Making A Girly Fondant Cake

Nearly 2 years ago I started to get this craving to make and decorate a fondant cake. The Food Channel was deadly for this craving and the new Cupcake Wars episodes didn't help either. But, let's face it, fondant is gross. I always peel it off at weddings and parties. Not to mention it's physical form of pasty diabetes due to the sugar overload you'll acquire if you are bold enough to swallow it with your cake. Yuk! So, I kicked Wilton's expensive trash and made a homemade marshmallow fondant. 

Of course, with the help of my super cute sou chef ; )

Since this was my first cake and I honestly didn't know what the heck I was doing, I only did a two-tiered cake. I decided on a red velvet cake for the base and a triple chocolate chip cake for the topper with both slathered with cream cheese filling. 

Mouth watering yet? Ummm mine sure is.

I crumb coated the cakes and put them in the freezer. I made the marshmallow fondant, rolled it out, and had then Aaron help me decide on what colors to do. For some reason, he didn't like my original teal/blue, black, and white color scheme. 

Can I just say that forming this fondant to the cake is NOT easy. At all.

But i did it! And i'm sure I strategically placed the cake in this position for a snapshot to cover any...imperfections. 

Phew! The hard part was over and now I could breathe and decorate.

I used a pizza cutter to get the stripes and bottle caps and glass rims to get the polka dots.

I was really happy with the outcome and how great it turned out! I'm realizing that I like to be alone in the kitchen when I bake. It was so hard to think clearly because there were tons of people, haha. I had one meltdown that i'll shamelessly admit to. Definitely a favorite hobby that i'll continue.

Yours truly, Little Bakin' Blonde

My New Life

I see beauty whenever I see this video of Stephanie, in every sense of the word. After viewing so many Mormon Messages my heart wants to explode. I have been craving for things that inspire me. This story transcends all denomination and shows the very real relationship one broken heart can have with Christ. I felt that she reflects the Savior as she reminds the world that everything beautiful and inspiring is deeply rooted in the way we live our lives. I felt such love and peace as I watched her story and my entire soul was humbled at the extent to which my life is blessed. Enormously blessed. Because I have a marriage.  And a best friend who loves me and would "fly to the moon and back while waiting 20 years for me" if he had to. I have a good, explosive, strengthening, enduring, and loving family that a girl could possibly hope for. My friends and family have been nothing but a blessing to me and ultimate lifesavers. I have a growing testimony of my Savior and His church and the reality of His existence. He supports me. He really loves me as if I was His everything. And He listens to me. I know He listens because I see the answers come. And, I feel beautiful. I know that I can be more patient, more kind and loving towards others, more dedicated to reading the scriptures because I know these things will help sustain me when challenges and life happens. But my Savior lets me feel beautiful as I try. What a blessing and privilege it is to be apart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And this makes me feel incredibly happy. I think "My New Life" is more fitting than ever for Stephanie's story, wouldn't you agree?

We had a fabulous time visiting Plano. I loved having good heart to hearts with my best loverlies.

I just love them a whole lot.

My baby sister Kayla is pretty dang cute, huh?!

And I'm convinced he thinks I'm just as cute to boot!

We played near a park and Kayla Whala wanted this cool shot. Ha! 

(Thats right I did, like I would not strategically crop out my bum? Foreal.)

Aaron and my baby bro Michael always get a few matches in whenever we visit.

Aaron and I went to his interview at Baylor dental school in Dallas.

Nearly 1,500 applicants apply. 210 appear intelligent enough to score an interview. 90 receive acceptances. Aaron rocked the interview! EeeeKKK! We're hoping to hear back on Dec. 3 when notices are sent out. Presumptuous? Maybe we are, it's border-lined with a whole lot of faith!

I should've split this post into 2 so you could avoid a Crossley overload. But anyways, here you have us!

Yours truly, Me

Two Years of Wedded Bliss

Aaron and I celebrated mid- August our 2nd anniversary in Galveston. Shown above is the noted paradise. And my heart aches to go back right this second. We jetted off to our paradise island to get some much needed rest and relaxation. We had the absolute time of our lives. Since watching a Grey's Anatomy episode featuring Meredith and 'McDreamy' on a romantic fairy boat outside of Seattle nearly five years ago, I knew I had to do it one day with my own 'McSteamy'. And I totally did!

