Cinnamon Sugar Shortbread Cookies.

This was actually a recipe I posted in april, but I didn't have a picture of them at the time. Here's the picture, and I think they should really be called shortbread snicker doodles. Soooooo yummy.

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees


1 1/2 C flour
1/2 C confectioner's sugar
1 TBL vanilla sugar1/4 C cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt (the recipe called for 1/4 tsp, but it was looking very sweet)
1 vanilla bean
1 C cold, cubed butter

Cinnamon-Sugar for rolling the cookies in.

Add all dry ingredients into electric mixing bowl and sift. Then split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the flour mixture. Next, add the cubed butter.  Mis on medium-low speed until dough just comes together.  Roll dough into 1 1/4 inch balls.  Cook for about 10-12 minutes (I eyed it).  Now in the recipe I used, it said that once you remove the cookies from the oven let them cool on a  wire rack for 5 minutes. Then, in a medium bowl roll them in vanilla sugar and then place them back on the rack to cool completely.  The vanilla sugar tasted great, but it was a little too sweet for me (plus vanilla sugar isn't always just hanging around for people like me), so I did a cinnamon sugar mixture. More sugar than cinnamon because the cinnamon can stick a little too much, but they came out great! 

Criss-Crossed French Braids

This one is a bit tricky to explain. Maybe I'll attempt a video of it next time.  But you section the hair in half diagonally, and make sure that one side has the bottom half of your hair and the other half has the top. Yep, that makes no sense.  You do have to start each braid taking strands from the ear and top of your head though. If you look at the first picture, you can see what I mean. Only one braid is braided all the way through, while the other is only braided to the nape of the neck. then you wrap the completely braided one around the half braided. Okay, I really will attempt a video because it's complicated, I know. :(

Nutella Crescent Rolls.

Pretty straight-forward and delicious (if you enjoy Nutella). I got the idea from "Chef-In-Training." Look her up, she's my new inspiration for all things delicious. 

Take 1 package of Pilsbury Cresent Rolls (I had the 8 pack), spread Nutella on them before you roll them up, and then I sprinkled cinnamon sugar on them too, but you could always do that after they're cooked or not at all! Follow the package instructions for temperature and baking time, and then enjoy! They are just delightful warm....

Coffee Cart

I've always wanted one, and here it is.  Finally, my very own coffee/tea station. 

I just bought a kitchen cart off of target and converted it to my caffeine addiction station.  Can't go wrong really.

Braided Up-Do.

Hey there. So, I moved. And trying to do anything but not go completely insane during moving time is actually quite difficult, so my poor blog had to wait. Only now, am I finally settled and feeling mostly at ease. Sure, painting still needs to be done and fixing up the balcony, but whatever. I love my new place. It's really small though, and let me tell you, I have a fair amount of...uhh....stuff. I've really utilized the whole small space living idea, ha.....

Anyway, here's a hair style I did right before I moved, and I promise, lots more to come!

 First I did a french braid starting from the nape of the neck and went to the top of the head.

 Then...on each side of her head, I did one little twist (the ones where I twist the two pieces of hair in opposite directions of each other). And finally just twisted it all into a high bun.  Messy up-do of sorts.