My apartment

So, I have been a bit busy these days moving into my old/new apartment. It's old because I have lived here for the past 5 years (before my hiatus) and it's new because I'm moving in again :D

Now that I've done a bit of soul-searching and a whole lot of growing up, I hope to incorporate those changes into my apartment and hopefully to my organization.

My apartment is nowhere near finished and I want to do some painting (especially to remove that hideous yellow from the wall! It reminds me of the yellow used for street lines!) and I need to get myself some furniture. Slowly but surely! Anyways here are some pictures :)

Currently Loving...

Ok, so I have not been updating in like... forever, but it's only because I have been super busy with school stuff and frankly, not much inspiration to write about anything. But, suddenly the muse came by and now I have lots of ideas of what I want to put into the blog. I guess I have no clear idea yet as to what I want this to be, and perhaps I will never achieve that but I guess I just want to put stuff out there. Stuff I like, stuff that matters to me... and perhaps if I'm lucky I will find some other people out there who like the same stuff I do. Or don't! Who cares. :P

So my idea came from talking to my friend and suggesting she visit my Pinterest boards and find some ideas on what to wear on her upcoming date. She told me I should make a magazine out of this because there is so much stuff in my Pinterest boards. I agree. I should really start categorizing better. Perhaps another day...

In the meantime, I wanted to leave you with a couple of obsessions I currently have, mainly makeup. I blame me reading magazines in my leisure time and maybe due to the fact that I saw myself in the mirror and realized I had lost track of what it means to be a girl! I had been so caught up with studying and taking breaks from studying (mainly talking to the bf and letting my brain rot watching TV because that's all my brain could handle... or so I thought!), that I forgot what it was like to spend a bit more time in me, skincare, a bit more makeup, doing my nails. So, here are some of the current products I am loving. :)

1. Geranium by Essie 2. Playdate by Essie 3. Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow in 22E-pearly copper 4. Benefit High Beam 5. Too Faced Natural Eye Palette

1. So, first of all, this Geranium by Essie is probably the perfect summer color. Here in Puerto Rico, it's still summer weather, FYI. And will probably continue like that for the rest of the year... ha! Anyways, this shade was exactly what I wanted since I can't really afford Chanel (who had a very similar red-orange polish that was out of my price range!). The color was a bit transparent so it required a few layers.

2. Playdate by Essie. This was love at first sight. I love purple, and I love this shade. It's just pretty and fun.

3. This Aqua Shadow by Make Up For Ever is awesome. I'm using it as an eye-liner but the other day I wore it to the beach as an eyeshadow and it even survived me rubbing my eyes every time a wave hit my face. Granted, it survived as an eyeliner not an eyeshadow, the color was still visible. Metal colors are so summery, specially this copper shade which I love. I pair it with #5.

4. I'm really into illuminators lately. I think I realized they existed way late in my life. They have seriously changed my life too. I love how this adds a glowy look to my cheeks. Ugh, I need to buy more in case I don't find a cheaper one!

5. This was a birthday present, and it was awesome. I love all the shades here. They even have some matte eyeshadows if that is your thing. I hardly use those but I guess they will come in handy once I start working again... so for a day-to-day basis, they look pretty good. I use the second row like you wouldn't even believe. I would wear them to bed if it wasn't bad for my skin. *sigh*

So there you have it. It's not much, it's not really any expert advice but just a couple of products I like and I thought I'd share. :) I'll go back to trying to sleep now!

Nutella S'mores Cheesecake Squares

So I had two blocks of cream cheese sitting in the refrigerator and waiting for me to use them. I guess I've always been saving them for cheesecake, but I wanted to make something other than regular cheesecake. I also had a big batch of graham crackers sitting around ever since I made this.

Also, I had recently bought a bag of mini marshmallows, you know, "just in case"... in case of THIS!

I had the inspiration from here.

Since I don't have this round springform thingy, I used a square baking dish and my cheesecake turned into cheesecake squares. But, who cares about the shape when all I'm interested in is how it tastes like? :) Exactly.

In addition, I tried to make this as healthy as I could. I need to cut back on the sugar, but somehow my ovaries keep demanding it. Or is it my crazy pancreas? Well, my crazy pancreas should be telling me NOT to eat any of these things, but alas, I gave into temptation.

Another thing... I used my iPhone camera, so I apologize for the bad quality and ugly pictures. I assure you this thing is much better than it looks!

Nutella S'mores Cheesecake Squares


Makes... well, that depends on how big you cut them, doesn't it?

