Birchbox

So, I just found out about this awesome website called https://www.birchbox.com/. It's pretty much a first come, first serve list you can get on to receive a box of high end beauty product samples every month, for $10/month. I just submitted my email to get on the list. I don't know a ton of details but you should totally check it out. I'll let you know when I receive mine. So stay tuned!

Guinness Brownies

I just ate one of these and I am kind of in a delicious chocolate coma. They are super moist, super chocolaty and have just a hint of the stout Guinness beer taste. I was feeling like a nice girlfriend today and even saved one for Eric when I go back to Moscow tomorrow. He's so lucky (another pun!). My mom and I adapted this recipe from danadooley on group recipes. http://www.grouprecipes.com/44709/dublin-brownies.html. We did without the frosting since we have green mint ice cream and added a little more beer. Gotta stay festive!

Guinness Brownies

And no, I did not drink the beer with my dessert, it just added to the festiveness of the photo. I've been enjoying some delicious Emergen C today. Gotta love being sick.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of fudge brownie mix
• 1 cup of Guinness
• 3/4 cup of oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Grease an 8 by 12 baking pan with cooking spray

In a large bowl, add brownie mix, Guinness, oil, eggs and vanilla. Stir. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Do not over bake. Should be a little wet in the middle of the brownies. They're suppose to be super moist!

Serve with ice cream or you can make a frosting. My lovely friend and baking buddy, Kelsea, and I make a delicious Bailey's cream frosting. I guess that's a recipe for some other time. Another day. Another post.

Enjoy! Happy Green Day!

"Green Day" Feast

Happy St. Paddy's Day! I'm home for spring break right now and was luckily (look a pun!) able to be home for the annual "Green Day" feast. What was on the menu this year? 

Bratwurst sausages boiled in Guinness beer and then cooked on the grill

Topped with sautéed onions (cooked in Guinness), fried potatoes and onions, and fried cabbage (cooked in Guinness)

And for dessert.....Guinness brownies and green mint ice cream

So obviously the main ingredient in the "Green Day" feast was nasty, icky Guinness beer, which when cooked in things turned into a great St. Patrick's Day dinner!

I promised pictures, so here they are and now for a recipe. Look at my next post for the delicious Guinness brownie recipe!

1,000,000,000 Points for Gryffindor!

I already posted this on my Facebook, but it is definitely precious and therefore blog worthy. Not really much of an explanation needed. I love Harry Potter and Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) is a babe. Enjoy!

Happy St. Paddy's Day everyone! My mom and I are making our "Green Day" feast tonight. Complete with Guinness brats, fried cabbage, spuds and onions, and for dessert Guinness stout brownies. Pictures and recipes to follow. 

Team Kenley!

I love Project Runway! Even though I do not have TV at my apartment, my mom has been nice enough to record this season of Project Runway All Stars for me, to watch while I'm home on spring break. If you don't watch Project Runway and/or have not seen this season, drop everything and do so now. Here's the link: http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway-all-stars. All the other seasons are on Netflix. You have no excuse.

My favorite designer on this season of Project Runway All Stars is Kenley Collins, who sadly got voted off last Thursday with her peacock feather dress. Booooooo! She designs cute, vintage inspired clothing with LOTS of polka dots. So she is obviously precious and worth noting in my blog. She was on Project Runway 2008, appeared on E!'s Oscar 2011 pre-show, Live with Regis and Kelly and The Biography channel.

She has her own website: http://kenleycollins.com/. I strongly encourage checking this out. You can see her collections and even purchase a few things in her shop (band shirts, skirts, headbands, tights). I visited her website for the first time tonight and learned that not only does she have a marketing degree (twins!), but she is in a band called Jetblack Bullseye. Here's a video:

And yes, I am aware that she went to jail for allegedly throwing a cat and many other things at her ex-fiancé. She might be crazy, but let's just be nice and focus on how cute and precious she is. :)

Easy Power Breakfast: Bacon and Egg Cups

I am a huge breakfast person and it is so baffling to me how people do not eat breakfast every morning and still function. I am a raging monster if I do not get a good breakfast in me.

 Being a busy college student, who values getting as much sleep as possible, I am always looking for something quick, easy and something that will hold me over till lunch without having to take a snack break. So behold: 

Bacon and Egg Cups! 

These little guys are simple, packed with protein, and taste delicious. All you will need is:

• Canadian bacon slices
• Eggs 
• Cooking spray
• Muffin tin

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Push your canadian bacon slices into each of the cups of your muffin tin. Spray the sides of the pan with cooking spray that the bacon is not covering to prevent the egg from sticking. Crack an egg into each bacon cup. Finish by seasoning each cup with a little bit of salt and pepper.

Then, ever so gracefully, put the tray into the oven (I had may or may not have had to make two batches due to the first tray landing on the floor. I was just so excited!) Depending on how you like your eggs bake them accordingly:

• Runny- about 9 minutes
• Semi soft- about 12 minutes
• Hard- about 15 minutes

I checked mine after about 10 minutes and just poked them with a fork to see how they were doing. I like my yoke hard so they baked for about 15 minutes.

After they are cooked the way you like them, take them out of the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes, so they can set up and are easier to spoon out of the pan. I've been catching up on Project Runway All Stars so mine cooled for about 15 minutes :) Eat them with ketchup or Tabasco sauce. Make them the night before so you have a hassle free morning or if you have the time to make them in the morning, save the leftovers for tomorrows breakfast. Enjoy!