Happy Pi(e) Day

Make a pie on Pi Day has been on my 101 in 1001 list since, well since I made it nearly 1001 days ago.  My current list started on June 27, 2015.  That means that I had 3 chances to do it.  Didn't do it in 2016.  Didn't do it in 2017.  So obviously I waited until the last possible chance I had, 10 days before the list ends.  This morning my friend Emily will be leaving to head back to Austin, & my parents will be arriving sometime this evening, making it a perfect day to make some pies.

I'll be making two pies, mostly because the freezer crust that I bought came in a two pack.

I originally just planned on making a Blackberry Peach Pie.  

The recipe calls for 1 square of frozen puff pastry.  Frozen puff pastry was $5.  Two pre-made pie crusts, in their own pie tins meaning I didn't have to buy those as well, was $2 or $3.  Winner winner chicken dinner.  

I picked up a package of chocolate fudge pudding/pie filling for the second pie.

Now I just need to make sure to share so I don't wind up eating two whole pies by myself...

Cake In A Jar

I first learned of cake in a jar nearly 4 years ago when Branden joined the military & I therefore joined a military support group.  Branden had never deployed though & wasn't allowed packages and such when he was at training so I never had the need to make it.  Well now he is deployed & his birthday is in exactly one week so I decided to send him some cake.  So how do you make it you ask?  It's really simple.

1. Make cake batter as normal (I just used a cake in a box mixture)
2. Liberally grease each jar (I just used cooking spray & sprayed all over the inside)
3. Fill each jar no more than half full (I used wide mouth jars because it will slide out easier & it only took 2 jars)
4. Place jars on a cookie sheet.
5. Cook at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes. (After 30 minutes my toothpicks came out perfectly clean)
6. For the last 5 minutes boil the lids & rings.
7. When cake is done put the lids & rings on immediately.
8. Cover each jar with a towel so that they stay warm. (The should seal fairly quickly)

PS. Make sure your jars are perfectly clean before you begin this process.  I ran mine through the dishwasher right before I needed them.

Bake-N-Blog Part 2

Previously I had posted about how I was going to be participating in a Bake-N-Blog hosted by jesstagirl & her officer. I chose to make cupcake #3 Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Cream.
Of course I waited until this morning before class to make them. I chose these ones because I didn't need to buy any flour which I never use so I didn't want a big bag lying around. I didn't actually look at the recipe until last night. Had I known about the egg white thing I would not have chosen this. Oh yeah & I had forgotten that I do in fact already have flour in my apartment.

Despite being afraid of the egg whites, the process went down drama & problem free. I followed the directions to a T. At least as far as I could tell. However the cupcakes look like a wreck. They taste delicious. They literally melt in your mouth. But they are all shrivled up & funny looking.

Lucky for me I'm not throwing a party or anything so presentation doesn't really matter. All the matters is that I can pop them in my mouth & feel them melt. The taste isn't super over powering which is perfect. Would I make them again? Maybe. I definitely want to try Ming's other recipes at some point.

Bake-N-Blog

Over at Jesstagirl And Her Officer by Jessica Lynn she is holding a bake-n-blog.

These are the rules:
1. Choose 1 of the 33 recipes from Ming Makes Cupcakes (they all look amazing!)
2. Leave a comment stating which cupcake you'll be making.
3. Make the cupcakes by September 15 & take pictures.

These are the cupcakes I'll be making:

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Cream.
I chose these because A)they look delicious but mostly because B)they don't require flour which I don't have any of at my apartment & don't want to have to buy a bunch.

I would definitely like to try more of the recipes in the future.

It's A Jungle Out There

For Branden's birthday this year I decided to make him cupcakes. Not just any cupcakes, jungle animal cupcakes. On Monday he will turn 24. I had to make them today because Monday is too late and well tomorrow, tomorrow is the 4th so nothing real productive will get done. I hyperlinked the recipe in a previous post. Obviously mine don't look as good as the picture but I think that for never really decorating anything cake wise before & not doing a test run I did a pretty darn good job. I made lions, tigers, monkeys, and zebras.


The Ingredients

The Final Products

It's July?!

Time is flying by entirely too fast. This year is half over. What is that?! I have clue as to where the time has gone. This summer sure is going by much faster than I would like. As previously mentioned June was an extremely busy month. Well, July isn't a whole lot better. Once again I have no free weekends. It's Fourth of July weekend, my work weekend, I'll be getting ready for Vegas, my work weekend, & then I have a family reunion. The first week (5-9) is my last week of class time, I still have an online class that goes until August. The third week (19-23) I'll be in Las Vegas with some girlfriends. That leaves 2 weeks & I still have a job where I work 20+ hours a week. This summer is just insane. August should be slower, fingers crossed.

This weekend should be a good one though. I work 9-5 tomorrow & then am headed back to my hometown for a couple of days to see my family. Then Sunday I will be with Branden & his friends for the 4th. We always go to this park in his hometown that has a carnival & a fireworks show. We get there around noon & just hang out all day long. Then Monday my love turns 24. I am making him jungle cupcakes. We are going to go to the beach & then just grill.