Dad’s New Milkshake: Peanut Butter-Cinnamon-Graham

In my family, my dad is famous for his love of dessert. He has such a sweet tooth, and one of his favorite treats are milkshakes! Every since I can remember, Dad’s been whipping up his famously sweet and sticky peanut butter and banana milkshakes. The last two years, he’s been trying to merge the flavor of his classic milkshake with another one of his favorites, cinnamon buns. One night we got to experimenting, and this is what came of it!

To make Dad’s New Milkshake, you will need CINNAMON honey grahams, vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream, milk, creamy peanut butter, some more cinnamon, a blender, and a spoon.

Ingredient Lineup

First add the milk and the ice cream, and then the peanut butter, and blend.

You may need to stop blending to push the peanut butter down into the blender a little bit to get the milkshake to be an even consistency.

Then, crush up the graham crackers. I put them in a Ziploc bag and smashed them with the heel of my hand. The consistency you end up with is completely up to you, I smashed some to a pulp and just cracked others up a little so there would still be some chunks in the milkshake.

Add the graham crackers and blend.

Pour and drink!

This was definitely the best milkshake my dad and I have made to date. The cinnamon really complements the peanut butter and adds a bit of complexity to the taste and the graham crackers add a doughy texture.

-Dominique

Let’s Chat!
What’s your favorite milkshake flavor?

My Ghetto Palace: Bedroom Makeover Part 1

The Painting Begins!

I love my bedroom at home. It is my sanctuary, where all my stuff lives and where I go to work, rest, and revive myself. I knew that my bedroom in Pittsburgh was going to have to live up to those lofty expectations if I was ever going to call my new house home. This is what my room looked like when I moved in:

And that was after a ceiling to floor scrubbing! (Who ever knew that you had to wash walls? Not me!!)

I definitely had my work cut out for me, especially since my parents did not want me bringing any of my current room furniture out to Pittsburgh. They graciously got me some great new bedroom furniture that my dad picked out with me at one of our local Care and Share thrift store.

Bedside Table

Armoire

Dresser

Isn’t it epic? It’s very Pennsylvania dutch. I have so many clothes (and not much closet space) so all the drawers in the big armoire are amazing!!

The furniture was the jumping off point for the rest of my room. I liked that the wood was really cozy looking, and that it evoked a sort of old world feeling, and I wanted to run with that for my bedspread. I liked the boho-chic look of Urban Outfitters apartment stuff, so after much deliberation, I got the “Romantic Floral Scarf Duvet”

Romantic Floral Scarf Duvet from Urban Outfitters

I knew I only had about a day and a half to get my room ready to go, so when my mom, my aunt (who just happens to be an interior designer!) and I got there we set some goals and decided on what we were going to do.  Here’s what we knew needed to happen:

Day 1

1. Go to Target and Lowes to shop for anything we needed (paint and painting supplies, full length mirror, area rug, curtains).
2. Scrub and clean entire room (it was FILTHY, the previous tenants didn’t clean anything), replace light bulbs.
3. Get bed delivered by ABD Mattress, they were great!  Awesome student discounts and packages, they came right on time, and the bed and frame were up the stairs and set up within 5 minutes of their arrival.
4. Paint the walls (Benjamin Moore’s Ash Violet).
5. Paint the trim, AC unit area, windows, and doors.

Day 2

1. Finish painting trim and doors.
2. Put up curtains and area rug.
3. Make up the bed.
4. Move up and arrange the furniture.

When it was all said and done, here’s what it looked like!

I tried to take some pictures before to compare with the after…please pardon all our bags, I took them right while we were packing up to leave!

Before

After

View Into Back Corner Before

View Into Back Corner After

Windows Before

Windows After

All in all I am EXTREMELY happy with my new room! I think everything really came together, and the new paint job made a world of a difference. I can’t wait to get back to Pittsburgh and spend more time in it!

This is only part one of my room makeover though, because when I get back I still have a tiny bit of work to do:

1. Move in my desk and chair.
2. Move in my clothes and all my stuff, and put it away (this is a big one, I have way too much stuff!).
3. Figure out additional lighting in room, perhaps above the armchair!
4. Organize closet using storage devices.
5. Hang art!

All that said and done, the hardest of the work is over!  I have to thank my mom and my Auntie Suzanne for helping me so much, especially my Aunt because she had a lot of great ideas and expertise regarding color schemes, curtains, lighting, art placement, and room arrangement. Basically she rocks! Like I said, she’s an interior designer based out of Arlington, Virginia, but she does work all over the country. Check out her website here!

