How to Shrink TOMS and Why Tuesday is Not my Friend

This title may sound weird but it is definitely true.  Tuesday is not my friend.

But not just this Tuesday, every Tuesday.  Tuesday to me is the Monday to most people.  If that makes sense.  Why do I despise Tuesdays so much you ask?  Because on Monday, I can accept that I have to get up at an ungodly hour, try to put on my makeup still half asleep, eat a breakfast I’m not hungry for, and then spend 4  hours at school before completing the numerous tasks I have to do at home.

But then I have to do it again on Tuesday?!  Ughhhhhhh.

If I could choose the events that occur throughout my Tuesday, it would include these activities (in no particular order):

Eat Chinese food (preferably for breakfast)

Blog.

Have somebody bake me a cake that is not myself.

Buy clothes.

Stare at my ceiling.

Eat Chinese food.

Eat cake.

Eat ice cream.

Make a craft I’m not obligated to make.

Write a song.

Eat Chinese food.

Sleep all day.

Watch “Friends”

I wish life were like that.  However, since it’s not like that I try to make the best out of my Tuesday.

Things I found particularly good that made my Tuesday a little better:

Making these confetti cupcakes.  They were so delicious (sorry, no recipe.  Then there would be no reason for my cupcake business

My piano.  Because I love my piano.

Running shoes.  Because even though the thought of working out makes me cringe, I feel so much better afterwards.

And lastly, the summer weather.  Only about 14 days of school left and I’m ready!

Clearly, this is my new attempt to make the hard days a little better, so if I post these once in a while, just work with me here.  Okay, now what you came here for.  How to shrink TOMS!

This year for Prom I decided to wear TOMS with my dress.  I bought them but when I tried them on they slipped right off my feet like flip flops

Sorry about the pictures.  They were taken at night time.

I wanted to shrink them in the wash, but I guess that will tear them to pieces.  Which I expected.  I mean, come on, handmade shoes won’t hold up being thrashed around in a medal cylinder.

Here’s how I shrunk my TOMS the easy way!

Rinse your TOMS with hot water trying to avoid the leather part.  This will be really hard to do, and you will probably stop caring and give up.  It’s okay, it will dry.  They might stink a little though, so use some odor powder to rid of that!

Set them out where it is hot!  Since I’m in Vegas, that was not difficult.  Next time though, I will dry them outside.  I just did it in the garage, and it was not as hot as I expected.

When they’re dry, put them on!  They should shrink about 1/2-1 size.  If they are any bigger than that, return them.

Here’s a picture of my and my boyfriend on Prom.  You can’t see my shoes but this is the dress they went with.  I’m so excited to see the pictures taken by our photographer!  Really can’t wait.

Also, it’s already 107 degrees in Vegas.  IN MAY!  This is getting crazy.  If you’ve never been in extreme heat like that, then you know why I’m so distraught.

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday

XOXO Sara

Fudgy Brownies with Cookie Dough Topping

Hello everyone!

Let me just start off by saying that these are delicious.  I started with my fudge brownie recipe and then experimented with the cookie dough top until it came out how I wanted.

This weekend is prom, so when I was trying to decide what I was going to make for our post prom bonfire, I decided it had to be something chocolate-y and classic.  And thus cookie dough topped fudge brownies were born!

I taste tested one today (just to make sure they weren’t poisonous, of course) and they were delicious!  I know my friends will approve and I really know they will be Brandon approved.  Plus, they were so simple to make so they’re great for a last minute dessert for a pot luck or a party.

Check out the end for vegan and gluten free options!

They make about 15 big brownies, but they are super rich so I would make them smaller, maybe about 24 squares.  It really is hard to finish a whole one.

Ingredients:

Brownies:

3/4 c. cocoa powder

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 sticks butter

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

1-1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. flour

3/4 c. nuts, chocolate chips, etc. (optional)

Cookie Dough:

1 stick butter

3/4 c. white sugar

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. flour

1 pinch salt

1 Tbs. milk (if needed)

1/2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350* F.  In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and oil until it resembles melted chocolate.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and chocolate chips until smooth.  Add the cocoa powder mix until incorporated.  Stir sugar in the butter and chocolate until it starts to slightly dissolve.

Mix eggs and vanilla into the mixture until it’s not separated.  Whisk in flour and nuts/chocolate chips if you’re adding any.  I personally did not.

Spoon into greased 9×13 pan and smooth until it is even.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes depending on your oven.

