Poppin' Bottles

Hello Sweets,

I hope everyone has had a relaxing Sunday, and for most of my Canadian readers enjoy one more day off (it's a holiday tomorrow).  I've done nothing but relax all day because I've felt super awful :(  Sleep is becoming somewhat of an illusion to me, I have trouble sleeping as it is but now I'm having nightmares too.  Sigh, what are you going to do right?  Well I'm going to blog because it tends to take my mind off of everything, and y'all are pretty awesome :)

Yesterday I told you that I'd be sharing an "adult" treat I made for the fourth of July, and judging by the title of this post do you have an guesses?  Yes it does include champagne, but it also includes something children love.  It wiggles, it jiggles, it's Jell-O (I sang that as I wrote it and I hope you sang it too lol).  Yup I made champagne Jell-O shots, and of course I stuck with the theme of red, white, and blue.  Now I'm not going to give you the recipe for any of the flavored Jell-O, because all you do is sub the champagne in replace of the cold water.  However, unflavored gelatin is a completely different process so that is what I'll be sharing today.  This recipe is NOT mine, I found it on another blog called Dixie Delights.  I haven't read all of her stuff but what I have read I love, she seems like a fun and down to earth person.  She's from Georgia so you know she's a real southern bell, so please check out her site too I know you won't be disappointed.

Champagne Jell-O Shots (from Dixie Delights)

Ingredients

1 box of unflavored gelatin (4 pks)

1 bottle of your favorite champagne

cups to set the jell-o in (we picked up condiment cups at Wal-mart)

Directions:

1)  Pour 2 cups of champagne into a saucepan, and sprinkle with gelatin.  Allow a few minutes to let the gelatin settle into the liquid.

2)  Heat on low, stirring constantly until the gelatin has dissolved.  This will take approximately five minutes, once the bubbles subside you will be able to see if it is completely dissolved.  Remove from heat.

3)  Stir in the remaining champagne and pour into your cups.  Place in the fridge and allow to set, as she did I also left mine overnight.

 

When you mix it with the fruit Jell-O it's a subtle flavor, but with the unflavored gelatin it's all champagne baby :)  It also has a carbonation to them which make them even more enjoyable, as if that was even possible right?

Well I said it would be a short, sweet, and sassy post and I think I've delivered ;)  Tomorrow we're going to take an imaginary trip over to a country that has wooden shoes and nesting dolls.  We are going to make one of the dishes they are best known for, but you'll have to come back tomorrow to find out what it is!  Until next time......................................

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxoxo

Baby It's Cold Outside....

Hello Sweets,

I hope you all had a fantastic Friday :)  Nathan and I had a great day.  We picked up some new blue rays and then he took me out to eat at one of my favorite restaurants, Red Lobster!  I LOVE seafood, and I fully believe that it is worth all the hard work that is required to get to the succulent meat.  Now that I am completely full, we are having a full on "gamers" night full of sugar and Star Wars.  I know I know I'm a little geeky, but hey whatever is fun for you, you should do!

Since we are going to be busy most of the night, I thought I would try and write my blog on our breaks, and since I don't have a super complicated recipe for all of you, I think it will work!  So I bet you're wondering what the correlation is between my title and the recipe; well it's simple they're both cold :)  Last year, I spent my first thanksgiving with Nathan's family, and for dessert they had something I had never seen before.   Have you heard of Ice Box Pie?   That is exactly what it was, and I wasn't really sure what to think of it, but I'm not rude and I like to try new things so I tried it.  It is very simple, not overly sweet, and a nice cool treat, plus it's yummy.  Let me show you how simple it is :)

Ice Box Pie (via Cooks)

Ingredients

1 can Eagle brand condensed milk

1 8oz container cool whip

1 6oz can frozen lemonade

graham cracker crust (I used a store bought one)

Directions:

1)  Mix all ingredients except cool whip until well blended.

2)  Fold in cool whip and pour in graham crust

3)  Chill for at least one hour prior to serving.

front is pink lemonade and the back is limeade :)

So there you have it, a very easy dessert, perfect for if you need something in a pinch :)  Perfect for any holiday or family get together.

I know I said I was all done with all the Christmas recipes, but since this is a short post (sick day (also why you're getting this on Saturday), booo :( ) I thought I would share another favorite thing about Christmas since I started spending them with Nathan.

This beautiful tree full of white lights

On the way to the hanger or to Nathan's uncle, we always pass this cattle ranch, and in the middle of this vast field there stands a single tree.  Every single inch of it is covered in white lights, and on a cold winter night on the dark road it shines so bright it automatically brings a smile to your face.  Until next time.........

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo