The menu

Profiteroles:
Tyler Florence's Profiteroles

Instead of ice cream, I made a vanilla creme filling similar to an eclair:

• 1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 1/2 cups cold milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare the vanilla pudding using it's directions.  Meanwhile beat the cream until soft peaks form.  Add the sugar and vanilla.  Fold the mixtures into one another and chill until serving time :)


Hot Chocolate on a stick:


1/2 cup heavy cream
One 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 T vanilla

Heat the cream and sweetened condensed milk over medium-low heat until it starts steaming, stirring periodically. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes, then put back on medium-low heat and stir with a whisk until chocolate is completely melted and shiny. I then added vanilla. Pour chocolate into prepared pan and spread chocolate as level as you possibly can. Let sit overnight (12 hours or so).

Chocolate Cupcakes with Earl Grey Meringue

Food Network's Recipe

Sneak Peak

Apricot Macaroons

Earl Grey & Chocolate Cupcakes

3 of the cake stands i made.

These ones are tea cups and plates that i got FOR FREE at Airman's Attic...

FREE craft project, yes please.

Hot Chocolate on a stick

Chai Marshmallows

Here it is prepared...

Tea cup and Tea pot sugar cookies

Stuffed Peaches

*Note:

I did not like the way the hot chocolate on a stick turned out... it was more like fudge.  I wanted HARD chocolate squares...

BUT prepared, that was the most delicious hot chocolate i have ever tasted.  

I mean fudge and milk... where was that going to take a wrong turn?

More on the Shower later... :)

Give away dinner

Do you have a dinner that you ALWAYS make if you have to deliver dinner to others?  Or have people over?  What is it?

I realized today that i ONLY ever make Lasagna or Chicken Enchiladas or a Veggie pasta bake if there is a vegetarian in the house... 3 dinners... that's it?  I need something new in my repertoire.  

I realized this because i am currently making a lasagna for the neighbor who kindly let me use their phone and entertained Jack and I while Nick came to let us into the house... i locked myself out and forgot the car key inside... WHOOPS!

Oh well, i had a hankerin' for Grandma's Lasagna anyway :)

I am vowing to NOT buy anything else crafty until i make 15 crafts with the things i already own... READY... GO!  

I get ADD craft edition... 

(Maybe saying it out loud or at least in the blog-o-sphere will make it real)  (Saying blog-o-sphere reminds me of the creepy kid on GLEE!)

Proud

I am just going to take a quick moment to say that i am a PROUD wife.
"Within the enlisted Air Force, promotion to TSgt has historically been the second most difficult rank to achieve (only the rank of Senior Master Sergeant, has lower promotion rates) and is the most difficult promotion most career Air Force members achieve. A Staff Sergeant must have served at least five years with 23 months in grade to be considered for promotion to Technical Sergeant. It takes 10–12 years to normally reach this grade. Technical Sergeants provide mentorship to junior enlisted personnel while preparing themselves for promotion to Master Sergeant, the entrance rank of the senior non-commissioned grades."
Nick made Tech on his second try!

He also got the 6th highest score in the ENTIRE AIR FORCE for his career field.  

I am so proud of him.

Okay i am done.

A Tea Party Baby Sprinkle

I am throwing a Baby Sprinkle (What i am told is a baby shower for a second baby...)

We are doing a Tea Party because i thought that sounded intimate and sweet for a baby girl celebration.

I was going to keep it simple and serve tea and have muffins... NOW i am totally into it and want to make tea cup/ tea pot sugar cookies

chocolate earl grey cupcakes (the ones in my blog main picture)

assorted macaroons

eclairs

profiteroles

a peach charlotte 

and stuffed peaches... UH OH!  

Of course my stuff won't turn out this cute... 

BUT i really want to try!  

I am trying to stick to pink and yellow colors...

and i probably need EITHER the profiterole OR the eclair...

and i could do a raspberry or strawberry charlotte since i want to serve the stuffed peaches...

OH DEAR I JUST WANT TO DO IT ALL!

How cute is this...

a FIRST Tea Party

Here is the shower i threw for Laura the first time around:
Logan's Under the Water Shower

Just for a good laugh or two

My cousin just sent me a picture of the pinata she made... 

Ready for an ab workout?  

Get your laughs out.  

P.s. that was my favorite dress.

:)

Germany VS. Good ol' USA

On our last trip home (this last week, for 3 days) I realized that almost everyone we run into has the same questions: What is your favorite place you have visited and what do you miss about America.  Well, and do you like Germany... so now i shall answer those questions for all of you curious cats.

