“What Turning Forty Means to Me
I need to take my pants off as soon as I get home. I didn’t used to have to do that. But now I do.”
- Tina Fey, Bossypants
My Favorite Cheesecake Recipe
This cheesecake recipe is adapted from: “Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey” by Jill O’Connor. The actual recipe is for cheesecake pops (pictured on left).
Although the cheesecake pops are pretty easy to make and delicious, I prefer normal cheesecakes without the chocolate shell. To make the cheesecakes easier to consume, I make personal mini-cheesecakes using a muffin or cupcake pan. Yummmmmm. (Sorry, I couldn’t find a photo of the mini-cheesecakes.)
Ingredients: (makes about 30)
Crust:
1 1/2 cups finely ground graham crackers (about 12) (for ppl in NYC, Fresh Direct has yummy ones in their bakery)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons sugar
Cheesecake:
5 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups Castor sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flower
1/4 tsp salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream (43% fat, Crème de la Gruyère)
Boiling water, as needed
Directions:
1. Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Set water to boil. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
3. Stir together crackers, butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar; press 1 tablespoon into bottom of each cup. You can use a glass cup to press the mixture down if you can find one the right size. Bake until set and beginning to color at edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer tins to rack to cool.
4. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth (If using a mixer, mix on low speed). Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition.
5. Beat in the vanilla and cream.
6. Pour batter (about 3 tablespoons) over crust in each cup.
7. To bake, set tins in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35-45 minutes. Time may vary depending on the oven.
8. Transfer tins to racks to cool completely.
9. Refrigerate in tins, uncovered, at least 4 hours. Remove from tins.
* Also super yummy if you add some fruit puree or chocolate to the cups in between layers of batter.
* If dripping batter really annoys you, I like to use a large ziploc bag. Place the batter in the ziploc bag and close. Snip a tiny corner end off (like you would if you were using the ziploc for icing). Use the batter filled ziploc bag to place batter in the cups as if it were an icing bag. Also works great when making mini-cupcakes!
Stone Crop Masque
I’ve been waiting to review this masque until I used up an entire jar of the product. I’m now well into my second jar and I love it!
This masque is supposed to be intensely healing and revive stressed skin. It’s made with organic stone crop plant, aloe, honey and vitamins to improve pigmentation and blemishes in skin, while providing moisture.
I have a lot of excess pigmentation in my skin from when I neglected to use sunscreen, leftover acne scars, etc. I have this dream that one day, my skin will be so clear that I’ll never have to wear foundation again. I’m still trying to achieve this without using any drastic lasers or peels. In my attempts to achieve this holy grail, I started to use the eminence stone crop masque.
Overall, this masque did nothing to help with my pigmentation. I still love it though because it’s nourishing and leaves my skin soft and glowing. Although the stone crop didn’t get rid of my freckles (why on earth did I think it would?), the masque seems to take out all the red from my skin. The overall tone and clarity of my skin is improved. It’s a nice boost, especially in the winter.
I like to keep the jar in the fridge (not just to keep it fresh, but also because it feels nice) and use the masque for about 3-4 days in a row per week. Because it’s meant to be a nourishing, moisturizing masque, using the masque for days at a time doesn’t wear your skin out. I leave a thick layer on while watching tv or doing laundry and wash off with lots of warm water. Obviously, the way I use it, a jar doesn’t last very long.
Although I love this masque, after this second jar, I’m probably going to take a break and try a couple of other products. Hey, … a girl gets bored…
Posted in Beauty, Skincare
Tagged beauty, eminence, eminence stone crop masque, masque, skincare, stone crop
2 Comments
cleaning out my closet
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or beautiful.”
- William Morris
Ideally, I’d like this quote to apply to EVERYTHING in my house, including clothes, makeup, jewelry, shoes, etc.
My own personal weaknesses include the fact that I am an impulse buyer who often buys for the life I want/imagine instead of the life I actually lead. This results in a large stockpile of items in my closet, but only a few items I actually use/wear on a regular basis.
In trying to curb my spending habits, I’ve developed a 2 prong approach: (1) Don’t buy anything I don’t need, which includes don’t buy anything if I can’t decide between 2 things (I probably don’t like either enough to buy it) and (2) Use what I already have.
I don’t have to buy special “comfy” or “casual” clothes. I already have comfy and casual clothes. I have tons of clothes that are expensive and “nice,” but that I never wear. If I’m willing to go out and buy cheaper, uglier clothes to wear while running out to get coffee, I might as well wear the nice clothes in the back of my closet that have never seen the light of day. Never mind the fact that I shouldn’t be dressing like a bum on purpose anyways.
Hopefully, after a year or so of using up all of my miscellaneous bath and makeup products, trying to wear all the clothes in my closet, and actually wearing all of my random shoes and jewelry, I can pare down my wardrobe to the things I actually use and love and have saved some money!
What are some of your bad habits and how have you overcome them? I’d love some inspiration!
Fun Decor
Came across these items on Etsy. Love them! Now trying to figure out if I can work them into my decor.
Neon and glitter are both so popular these days. So cute. Would be a great gift!
As a CA transplant in NY, I can’t help but be drawn to all things CA. Love that it’s a mirror. I’m considering it for the entryway by the door.
