottom of the cupcake in the bottom of the cup, then the ice cream, and top it with the cupcake top...ridic). All in all, I wish I had tried this sooner! Good thing parking is so hard in that area or else I'd be visiting there everyday and would be 1000 lbs by the end of the year. Phew.

[Mmm...ice cream]

[How can you possibly choose?]

[There are cookies too?!]

[Vanilla & Red Velvet Waffle Cones]

[Butter pecan on red velvet cone]

9631 S. Santa Monica Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (310) 274-7890

www.sprinklesicecream.com

Friday Fried Food Fest

How did I spend my Friday night you may be wondering? At a bar, dancing, drinking...no, no and no. My boyfriend and I instead went to Jerry's Deli and stocked up on some fried food. Major yum!

[Guzzling some soda]

[The perfect bite]

[Feast your eyes on this plate]

[Onion rings & corn dogs...I'm not complainin']

[Mustard & ketchup are a must]

13181 Mindanao Way Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 (310) 821-6626

www.jerrysfamousdeli.com

Tea Party

Let me shuffle back a couple of month's so I can share with you the tea party my sister and I threw for my mom on mother's day. It was such a success that I must share these pics! My mom is obsessed with tea and tea service, so my sister and I had the brilliant idea to turn our apartment in a tea room! Little did I know how much time, effort, and money it would actually take... but that's besides the point. It was all worth it! I got some ideas off of Pinterest, and others I just made up on my own! You know what I had the toughest time with? The egg salad sandwiches! Who knew hard boiling an egg could be so damn tricky...I know that sounds dumb, but at first, they were undercooked and then overcooked... getting them just right was so hard. Whatevs, it all turned out okay in the end...and delicious I might add!