Easy Desk Makeover with Spray Paint!

I knew I needed a good workspace for my bedroom, so I ventured out desk shopping. When I realized how much a new desk would cost, I was shocked. Definitely time to DIY! I went to my local Habitat for Humanity Restore and picked out this desk for 10 bucks. It’s missing a drawer, but I really only wanted a table workspace, and the cutout for the printer was just a bonus! The entire desk was pretty dirty, written on, and shiny, but it was just the base I was looking for. I cleaned it off and sanded it down.

Desk Post Cleaning and Sanding, Pre Painting

Then I painted it with two coats of Krylon “Nouveau Champagne” Spray Paint! I used one and a half cans to get the coverage that I wanted, and I’m really pleased with the end result!

Completed Desk!

I’m still not sure if I will end up spraying a desk chair or not, for now I think not but I might sometime in the future! This was definitely a really simple project that probably took me an hour total once I had the materials. I can’t wait to see how it looks in my room with the violet walls!

-Dominique

High Tea at the Talking Teacup

Emma and I LOVE tradition. We have been neighbors and best friends since middle school, so we’ve had a lot of time to develop special things that we always do together!  One of our most treasured traditions is going to The Talking Teacup, a wonderful little teahouse in Chalfont, Pennsylvania.

Christmas 2010 at the Talking Teacup!

Last weekend we visited again, the occasion being Emma’s 20th birthday (a little belated, I know, but this was the only time that we could do it! Check out Emma’s other birthday festivities here and here). My mom got her a groupon for 2 high teas for her birthday, and surprise, she decided to ask me to go with her.

Happy Belated Birthday, Emma!

We started out by selecting our teas, I got a vanilla chai and Emma got an immunity booster. Each pot has about four or five cups, which is great! Way better than the Willow Tea Room in Scotland that I just recapped.

Our first course was scones, hot out of the oven!

Walnut Cinnamon and Chocolate Chip Scones w/ Jam and Devonshire Cream

I LOVE Devonshire cream, I could lick it right out of the bowl!!

Then came the soup of the day. We were in luck, it was tomato bisque! (Actually, every soup I’ve had there has been out of this world, but the tomato bisque is one of my favorites!)

Tomato Bisque Soup

Then the sandwiches! Emma got vegetarian, I got omnivorous.

I always forget what kind of sandwiches there are, but I distinctively remember cucumber with herby mayo spread on white bread, ham and dijon mustard on cinnamon swirl bread, egg salad on wheat, chicken salad, artichoke, sundried tomato, and lots of other yummies! I would rather eat a million different mini-sandwiches than one amazing big sandwich. There’s just something about mini food that really excites me!! Especially mini food shaped like teapots…

Something Emma and I love about the Talking Teacup is all of the little details, like the mismatched dishes…

and the scone tray that is really just a plate hot glued to a candlestick!! I gotta get on that craft.

NEED TO CRAFT THIS

Lastly, dessert. I told myself I’d just eat half of each, but I couldn’t help but eat the whole thing! High tea only happens twice a year, after all

Trio of Desserts (Sugar Cookie, Chocolate Chip Pound Cake, Vanilla Cake with Marmalade Layers)

Overall it was a great time at the Talking Teacup as usual (and even better because we didn’t have to pay! Thanks mom!). I already can’t wait to go again!!

<3

If you want to read Emma’s recap, you can here!

-Dominique

New York Photo Recap!

A couple of weeks ago, Andy and I went to visit my friend Jamie in New York City, where she was interning for Hunch.com.  We had a blast, but I was a bad blogger and didn’t take nearly enough pictures. Here’s a little look into our time there…

Waiting for the show to start at the Upright Citizen's Brigade

Shopping at Whole Foods and Making Big Breakfasts

Eating at Chelsea Market

Devouring this Amazing Crepe: Apples, Brie, Mixed Greens, Balsamic, and Honey

Walking the High Line

We also did a lot of walking, shopping, walking, dancing, pizza-eating, and walking! Seriously my feet were worn ragged by the end of the weekend. Note to self: DO NOT WEAR ONLY OLD NAVY FLIP FLOPS IN NYC!

All in all it was a great trip. Thanks for hosting us Jamie, and for making us delicious popsicles!

Kiwis and soymilk!

-Dominique

Scotland Recap: The Willow Tea Room in Glasgow

We spent our last night in Scotland in city of Glasgow, near the airport.

