Month: November 2014

Wine and Paint Night…you can do the dining after.

Carrie1 Comment

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Since I turned 30, my nights out have changed quite a bit.  Don’t get me wrong, I still go out on the town but the occasions are more rare these days.  Instead, I like to find alternatives that tend not to leave me with a wicked hangover.   My friend, Christina and I, are pictured above with our smocks on because we decided to spend the evening being slightly productive.  We decided to go to a wine and paint party at Artist on the Rocks in North Cape May.  I realize that these places have been popping up all over the country in the last year, but Cape May County is usually a little late to the game.  Better late than never!  All we had to do was bring a bottle of wine to the studio and pay $25 for our 3 hour session.  They provide you with the canvas and all the supplies you need and a slice of pizza (painting is rigorous so you need some sustenance along the way).  They post a session schedule of the paintings on their website so you can plan your night ahead of time.  I have been two times already and you can see the results below.  Looks like a little wine brings out the artist in me!
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Last Five

SadieLeave a comment

Songs I downloaded from iTunes.

1. Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars. This one is hard to resist. Who doesn’t want and need some uptown funk in their lives? I heard it on the radio when I was waking up one morning and I knew I had to have it. This is going on the cooking music playlist for sure. Best lyric: “I’m too hot, I make a dragon want to retire.”

2. We All Want the Same Thing by Rixton. This was a Pandora find. It came up the other day and I thought it was catchy. These guys have had one medium radio hit recently, but I don’t know if this is reaching the Top 40 at this point.

3. Cross my Heart by Marianas Trench. Another Pandora find. I downloaded three songs by Marianas Trench this summer and I’m still listening to them constantly. Their sound is very similar to Fall Out Boy, and I love Fall Out Boy, so it all makes sense. It’s a great gym song.

4. Never Had a Dream Come True by S Club 7. I heard it randomly, and I needed it immediately. S Club 7 is good stuff from the middle school era of my life.

5. Hark the Herald Angels Sing by Pentatonix. My first Christmas song of the season! This version is an interesting combination of traditional, a cappella, and gospel. Their whole Christmas album is pretty solid, but I didn’t go crazy, because my Christmas repertoire is already pretty full of the songs they selected. I can’t make a mix with my five favorite versions of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” I wish they put out a few more songs.

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PS- I’m seriously considering downloading Dangerous by David Guetta featuring Sam Martin, because I’ve heard it on the radio about 20 times in the last couple days and I like it (the video takes about 4 minutes for the actual song to start).

Almond Joy Brownies: A Hershey Inspired Dessert

CarrieLeave a comment

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This month, I made a trip to Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey, PA on the way back from visiting my alma mater.  One of my memories as a child is going to Hershey Park in the summer to ride all the thrilling amusement rides and to visit Chocolate World.  The best part of Chocolate World was the ride inside that detailed the process of making Hershey’s chocolate.  As you walk into Chocolate World, you are blown away by the smell of chocolate emanating from the building.  The aroma is overwhelming and you become immersed into a magical world where nothing matters except all the chocolate treats that you can purchase there.  Needless to say, I went home with a goodie bag.

When i returned home, I felt the need to whip up my very own chocolate creation inspired by Milton Hershey himself.  I put a Hershey twist on brownies.  I used Pillsbury Dark Chocolate brownie mix and doctored it up to make Almond Joy Brownies.  I made the batter as stated on the box, then added 1/2 tsp of coconut extract, 1 tsp of almond extract, and 3/4 cup sliced almonds to the batter.

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I poured the batter in a 13×9 inch pan and then topped the batter with coconut flakes.  I used Toasted Coconut Chips from Creative Snacks Co.  This sample bag was given to me by one of my sales reps this summer.  If you use regular coconut, be sure to toast it in the oven before you top off the brownies.

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Bake the brownies as directed on the box.  The result is a twist on a classic and your dinner guests won’t be able to pass on dessert.  Top a brownie with the ice cream of your choice and hot fudge sauce to make an even more irresistible dessert.

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