Preheat oven 325F

Crust
1 1/2 cups of graham crackers (one sleeve)
1/4 cup sugar  (I used 2 tablespoon of Splenda® Sugar Blend)
1/2 cup of butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pulse graham crackers in the food processor and add the sugar. Melt butter and then pour it into the food processor and pulse again until graham crackers are moist.

Coat baking pan with cooking spray and add the graham cracker mixture and press it in.

Refrigerate while you make the filling.

Filling
2 blocks of cream cheese 1/3 reduced fat (8oz)
1/2 pint sour cream (8oz)
1/2 cup Splenda®Sugar Blend (or 1 cup of regular sugar)
1 glass Nutella (yes, I went there... I used the entire thing. There goes my attempt on trying to cut back on calories! Of course, you can cut back on this as much as you can. I just didn't feel like it.)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

Beat cream cheese (I used a hand mixer) in a medium bowl until smooth. Add sugar and sour cream, mix again until combined. Add eggs one at a time. Finally, stir in the vanilla with the Nutella and beat it until desired taste. I always recommend to taste as you go. I usually want it to be sweeter, and I also want the Nutella flavor to shine. :)

Bake for at least 40-50 min at 325F until the center is slightly jiggly. I usually underbake mine and the center is always smooth and not all cheesecake like but that's the part I reserve for myself. ;) And, don't worry if the cheesecake cracks, because you'll be topping it off with marshmallows.

Topping


2 1/2 cups of mini marshmallows
graham cracker crumbs (optional)

As soon as you take the cheesecake out of the oven, pour the marshmallows on top of the cheesecake and allow them to melt. Let the cheesecake cool for at least 3 hours in the fridge (or if you are like me, you put it in the freezer until the bottom of the dish no longer feels hot!) .

If you have a blowtorch, now is the time to use it! After the cheesecake has cooled, torch the marshmallows until golden on top.

If you don't have a blow torch, put the cheesecake to broil for a few minutes, being careful not to burn the whole thing.

For serving, you can sprinkle some graham crackers on top and maybe add some chocolate drizzle if you're feeling creative.


Final step: stuff your face. :)

Inspiration: Shades of Pink

Some pictures of things I liked that inspired me. Summer is almost here!

link 1 // link 2 // link 3 //  link 4 // link 5 // link 6 // link 7 // link 8 // link 9 // link 10

Chocolate Chip Pecan Oatmeal

As hard as I tried, I couldn't achieve the pecan pie taste for my oatmeal, I don't think I did. I tried very hard, let me tell you. This was still good, and the chocolate chips added an extra oomph. But you can certainly omit the chocolate chips (in all fairness, the chocolate chips will dominate the pecan flavor) and find this to be really good too. It's not exactly pecan pie-ish.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Oatmeal
Makes 1 serving


3/4 cups oats
1 and 1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
cinnamon (to taste)
pinch of salt
chocolate chips (or not!)
2 tablespoons Splenda brown sugar
dash of maple syrup

Boil milk and salt in a small saucepan. In a small frying pan melt butter until it becomes bubbly and add the pecans. Stir until pecans are fragrant. Set aside.

When the milk has come to a boil, add the oats and stir. Add the pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, and the dash of maple syrup. Lower the heat and continue stirring. When the oats have almost soaked up all the milk, add the sugar slowly until it reaches your taste.

Serve and if you want, drizzle the chocolate chips while the oatmeal is still hot.

Sugar-free Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have had these cookies on my mind since last week. I have been craving soft and chewy cookies because here, all you can find are the crunchy ones. I hate them. Also, making these cookies has satisfied my other craving: cookie dough. Who cares about salmonella? Ok, maybe I should.

These cookies are soft and chewy and they will probably break apart when you pick them up, which is just how I like them. The secret here is marzipan (or almond paste). Here is where they are not completely sugar-free, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

They don't have an overwhelming almond taste but if you want that, you can add some drops of almond extract. If you want, you can also add some chopped almonds. I wanted chocolate chips, not the crunch from almonds so I didn't add that either.

Another thing that I like about these cookies : portion control. I can't help myself when I'm around cookies. I want to eat them all in one day. I probably could. I adapted the recipe from here. I love her website because she scales down everything. Now if I could only find the recipe for ONE red velvet cupcake, I would be happy. :) 

Anyways, I hope you like these as much as I did. PS, these pictures are not so bad considering they came from my iPhone! yay!

