Over-the-top Milkshakes

If you're anything like me and have an unhealthy obsession with looking at beautiful desserts on Instagram, then you may have noticed a growing trend that involves insane milkshakes topped with everything magical and delicious you can think of. It only made sense that I, too, attempted this milkshake madness and it was SO MUCH FUN.

Let's be real, this does not take a lot of technical ability. All you need is an unwavering sweet tooth and the bravery to make all your dessert dreams come true at one time. For my first shake, I went with Salted Caramel and Nutella Chocolate covered with whipped cream, a chocolate donut, pretzels, and M&Ms.

I won't get technical with recipes because I literally closed my eyes and threw nutella and salted caramel into a blender full of double chocolate ice cream and milk. One regret I do have is trying to use the caramel as my "glue" for the outside of the jar. It wouldn't set, and everything kept slowly slipping down the sides (a sticky, messy, delicious problem to have). I would definitely use melted chocolate that will harden as shown in my next milkshake.

My next creation was the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Milkshake. I used the Talenti raspberry cheesecake gelato (which is so delicious I could cry) and combined it with melted white chocolate. I then used the white chocolate all over my jar to glue on frosted animal crackers, and topped it off with whipped cream, a sprinkled donut and raspberries.

This project was so fun and there are thousands of flavors, toppings, decorations you could make. I think on a smaller scale, it could be really cute for a party or get-together. These are sure to bring lots of boys to the yard. Let me know if you make your own crazy shake and send pics!!

xo Jessica

Brush Lettering

Hello! It's meee....

I wanted to do a quick post about brush lettering with watercolor! It's one of my favorite lettering techniques, and I think it's so pretty how the pigment fades and changes throughout all of the letters. It's relatively easy to do as long as the bristles of your paintbrush cooperate, just takes a little practice. 

You'll want to use the watercolor that comes from a tube instead of a palette because it's richer and makes a deeper, more dramatic pigment. After a quick sketch of your phrase or quote, mix your paint with a small amount of water. Using a small pointed paintbrush, trace your letters trying to use more pressure on your downstrokes to make that "calligraphy" look.

Use different colors, mix colors, do whatever your heart desires.

Have fun!

xo Jessica

Strawberries & Cream Sugar Cookie Sandwiches

It's cold in Alaska and I needed something that reminded me of spring! I'm also very ready for the sun to come back out which would be helpful in getting better quality pics, but I think I got the point across with these yummy and easy Strawberry & Cream Sugar Cookie Sandwiches. 

My favorite part was getting to use my beautiful Polish wood-engraved rolling pin my dear friend, Kenzie, got me for my birthday. It added the prettiest floral details that were ALMOST too adorable to eat. Almost. These would have been perfect by themselves but why stop at a cookie when you can have TWO cookies sandwiching fluffy vanilla buttercream swirled with fresh homemade strawberry compote (jam?) (goop?). Even my die-hard chocolate obsessed husband ate, oh let's count, ALL OF THEM. Seriously. 

My favorite sugar cookies:

2.5 cups AP flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) room temp unsalted butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

(Makes 36 cookies)

• Heat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be stiff). Shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• On a floured surface, roll the dough to ¼ inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut into shapes. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1½ inches apart. Sprinkle with the sanding sugar, if using.
• Bake until just beginning to brown at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

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For the strawberry compote: 

1 cup finely chopped strawberries

2 Tbs sugar

• In small saucepan, combine strawberries and sugar. 
• Bring to boil. 
• Decrease to simmer for 20 minutes until strawberries are thickened.

For the vanilla buttercream:

1/2 cup room temp unsalted butter

3 cups confectioner's sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Heavy cream

pinch of salt

• In electric mixer, beat butter on med-high until light and fluffy.
• Add sugar 1 cup at a time until well incorporated, adding heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time to loosen frosting until mixture is at desired consistency 
• Add vanilla and salt
• Mix on high until frosting is white and fluffy

To combine strawberry compote and buttercream, alternate spoonfuls of each mixture into piping bag, rotating the bag so that equal mixtures of compote and buttercream line the sides. Shake bag until all air bubbles are gone and the mixture is at the tip of your nozzle.