Glasgow, Scotland

We did some last minute souvenir shopping, and then stopped at the Willow Tea Rooms for lunch. The Willow Tea Rooms are done in the style of the Scottish artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh. I’m not a big fan of the look, but my mom is!

Tourist Trap Ahead!

The coolest features were the dramatic high backed chairs. They closed off the tables like dividers! I’m not sure how I felt about them, but they were certainly different.

Signature High Backed Chairs

I ordered Earl Grey tea, which was actually a huge disappointment.

My Earl Grey Tea

They served the pot of tea with the leaves steeping in it, and then gave me a teacup with a small strainer to catch the leaves as I poured it from the pot. The first cup was great, but, as I knew would happen, by the time I had my second cup the leaves had over-steeped and the tea was bitter and awful. What a strange mistake for a tea room to make! You think they would know better than to just put leaves in a whole pot of tea with no way to remove them. Oh well, I’m a bit of a tea snob.

I should have just went with a mocha like Nicole did. It looked so yummy!

Nicole's Mocha

To eat I got French toast with some yogurt, which was pretty tasty, but definitely overpriced for what it was.

French Toast with Yogurt

I would definitely NOT recommend the Willow Tea Rooms, unless you are a Mackintosh enthusiast and can absolutely not pass it up. The tea (that was drinkable) was mediocre, the food was decent, and the prices were sky high. Willow Tea Rooms is clearly a tourist trap! We still enjoyed our time there though, and my mom liked looking at the art.

This is the last of my Scotland recaps! Hope you’ve enjoyed them, and that they’ve been helpful in planning your own travels.

If you need to catch up, here’s all of them:

-Dominique

Scotland Recap: What to Do in Edinburgh

Our short stay in Edinburgh was a whirlwind of activity!

We bought a two-day bus tour package, which I would definitely recommend.  It was great for transportation purposes, included admission to the major attractions, and gave us a lot of information while we were riding along and taking in the sights!

Double Decker Bus Touring

We visited all the major tourist attractions!

The Edinburgh Castle

Great Hall

We found our great grandfather's name in the register.

The Palace at Holyrood House (The Queen’s Residence in Scotland and my favorite attraction!)

The original abbey at the Palace

The Royal Botanic Gardens

The Royal Yacht Britannica

The Dining Room

Shopping on The Royal Mile

Greyfriar’s Bobby (Look up the story if you don’t already know it, it’s adorable!)

Watching Street Performers

William Wallace

Invisible Man

AC/DC Bagpipe Playing Faun

And some other important landmarks…

Birthplace of Harry Potter

Edinburgh was amazing, and I’d definitely love to go there again! There were so many different sights to see and we barely even hit all of them!

-Dominique

Scotland Recap: Edinburgh Eats!

In contrast to Campbeltown, there was such a large selection of restaurants in Edinburgh! It was almost overwhelming to choose which ones to go to, but with the help of our Lonely Planet tour book, we narrowed it down to some great places. Here are my favorite meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in Edinburgh!

For breakfast, I loved the Urban Angel Cafe (also serves lunch and dinner). It was cozy and hip, and boasted local, organic, free trade produce. Gotta love that!



To drink, my mom and I ordered tea

Chai tea with Honey and Steamed Milk

and Nicole and Gigi got smoothies.

Smoothie #1 (Strawberries and Fresh Squeezed OJ)

Smoothie #2 (Berries and Yogurt)

To eat, my mom got mueseli,

Freshly Made Muesli!

Nicole and Gigi got French toast,

French Toast (with Homemade Bread) and Bacon

and I got Eggs Benedict. The Hollandaise sauce was PERFECT, tangy and creamy!

Eggs Benedict

The only thing about Urban Angel was that it was definitely overpriced for what it was. That’s the cost of organic, local eating, I suppose.

My favorite lunch was at the Deacon’s House Cafe, a small cafe built in the space that used to be the infamous Deacon Brodie’s workshop! TO give you the reader’s digest version, Deacon Brodie was an upstanding cabinet maker by day and a thief by night. When he was finally caught, he was hung on gallows he designed himself. Pretty cool, huh? We actually just walked into the cafe on a whim, but it turned out to be quite good, and you all should know by now that I love anything of historical significance.

Deacon Brodie was the inspiration for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

I got some delicious soup and a cheese scone…a very Scottish lunch!

Vegetable Soup and a Cheese Scone from Deacon Brodie's

Nicole opted for a BLT on a bagel and some hot chocolate, both of which she said were great as well!

