Recipe Thursday: Citrus Butter Cookies

I really like to bake. It's one of my favorite things to do. Even in our tiny apartment, in our teeny tiny kitchen, baking is fun and rewarding. We have some of our college students over every Friday night and I bake for them each week. This is a recipe I tried out on them recently, and let me tell you...you cannot eat just one...or even two or three. I think I ate 6. Yikes. Un.be.liev.able. 

Here are my photos:

Pretty pictures can be found on the Pioneer Woman's website, where I got the recipe. And next time you want a yummy, pretty cookie to make or bring to a shower or party, try these. You will not be disappointed.

Citrus Butter Cookies:


Ingredients

• 2 cups (4 Sticks) Salted Butter, Softened
• 1-1/2 cup Sugar
• 2 whole Large Eggs, Separated
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 3 Tablespoons Orange, Lemon, And Lime Zest (approx 1 Tablespoon Each)
• 2 Tablespoons Orange, Lemon, And/or Lime Juice (2 Tablespoons Total)
• Icing
• 3 cups Powdered Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Whole Milk
• 2 Tablespoons Orange, Lemon, And Lime Zest
• Juice Of 1/2 Lime
• Juice Of 1/2 Lemon
• Dash Of Salt
• Extra Zest, For Decorating

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar until combined. Add egg yolks and mix until combined (set whites aside for the icing.) Add the zest and the flour and mix until just combined, then add juice and mix until combined.

Scoop out heaping teaspoons of dough, then roll them into balls between your hands. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 13 minutes. Remove from the oven and keep on the cookie sheet for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the pan with a spatula and allow to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, combine 1 egg white with the rest of the icing ingredients. Whisk thoroughly until combined, adding either more powdered sugar or more juice until it reaches a pourable but still thick consistency.

Drizzle the icing across the cookies in several lines, then do it again in the other direction. Sprinkle with extra zest before the icing sets.

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Outfit Tuesday: Fancy

I call this my fancy outfit. Not because it looks fancy, but because everything in it is from a store that is usually too highly priced for me to even think about! Remember, we are on a student budget in 650 sq ft. However, between gift cards, gifts, and MEGA sales, all these pieces found a way into my closet: shirt, anthropologie (mega sale and bought with birthday money); skirt, LOFT (gift card from my amazing aunt); shoes, TOMS ballet flats (gift from my fabulous momma).

This outfit made me feel like spring. And since it was 80 degrees (in February) the day I wore it, it was perfect. It also made me realize that I need some nude color heels. I'm putting that on the list of things to look for.

Thanks for reading! Hope you're at least a little inspired to mix some pieces around and come out with a brightly colored, springtime outfit.

Happy Tuesday!

Episode Saturday: Monogram Frame Tutorial

Hi, friends!

In this episode, I'm making a monogram frame for a friend. It's a really easy, quick, and inexpensive DIY project that is perfect for gifts. I got the idea from Jones Design Company, which is a great blog for decorating, design, and creativity. To see her photo tutorial, click here. She does things a little differently than I do and you might find that easier.

Here's a look at the ones I made for Christmas gifts:

If you try this, let me know how it goes and share your photos with me. I'd love to see your ideas!


Thanks so much for reading the blog this week. I hope you're enjoying it!

Have a fun and happy weekend!

Recipe Thursday: Sliders

Happy Thursday!

I really love to cook and bake. I never made a full meal until I was married and I honestly thought I would hate this part of being a wife. Turns out, it's one of my favorite things to do! Luckily for me, my mom is an incredible cook and Ethan's aunt is an amazing baker so I've learned a lot and have people I can call when I have questions at the grocery store or in the middle of a recipe.

So, on Thursdays I will share either a tried and true recipe that I fall back on, a new recipe that I'm trying, or some cooking/baking tips and info.

Ethan and I try to eat pretty healthy, but we really enjoy a good meal so we try not to fully deprive ourselves of things we really like. Case in point, cheeseburgers. My favorite food.

I really love the Pioneer Woman. I think she's hilarious and down to earth and her recipes are amazing. You'll find I use a lot of them. Here's a recipe from her website:

I have made this recipe 2 times now. Once, I made it the way listed, the second time I changed things up a little bit to make it a bit more healthy. I'll share the changes throughout the recipe in italics.

Mushroom and Swiss Sliders with Spicy Fry Sauce

by the Pioneer Woman (click here to check out her original blog post about this recipe for step by step photo instructions!)

