New Year's Resolutions

In the spirit of the new year, I have decided to share some of my New Year's Resolutions with you. Maybe this will actually help me keep them! Here they are:

• Blog at least once a week
• Journal every day
• Eat healthier
• Run a 5K
• Get more sleep
• Volunteer more
• Write letters
• Watch less Netflix (this will be the hardest)
• Become fluent in French
• Read more 
• Have a "thankful" jar

What are your New Year's Resolutions? Let's make this year the best year yet!

xx

Helen 

Apple Pie...from scratch!

This past Tuesday was my grandmother's birthday, so we decided to have her and some family over to celebrate.  Her favorite dessert is apple pie, so my mom thought it would be nice to make one for her. Being the adventurous person that I am, I decided that I wanted to make it. All by myself. From scratch. So I hopped online, and found a recipe for the crust and for the filling.  

I started with the crust, following all the directions from the recipe, but when I saw that the crust needed ice water, I was a bit confused.  I thought to myself, "does this mean I have to put ice cubes in the dough?!" I decided not to, and it turned out to be okay.  The recipe told me to put 7 tablespoons of this "ice water" in the dough. But even after measuring these and adding them to the dough, it was still very crumbly.  So I became frustrated and poured about half of the water pitcher in the dough...oops.

However, the filling was a LOT easier.  Even though I practically injured myself peeling the apples. After cooling the dough in the refrigerator, it seemed to harden, so I was relieved.  Then I layered the pie pan with the crust, filling, and top, and put it in the oven.  And 30 minutes later, it was done! 

And THANK THE LORD, it turned out great!! And everyone thought so too (or maybe they were just being nice)...but I was proud of myself.

All in all, my first pie baking was a success. So this should be a message to everyone that pie-making is not rocket science, in fact, anyone could do it! 

PS. we did not have shortening at the house, so I had to find a crust recipe that did not require it. 

This was where I got the recipe for the crust: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/paulas-perfect-pie-crust-recipe/index.html

And the filling: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/paulas-apple-pie-filling-recipe/index.html

Enjoy!

xx

HGK

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! One of my New Year's resolutions is to blog more often, so I'm starting off 2014 with a new blog post.

Last night, for New Year's Eve, my good friend and I made dinner and desserts together. We chose to make a Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Alfredo with french bread, and some yummy almond triangles for dessert.

Above is a photo of the Goat Cheese Alfredo.  It was surprisingly easy to make! The sauce consisted of onions, garlic cloves, heavy cream, milk, goat cheese and parmesan cheese. After cooking the sauce, we added pureed roasted red peppers, and then we poured the whole mixture over the noodles.  The pasta turned out great, but the sauce was very rich.  

Next, we baked the almond triangles.  This recipe was actually the winning holiday recipe in the Star Tribune, so it had great reviews.  We started out by making the dough, which is similar to shortbread dough.  Then we set it in the refrigerator to cool for 30 minutes, and started on the sauce.  This sauce was made up of butter, honey, brown sugar, sugar, cream, and of course, almonds.  When the dough was cooled, we poured the sauce over the dough and spread it evenly.  After that, we cooked it in the oven for 15 minutes, until the sauce was bubbling.  Then we set the whole thing out to cool and later cut it into triangles.  They turned out perfectly, and were delicious.  The triangles were the perfect mixture of chewy and crunchy.  The recipe makes about 2 dozen large triangles. 

Here are the triangles just after they had cooled.  To bake, we put the dough on a sheet of foil, and then placed the foil onto a baking sheet.

Here is an up-close photo of the triangles.  Warning: do not make if you do not like almonds.  There are about 5 cups of almonds in this recipe!

Here are the links to the recipes online if y'all want to try them! Let me know what you think. 

Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Alfredo: http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/09/roasted-red-pepper-and-goat-cheese.html

Almond Triangles: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/taste/70459932.html

Enjoy! 

xx

HGK

30 Days of Thanks...starting today

Okay. So I'm a little late starting the 30 Days of Thanks, but I am starting today! As I said before, I am going to post each day what I am thankful for, along with a picture.  Feel free to join me, and don't forget to use the hashtag, #30DaysofThanks!