Nicole with her BLT bagel and hot chocolate at Deacon Brodie's

My favorite dinner, and probably favorite meal in all of Scotland, and one of my top five restaurant meals EVER, was at Mums.

I left my heart at Mums <3

Mum’s motto is “Eat Great Comfort Food”. As soon as I read that, I knew I was in for a treat. I am the comfort food queen!

My new life motto!

The restaurant itself was small, but cozy. Selections of the day were written on chalkboards, and the waitstaff and cook were very friendly and helpful!
EVERYONE’S food looked delicious.
Nicole’s Mac and Cheese was perfectly cheese and creamy, and so filling that she couldn’t finish! And yes, those are hand-cut homemade chips.

Mac and Cheese with Chips

Dad’s special ordered lamb pie (the chef didn’t want to make it at first because she didn’t think it would taste good, but finally she caved under my dad’s begging). The pastry was as big as a whole loaf of bread! He was like a kid on Christmas morning.

Dad feasting on a lamb pie

Delicious Lamb Pie is Revealed!

I got the classic “Sausages with Mash and Gravy”. They had a huge selection of sausages, even vegetarian ones, all made fresh. I opted for a one chicken and blue cheese sausage, and one classic Mum’s sausage (pork and herbs). Both were equally delicious! There were also tons of mash (mashed potatoes) options! After a long deliberation period, I chose cauliflower and cheese. And I went with classic gravy.

My Sausages and Mash (pre-gravy)

My Sausages and Mash (Post-Gravy) with Dad's Veggies

I have never been so full or so happy finishing a meal. Mum’s is truly the best of British comfort food!

Cute postcard and candies with our check!

Keep reading to find out about all the amazing sights we saw in Edinburgh!

-Dominique

Scotland Recap: Inveraray Castle and Highland Games!

En route from Campbeltown to Edinburgh, we passed through Inveraray for a VIP tour of the castle (my grandfather was friends with one of the tour guides) and a look at some real Highland games!

The Inveraray Castle is still the current residence of the Duke and Dutchess of Argyll, and the Dutchess is actually the heir to the Cadbury (as in the chocolate) fortune. Talk about a sweet inheritance! (Okay, that was awful, but I couldn’t help it!)

The castle was small (for a castle) but beautiful! I have a small obsession with castles. I just think that they are historically significant and so different from the structures we build today…these houses were meant to LAST!

Castle Entrance

In the gift shop, we got to meet the Duke of Argyll, who was taking a break from overseeing the Highland Games next door. And by meet I mean my mom introduced herself while I stood starstruck in a corner and took these creeper pictures. Yeahhh…

Meeting the Duke of Argyll!

An upstanding Scotsman

After tea in the castle, we went into the lawn to watch the Highland Games! It was held in a huge field and had tons of food, vendors, arts, and competition (hammer toss, caber toss, dancing, bagpiping, running, biking, wrestling, the list goes on!).

Warming Up for the Hammer Toss

Scottish Wrestling

I may have been laughing a little too hard at this point...

Highland Dancers

This Highland Games was significant because it was the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP of the CABER TOSS! Competitors came from all over Europe, and the US to compete! It was quite exciting! The cabers are HUGE. I can’t even believe these guys can lift them, let alone throw them to flip in the air!!

Tossing the Caber

More Caber Tossing

After the world champion was declared, we were on our way to Edinburgh. Keep reading to find out about all the delicious food we ate there!

-Dominique

Scotland Recap: What to Do in Campbeltown

Most of our time in Campbeltown was spent relaxing or visiting with family, but we did go on a few excursions! Here’s some that I would definitely do again:

We went horseback riding on the beach! It was a great way to take in the breathtaking landscapes of Scotland.

Horseback riding on the beach

CHICKEN QUEEN (it's a long story)

Sisterly Love

We toured the Springbank Whiskey Distillery and learned how whiskey, a Scottish staple,  is made!  It’s quite a complicated process, but I always love a good educational tour.

Distillery Tour

Barrels of Whisky at Springbank Distillery

Whiskey sampling after the distillery tour

We enjoyed watching Campbeltown’s annual Lifeboat Day festivities, which included food, games, raft races, and music.

Raft Race and Lifeboat Day Festivities

(A little more than 12) Pipers Piping

And of course, we took in the amazing scenery on the beaches and hills of Campbeltown.

Horseback riding on the beach

Everywhere we turned, it was like a postcard!

-Dominique