Bo Bella

Hello Again. 

I fell out of love with blogging...it happens to the best of us. 

New years resolutions were made and one of them was to blog more...it made me feel creative. So back on that train we call blogging.

So far 2012 has been challenging. The bad kind of challenging, but not everything in life is ment to be easy. 

In March i am moving back to England. I miss my family & friends. America has been good to me, i have loved it and made some wonderful friends that i will keep in touch with forever...unlucky for them. 

It is time for a new beginning and new adventures, 2012 is going to be exciting! 

Sadly, my dog Bo passed away 2 weeks ago. My heart hurts. Bo Bella was my little man and i will always regret not being able to say goodbye to him. At the moment it feels unreal, but when i go back to my Dad's it is going to hit me hard not seeing his happy little self excited to see me. My sister, Faye, was a trooper and dealt with everything like a proper grown up. She is a brave one. I am so proud of her. 

I love you so much my Bo, and i miss you millions <3 

So as i said before...not a good start. 

Not to jinx anything, but fingers crossed the year is going to get better. 

Shall we bake some peanut butter cookies tomorrow? Lighten the mood with some sweets? Good plan. 

See you tomorrow! 

Peace, Love & Kara <3 

Air Popped Popcorn!

Hi there! 

I have been reading a WHOLE bunch of facts...mainly about Sodium...and how you shouldn't eat too much of it. I now understand why i feel so bloated after some meals! Ergh...Sodium...gettin' all up in my tummy! Now i am watching more carefully what we are eating and making fresh meals more often. We have a household ban on microwaved meals from now on. One of the worsted sodium filled meals...along with canned soups...Fresh is the way too go, and reduced sodium products. Such a preacher now a days. 

Another thing i found out, which i was quite disheartened about was microwave popcorn. 

It isn't as good for you as i thought. So much fat, sodium and sugar, damn. There goes my guiltless evening snack. Oh...But wait! On Pinterest...my newest obsession, i found an amazing blog! A gal named Taralynn (Undressed Skeleton - Blog name - http://undressedskeleton.tumblr.com) introduced me too air popped popcorn! Its so fun and way healthier the the microwaved kind! You know exactly what is in it too...which i like alot! Seriously, check out her blog. Her weight loss story is amazing and her recipes are wonderful! Taralynn's blog has inspired me. Everybody needs a little inspiration now and then in their lives...for real. 

So, popcorn. I LOVE it. Mmmhmmm. Popped goodness! 
I loved making this! Crazy easy, super quick, smells soooooo good, and you can make it ANY flavor you want! Sweet, savory, healthy, & of course...not so healthy...yum. So many flavors to try! But for my first time i stuck with simple...Kettle Corn Powder & Cinnamon! 


Get on this, get on this popcorn fun! 


1 - 1 tbsp Oil. Make sure it is hot enough by dropping a popcorn kernel in the pan. The oil will start to bubble.  

2 - Add 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels into the hot pan and place a lid on top...i used a clear lid so i could see the popping madness...way more fun then microwave rubbish!  

3 - When the popping slows down to several seconds between pops, remove pan from heat and pour into a bowl quickly!  

4 - Season your popcorn! Yeah! Anything you like! Be crazy! 

5 - Eat...and maybe share? Maybe. It makes enough for 2 people...or 1 hungry me.   

BOOM! Easy. Nailed it! Movie night anyone? 


What flavor would you do?? 
Lets be sharers! 

Peace, Love & Kara <3 

Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! 

I hope you had a lovely day and eat too much...in a good way of course!!

I am thankful for my wonderful Family. I feel like the luckiest gal in the world to be related to such amazing people. No idea where i would be without them. My sister is my best friend. My Mum is my rock and My Dad is my hero. 

I am thankful for my awesome friends. They have seen me at my lowest and still stick around. We all grow together and make each other better people. I love them. No words can describe how much i love them.

I am thankful for my Fella. He makes me a better person. He loves me for me. He lets me be myself. I couldn't ask for a more amazing boyfriend. We explore together. I love him. 

I am thankful for everything around me. 

What are you thankful for??

If you go out at 12am to do sale shopping...i wish you luck. 

Peace, Love & Kara <3 

Key Lime Pie

Why hello there! 

I have pie for you...SUPER easy, tangy pie! Who doesn't love that right!

Key Lime Pie. 