Ingredients

■1/3 cup Mayonnaise

■2 Tablespoons Ketchup

■1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (less If You're Sensitive To Spice!)

■4 Tablespoons Butter (Extra Virgin Olive Oil works just fine)

■1/2 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

■8 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Chopped Finely

■1/2 cup White Or Red Wine (optional) (Did not use either time)

■4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

■Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

■2 pounds Ground Beef (You can use any kind you want, but we used 80/20. Not the healthiest, but definitely the tastiest)

■4 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream (Used whole milk)

■4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

■1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

■Freshly Ground Black Pepper

■4 slices Swiss Cheese, Cut Into Four Squares (Forgot swiss the 2nd time and just used cheddar. Just as good)

■8 whole Dinner (or Slider) Rolls, Split (Used 100% whole wheat, multi-grain rolls)

Preparation Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, ketchup, and cayenne. Stir together until totally combined. Set aside. (This is the spicy fry sauce.) (Skipped this step the second time and just used plain ketchup or BBQ sauce.)
2. Melt butter in a large skillet. (I used my Le Creuset, which I am obsessed with, and it worked great!) Add onions and cook over medium heat for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and toss around, then add wine (if using), Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Cook for several minute over medium heat, or until all liquid has evaporated. Transfer mushroom mixture to a separate bowl, scraping all contents from the skillet.
3.Mix ground beef, heavy cream, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly mix ingredients. (I mixed while the veggies were cooking) Form 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the meat mixture into patties, making an indentation with your thumb to keep the patties from plumping too much when they cook. (I used 1/4 cup both times. Perfect size) In the same skillet as the one used to cook the mushrooms, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium to medium-high heat (I did use butter for this, but the Smart Balance kind). Add four patties at a time, indented side face up. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip. Spoon generous portion of mushroom mixture on each patty, then top with one or two squares of Swiss, depending on your preference. Place lid on skillet and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until burgers are cooked through and cheese is melted. Remove to a place and keep warm while you repeat with the rest of the meat mixture.
4.Toast halved buns under the oven broiler. Spread generously with spicy fry sauce. Place patties between buns and serve immediately with fried onion strings. (We ate this with sweet potato fries and fresh sliced pineapple this week. Delicious!)

Yum!!

Enjoy!

Outfit Tuesday: Eclectic

I can't believe so many of you made it through that 10 minute video! Congrats!

I plan on sharing an outfit every Tuesday as a photo post. It won't be anything super fancy  because I have a terrible camera and am the worst at editing. So, it will be an actual glimpse of an outfit I wore that week that I particularly liked.

I love this outfit. I threw it together for church on Sunday. I don't usually plan out what I wear all that much. I put something together in my head the night before or while I'm in the shower. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it looks terrible. My style is pretty eclectic, which I think if you see the outfits week after week, you'll find that to be true.

As for today's outfit: I like the high bun right now. It is perfect for "second-day" hair and I'm happy with the way it looks: out of my way, but still chic. I seriously am obsessed with this blazer. It's from my favorite store, WISH. It's cotton which means comfy and warm, but I can push the sleeves up if I want to. The dress is a shift dress from Old Navy from probably 3 years ago or more. Maroon tights that I got for Christmas and the boots are from Target. I made the scarf! Aren't you proud?

As a side note, I have to tell you that I really love that little plant on the left side of the picture. It's an avocado plant...a true commitment. I put an avocado pit in some dirt about 1 1/2 years ago and it's doing so well! Only 3 1/2 more years until we have a fruit producing plant!

Thanks for reading. Have a happy Tuesday!

Episode: Six Fifty

Welcome to the new format! If you make it through the whole 10 minute video, you are a trooper. I'm a talker!
Here are the links for the things you'll find in the video:
-Bex!
-Origins Halo Effect
-Suave Sleek Anti-Frizz Cream
-Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint (I have Pearl)
-Eye Rock Stick-On Eye Liner (there is even a video tutorial of how to put them on!)
-Birchbox (If you decide you want to do the monthly Birchbox, let me know and I can send you an invitation to the wait list. You don't have to get one from me, but I get points if you sign up!)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a happy weekend!

New Idea

So I've been thinking about blogging more in 2012 now that I am no longer a student. I think this is a good idea.

I'm working on a new format that would be in video form.

Thoughts?