Happy Halloween Desserts

Happy Hallo-week! My apartment is 100% prepared for Halloween...actually, I am a bit worried about our decorations after this weekend because everything down to our shower curtain is Halloween themed. In honor of the holiday on Friday, I decided to create a themed dessert for my Relay For Life meetings tonight, so naturally I consulted Pinterest.

I opted for the super easy Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats, but there are a bunch of other great treats to try at your Halloween parties this week!

Candy Corn Cake 

Halloween Cake Bars

Mummy Oreo Pops 

Oreo Bat Truffles

Witch Cupcakes

Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

xx,
Erin

Flavors of Fall: Baked Goods

So my birthday is right around the corner and I still have quite a few things to check off of my 22x22 list! One of them is to make ten Pinterest recipes, which may have been a bit ambitious from the start. Luckily, I bake something for my Relay For Life committee meetings every week so I have been making some progress on these recipes through that. Right now I am loving all the fall recipes they're featuring and I wanted to share a couple that I've tried and a couple that I am looking forward to trying. Also, these haven't been Pinterest fails at all luckily for me, so I definitely recommend trying them!

Already Made

Pumpkin Pecan Oatmeal Bars

I got really excited about making these since I love the taste and smell of pumpkin pie. They were a definite crowd-pleaser for those who actually like pumpkin, and even some of my committee members, who don't like pumpkin said they liked them! One little thing though, these do take a while to make and cool so don't make these if you are on a time crunch.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Okay, technically not totally a recipe, but it is important. I couldn't find pumpkin spice at Kroger yesterday, but luckily a quick search for Pumpkin Spice mix helped me make my own. Plus, now I have a couple more spices in my kitchen cabinet!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

I mentioned these in a Friday Five a long time ago and finally got around to making them a couple of weeks ago. They were amazing and I would totally make them again.  Salted caramel is one of my favorite flavors and this was the perfect amount without being totally overpowering

Want To Make

Apple Pie Cookies

How great do these sound? Its a nice variation on a traditional apple pie, especially if you don't have a pie dish. Plus this actually calls for apple pie filling instead of making your own, so it shouldn't take too long to make.

Buttery Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cookies

So I had no idea these were pumpkin flavored when I first went to pin this, I honestly just thought they looked delicious. Usually I just stick with pumpkin chocolate chip cookies when I want a pumpkin flavor, buy now I want to try these.

xx,

Erin

5-Minute Microwave Peach Crisp

In typical Virginia fashion, the weather has changed overnight. No, it isn't cold, but walking to class in 65 degree weather this morning was a drastic shift from last week...not that I'm complaining! Regardless, between the weather and my sore throat from allergies, I am craving something warm to eat or drink. 

On Saturday, I went to the Farmers' Market with some friends and picked up a couple of end-of-season peaches and blackberries. I don't know what prompted it, but a peach cobbler/crisp was exactly what I wanted, so I sort of threw together a 5 minute Peach Crisp recipe that is delicious and I can't wait to make it more this year (with canned peaches...bye, Summer). To be totally honest though, I just used some rough estimates when making this, but I tried to guestimate how much I used so that you can make it too!

5-Minute Peach Crisp

Ingredients:

1 Peach/Canned Peaches

3/4 Cup Quick Oats

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

2 Tbs Butter

1 Tbs Flour*

Pinch of Cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut up the peaches, or drain, depending on what type you're using. Place off to the side in a microwave safe bowl.

2. Melt Butter.

3. Combine butter, oats, sugar, flour and cinnamon in bowl.

4. Pour mixture over peaches.

5. Microwave for 90 seconds.

6. ENJOY!!!

If I had some Vanilla Ice cream I would have definitely added it to the top of this, but it was delicious regardless.

xx,

Erin

*I didn't actually use this, but I just saw another recipe on Pinterest did and it would definitely help with making the topping thicker!

When Life Hands You Lemons...Make Sweet Tea

Remember how I wished I could stay at the beach for another week? Well, I don't have work again this week so I guess that is sort of life's way of telling me that I should've been happy with the one week I had off. I don't do well with having nothing to do when I am not on vacation, I like to be productive with my days, or at least for the majority of the day. Seriously, I went to my 5:15am spin class yesterday even though I didn't have work (crazy...)

However, instead of sitting around and binge-watching Netflix all day, I am taking this time to do other things that I had been putting off because of my job. Despite having no work, I have a relatively full to-do list. The only difference is that I get to check things off of that list as I sit on the patio with a cup of coffee while listening to Mike and Mike on ESPN radio. As someone once said, when life hands you lemons...