I made this pie for my Fella's Dad's Birthday party...oddly some people aren't a fan of chocolate (crazy, i know) So i thought i would throw together this delicious...sweet...creamy...pie...goodness. Its good! 

I have never made this before, this blog is bring me lots of exciting firsts! I love it! 

Seriously, this was good! Too easy...way too easy. Just the way i like it! 

Jump aboard this pie train...its too good to miss! Geez...i am ON A ROLL!!

What you need...

* Ready Made Pie Crust...if you are lazy...like moi! 

* 3 cups Condensed Milk, 2 small cans. 

* 1/2 cup Sour Cream

* 3/4 cup Key Lime Juice

* 1 tbsp Grated Lime Zest

1. Pre heat oven to 350f. In a medium bowl mix together the condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest. Mix well and add to the pie crust. 

2. Bake for 5 - 10 minutes, until little bubbles burst on the surface of the pie. Do not brown! 

3. Once baked, chill the pie thoroughly before serving this bad boy! Add cream and lime slice on top when serving if you like! Yum! 

Geez, how easy is that! I told you! This pie tastes wonderful, it went down VERY well! 

Do it! DO. IT. 

I have nail vanishes to show you tomorrow as requested by my Sister. So...look forward to that! Yeah! 

21 Day Challenge is going down pretty good!! I miss you chocolate...i miss you. 

Peace, Love & Kara <3   

Holy Sheet...Cake.

Hello wonderful people!

A new challenge has begun all up in here!? 

21 Day challenge my friends...and it makes me cry. 

Cry with frustration...No SUGAR. Again. Why!? Why do i do this to myself! 

Here's the deal...since Summer i put on 30 pounds. BOOM. That's like a 3 year old. I put on a 3 year old. A 3 year old muffin top and double chin. That's insane...BUT i had a wonderful time putting that weight on. *dreams of pancakes* Ah Cracker Barrel...i love your pancakes. 

The 21 Day Challenge

The 21 Day Challenge is a cut out of the empty calories we all consume! Things that are just calories...and NOTHING else. Nothing good is bought to our bodies with these types of foods.

SO...None of the following for 21 DAYS...

* Candy/Chocolate...Ouch. 

* Cakes/Donuts/Muffins...Aw shit. 

* White carbs...rice/pasta/bread...No problem!

* Chips...Fries for you American Folks 

* Crisps...Chips for you American Folks...again. 

* Fast Food...Fine! Jason's Deli doesn't count as fast food! 

* Ice Cream...It's getting cold anyway! 

* Naughty sandwich spreads! Nutella/Peanut Butter...NAUGHTY! 

* Pastries...Ergh...love Pastries. 

* Sodas Regular/Diet...shits gonna get crazy up in here!?

Hopefully my body will no longer crave these goodies as much as i do now. I will report back the results as the end...i may quite a mess after this. Gah...Thanksgiving is next week too! Brutal. 

Lets get down to baking business...its been a while! 

Chocolate Sheet Cake. 

Holy cow this is fudging good! I have made this bad boy twice now and each time it has gone down smooth. 

For Halloween, i made a graveyard cake and then last week i made it for my fella's daddy's birthday! 

This cake is ooooh soooo moist and chocolaty, so good. Defiantly try it! It is very easy to do as well!

I found this recipe off Bakerella (I love her) 
http://www.bakerella.com/the-pioneer-woman-knows-her-stuff/


You will need...(for the cake) 

* 1 cup Butter 

* 4 heaping tbsp Cocoa Powder

* 1 cup Boiling Water

* 2 cups Flour 

* 2 cups Sugar 

* 1/4 tsp Salt

* 1/2 cup Buttermilk 

* 2 beaten Eggs 

* 1 tsp Vanilla extract

* 1 tsp Baking Powder

1. Per heat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar and salt. Set aside. 

Excuse my nails...i had just been to Ulta to play with nail vanishes...

 

2. In a saucepan melt the butter. Once melted add the cocoa powder. Stir together. Add boiling water and let boil for 30 seconds. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture. Mix! 

3. Add the Buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla extract together, mix all together. Add to the chocolate and butter mixture. Mix! Once all combine pour in to the cake sheet pan (i used the disposable ones) Bake for 18-20 minutes! 

You will need...(for the frosting) ((i forgot to take pictures...i got too excited!)) 