Meanwhile, for the cookie dough, combine butter and sugars.  Cream until the sugar is almost completely dissolved.  Here’s where it gets tricky.  If you don’t want it to be grainy, you will have to mix it for quite a while.  However, since most of the cookie dough that we love eating straight from the bowl is grainy, it will taste more genuine if you don’t.  I like mine slightly grainy because it reminds me of baking cookies with my mom when I was little, but of course go with your preference.

Next add the vanilla, flour, and salt.  If it’s too thick, add the milk.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

To assemble, you can do like I did, cut the brownies, and just spoon a few blobs of cookie dough on there.  You could also spread it out across the whole brownie pan and then cut it.  Either way rocks!  Garnish with more chocolate chips.

I’m not kidding when I say that these are the most chocolate-y fudgy brownies ever.  They’re my go to recipe for any brownie recipe and everyone always love them.  Plus, with cookie dough.  Yes. (By the way, the last picture was my attempt to show you how truly fudgy they are.  I don’t know if it worked, but at least take my word!

• Gluten Free: Replace AP flour with rice flour, coconut flour, quinoa flower, etc.
• Vegan/Vegetarian: Replace eggs with applesauce or tofu.  Replace dairy milk with coconut milk.  Use vegan chocolate chips in place of regular.

And a Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful moms out there!  I know I wouldn’t be anywhere without mine and I’m so grateful that I have her.  I can’t wait to give her the gift she’s been wanting and spend the day with her!  What do you guys do for Mother’s Day?

Also, let me know how you guys like this recipe!

XOXO Sara

Healthy Green Chile Cheese Enchiladas

Hola.

I felt like I had to say that.  To match the theme of course!  This recipe is my (late) Cinco de Mayo meal.

Today is my only non-busy day this week so I decided to make cheese enchiladas for lunch.  I try to keep it healthy so that’s what I did, of course.

These were simple to make and only took me an hour total!  I’m sure it could go quicker of course, when I’m not in the process of making it up.

Plus, it makes enough to last me for lunch for another day.  That’s always a bonus!  Served with beans and rice, these would make an awesome dinner!  I only made half the recipe, for two people, so for a meal of four, make the whole recipe posted below.

I froze the extra sauce so that I can make more later!  I already want to eat my leftovers, but I will resist and work out instead (;

Ingredients:

Enchiladas:

12 corn tortillas

2 c. part skim cheddar cheese, shredded

1 8 oz. can green chiles, chopped

Sauce:

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. flour

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 Tbs. chili powder

2 Tbs. dried onion

8 oz. tomato sauce

14 oz. chicken broth, low sodium

1/4 tsp. parsley

2 tsp. oregano

1/8 tsp. ceyenne pepper

2 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. Tobassco

Combine the olive oil, flour, and chile powder.  Mix together.  Add garlic to saute (you may need to add more oil).

Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, dried onion, parsley, oregano, ceyenne, onion powder, and Tobassco.  Bring the mixture to a boil for 5 minutes.  Then reduce it to a simmer for 15-2o minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave the tortillas for 30 seconds so they don’t break when you roll them.

Combine the cheese and the green chiles.  You can’t really see the chiles, because they are at the bottom!

Place about 2 Tbs. of cheese in the middle of a tortilla.  Roll it up and set aside.

When all of the enchiladas are rolled up.  Grease a baking dish and spoon some of the red sauce in the bottom.  Arrange the enchiladas in the dish.

Bake at 400* F for 8 minutes.  Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake until bubbly.

These are awesome with lime juice drizzled on top and a little low fat sour cream.  They’d be so good with shredded beef, pork, or chicken if you are a big meat lover.  Yum!

Alternatives

• Vegetarian:  These are already vegetarian.
• Gluten Free:  Replace flour in sauce with another thickening agent such as cornstarch.
• Vegan:  Replace cheese with veggies, beans, or tofu.
• Paleo: Replace tortillas with kale, collard green leaves, or homemade Paleo corn tortillas.  Replace cheese with beans, meat, or veggies.

I hope you find these as delicious as I do!

XOXO Sara

Healthy Baked Potato Chips with Low Fat Garlic Parmesan Aioli

I had to take this picture with my iPhone during dinner because I couldn’t keep these chips away from my family long enough to get a decent shot.

They’re that good.  My mom, who is trying to stick to mostly meats, fruits, and veggies couldn’t resist them.  She can’t resist any potatoes for that matter.  We call her the potato hoe.  Is that dysfunctional?  Don’t answer that.