I had fun making these! Let me know if you try it out!

xo Jessica

Easy diy Watercolor

I have a love/hate relationship with watercolor. I love it because I think its beauuuuutiful, you can work with multiple colors at once, and it can be very forgiving. I hate it because I find it's very easy for me to over-do (the case with most mediums, actually), and it has a mind of its own, which can be fun and surprising or make the control-freak in me start to twitch.

I decided I wanted to experiment with my frenemy and work on some easy, not overdone, "modern" art. I love minimalism these days and find that I'm attracted to colorful, simple patterns and prints. While I can say a couple didn't turn out exactly as I pictured in my head, I'm overall pleased with the results and think they could be easily replicated by anyone!

To start, you'll need watercolor (obviously), paint brushes, a sketching pencil, watercolor paper, a cup of water to clean your brushes, and paper towels. Basically the same set-up we had in kindergarten!

I love patterns that involve fruits so I did a quick sketch of the vision in my head (i.e. strawberries and triangles) and went crazy with pinks and oranges. I didn't stress that I went outside the lines or that it wasn't perfectly even.  I just did what I felt like, and I kind of like that it's a little messy! (Be sure to erase the pencil marks once dry!) One thing I'm finding to be helpful when creating, whether with baking or art, is to just have fun no matter what it ends up looking like. I can find 100,000 things wrong with anything I make, but creating isn't about being perfect. Perfect is boring. I'm beginning to embrace the quirks and messiness of some of my work as a reflection of who I am. Not polished or perfect, a work in progress, but always colorful and interesting. What were we talking about?

This one is pretty straight forward. I really like simple patterns with soft colors and the juxtaposition of harsh blacks. I'm basically an art connoisseur.

This one is my faaaaaave. A soft washed background with pinks and yellows and an aloe plant that was WAY easier to make that it looks. After a quick sketch, I slowly layered different greens until they made a beautiful baby and then added white dots.

This is about as simple as they come, people. BUT I think it will look good as an accent next to some stronger artwork or pretty pics of the family. Can you tell what colors I'm attracted to?

That's it! These were quick, easy and I think will look really cute in different areas of the house. What's your favorite thing to paint?

xo Jessica

S'mOreo Campfire Cookies

I did it! My first blog worthy creation. I have been daydreaming about this Frankenstein cookie for days and needed to make it happen. My friends, I give you the S'mOreo Cookie.

The only thing better than having a s'more by a campfire is having a (mess free/ non-sticky!!) s'more cookie made with graham cracker crumbs, stuffed full of Hershey's and Oreo just because it sounded awesome. And it is awesome.

I'll be honest, I don't have any pictures of me creating this beauty because it took me THREE TIMES to get it right. It wasn't until my 2nd batch of flat, caramelized cookie vomit that I decided to totally start over. That is when I found a recipe for chocolate chip graham cracker cookies that was the perfect vehicle for lots of gooey treats.

My favorite part is that it tastes like a legit s'more and could easily be made on days where there are no campfires in sight! You could make it easy on yourself and buy graham cracker crumbs from the baking section of the grocery store, but I found pulverizing them in my coffee grinder was just as satisfying (and cheaper!).

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until creamy.
3. Beat in the vanilla and egg until well combined.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture until just combined.
5. Stir in chopped Oreo and Hershey's chocolate.
6. Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop 1.5-2" balls of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Top with mini marshmallows.
7. Bake for 7 minutes. Cookies will look slightly underdone, but should set up nicely as they cool.
8. Garnish with Oreo crumbs and melted Hershey drizzle.

*Edit: I realize now why most people don't handwrite their ingredient list! Increase Hershey's to 4.4oz (or one XL bar) and use 8-10 Oreos. Rookie mistake :)

That's it! Let me know if you end up making these and tell me what you think! 

-Jessica

Hello!

First post! (These are always very intimidating.) Welcome to my blog where I hope to share ideas and push myself to grow creatively. As a wife and RN, I feel like it's easy to get caught up in the same routine day-to-day, but this year I want to make an effort to nurture my creative self, to make things with my hands, and to daily find inspiration (as cheesy as that may sound). Not only is this blog a way to connect with others, it's also a way to keep myself accountable to pursue my passions. Specifically, I love baking, hand lettering, and taking pictures, but I am open to all kinds of creative endeavors. Thanks for visiting my page and I hope to have my first creation up soon!

P.S. Since no post is ever complete without a picture, here is one of my sweet pup, Millie! You will probably be seeing a lot of her.

-Jessica