...make sweet tea!
Is that not how that goes? Well it should, because there really is nothing better than a cold glass of sweet tea. Since I have the day off and plan to spend this hot day outside (mostly in the shade with a tanning break...obviously) I figured it was a perfect day to make some sweet tea! I know everyone has their own recipe and likes it with different levels of sweetness, but I am going to share the recipe that I love and my brothers cannot seem to get enough of...seriously, this stuff rarely lasts longer than a day or two in my house. Oh, and I made gallons upon gallons of this stuff for my sorority's recruitment without any complaints!

Smooth Sweet Tea

2 Cups Boiling Water

6 Cups Cool Water

6 Tea Bags

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Pinch Baking Soda

Sprinkle a pinch of baking soda into a heat-proof, glass pitcher. Pour in boiling water, and add tea bags. Cover and allow to steep for 15 minutes.

Remove tea bags and discard; stir in sugar until totally dissolved. Pour in cool water, then refrigerate until cold.

xoxo,
Sugar Snap Pearls

Sláinte

Happy St. Patrick's Day and the Happiest of 21st Birthdays to my Irish best friend, K-Soms. Turning 21 on St. Patrick's Day, does it get any better than that?!?! I am so excited to celebrate with her tonight, oh and did I mention that UVA got another snow day today?!? Yay!

Are you ready to celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Well here is a guide to what to wear, say, listen to, eat, and drink today. Sláinte!

What to Wear

Grab something, anything green. You don't want to get pinched, do you?

What to Say

Erin Go Braugh: Ireland forever (yeah, that's right! but seriously, I no longer find the "Erin Go Bra-less" joke clever, I've heard that so many times)

Sláinte: Cheers
I would try to list more, but if you've ever tried to read anything in Gaelic, you'd know that it is virtually impossible to sound out.

What to Listen To
There are so many great artists and songs out there, I am partial to The Irish Tenors, The Clancy Brothers, and middle-school me loved The Corrs!

Of course, there are also so many great bar songs to sing-along with! I realize Galway Girl is technically not a 100% Irish classic, but it's one of my favorites, so I had to include it.

What to Eat

Meat and Potatoes. I love a good Shepard's Pie, but there are so many other great options. Bangers and Mash, Irish Stew, or soda bread are other options worth trying. 

What to Drink

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This is possibly probably the most important part of the day. God gave the Irish whiskey so they wouldn't rule the world. Try a stout like a Guinness or a Harp. You can also drink some Irish Whiskey or enjoy an Irish Coffee (especially if you have a snow day like us). Another popular drink that might leave you on the floor is an Irish Car Bomb:

3/4 Pint Stout Beer

1/2 Shot Irish Cream

1/2 Shot Irish Whiskey

Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day!

Sláinte!

SSP

Turkey Day Pinteresting

Thanksgiving always seems to get shafted when it comes to celebration since it is sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas. I mean come on, it is a holiday dedicated to food and football...is there anything better? This year I am mega bummed that we are not with my extended family and that I am not in charge of decorating the table with G, but sometimes things happen. I mean there is always next year and I get to catch up with old friends and play with my puppy so it isn't as if I am miserable at home. Although we may not be doing the big Turkey Day shindig that I am used to, I am still ready to celebrate this holiday with a little help from Pinterest. There are no words for how much I love getting inspired by everything on there. It really is the perfect study break, but I have to limit my time on it or I will get sucked in for hours. Oh, if you have an iPad or iPhone, download the app. I actually prefer pinning on my iPad to my laptop! 

Anyways, here are a few of my favorite Thanksgiving themed pins for the holiday. If you click on the caption it will take you to the original pin (and directions, etc). Oh, and if you are looking for outfit inspiration, check yesterday's post. Enjoy!

what a great way to kick off the morning

loving this table

he's so adorable/funny-looking

crockpot cranberry sauce

thanksgiving cocktail

love this idea

stuffins

30 thanksgiving dessert recipes? you're welcome

What are your favorite recipes or traditions? Please feel free to share, I feel like getting a bit creative in the kitchen this year!

xoxo,

SSP

P.S. while writing this post my brothers came over to me and, after telling me I should dedicate a a post to how they are "young at heart" (read: immature), they nagged me to pay attention to them so they could show me how N had done some dumb hilarious defensive move when K went to punch him. Oh the joys of being home...but seriously, I do love being around these goofballs.