We parked 'Boo'(our Cheve Malibu) on the first floor and quickly went on the second deck to catch the breeze and see beautiful scenes. The white sand and deep blue water contrasted perfectly with the clear skiess and hot weather was a much needed slice of heaven. I felt as though we were at Sea World as the dolphins tried to keep up with our fairy ride. The seagulls were swarming all of the tourists in hopes of finding some amused child wanting to watch birds go crazy for tossed french fries. Serious amusement.

Finally getting to the island was a breathe of fresh air. Just the two of us. Reminiscing the new feelings of becoming husband and wife. Watching my boyfriend-turned-fiance-turned-husband wearing a sexy tungsten band around his ring finger and suddenly feeling more qualified as a person and growing man.

Aaron and I had an absolute blast riding on this darling, little cart that made us squeal. Every twist and turn made us laugh and giggle as we found our selves zipping down a hill or on uneven and crumbled roads.

Oh boy, do I cherish these moments.

I love the afternoons we left the beaches soaking wet while covered in sea salt and sand to hurry back to our hotel room to get ready together for a fun night out on the town. Getting dressed up together. Another fun and new, exciting thing to do as husband and wife. 

Sometimes I feel like we are the only two people in the world.

We dined at a southern-style restaurant called Suga's. Complete with a Louisiana jazz band. I have a confession. I love fancy dinners. There is something to say about fancy dinnerware, impeccable service, a cute outfit and the best company around that makes my heart skip a beat or two.

We then strolled over to a theater to watch Brian Regan in action! He's my favorite comedian. Ever.

After the show, we headed back to our hotel and my Sweetheart had sneakily adorned our room with everything romantic. Chocolate and Blue Bell. You make my taste buds dance.

Aaron,

They say the best kind of love awakens the soul and makes us reach for something better than who we are. This brings peace to my soul. And that's what I hope to bring to you forever. Within the first few weeks of officially calling myself your girlfriend, I knew that you were the man I would someday marry. I fell in love not only with your smile, patience, gentleness and sincerity but your genuine heart and giving soul. Somehow you've made me feel like the luckiest girl alive.

As your wife, I promise to be completely in love with you like how I do now.  I promise that when we're eighty years old that we'll have as much fun now even if we like to go to bed at 9 o'clock at night. I promise to never forget the importance of back rubs, love notes, extra long glances, winks,  or a batch of your favorite chocolate chip cookies. With every ''yes'' we share, I promise to respect and care for you not only as my husband but as my best friend and partner for the eternities. 

Thank you for saying "Yes."

Yours truly, Me

Crunchy-goo Cinnabun Popcorn

I adore cinnamon caramel popcorn. Not popcorn, but the combination of warm cinnamon-butter glazed over semi-crunchy-gooey popped popcorn is pure bliss. It takes me back to my childhood love for Crunch 'n Munch popcorn. Besides being easy to whip up, this popcorn compliments the divided parties among dessert-lovers. Some like it gooey and sticky. Some like it crunchy and dry. I learned this the hard way when I sold this deliciousness at a local pharmacy. I mean really? Who complains about objective preferences? After tweaking this a bit, I think this has the best of both worlds. 

I love to make this for the teachers that spoil Aaron daily with delicious Kolaches and croissants. He's sort of the young and determined celebrity teacher that reminds them of their own children. Cute, huh? I think it's darling and it makes me happy. 

So here's payback, grab your popcorn popper and kernels and let's get baking!

Crunchy-goo Cinnabun Popcorn
adapted from Ourbestbites

16 cups popped popcorn or 1/2 C kernels

1 1/3 C brown sugar

1 1/4 t cinnamon

3/4 C real butter

1/3 C karo syrup

3/4 t baking soda

1-2 t vanilla

1 C halved pecans

What's the worst thing while eating popcorn? Breaking your precious teeth on the tiny kernels you've forgotten to take out of your batch. Biggest understatement. Ever. I use two bowls--one bowl to catch the flying popcorn that's spewing from the popper and another large bowl to transfer the fresh, natural popcorn into. Set aside.

Stir together brown sugar and cinnamon in a 2 Qt microwaveable dish. Cut in butter. Top with karo syrup. 