Also, I don’t think anything is better than garlic aioli.  Seriously, it’s good on fries, burgers, sandwiches.  So much stuff.  If it wasn’t frowned upon, I would eat it by itself.

Okay maybe not.  But still, I really like it.

To change it up, I added some parmesan and also made it low fat so that I could indulge without consuming mega calories.  As for the potatoes, I just got tired of roasted potatoes covered with garlic.  So I decided on chips.

The result was amazing.

Ingredients:

Potatoes:

2 lb. red potatoes

2 Tbs. olive oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1-2 tsp. garlic powder (according to your taste)

1/2-1 1/2 tsp. onion powder (according to taste)

1/4 tsp. smoked paprika (or regular if you can’t find smoked in your local grocery store)

Preheat oven to 400* F.

Slice potatoes with a mandolin or on your food processor attachment.  Soak potatoes in ice cold water for 15-20 minutes.

See why here!

Drain the potatoes, dry them, and place them on a greased baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.  Mix with your hands to make sure the potatoes are completely covered in oil and seasoning.

Lay them in a single layer on your baking sheet.  Bake them for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy.

Low Fat Garlic Parmesan Aioli

1/4 c. low fat mayo (I recommend Hellmann’s.  You could try with Greek yogurt too but I haven’t!)

3 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. ceyenne pepper

1/3 c. Parmesan, grated

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tbs. olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the low fat mayo, lemon juice, ceyenne, parm, and garlic.  While whisking, add the olive oil.  You may add some milk or some more oil to get the right consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with the baked chips.

You should be jealous!

Alternatives

• Vegetarian: Use Greek Yogurt instead of mayo.
• Gluten Free: You’re good (;
• Vegan: Add Veganaise or homemade vegan mayo.
• Paleo: Use zucchini instead of potatoes and Greek Yogurt instead of mayo.

Let me know what you think.

Stay Serendipitous!

XOXO Sara

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake Muffins

I wish I had that muffin right now.

Because I made them 2 weeks ago, and have been meaning to post the recipe since then.

And I’ve been a bad blogger.  I apologize.  I was sick all last week, which seems like the perfect time to blog if I hadn’t been sleeping the whole time.

But on another note, we finally got a new investment home my boyfriend and I will be living in for the next few years!  We are so excited to start painting and moving.  I also can’t wait to have such an awesome kitchen that I get to start cooking in.  Nice and sunny for perfect food pics!

Back to the muffins.  They are super yummy, cinnamon-y, and kind of have a caramel undertone to them.  Everything is good about these muffins.

They took a little trial and error at first, but the muffins eventually became just right!  The only downside is they fell a little flat which I wasn’t expecting.  Apparently, I need to work on a little baking soda/powder ratio.

However, the flatness did not take away from the taste at all!  They are definitely worth a try for Christmas morning or brunch with your family.

Ingredients:

Muffins

2 c. AP flour

1 Tbs. baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. allspice

2 eggs

1 c. sugar

1/4 c. melted butter, cooled

1/2 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. milk (about; I estimated a little)

Topping:

1 c. flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 c. butter, softened

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cinnamon Swirl:

3 Tbs. butter, melted

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar, sifted

2 Tbs. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven at 350* F.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and the spices.  Set aside.

Whisk the eggs, sugar, and cooled butter together.  Add the dry ingredients, buttermilk, and vanilla.

 Mix the milk in lastly until just mixed.  The muffins will be dense if you overmix!

For the topping, mix the first four ingredients.  Then mix the butter and vanilla in until crumbly.  Set in the fridge.

Combine the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon until the brown sugar combines into it.  Microwave for a few seconds if necessary.

To assemble, spoon the batter into lined muffin tins.  Using a toothpick, swirl 1 Tbs. of brown sugar/butter mixture into the batter, and top with 1-2 Tbs. of topping.

Bake the muffins for 12-14 minutes.

While the muffins bake, mix together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.

When the muffins are finished baking, drizzle the glaze over the warm muffins.  Then they are ready to eat!

I really might need to make these again this weekend.  They take a little bit of time, but they are by far worth it.

• Gluten Free Version: Replace flour with quinoa or rice flower
• Vegan Option:

Let me know what you guys think.

Stay Serendipitous!

XOXO Sara

Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Truffles

 

Hello friends!

