easy as pie

So I decided to take a quick trip to Target earlier this week, for reasons now that I can't even remember. I went in with a list, and had every intention of grabbing groceries for the week, and instead only made it out with dish soap. Well, not only dish soap. The rest of my bags were filled with things that definitely weren't on my list. It's inevitable, really. I mean, we're talking about Target here.

Let me paint a picture for you. I was strolling along, pushing a somewhat rickety basket, (it was actually quite annoying) and all of a sudden as I'm about to head down an isle containing an item I actually went for, I saw the most adorable pie pan. I just couldn't help myself, and in my mind I HAD to have this one. You see, before stumbling upon this treasure, I didn't have a pie pan. And how am I supposed to bake pie this holiday season without one? See how well I justified? lol

So today I'm going to share with you the easiest of pies. Honestly, you can just follow the recipe on the back of the pumpkin can, but in my mind, (and my mother's) it tastes way better with a little addition and a few eliminations.

Here's what you'll need:

- the world's cutest pie pan (I'm sorry, I'm obsessed)
- 1 can of 100% pure pumpkin (15oz)
- 1 can of evaporated milk (12oz)
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon (plus some to sprinkle on top if you'd like)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 eggs
- 1-2 tbsp. vanilla (I use Mexican Vanilla, yumm yumm)
- 1 unbaked pie crust (pre-made or the fancy Pillsbury kind)


The thing that makes this recipe different from the can, is VANILLA (I swear it makes a HUGE difference) and the absence of spices like ginger and clove. I'm personally not a huge fan of these spices, if they're something you enjoy feel free to add them :) but cinnamon is so so easy, and is commonly found in most pantries already!

First, preheat your oven to 350 degree (the can will tell you to preheat your oven to 425 degrees and after 15 minutes of baking, reduce to 350 for the rest of baking time, but I found this cooked my crust too quickly as you'll see)

Next you'll want to mix up your dry ingredients (cinnamon, salt, and sugar) in a separate bowl.

And beat your eggs in another large bowl.

While your eggs are beating, this is a good time to prep your pie pan if you're using a pre-refrigerated crust. Just roll it on out and into your pan. Press it down and VOILA!

Once your eggs are done beating, add your can of pumpkin, then those dry ingredients, and then lastly, gradually stir in your evaporated milk (I did all of my mixing on a relatively low-med speed)

Then just pour your mixture into your pan and pop it into the oven for 50-60 minutes :) It's honestly something you'll have to eyeball since everything bakes differently depending on your oven and elevation. Your pie is done when the filling is firm and a knife will come out clean from the middle.

Once out of the oven, let cool for about an hour, and then cover and put into the fridge before serving! I find it to taste better and serve easier once it's been chilled...but not everyone will be so patient, hehe (if serving warm, of course add some Bluebell vanilla) 

I actually made my pie pretty late at night, and waited until morning to cut into it....

...which resulted in me having a piece with my morning coffee for breakfast. I have no shame. :D

Well, that's all for now, y'all! Give this recipe a whirl and let me know what ya think! I know my roommates and house guests have definitely enjoyed it so far :) 

Thanks for reading.

-AMB

fall festivities

Fall is here (well, near) and I couldn't be more excited! I ADORE fall. Actually, I just love when the seasons change. But I can't help but love fall because of all the wonderfully delightful activities that come with it.

Fall is when nature becomes especially beautiful. The leaves change, the air becomes crisp, (or at least not as humid here in Texas) and let's be honest, the fall candles at Bath and Body Works are my favorite (and obsession).

//I'm currently burning two in my apartment//


Like I said, fall is beautiful, and because I love it so, I have decided to make a list of things that I want to accomplish and do in this new and shortly upcoming season.

