Snippets of Design

Love & Chocolate ValentineTablescape

February 13, 2013 in Decorating, Holidays, My Recipes, Recipes, Table-scapes, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day

If you have followed me for a while,

“ummmm, of course I HAD to do a tablescape for Valentine’s Day!!!” ;) :)

I wanted it to be simple, casual, & romantic

So I went with basic red, white, & pink.

I mixed them with some favorite dishes & some casual, plaid dish towels I LOVE from Target.

then I used food to make it romantic. ;)

We enjoyed Cherry Chocolate Cheesecake,

Homemade Pasta

Tuscan Herb, Parmesan Garlic Bread

A yummy garden salad,

Homemade Chocolate Hearts,

& Easy Stuffed Mushrooms.

How to Duplicate this Look:

The hanging hearts are from my Heart Bouquet Post. You can find that {here}.
The cake plates are from Target & Crate & Barrel.
The Large bowls are from Walmart.
The red baskets were only $3 from Target.
The red plates were $1.50 for 4 from Walmart.
The dish clothes were in a set of 2 from Target.
The soup bowls are from Tia Pan Trading.
The remaining dishes were from a combination of Walmart, D.I., & Ross.
Recipes: Cherry Chocolate Cheesecake, here. Other recipes…soon to come ;)

Today I am going to share with you the Cherry, Chocolate, Cheesecake Recipe

It was so pretty, yummy, & perfect for Valentine’s Day…

It’s also a LOT easier than you would think.

Cherry Chocolate Cheesecake

Dessert, Cheese, Cake, Chocolate, Pie, Cheesecake, Cream, Filling, Cookie, Crust, Cherry, Real

Cooks in Prep: 35 minute. Ready in 5 hours 50 minute. Serves 16 servings

Ingredients

Crust:
2 c. chocolate cookie crumbs
3 Tbsp butter,melted
Filling:
4 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp, vanilla or almond extract
1/2 c. whipping cream
1 (21-oz.) can cherry pie filling
Ganache Glaze:
1/2 c. whipping cream
1 ( 6-oz.) pkg. (1 cup) semisweet Chocolate chips

Directions

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine crust ingredients; mix well. Press in bottom & 1 inch up sides of ungreased 10-inch springform pan.
Beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sugar and extract; beat until smooth. Add 1/2 c. whipping cream; blend well.
Spoon 3 1/2 cups cream cheese mixture into crust-lined pan, spread evenly. Carefully spoon 1 c. pie filling evenly over cream cheese layer. (reserve remaining pie filling for topping.) Spoon remaining cream cheese mixture evenly over pie filling.
Bake at 325 degrees F. for 1 hr. 5 min. to 1 hr.15 min. or until center is set. Cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hr.
Bring 1/2 c. whipping cream to a boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips. until melted.
Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Remove paper. Remove sides of pan. Place cheesecake on paper-lined cookie sheet. Spread glaze over cooled cheesecake, allowing some to flow down the sides. Refrigerate at least 3 hrs. or overnight. Serve topped with remaining pie filling.
Hint:
Make Ahead. Bake the cheesecake; let it cool and glaze it. Freeze it until the glaze is set. Wrap it tightly & freeze it for up to one month. Before serving, unwrap the cheesecake & thaw it in the refrigerator for four to six hrs.

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I hope you enjoy it!

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day & Snippet’s Birthday.

I have a HUGE surprise coming up to celebrate the occasion

so, I hope you will be here to join me…

I am soooo excited!

See you soon dear friends!!!

xo,

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Tags: cake, cheese, cheesecake, cherry, chocolate, Day, easy, Filling, homemade, Pasta, Pie, pink, plaid, recipe, red, Scratch, taupe, Valentine, Valentine's, Valentine's Day, white
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Together is Our Favorite Place to Be

February 6, 2013 in Cards, For Decor, Holidays, Printables!, Signs, Valentine Printables, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day

I created a fun printable for Valentine’s Day.

I have ALWAYS loved this saying.

It prints out as a 8.5″x 8.5″ but if you prefer, I shrunk it and made it into a card {here}.

Here is the Download:

Together is Our Favorite Place to Be

Enjoy!

xo,

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Tags: Be, card, Day, Favorite, free, high, Is, Our, Place, printable, quality, sign, to, Together, Valentine, Valentine's
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Whole Fruit Smoothie

February 4, 2013 in My Recipes, Recipes

Considering it is the beginning of a New Year & many of us are going a little more out of our way to be healthy,

I thought I would share with you my favorite whole fruit smoothie which also happens to be the main

whole fruit smoothie recipe that Vita-Mix demonstrators use.

As I shared in {this} post, my family owns the Vita-Mix Corporation.

For most of my childhood, most of my family was involved in Vita-Mix somehow so this smoothie is almost second nature to me.

It usually consists of “a little bit of this” & a “little bit of that” so bear

with me as I try to write it down and share with you a few variations as well…

but don’t worry cause even though it may end up slightly different every time,

you can’t really mess it up either…

I believe that this smoothie can be made in most blenders except, I gotta be honest,

I am not sure, I have never tried any other blenders.

I use mostly frozen fruit but it is always good to throw in a whole apple, banana or some fresh spinach for extra nutrients.

I also have a thing now for adding a low-fat yogurt or some protein shake mix, especially after my workouts.

Feel free to play with it, try new flavors,I mean, that is half the fun…;)

Whole Fruit Smoothie

Healthy, Drink, Fruit, Strawberries, Smoothie, Peaches, Mix, Vita, Whole

Cooks in 5 Min.

Ingredients

4-6 cups frozen fruit {strawberries, blueberries,peaches,mango,etc.}
2 cups low fat or skim milk, water, or both
1-2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cups sugar, a couple packets of sugar substitute, or 1-2 tsp. honey {optional}
1 banana

Directions

Add the water or milk to the blender container. Add remaining ingredients. The official Vita-Mix recipe generally used honey or no sweetener but I honestly prefer sugar or sugar substitute. Blend on medium speed until the ingredients in the blender start to move. Switch the speed from medium to high. Repeat until ingredients are well blended. Enjoy!
Hints: If using fresh fruits & a Vita-Mix, add the fruits whole & add some ice instead of the water.
Optionally, you can add things like a yogurt or some protein powder.

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xo,

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