Another recipe for another day.  Lately, I’ve been needing chocolate.  NEEDING it.  And I’m not one of those crazy, obsessed chocolate-fans.  I just enjoy it four times three times more than once a week.

Chocolate is obviously one of the most popular foods in the whole entire world.  Cocoa powder is one amazing ingredient.  Has anyone ever tried it in a savory dish?  I think I need to get on that.

Mole sauce maybe?  On cheese enchiladas?  Yes please.

And although cocoa powder has amazing health benefits (antioxidants anyone?) milk chocolate or white chocolate do not provide the same benefits.  Dark chocolate is ideal for a healthy chocolate option, but many of the brands are still filled with sugar.

And that’s where I come in.  Well, my truffles.

These truffles are made with dark chocolate and a natural sweetener: honey!  However, don’t fret; they don’t taste like honey.  They also take about 7 minutes total.  Seriously.

Another bonus: kids and men will love these and they’ll never know that they’re good for them!  Score.

*Also look for some more alternatives at the bottom of this page!*

 

Ingredients:

6 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate

4-6 Tbs. honey (sweeten according to taste)

6 Tbs. skim milk

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. hazelnuts (or nut of choice), optional*

Cocoa powder, shredded coconut, or nuts for garnish

 

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate, honey, milk, and salt.  Microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth, like ganache.  While still hot, add vanilla extract and hazelnuts.

Freeze for 2ish hours.  It may look firm before then, but the center won’t be.  It could help to mix it a few times.

When it’s done, it should look like this.

Then, just scoop them out with a cookie scoop, and roll in garnish.  That easy!

Oh, and keep them in the freezer or they might melt.

*Gluten Free Option: Already gluten free.

*Vegan Option:  Use coconut or almond milk instead of skim milk.

*Nut Free Option: Replace hazelnuts with chocolate chips, dried fruit, or leave them out completely.

*Honey Free Option: Use Splenda, agave nectar, or sugar if you want!

Let me know what you guys use in this recipe!  So yummy.

Stay Serendipitous!

XOXO Sara

 

 

Healthy Pasta Salad

Hello friends

About a week ago, I made this pasta salad recipe and it was super delicious.  Plus, it’s healthy so it’s perfect for a weekday lunch.  In fact, I had it every day last week!

School has been absolutely crazy lately with prom, Grad Nite, and college all coming up!  Luckily, I’ll have a long summer and nice week in Hawaii for my birthday before college life begins.

However, among all the craziness in my life my wonderful boyfriend came  over and surprised me by taking me to lunch yesterday.  That’s a way to have a week made!

Plus we’ve been dating for 2 1/2 years, since yesterday, so that was awesome as well.  2 1/2 years goes quick!

So among your crazy, busy life make this pasta salad for lunches or a dinner side and then you won’t have to worry about  grabbing a fast food bag instead!

Ingredients:

1/2 box of whole wheat penne (or pasta of choice), boiled according to package directions

1 orange pepper, diced

1 cucumber, sliced

1/4 c. Parmesan, shredded

1/4 c. part skim Cheddar cheese, cubed

1/4 c. part skim Colby Jack cheese, cubed

1 can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

1/4 c. low fat salami, sliced

Dressing:

1/2 c. olive oil

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp. spicy mustard

1/4 tsp. sugar

While the pasta is boiling, mix together the ingredients for the salad dressing.  When the pasta is drained and slightly cooled, mix the rest of the salad ingredients together and toss with dressing.  Refrigerate until chilled.  Serve.

*More vegetables could always be added to this salad!  Olives, onion, tomato, etc.

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Stay Serendipitous!

XOXO Sara

Iced Passion Tea Lemonade: Starbuck’s Homemade!

Hi everyone!

First let me begin by apologizing for my absences.  Senior year is crazy and only getting crazier!   But I do promise to blog as much as I possibly can.

Back to the drink.  Passion tea lemonade was introduced to me by my best friend a couple years ago.  I was instantly hooked.

And although the passion teas are actually one of the cheaper drinks (about $3.50 for a venti) it’s still much cheaper to make at home and you don’t have to leave the house.

Here’s what you’ll need!

1 mug of passion tea (I recommend a large mug, like shown above).  I let it sit for a few hours in the fridge to get a lot of flavor, so you’ll want to do that too.  Make sure to brew in hot water first of course!

1 can lemonade.  You probably won’t use it all.