* 1 3/4 sticks Butter 

* 4 heaping tbsp Cocoa Powder 

* 6 tbsp Milk 

* 1 tsp Vanilla extract 

* 1 pound Powdered Sugar (minus 1/2 cup) 

1. While cake is baking, make the icing. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together and pour over warm cake. Enjoy this beast of a cake. No joke...its TOO GOOD! *day dreams*...Ergh! Sorry...my mind wondered to the cake. That happens. 

So there we have it. Sheet Cake that will blow your mine. Seriously. Do IT! 

Its nice to live in the past when it comes to cakes...none of this good stuff for a few days *cries* It's cool...We can do it! 

I have a pie too show you soon...looks forward to it! 

Peace, Love & Kara <3 

Disney World..WOOO!

Why hello! 

I lost my blogging groove...i don't know whats up!?
But we can work through it...push through this dry spell!

I went to Disney World with my fella...it was amazing!! 

PICTURE TIME!!! 

Hollywood Studios!


As soon as we got to our hotel, All Star Movies Resort, we jumped on the bus straight to Hollywood Studios! 

Fantasmic!

The 2nd day we went to Epcot! The Around the World Food and Wine festival was on whilst we were there...we ate ALOT of goodness...My Fella was pretty excited by the Korean and Japaneses food stalls! What a day!!

Trollin' in Norway

Japan

London! (all the other pictures were blurry *sad face*)

Korean wrap...not sure of the name...

Epcot Fireworks :D

The 3rd day...Halloween!! We went to The Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween, we were there for 12 hours...i defiantly got my fix. Best Halloween EVER.

Met Snow White...she liked my ears.



The bin in front of the people sitting down was rolling around and talking to everybody! It was crazy...it also made me weary of the other bins...Too clever for my liking...way too clever.

So excited! They are making the Tangled Castle and a Beauty & The Beast restaurant! So much cool stuff...lets go there when it is done. A Disney Party. Lets do IT!  

The Haunted Mansion is my fave ride!

you touch the instruments and they will make noise! Disney...you blow my mind.

Look how fun Disney Treats are!

My Halloween Mummy Cupcake...so good!

Oh! Hey Mickey & Minnie...our new best friends...

Oh! And Donald & Daisy! 

At the Villian's parade! 

That's my scared face... 

Our last full day we went to Animal Kingdom during the day and Wilderness Lodge for dinner in the evening...so much fun! October is the time to go fo'sho! Not too hot or busy! I wish i lived there...FOREVER.

Goofy...such a gentleman. 

Instead of collecting autographs, we collected pictures! 

Africa! 

We went on a Safari! 

The 1st Disney Baby Elephant was over there...rolling around.  

 

Picture time!  

India! 
These bats were insane. Basically cats with wings. I had NO idea there were bats this big in the world. *shivers* No thank you.  

Mount Everest. Such a fun ride! 

Mickey Mouse ice cream anyone?

Animal Kingdom Tree of Life...over 320 animals are carved into the tree :) 

This is all on my check list for my house. It will all be mine. Yep. Everything. 

So pretty...On our way to Wilderness Lodge! (My Happy Place) 

As a child, my family and i would stay in this hotel every year. It reminds me of happy things...best memories are here! I want to get married here one day! 

Me and my Sister would go to the Cub's Den and play! So fun! Argh! I want to be able to play in there still!? 

Then we flew back to Texas...i might have (defiantly) cried when we left. A small child looked at me strangely...he doesn't understand! So yeah, now it is back to normal life with no Mickey Mouse shaped waffles for breakfast. Sad. And not everyone will say hello to you in the street...unfriendly. 
Disney. I love you. Foreeeeever...*backs away slowly* Creepy. 


I suppose i should unpack my suitcase and man up. Lets bake soon. Yes. Lets do that. 


List of things to look forward too??


*Thanksgiving...An American Holiday i choose to fully enjoy...as it is basically an early Christmas dinner. 
* My Birthday...24 this year guys. That sounds strange. Not sure how i feel about it. I may just pretend to be 20 again. 
* Christmas! I figured out the decorating theme already...Nightmare Before Christmas...That was quite blatant though. You guys Read me like a book! 


That's all i am  going to list...nothing after December yet...this year has gone far, FAR too fast for my liking. 
Slow it down world! Relax! 


Pah...blogging block...take that! 

Peace, Love & Kara <3