    

My favorite place we visited was Ireland.  Nick and i hands down agree upon this.  Dublin is SUPER cute, it is quaint.  It is what i always thought Europe would be like with it's cobble stone roads and cozy bars all jumbled together, sweet people, live music, terrific food and beer all around.  You just fit right in, they don't care if you "look American". Nobody looks twice.  Just jump in and have some fun.  It was relaxing to not worry about sticking out like a sore thumb.  We enjoyed the water (seeing it not going into it) and the countryside... it was magical.

We like Germany, we don't LOVE Germany.  It is terrific for traveling purposes, super close to TONS of countries and cheap flights to the not so close ones.  (like $20) :) I sound spoiled right now complaining i know... but we miss family!  It is so hard being away from our loved ones ALL THE TIME.  ALL THE TIME.  Our friends, our family, our circle.  When you have a bad day you can't run home to mom and jump in her bed in your pj's and watch movies, leaving crumbs behind for dad :) ... you can't have coffee with a friend in the middle of the week.  You can't... this leads me to the next answer

I miss washing machines/dryers!!! This sounds stupid but at mom's house it took me 80 minutes to do a load of laundry, wash AND dry.  You want to know how long it takes me here?  88 minutes to wash and 108 minutes to dry!!!!  WHAT!  AND on top of that our machines can hold HALF the clothes that American ones can.  HALF.  okay i am done.

Next, grocery stores.  America has EVERYTHING, i am talking a whole aisle of yogurts, we have like 10 to choose from.  You have an aisle of baby wipes, we have 2 to choose from.  You have healthy options, we have freezer HUNGRY MAN tv dinners.  You have produce, ours is rotten in 2 days.  Yours is open 24/7 our is open 6 days a week 9-5.  Yours is 3 minutes from your house, ours is 45.

People speak english in America.

Target.  If you want a table cloth, get in the car and get it.  You will be home in 10 minutes with said table cloth.  If i want a table cloth i get on Amazon and find one that will be here in 6-8 weeks.

I follow tractors home.  YES, tractors.

You have TV with real commercials that you probably mute because you find them so annoying.  I have military people on my tv who make commercials about not beating your wife or how to organize your important documents.

You have Starbucks with happy hour and options.  You have restaurants besides subway, taco bell and burger king.

You don't have a gas ration card.  You can turn right on red lights.  You HAVE stop lights.  You have movies in theaters on time.  We get them in theatre when they are out on DVD.

Okay i am going to stop because i just sound like a brat and i actually worked myself up over wanting to live in America.

My first Mothers Day

Nick left me notes all over the house and made me breakfast-Swedish Pancakes (MY FAVE)

He bought me a WONDERFUL sewing machine with embroidery!!!

Now i can monogram all i want for FREE!

Then we went out for coffee... perfect.

I made Reese's Cheesecakes with an oreo for a crust :)

How cute is she...

Oh Kat,
The sweetest thing ever...
we will get back to that.

I helped a dear friend throw her son a Star Wars Lego party and it was a SUCCESS! 

She made the cutest lego pinata, yes she makes those.  I told her that my cousin made one once and then... she started making her own.  She made a tank, a power ranger helmet and now a lego :)  

(This kid was my favorite, check out the lifted leg, so intense)

She also made a cute lego cake:  

I made some light sabers for our obstacle course, a death star to run through (destroy) and some yoda soda cups :)

We had a ton of fun and so did the boys!

The balloon was Yoda and you had to carry him safely through the course.

1) Protect him from the meteor shower (water balloons)

Through Dabhoa tunnel

save 3 lego civilians from the lego box with chop sticks

Grab your lightsaber and cross the lava pit

while BATTLING

 find the yellow lego in the astroids

and LEAP over the black hole 

So why do i adore her so?

Well first off she is an awesome mom to two adorable boys.

This woman puts colored water in squirt bottles to "paint" snow,

she builds rolling targets for nerf gun fights,

She keeps balloons in the car "just in case there is a lull"

She takes the boys around the yard and has them throw "icky" things into a pot so they can make monster spray which is used at bed time to keep the monsters away.  :)

NOT TO MENTION,

When Jack-o and i were in the hospital she came everyday and not only brought breakfast and lunch but sat there with me so i would have company

Love her.

Swoon

2 St. Patrick's Days

 Fish N' Chips

& Guinness Sundae's 

but... i apparently don't know how to simmer because my sauce is not thick at all.  oops!

The Second St. Patrick's Day we had

yup, fish n' chips again

and Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Guinness Chocolate cupcakes

with Bailey's Ganache and Bailey's frosting

:)

 Here is the group with our random German neighbor in the back haha...

The sign mommy made and the hat/hair she sent :)

 And with Nick