Leesha's November Wishlist

It is finalllllly my birthday month. Nine more days, ya'll. I will finally be eighteen years old. I have a lot of things on my wishlist this month. Just add money to this, because I am a poor college student and I could always use some extra cash. But yeah, November is my favorite month of the year. For many reasons. Like the weather... and my birthday. Have a good day, everyone.

PS. Yes, that is Ian Somerhaulder. 

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Lemonade Cake

 My sister turned twenty years old this past week and I was honored to be able to make her her favorite cake. She loves anything lemon and I was not about to complain when she asked me to make her a lemonade cake. Layered cakes are so not easy, but this turned out surprisingly better than i had anticipated.

Lemonade Cake (enough to make a two layered cake)

You will need: one cup of unsalted butter, two and one half cups of flour, one-half teaspoon of baking powder, one-half teaspoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of  salt, one tablespoon of lemon zest, two cups of sugar, two large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks, one-fourth cup plus two table spoons of lemon juice, one cup of low-fat buttermilk, one lemon, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter two 8x2 inch cake pans. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. 2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and one and a half cups of sugar until it's light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat in two tablespoons of lemon juice. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. 3. Divide batter between the pans;smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack. 4. While cakes are baking, bring remaining half cup of sugar and half cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add lemon slices and simmer for 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer lemon slices to a waxed-paper-lined plate. Stir remaining fourth cup fresh lemon juice into syrup. 5. Using a toothpick, poke holes in warm cakes on rack. Brush with lemon syrup. Let cool completely. Prepare frosting. Frost cooled cakes and top with candied lemon slices.

Whipped Frosting  (enough for five cups)

You will need: Three large egg whites, three-fourth cup of sugar, one pinch of salt, one-third cup of water, two tablespoons of lemon juice

1. In a heatproof bowl, set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, combine egg whites, sugar, salt, and water. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved (or mixture registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), two to three minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high until glossy, stiff peaks form (do not overbeat), about three minutes; reduce speed to low, add lemon juice, and beat just until combined. Use immediately.

Triple Threat Apple Pie

It's no secret that I love pie. Like... I Love Pie. My favorite is Apple Pie. I could eat Apple Pie all day, everyday. However, I know some people can get really bored of just plain apple pie, so I've come up with a solution: The Ultimate-Triple-Threat-Apple-Pie. Two extra layers of crust and a splash of Bourbon? Yes, please.

I make my own crust. It tastes delicious and I'm just so used to making it now that I don't even consider anything else.

One double pie crust: two cups of flour, two sticks of cold butter, one pinch of salt, two tablespoons of cold water.

IN A BOWL combine the flour and salt, stir for a couple seconds or so until its well mixed. Next, cut up your butter into tablespoon sized pieces. Follow the marks on the wrapper. Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until crumbly. You can use a food processor if you have one, but I just use my hands. Once the mixture is crumbly, slowly pour in the water evenly. Mix until a dough forms; work this into a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Before you use it, let it set out for a couple minutes to soften back up.

Second layer of crust: 10 graham cracker squares, one-fourth cup of melted butter

IN A LARGE PLASTIC BAGGIE, crush the graham crackers into crumbs. Add the butter and stir. Layer on top of the pie crust.

Third layer of crust: Mixed nuts of choice.

Chop up the nuts with a food processor or a manual nut chopper. Layer on top of the graham cracker crumbs.

 Ultimate-Triple-Threat-Apple-Pie Filling (enough for one pie): two sour apples, two-third cups of brown sugar, three tablespoons of cornstarch, one-half teaspoon of cinnamon, one-fourth teaspoon of salt, one-eighth teaspoon of nutmeg, one teaspoon of Bourbon Whiskey, one-half cup of apple butter.

SLICE APPLES to whatever size you desire, and layer on top of the nuts. In a small bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients and pour over the apples.

Once your pie is put together, finish it off with the top crust. You can lattice the crust, or just do a normal top crust. I chose to lattice. If you choose not to lattice, make sure you cut a few slits in the top so air can escape during baking. Bake your pie at 375 until golden brown; about 25-30 minutes.

Ten Things I Love Thursday: Randomocity Edition

With Fall comes a lot of change. Some things for the good, some things for the worse. I promised you guys an update and I just want all of you to know that I'm skipping class just to post this. Not really, I just didn't want to do the homework... I'm such a bad person. Pictured above is ten things that I have fallen in love with since the beginning of the season. That dress makes my heart melt every time I look at it. xoxo.

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Memories of September

Shame on me... I haven't posted in over a month. In my defense, it's been an awesome month, and I've been a little busy. Sorry.. :( However, I have snapped quite a few photos from this month that pretty much capture my entire life right now. College is going so well and I promise I will start updating regularly again soon. Until then, xoxo.

Today Is Normal

Today has been really weird. The past week was incredibly nerve racking. I just started my freshman year of college and it's been super exhausting. I wasn't expecting to have this much stuff to do already. But I like today, getting back into the groove of things.