OMG! I am so excited :)

I actually won a giveaway! I had just been to the park with my family, where we listened to a tribute band of the Beatles, and dined on fruit, cheese, and pita chips! Not to mention we danced a lot and my mother taught my sister and I how to do the Twist! he he he... To make the night even better I won this A.Tierney Bangle from the Pink Tutu! Could it get any better?? I leave for the Lilly Warehouse sale on Monday and then I am off to OBX, The Outer Banks, NC. This is really turning out to be quite the week! Thanks again to the Pink Tutu for hosting this preppy giveaway!! Ya'll should all really go check out her blog, it is so fun, classy, and preppy!! Thanks again!!

Fondue Fun

Yumm Yumm! This weekend a lot of my old girlfriends from high school have finally all returned from college! In celebration we had a little fondue party...perfect for sweet treats and catching up on the past year at school :) If you are in of some need catching up with close friends I would definitely suggest fondue...enjoy!

Hope you are all having a wonderful long weekend!

My Dilemma

I will be turning 20 years old next month and my boyfriend keeps asking me what I want! Of course all year I can name a million gift I would love to have and when it comes down to the wire (like now) I can never decide on something I want! I wanted the starfish Tiffany's necklace, but that seems to be a little out of price range. I know he wouldn't mind getting me the "mini mini" charm, but I am not sure I want the mini mini, I like the larger starfish better. I have suggested new Pandora charms because you can never have enough! But considering he has bought me that for at least the past 5 holidays, he wants me to get me something different! (Here are a few that I like...) So what should I tell him?? Do ya'll have any suggestions?? Any cute things you have found recently?

A Healthy Kick

Bathing suit season is here....and that means trying to eat healthy. TRYING being the key word here! On that note I headed to grocery store yesterday, market basket in hand, on the pursuit of only healthy foods. This included yogurts, fresh fruits and veggies, and only whole grains. I even bought a little basil plant to grow fresh herbs. All of my choices were pretty good for me (considering I could live off sweets and believe desserts a staple in any diet)! This all brings me to the pita chips I made; paired with hummus it was a delicious and healthy snack. (I swear they tasted better than the picture makes them out to be!) All I did to make them was: cut whole wheat pitas into small squares and unfold them a bit so they could crisp. Spread them evenly onto a greased baking sheet and add a little extra virgin olive oil, a hint of garlic salt, and a few sprinkle of parmesan. I baked them at 450 for about 4 mins. and then flipped them and finished baking for about 3 more minutes. It was soooo yummy!
Each pita was only 130 calories and made about 25 chips after they were separated a bit. Quite a low cal. option compared to a bag of chips! Try it out, they were great and my family loved them!!

My Summer Essentials

Summer by Kab07g on Polyvore.com

I am counting down the days till my trip to the Outer Banks, NC (OBX)! I have been every summer for quite a few summers now visiting my best friend! Her Grandmother has a house there close to great restaurants, perfect little shops, and of course the beach! Yes, I live on the beach at home, but it is nice to go to other beaches as well! Every beach has its own unique features, although the white sugary beaches at home could never be beat! Before heading to the beach we will be in Philadelphia and hopefully a quick trip to New York City for my birthday~ But we will have to see how it all works out! In my time daydreaming I figured I would try out Polyvore to get a head start on packing :) I have never done it, but had seen it on quite a few other blogs...it was pretty fun. This is was the result... My summer essentials: A Lilly Swimsuit (of course), Costa Del Mar sunglasses + my monogrammed croakies (not shown), my Columbia for all those days fishing, and my favorite nail polish (OPI Chapel of Love). Add in a few star fish and some great summer tunes and I am set! All the above lead to a perfect day at the beach, which always leads to a Salty Kiss, can't wait till my trip ;)

Can You Feel the LOVE tonight??

What an eventful weekend I had! Let's just say wedding season has officially started for me! ha ha ha. With a party Friday for the Bridal Party and Friends and the Wedding on Sunday, plus 2 more in the coming weekend I have felt the love! I love weddings and all things related to love. I love watching the groom as his bride walks down the isle, the decorations and tablescapes, the Bride's dress, I just love weddings! I always leave weddings happy and completely in love :) It is just all so romantic! This weekend's wedding was held at the oldest church in Florida, it was absolutely beautiful! They used the colors sage green and blue, with whimsical lanterns on the tables, as well as the invitations and programs. It fit in perfectly with the historical atmosphere of the church and downtown area! They even rode off on a vintage bicycle built for two! These are two pictures of the Chapel where they were married.

Speaking of love...the new season on The Bachelorette starts tonight! I loved last season (until all the drama happened) and loved Jillian, this season's bachelorette from the first show. So I can't wait for tonight!!

With all this love I have to put a picture of my boyfriend and I dancing at the wedding! We danced all night :)

Last night my mom had a dinner party and Bunko at our house! She has been in the same bunko group for over 10 years now with 12 different ladies from all around our area. Every month they rotate and play at each others' homes. Every meal is exquisite; I wish I could go just to taste their dinners! Out of all the ladies my mom is known for always having the best desserts (and of course lots of Chocolate)! Well, I had the honor of helping make the desserts last night! We made a puff pastry together filled with a chocolate cream, topped with melted chocolate and caramel sauce, and then sprinkled with pecans (pe-cawn, not pe CANs ;) ). A chocolate covered strawberry adorned the place as well. It was soooo delectable; it was gone before I could even take a picture of the final product! But the reviews were great and not one morsel of chocolate or pecan was left! All the ladies raved about it and honestly it was quite simple to make; so I thought I would share the recipe with you all!

The Pastry:

1 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

1. Heat oven to 400 F. In a medium saucepan, heat water, butter and salt to a rolling boil. Add flour all at once; stir vigorously over low heat for about 1 minute, or until mixture leaves sides of the pan and forms a ball ( this happens fast!)


2. Remove from heat; add egg, one at a time, beating well. (Make sure the dough has cooled slightly to avoid scrambling the eggs! yuck!) Drop mixture into 12 balls on ungreased cookie sheet. ( I used an ice-cream scoop covered in Pam to make perfect balls)


3. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. While warm, cut the tops off and reserve. Remove any soft pieces of dough from inside the puff. Let cool.

Chocolate Cream Filling:

1 and 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup Hershey's cocoa powder
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. 
   In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, until mixture boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in one cup of the chocolate mixture into the eggs ( this prevents them from cooking). Add the egg mixture back into the pan. Cook over low heat stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla, stir. Pour into a bowl, cover, and cool until cold and thick.


2. Fill puffs with Chocolate Cream Filling. Replace tops; drizzle with chocolate and sprinkle pecans! (Refrigerate until serving time.)
   
   ENJOY!!!