Some of My Favorite Things!

So in case you've been living under a rock you have by now signed up for a Pinterest account. I am seriously addicted to this site and it has become my new google. Instead of saying "oh, let me google that" I say "oh, let me PINTERST that."

Pinterest really has a variety of different things you can look at so here's a sample of what I've been checking out this week.

This is an iPad clutch made from shelf liner and duct tape. Yup. It's that easy!

Photo via PS I Made This

 Bacon. Roses. Enough said.

Photo via Gwen's Kitchen Creations 

I am having a major chevron obsession at the moment so here's some cookies. Don't care how they taste, they are gorgeous!

Photo via Joyful Details Event Planning

 Who doesn't need this book? World peace could be achieved if we just wrote down our feelings, right?

Photo via Etsy

Blueberry Pancake Puffs. I'm trying these out this weekend. Stay tuned.

Photo via Love and Cooking

I LOVE this chair! I tried to find the source but the link to Etsy was gone. Sigh.

Photo via Etsy

Happy Friday and Happy Pinning!

{Valentine's Day Sweets}

So my BF doesn't like chocolate or really anything too sweet (I know, he's a weirdo). Since I {LOVE} to bake, I end up either giving away my treats or eating everything (not good for the hips). This year I decided to ask him what I could bake him for Valentine's day and he said carrot cake! CARROT CAKE! I've never made carrot cake but I always think of the super rich cream cheese frosting. So I did a little research on the internet and I came up with a fantastic cake that's not too sweet but super delicious.

I am one of those people that likes to take a recipe and put my own twist on it but not too much because I am a rule follower. I found a great cake recipe from the mother of all things delicious (Paula Deen) and the frosting recipe from a random search on the internet. The frosting in my opinion totally makes this cake. It comes from Divas Can Cook. AMAZING frosting!

So here's some really bad pictures of my cake. By the way I never said I was a cake decorator.

Here's the links to the two great recipes. Please try it, you won't be disappointed!

Paula Deen's Carrot Cake recipe
Light Cream Cheese Frosting from Divas Can Cook

Happy Valentine's Day!

Would you like a little bacon with your vodka?

So if you've visited this blog even once you know that I have a love of all things bacon. I've had my eye out for this bacon flavored vodka someone brought to my attention about a year ago. It's called Bakon Vodka (original, I know). I searched all over Alabama but it was no where to be found so when I first moved to Tennessee, I saw this in my local liquor store and I immediately scooped it up!

The vodka came with a brochure that had some really interesting recipes. You can also go to their website and check out a couple there. The first thing I did was open that puppy up and smell it. It has a slight bacon smell but it's not overwhelming. Next I experimented with a couple of recipes.

The first one I tried was the Bakon Mary. This is apparently the most popular recipe since it doesn't sound so gross.

Bakon Mary

It's just your average Bloody Mary recipes with Bakon vodka. Simple. I'm not a fan of Bloody Mary's so I made everyone else try it and they said it was pretty good but they couldn't taste any bacon flavor.

Next I tried the Bakon Flip. The ingredients are Bakon vodka, 1 whole egg, maple syrup and Irish Creme.

Bakon Flip

It's a simple recipe and my favorite. It tastes just like egg nog and again you can't taste the bacon at all. Which makes me kind of sad since that's what I bought it for.

Lastly, I made the Waffle Shot. This one is the easiest. Equal parts Bakon Vodka and Pinnacle Whipped Vodka. For those of you who haven't heard of Whipped vodka it is delicious! It tastes just like whipped cream. YUM!

Waffle Shot

I'm not a huge shot person so I decided to add some milk to it and I made a drink I like to call the Waffle Milkshake.

Waffle Milkshake

So the final verdict is that it's a good vodka but unless you are shooting it straight you can not taste the bacon at all. So that's either a pro or a con for some of you. I think it's a nice hostess gift and definitely a great conversation starter!

Happy Tuesday!

Buffalo Chicken Cupcakes

Yes, you read that correctly. Buffalo Chicken Cupcakes! I am on the fence about this treat I came across today while browsing one of my favorite blogs, Cupcake Project. It looks just interesting enough to try but party of me doesn't think butter cream and chicken wings mix.

Photo via Cupcake Project

Stef is always coming up with new and quirky cupcake recipes. One of the recipes I've been dying to try is her Hefeweizen cupcakes.

Photo via Cupcake Project

So stop by the Cupcake Project and check out these crazy recipes. You never know, it could be the hit of your Super Bowl party!

Happy Monday!

I {LOVE} Glitter!

I went to Michaels and finally bit the bullet and bought the Martha Stewart Glitter Glue Pens I've been drooling over for the past couple of months. So I walk over to the amazing Martha Stewart EVERYTHING display and there it is. My favorite thing in the world. A SALE sign! 40% off, yup I just said 40% OFF! So I snatched up that glitter and headed for the check out and drove like a mad woman home because I couldn't wait to play with my new glitter!

I've been swooning over these really cute ombre gillter nails on Pinterest and I knew this was my first glitter project I wanted to try.

Pic by LoveMaegan.com via Pinterest

The first thing I did was two coats of a base color. I chose a color called French Latte.

Next I picked a Copper becuase I thought it went well with French Latte.

I applied the glitter more intense towards the tips and lightly moved my way up. After the glue dried I applied two coats of a top coat and I was good to go! I just love this look.

Let me know what projects you would like to do with glitter!

Happy Glittering!

Oh. My. Gracious!

Holy cow it's been a long time since I've blogged! A lot has changed in the past couple of months. I got a new job, moved to Nashville, TN and had the pleasure of traveling to New Orleans to cheer on the Crimson Tide as they won their 14th National Championship! Whew, it's been an exhausting but incredibly exciting time for me!

As I get settled into my new hometown I will start blogging again. So excited to share my experiences with you!

Happy New Year!


**NOTE** I just realized after I published this post that TODAY January 25th is my 1 year Blogiversary!

Beer Review Wednesday ~ Hop Project Ale

I am in love...in love with hops! Since I've started following craft beer blogs and drinking more craft beers in the past year, I keep seeing the term Hop Head come up.  So I decided to consult the Urban Dictionary to see what the "official" definition is and here's what I found.

Hop-head: Someone who enjoys really hoppy beers, or drinks hoppy beers exclusively. Most likely this person is a beer-geek or craft-brew drinker.
Hops are what give beer the Citrusy, Piney, or sometimes what bring out the Herbal or Fruity flavors.

Man, that Stone Ruination IPA turned me into a true Hop-head.

So I guess it is official. My name is Bianca and I am a Hop Head. So here's my first beer review as a proclaimed Hop Head!

Yazoo Brewing Company, Tennessee - Hop Project Ale
Serving type:  Bottle poured into an  ALABAMA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS pint glass.

Appearance: Beautiful amber color. Clear with small head.

Smell: A sweet citrus/grapefruit smell with a hint of hops. Smells soooo good!

Taste: Sweet almost caramel taste with grapefruit/citrus yummy-ness! I am soo in love with this beer I'm tongue tied!

Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation, medium body with a dry finish.

Overall: Great beer!  Definitely one of my favorite Ales/IPA! If you check the bottle on date and then go to the Yazoo blog, they will tell you the specific hops used in that batch. How exciting is that?! I didn't find out about this cool feature until after I threw the bottle away but check this feature out when you get your bottle.

I bought my Hop Project Ale at Stone River Total Beverages in Murfreesboro, TN.  Visit Yazoo's website to learn a little more about the brewery. They do not have a "find our beer" search option on their site but you could probably email them to see what areas they cover.

Happy Wednesday Thursday!