Enjoy!

xx

Helen 

Day 1.  Today I am thankful for heat, and the comforts of food and coffee on this rainy day. 

Day 2.  I am thankful for the support of friends. 

Day 3.  I am thankful for the beauty of nature.
Day 4.  I am thankful for this warm weather during November (60 degrees!) 
Day 5. I am thankful for forgiveness. 
Day 6. I am thankful for the little breaks from school
Day 7. I am thankful for One Direction (yep, I said it)
Day 8. I am thankful for light workloads.
Day 9. I am thankful for my sorority
Day 10. I am thankful for second chances
Day 11. I am thankful for my family
Day 12. I am thankful for quiet time
Day 13. I am thankful for new beginnings 
Day 14. I am thankful for safety.
Day 15. I am thankful for sleep
Day 16. I am thankful for warmth
Day 17. I am thankful for my brother
Day 18. I am thankful for my education
Day 19. I am thankful for long talks with friends
Day 20. I am thankful for my health
Day 21. I am thankful for life.
Day 22. I am thankful for all of my sisters
Day 23. I am thankful for no more classes! 
Day 24. I am thankful for new friends. 
Day 25. I am thankful for the sun
Day 26. I am thankful for my suitemates.
Day 27. I am thankful for home
Day 28. I am thankful for my cousins
Day 29. I am thankful for books
Day 30. I am thankful for all the blessing God has given me.

30 Days of Thanks

I came across the website 30 Days of Thanks today, and absolutely love the idea.  It tells you to post something you are thankful for, each day, for 30 days.  I will be participating in this challenge on my blog! This is a great way to get ready for Thanksgiving.  I encourage you to join me! Post what you're thankful for on social media, using the hashtag, #30daysofthanks and visit the website for more information.  Happy almost Thanksgiving! 

xx

Helen 

Fall Favorites

Here's what I'm loving this fall. The J.Crew Downtown Field Jacket is one of my favorite items in my wardrobe.  It is both practical and stylish, and I get compliments on it daily! I'm really into ankle boots right now, and these Michael Kors Leather Ankle Boots are so chic. Nail polish is a must for the fall, and I am loving this color, I'm Feeling Sashy, from the OPI Miss Universe Collection.  The C.Wonder Nylon Easy Tote is one of my staples this fall, because I use it for a book bag! (I also have it monogrammed). Gold jewelry is essential, no matter what outfit it's paired with, and this Banana Republic Knot Bracelet is simple, yet elegant.  Lastly, this girly Tulle Skirt from Loft is definitely on my wish list...so I can bring out my inner ballerina! 

Hope you enjoy these, and happy fall!

xx

Helen

My Favorite Place

I recently went to Nantucket Island on vacation, as I do every year with my family.  This summer, as always, we spent many lazy days at the beach, and spent the rainy days in town shopping.  

One of my favorite places to visit is a small bakery called Petticoat Row Bakery.  It was built only a few years ago, so it doesn’t have the same charm as some of the older shops.  However, it is still a cute place to get a cupcake or a cappuccino.  Their are famous for their cakes, but my favorite treat to get there is the turtle bar.  It has a rich graham cracker crust, with coconut and butterscotch chips, with a layer of chocolate and a drizzle of caramel on top.  I was a bit disappointed when I found out that the bar had decreased in size since the previous year, but it was probably for the best.  

Another great thing about Nantucket is its sunsets. You can count on a gorgeous pink sky almost every night, which makes for a great picture! 

This is a photo taken from Madaket Beach, the absolute best place to watch the sunset.  

This is Sankaty Head Lighthouse, one of the three lighthouses on the island.  It is located in the village of Siasconset, and was built in 1850. 

I miss Nantucket already, but hopefully next July will come quickly!

xx
HGK