 These are my fall festivities for 2014:

-go to the Dallas Arboretum (THE PUMPKINS)

-host a "friendsgiving"

-visit a local pumpkin patch

-knit something (I can never finish a knitting project)

-bake my mom's pumpkin pie

-take pictures in the fallen leaves

-make a new friend

-go to a corn maze

-be cliche and carve a pumpkin

-go to the Fort Worth Water Gardens

-clean out my closet

-spend more time with friends

-do a daily devotional

-make candied/caramel apples

-go to the State Fair

-do the annual 5K Turkey Trot

-learn how to make macarons


I know I'll think of many more things to add to my list, but I figured I start here for now :)

Also, my boyfriend sent this to me this morning and I found it too cute and silly not to share. lol. yay for Pusheen and pie!

Speaking of pie, and seasonal related items, this stuff is DELICIOUS. Go. Try it now!

Until next time. TTYL

Love,
AMB

nashvegas y'all

So this past weekend (Labor Day weekend) I visited one of my favorite people, in one of my favorite places. My boyfriend, John, in Nashville, TN. 

This is a little blurb about myself, I am in a long distant relationship, but we make it work :) (and hey, at least he's currently in a city I ADORE)

Anyways, so the week before my trip was my first week back in school for the fall semester, and what better way to kick off the school year than with a little jet-setting! So I anxiously (more like extremely stressed out and overwhelmed) packed my bags (between the already accumulating class readings and assignments) to get ready to go.

Thursday quickly came (I only have class Tuesday-Thursday), I packed my car with my luggage, headed to my classes for the day, and when the clock hit 1:50 I was the first one out the door of my business statistics class (okay, maybe not really) I was finally on my way to the airport, and more than ready to be in Nashville and greeted with a hug! 

***Skipping past my non-eventful traveling consisting of traffic, traffic, more traffic, navigating through the worst airport ever, (DFW) trying to find food in the terminal because I was STARVING, and flying through the air while studying the textbooks I packed (GEEZ it was the first week of classes WHY)***

Once in Nashville, I had the BEST long weekend! In fact, I had such a lovely time that I FORGOT to take pictures or EVEN TAKE my camera with me most of the time (and it took up a TON of luggage space!) But regardless, John and I had a blast (or at least I did :P) He selflessly took me to do and see everything I could have ever imagined. 

We went to The Frist Museum (where cameras weren't allowed anyways) and I don't know about him, but I felt so scholarly walking around the showcased art. I'm silly, I know. The exhibits were fantastic, consisting of real/surreal art, a celebration of animations over time, and my favorite, Illustrations by Maira Kalman from the writing style guide, "The Elements of Style." Something about walking around a quiet room of very cool, but very silly illustrations, and sharing silent laughter with John, (literally no one was talking) just completely tickled me. I loved every second of it.

I could go on and on about every little thing we did within the span of 4 days and 5 nights, but to sum it up, it was all just so grand. It consisted of Lush, fruit tea, a ton of Mexican food (and eating in general), coffee shops, brunch (see, a lot of eating), games with friends, swimming, seeing downtown, pedicures (yes, just YES), and so much more. 

// walking around downtown//

Isn't the skyline pretty? It was a perfectly overcast day and the temperature outside was such a relieving break from the hot, hot weather we've been having in Texas. There was even a breeze!!!

THE KING!

We also went to this super awesome (super hipster) coffee shop/ breakfast joint. It was just so cool! It took forever to get through the line, but it was so worth it. They had homemade pastries and danishes, MACARONS, fresh teas, and so much more. I had a whiskey caramel iced coffee, and a sausage biscuit with a mandarin marmalade! The coffee was incredible, and clearly so were our biscuits...

(I was clearly WAY too excited and hungry to get a before picture, lol)

// jenis jenis JENIS (AKA the BEST ice cream)//

Overall, my weekend with John was perfection. I don't think I could name a favorite day or moment, I'm just thankful for the time we got to spend together. If you're reading this, John, thank you so very much for being the absolute sweetest :) I cannot wait until next time.

This was definitely from my last trip to Nash before this one, but I wanted to share since I'm such a dork and didn't get a pic together this time. Next time I won't make such a rookie mistake ;)