Microwave for 1 minute. Stir with a large, rubber spatula (this won't crush your beautifully large popcorn pieces later on.) Microwave for another 2 minutes.  

You want it to be hot and bubbly. BUT, but.... don't overcook this. You may end up with a hard clump that won't drizzle nicely over your popcorn but your husband may be a little more optimistic by thinking it'll still be scrumptious as sugary globs and you'll then need to whip up another batch really quick and pour it over your popcorn. Don't over cook it. I'm just saying... 

Next, stir in vanilla and baking soda which will make it pop and bubble into a foamy-mess. Quite divine. This is also the part where you'll be tempted to lick the spatula. Don't. Not yet.

Sprinkle the nuts on top of the popcorn (don't mix in) and quickly pour the caramel mixture on top of the nuts and popcorn. Stir it all together and pour onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan.

Bake at 250 degrees for 20-25 minutes, stirring once after 15 minutes.

When it's done, stir it again to cool off and remove the foil from the pan. Melt 2 squares of almond bark or 1/3 C white chocolate. Using a fork, flick the white chocolate onto the cooling popcorn. 

This is my favorite part! INDULGE. 

If your household is anything like mine then half of your batch has already been sampled and devoured.

(You can place it in the fridge if you need the chocolate to set quickly.)

These make gorgeous little gifts and they taste even better than store-bought gourmet popcorn!

And here you have it. Cinnamon caramel corn with pecans and white chocolate.

 Sincerely, Little Bakin' Blonde

Tech Support for Installing a Husband

When marriage get's frustrating, it sometimes works to have a little humor. Every once in a while, try laughing at the things that irritate you, because you should know, we all deal with our share of marriage frustrations.
                                                                 
                          Here's a funny for you....

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NBA 5.0, NFL 3.0 and Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do?

Signed,

Desperate
———————

Dear Desperate,

First, keep in mind that Boyfriend 5.0 is an entertainment package while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. Please enter the command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html, download Tears 6.2 and be sure to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If those applications work as designed Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, please remember that overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0, or Beer 6.1. Please note that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (It runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0-program. This is an unsupported application and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!

Tech Support


StrengtheningMarriage.Com, Loveactually-blog.blogspot.com

Disclaimer: Aaron would like me to note that a tech support in our home wouldn't be needed ; )

Yours truly, Me

A Woman of God

Women of God can never be like women of the world. 

The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. 

There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. 

There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. 

We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. 

We have enough greed; we need more goodness. 

We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. 

We have enough popularity; we need more purity.
-Maragret D. Nadauld

This quote from Sister Nadauld is taped on my bathroom mirror. Don't you love it? Is it not so empowering to be reminded of the qualities a faithful woman should possess? I love it. It provokes peace from every part of my being. I know I am not perfect. I know I fail my desires to be good throughout the day. But I do know, that Heavenly Father loves me. He always has loved me. And most importantly to me, he wants to see me happy.  He knows how to strengthen my weaknesses so that I can be happy regardless of this world and the trials in my path. Aaron and I have been trying to get pregnant since last December and I can't convey the peace that comes from having the simple testimony that my God loves me and will place blessings in my life as He sees fit. I'm in good hands.

Yours truly, Me

Spicy Honey Chicken & Cilantro-Lime Rice with Pineapple

First, I didn't take any pictures! But, I’ll be making this soon again and will post them.

This has definitely become a favorite for us! It's quick, easy, and you don't have to worry about marinating the meat. Its not very spicy as it is allows you to adjust the heat with the chipotle powder. Paired with cilantro and lime rice with crushed pineapple... DELISH!!! It's a perfect meal. 

Spicy Honey Chicken

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (Yes, thighs. I used breasts this last time and it was still very good. Thighs are still better.)

Rub:

2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder

Glaze:


1/2 C Honey


1T Cider Vinegar

  

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle canola oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling. This time, I substituted the apple cider vinegar (I didn't have any!) for white distilled, brown sugar, 1 t liquid smoke, and 2 T BBQ sauce. It turned out just as good!

I'm gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It's sugar, and it's gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It's totally worth it once you taste this stuff.

Since it's August AND in I'm in Texas, I'm not about to step foot near our BBQ grill, I just simplified and use an indoor grill pan and broiler. 