"Sugar-Free" Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Makes 1 dozen cookies

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (preferably at room temperature so they are easier to cream)

2 tablespoons shortening (I used the low fat, butter flavored version)

1/4 cup "brown sugar" xylitol  (I used Ideal® No Calorie Brown Sweetener) 

2 tbsp Splenda® Sugar Blend 

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg yolk

1 oz marzipan (or almond paste)  

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp flour 

1/3 cup sugar-free chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F

In a small bowl, cream the butter, shortening, "brown sugar"and Splenda. I used a hand mixer. Add the egg yolk and the vanilla and keep mixing. Cut the marzipan in small pieces and blend with the mix. I had to use a fork to completely blend it in, otherwise using the hand mixer, small balls of marzipan remained. 

In another bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder and baking soda and slowly add this mixture in to the creamed butter blend. I divided it in 3 parts and added one part, mixed added the other one until it was well combined. 

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and make small balls of cookie dough. Resist the urge to eat it! I didn't. My stomach will probably pay for it later. Put them on the cookie sheet, leaving about 1 inch space between each cookie dough ball. Bake for about 8 min and remove from oven. The cookies will not be completely done when you take them out, but leave them in the hot cookie sheet so they continue to bake there in their own heat until cool. 

OMG... these are so good. I will go eat another one now... 

Healthier Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie

I've been wanting to make this recipe for a while now. Main reason is because I love Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie. I wanted something that resembles it in flavor but I wanted to make a sugar-free version and also, perhaps something with less fat. I'm not sure I achieved that, but I sure as hell tried.

This is not the same like the Chili's version. I warn you, but it's very damn close to it. Specially considering it's mostly sugar-free. Give it a try! Nobody in my family was disappointed. The house was filled with a delicious cookie scent that I wish it never left! :(

Lola's Oatmeal Cookie Pie 

Crust:
1 sleeve of graham crackers (about 1 1/2 cup)
6 tbsp butter
1/4 Regular sugar : substitute 2 tbsp Splenda Sugar Blend
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F.

In food processor (or whatever you have to make the graham crackers into powder), put a sleeve of graham crackers and pulse until they have become powdery.

Transfer into a bowl and add vanilla and sugar. Cut butter into small pieces and start mixing it with the graham crackers/vanilla/sugar mix until it combines into small pea-sized pieces. I finally mixed it all by hand to make sure the graham crackers were completely mixed with the butter.

Grease 8x8 baking dish with butter (or cooking spray, which I used), and transfer graham mix and pack it in making sure you cover the whole dish. Try to pack it with your hands and make it as even as possible.

Cook in oven for about 20 min or until the edges become a bit dark. Remove from oven and let it cool.

Cookie filling:
1/2 cup flour
1 cup old fashioned oats (but you can use the quick oats if you want)
1 stick of butter
3 tbsp Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
2 tsp Splenda Blend
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a medium bowl, cream the butter with the sugars. I used a hand mixer at medium speed. Add the cinnamon, vanilla, milk and egg and continue to mix. Then add oats, baking powder and baking soda, continue mixing until set and then add half of the 1/2 cup of flour, mix and slowly add the rest.

For the assembly:

1/4 cup of chocolate chips (I used Hershey's sugar free chips and doubled on the chocolate chips because let's face it, it would be yummier)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup shredded coconut

Pour chocolate chips on top of the graham cracker crust and spread evenly.

For my pie, my dad didn't want coconut so I had to make half of it with coconut and half without, so I couldn't mix the coconut right in the batter, but this is what you have to do. You can also add the nuts to the cookie filling mix or you can pour it over the cookie and press them in. I just mixed it all in because I love pecans and walnuts and I thought it would be better if they were cooked right it. Your choice!

Spread the cookie mix on top. It doesn't have to be even, and it will spread when it cooks so don't worry too much about it. My graham cookie crust was still warm when I did this step and the chocolate chips were already melting, so when I was spreading it all out, it mixed a bit with the chocolate. No biggie.

So the layers are from bottom to top: graham cracker crust, chocolate chips, cookie mix, nuts.

Bake at 350F for about 20 min, depending on your oven. I baked until it was fragrant and golden brown on top.

For serving:

You can omit this step if you don't want to have all this butter, but it is what it calls for.

1 stick of butter
3 tbsp Splenda Brown Sugar blend
1/2 tsp cinnamon
vanilla ice cream
chopped walnuts (for garnish)

Melt butter and mix in the sugar and cinnamon.

Cut the cookie bars and serve them in a plate (or a mini iron skillet if you have one!) and you can pour some of this butter mix on top. This is a dish best served warm, so make sure you put the pie in the microwave first or serve it fresh out of the oven. Put a big ball of ice cream on top, garnish with chopped walnuts or pecans.

Enjoy!

I know he looks ugly but he's yummy! =D