Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Great Pumpkin Pie Recipe


My sister made a great pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving and I had to share it with you. It's from Paula Deen and it is soooo yummy (and very easy). I've already made two of these since Thanksgiving.

Ingredients
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
• 1 piece pre-made pie dough
• Whipped cream, for topping

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Weekend Recap

Hubby and I had a great weekend. Friday night our friends Shannon and David came over and we decorated our Christmas tree and I made red snapper (stay tuned for tomorrow's post with this great recipe. Saturday morning I got up at 6:30 to shop for toys for needy children with my old company. We bought a truck load of toys for children in Alexandria, VA. Saturday night we celebrated my friend Gayle's birthday. And Sunday was a lazy day. I woke up with a horrible migrane so I spent most of the morning in bed. In the afternoon, I got a bunch of things done around the house and got ready for my first day at my new job. I put up the rest of my ebay items (check them out here). Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Thirfty Thursday - Master Coupon Clipper

Check out this GMA segment on a woman who bought $200 worth of groceries for one penny! There are some helpful coupons tips. One of the tips, I'm gonna try next time I go to the store - try and use multiply manufacturers coupons for the same item.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Closet Clean Out

Since I've been home these past couple of days I've been doing a massive cleanout. Click here to check out my ebay listings. There's some great things up there and couple of them are new w/ tags. Also check out my friends listings as well. I will be posting more later in the week. Also don't forget to look at the dress I'm selling through my blog.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Dress for Sale

On my first day of no work I've done major cleanout/organizing. I have lots of stuff that I'm gonna be posting on ebay but I wanted to give my readers first dibs at this perfect holiday dress. It's a Nicole Miller dress that's never been worn. It's a deep purple color with sweetheart neckline and bubble skirt. See the pics below. It retails for $290 but I'm selling it for $125 (or best offer). Please email me (christinasfavoritethings@gmail.com) if you are interested in it.




Product Review -


I needed a foundation that would match my light winter skin. I had a coupon for Almay's Smart Shade, Smart Balance foundation so I thought I would check it out. I picked up the light medium color and tried it. The foundation comes out in a white beaded liquid form and then it's supposed to turn into your skin tone and blend naturally. I was really skeptical because I thought for sure I had a foundation line around my chin but I couldn't see it (and my friend confirmed I didn't have a line). I really like the coverage it gave me, it was light but covered my imperfections. I still had to use cover up on some of the areas that are harder to cover up. It's affordable, I can usually find a coupon for it, and it works - I'm sold!

According to the Almay website. Here's how the foundation's matching works -
One: the shade sensing microbeads start out white and instantly adjust to match your natural skin tone.
Two: the skin balancing microspheres keep your oily areas shine-free and dry skin softly hydrated.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Favorite Thing #184 - Bronze Booster™ Glow-Boosting Pressed Bronzer

Thanks to my friends Robin and Shannon for introducing me to my winter bronzer. It's by Physicans Formula and it's the Bronze Booster™ Glow-Boosting Pressed Bronzer (that's a mouthful). It's the perfect shade for my skin in the winter months (no more tanning bed for me). It gives me great all over color and I don't look orange. I use the light to medium tone. It doesn't last as long as I would like but it's affordable enough that I can have two (one at home and one in my purse).

Still love and wear Favorite Thing #84 - J.Crew Scroll bracelet. I wore this bracelet a lot this summer with all the weddings we had.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving


Today I will be celebrating with my family at my parents house. Hubby and I rotate holidays with our families so I really treasure each time I come home. Today I am thankful for my wonderful husband, our families, God for blessing me with such an amazing life and I'm especially blessed this year to be celebrating with my grandparents (I'm very lucky that I still have all four to spend time with). What are you thankful for?

This weekend we have a lot of things planned - Black Friday shopping with my dad, taking my grandmothers to play slots at the casino in Bethlehem, hanging out with my cousin and her husband, enjoying my favorite local foods, and spending time with my family.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Hanky Panky Boutique!

Rue La La is having a Hanky Panky boutique tomorrow starting a 7pm EST. I'm hoping to get there to order some for myself and as gifts! Other boutiques tomorrow include Tommy Bahama, Junior Drake and Jura-Capresso. Don't forget Rue La La is giving $10 to each new person that signs up!

Rue La La is a By-Invitation-Only Sample Sale site. Click Here to sign up using my personal invitation link. This link will grant you immediate access to the site after you sign up. (FYI - If you just sign up the regular way you will just be put on the waiting list.)

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Happy New Job to Me

I decided to treat myself to a new watch since I got a new job. I got this beauty from Invicta via Rue La La (I would never spend $700 on a watch). It's a chunky watch which I like because it feels more like I'm wearing a bracelet. I also think it goes really well with my wedding and engagement rings. Sorry for the picture quality, I took the pics myself with my blackberry.