Remember how I had you reserve that extra couple tablespoons of glaze? Ya, drizzle that on top now. Your taste buds will thank you.

Cilantro and Lime Rice with Crushed Pineapple

You can pretty much eyeball the measurements for this recipe. 

1 cup white rice (2 c. water)

2 T butter

Juice from one large lime (taste as you go, I add a lot!)

1 small can crushed pineapple, drained. 

½ - ¾ C chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice. As soon as it’s done, toss in the butter and stir to melt. Add lime juice, pineapple, and cilantro. Stir to combine, and then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

* You’ll want to serve this right away, if you don’t, the flavors tend to mellow a bit and you’ll probably need to add more lime juice because the rice kind of sucks it up. If you’re not quite ready to eat when your rice finishes cooking, just toss in the butter and keep a lid on it so it stays warm. Then right before you serve it, toss it all together.

Rejoining the Workforce

Does the Lord not always provide? I am noticing a pattern in the way the Lord answer's my desperate prayers. It is almost always after my faith has been stretched and my hope has been running on empty. I am so grateful for my upbringing and the personal experiences that have taught me tough and valuable lessons. Also, I appreciate the examples I've seen where people have realized the Lord is in charge and has an infinite ability to understand and tap into our dreams and paths in this life -- resulting in true happiness. Basically, I feel special to know that Heavenly Father knows me better than I know myself.
Aaron and I have rejoined the workforce!

Meet the new Chemistry teacher at Kelly High School!!! He teaches 2 regular, 2 pre-AP, and 2 AP Chemistry classes.

So... we were playing Loaded Questions (really fun game to play with people you know well) and Aaron had to answer the question, "What is evidence that there is something very wrong in this world?" His response? Aaron M. Crossley being paid to teach a high school chemistry class. Ha! Don't get me wrong, he's really smart and totally deserves and has earned this. It's just, around here, everyone knows how much of a trouble-making, irresponsible teenager he is. WAS... I meant was.
Oh, what sort of school is this you may ask? STATS for Class of 2009: 99% went on to college (the 1% went to the military), 92% went on to 4 year universities, and with only 112 graduates they collectively received $5 million worth of grants and scholarships. These are smart cookies. Mr. Crossley is smarter.

BUT...2 incomes is even better AND a first for our family. It's exciting to save for the future.

 I started a few weeks ago working for a pretty rad dentist. He admits he has adult ADHD. We have fun at work. He's also running for city mayor next year, go figure. Life is good. Aaron and I know we are in a blessed time in our story together. This coming Saturday is our 2nd year anniversary together. That's when the cutest guy in the universe asked me to be his best friend forever. Fast forward two years and I am excited for this one. We got tickets to go see Brian Regan (Youtube this guy, he's good), "Suga's"--a jazzy, classy restaurant lounge, and then we will stay in the same hotel that we had our wedding night. I was sick as a dog on our wedding day with strep throat which makes this even more exciting. I can't recall a darn thing about the hotel! We're actually celebrating on Friday night...instead of Saturday. I promise I am sentimental...but Brian Regan is coming when he's coming and we LOVE him. This makes Friday our anniversary.

Yours truly, Me

Janene's Refinishing Inc.

Ever since we moved into the 'Crossley Manor' with Aaron's parents I've heard all the major cautions... nasty resentment-causing issues, if you will. But you have to ask yourself, 'Is your cup half empty or half full?' We've really grown to enjoy living here.. and a sweet perk for me was mom giving me free reign with her furniture to decorate our 2 bedroom upstairs suite : ) 

Ps. Sorry in advance for for the picture overload!!!

Here's a bookshelf I found in a shed.

....Viola!

These are 2 blonde bookshelves over 25 years old...

Priming...

Brown gel stain...

Ta-da!

Cute, huh?

I forgot to snap a picture before but I went to town on this drawer set

I also forgot to snap a before pic! This was a medium brown chest

SO charming...I love it so much I can't stand it!

Last one!

I decided to 'two-tone' this kitchen table

A few days later...

I love it! I love it!

I have a love/hate relationship with this sort of hobby. I reached my limit with the 4th chair! Notice the picture is missing the other 4? I'll get to it soon...

Yours truly, Me