Ice (not shown)

Sweetener of choice (I used Splenda), optional

A big cup

Put the ice in your cup.  You’ll need a lot of ice so that it stays nice and cold!  Then add your tea.  I filled mine a little more than 3/4 of the way full, but you can do so according to taste.  Then add lemonade to fill the rest of the cup.  I did a little less than 1/4 of the way.  Add the sweetener and stir!

That’s it!  So quick, easy, and delicious!  Not to mention cheap.

Here’s how the price came out:

Tazo Passion Tea tea bag- $.21

can of Minute Maid Light- $.42 for the whole can (about $.11 for 1/4 can)

Splenda- $.07 for 2 packets

Water and Ice- Free!

Total: $.70 for more than a Venti at Starbuck’s!

That’s a deal to me!

And it takes almost exactly like the Starbuck’s version.  It’s a good day.

Let me know what you guys think!

Stay Serendipitous!

XOXO Sara

Painting with Leftover Easter Egg Dye!

Hi everybody!

Sorry for the little leave of absense.  Spring Break has been crazy!  Looking for houses, doing college stuff, weddings, and just family/boyfriend time has made it really hard to do blog-y stuff.

Anyways, I’m back and ready to blog! I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Easter.  I most definitely did.  My family had a relaxing day at the house, ate a big dinner, and dyed Easter eggs.

Plus, I got Les Mis from the Easter bunny, so that definitely gave me something to do on the last day of Spring Break!

Since we’ve been so busy lately, I didn’t get to dying Easter eggs until today.  Which was fine because I got to do it on actual Easter which was a ton of fun!

The idea to paint with leftover Easter egg dye didn’t really occur to me until I was in the process of dying eggs. 

And yes, I am way too old to be painting with Easter egg dye, but I thought it was such a great idea that I had to test it out so that parents might be able to try it with their kids!

This was the perfect project to do while waiting for the eggs to turn bright colors.

To do this project, I used the “vibrant” colors, meaning I used 1 tablet, 3 Tbs. of white vinegar, and 1/2 c. water.  The other methods would probably be too light to show up on paper.

Then, I just started painting and it worked out great!

Trees are always fun to paint.

The more water you paint on, the more color.  You’ll have to add a lot of water to get color so you’ll probably want to hang them up somewhere to dry.  You will also get little dots all over your paper, but when the picture dries the dots will disappear.

Obviously, I’m not an artist.  But it was still a ton of fun to paint while waiting for my eggs to dye!  Plus, it gives kids something to do before you throw out all that dye. 

Another fun thing to do is paint on paper towels (preferably the non-patterned kind), because it looks like tie-dye.  Super cool!

Here’s a picture of some of our eggs!  I love my dark green one. 

And even though I got to this late, painting with Easter egg dye should be a great idea for Easter next year!

Let me know what you guys think.  I hope you have a wonderful night celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Stay Serendipitous!

XOXO Sara

Best Ever Bread Pudding

Hi guys!

I hope you’re all having a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day.  I’m definitely wearing green.  It’s my favorite color!

For St. Patrick’s Day, we are having some family and my boyfriend over for some good food and graduation planning!  Crazy, it’s just a few months away!

Yesterday, I had some extra time so I went down to the grocery store and asked the bakery for some day old bread.  Then I got to work.

This is my “signature recipe” and has been since I was about 11 or 12.  It’s so good and my parents absolutely love it.  It has been changed over the years so feel free to adapt!  It’s the perfect recipe to do so. 

Yummm.

Ingredients:

5-5 1/2 c. day old French bread, cubed

1/4 c. butter, melted

3 eggs

2 c. whole milk

1/2 c. white sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

Pinch ground ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. brown sugar

 

For the sauce:

4 Tbs. butter, cubed

2 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. cornstarch

3/4 c. whole milk

1/4 c. light corn syrup

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch salt

 

Place the bread cubes in a casserole dish.  Coat with butter and arrange in a single layer.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and salt.  Pour over the bread cubes.

Press the cubes into the egg mixture to coat each one. 

Sprinkle brown sugar over the bread pudding. 

Bake at 375* for 40-45 minutes.

 

For the sauce:

Melt butter in a saucepan.  Combine the cornstarch to the milk.  Add the sugar to the melted butter with the milk slurry.  Add the corn syrup and salt and stir.  Bring to a boil and let it boil for about two minutes.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.

 

Serve warm sauce over warm bread pudding.  Delicious!

You could add fruit, pecans (which would be awesome!), anything!

Let me know what you guys think.

Stay Serendipitous!

XOXO Sara