Five Things Friday

Instead of a This Week post, I decided to try a Five Things Friday. Let me know your thoughts on which you prefer, or if you want me to simply change it up every week!

I made pumpkin pancakes for dinner a couple of nights ago. They were soooo good {and healthy! I swear!}. I can't wait to tell you about them. I'm just working on perfecting the recipe! And speaking on pumpkin, you can see my individual pumpkin pie trifles and my pumpkin spice cake + honey frosting {plus a ton of other A-mazing pumpkin recipes} over at Keep It Sweet's pumpkin party!

I moved on in the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. I'm now on the 4th book, DreamFever. Has anyone else read this series? The story follows Mac, a young woman whose sister is brutally murdered in Dublin. As she leaves her home in Georgia to track her killer, she finds a whole supernatural world of the Fae...and that she is one of the only people who can stop them. When I first started reading this series, I have to admit...I thought it was kind of silly. And it was. And is. But I really cannot put these books down! If you're looking for a fun, easy and addicting series, then I highly recommend! Thanks to my cousin Veronica for forcing these books on me :)

 

I'm kind of obsessed with this long pleated Alice + Olive skirt. I'm also kind of obsessed with cobalt right now. It's a problem.

Chocolate Marshmallow Oat Bars. I made the last weekend. They are gooey and chocolatey and just a little bit of crispy. I'll tell you about them soon, I promise.

Fall tones, especially Essie's Carry On. Swoon. I need to own it now. Let me know if you have any ideas on where I might find it since it seems to be sold out everywhere. Sad face.

Question of the Day:

Share a few things with me! Please?!

psst...it's The Peach & The Pit Friday! Head over to see our highs and lows of the week and share some of your own!

Create a Dexter Theme Party

I'm pretty excited for Sunday night. As you may or may not remember, when Dexter premiered last fall, I created a cupcake to celebrate one of my favorite shows. It was featured on USAToday.com, CNN's Eatocracy, AOL City's Best and more. Since there's really no topping that in my opinion, today I'm rounding up all the other goodies you need to throw a killer Dexter season premiere party. I love theme parties!

(clockwise, starting from lower left corner)

Dexter is back for Season 6! Though Season 5 was not my favorite, Season 4 (with John Lithgow as the Trinity Killer) remains as one of the best seasons of TV ever in my opinion. I'm not sure how I feel about this whole 'Avenging Angel' thing, since that's not exactly how I think of Dexter, but I'm ready to find out what that means for this season!

They may be hard to come by during the fall season, but your party will be just perfect with the addition of some blood oranges. We all know that Dex loves some freshly squeezed ones, so I recommend using them in a cocktail or to make a glazed loaf cake!

If you're having a party, you're going to need my Dexter cupcakes. Period. Soft vanilla cake, sour cherry filling, whipped cream frosting and red gel blood spatters make this a dessert that even Dexter would kill for! Don't forget the fun microscope slide with a drop of 'blood' in the middle. So fun.

These DIY Halloween candles from Young House Love are just about the coolest. Drizzle red wax over white candles and it will look as if Dex went all Dark Passenger on it.

As any Dexter fan knows, plastic wrap will be paramount for your gathering. As Dex's dismantling technique of choice, this is an easy item to work into your party. Simply cover tables and chairs with plastic wrap, coat platters with plastic and place food on top. If you are feeling particularly in the spirit, you could even drap clear tarps over your walls and floor. Oh and don't forget to hang up big photos of your guests. They are now on the list!

If you're looking for some easy 'blood', I recommend Wilton's red sparkle gel. It's the perfect bloody red with a nice sparkly sheen. I used this for the 'blood spatter' on my cupcakes and also to create a fun Dexter logo.

If you're hosting the party, this black apron is a must. Though it's Dexter's outfit of choice for getting the deed done, it will work for you as not only an homage, but also as a practical and cute hostess apron.

I made this bloody cocktail in honor of True Blood, but I think the same principal will apply. Change it up with orange flavor, instead of cherry, and add a few drops of red food coloring. Fun!

Everyone knows that Dex loves his breakfast. For easy fare, make up some eggs on toast, drizzled with just a bit of hot sauce.

This is one of my favorite opening credits of all time.

What's a party without a cool manicure? I absolutely love this amazing nail design from Kimber's Lacquer Korner. You just can't go wrong with blood spatter.

These cute red and white straws from Bake It Pretty are the perfect way to lighten up the mood while still keeping with the red and white theme. It's a perfect way to jazz up your signature cocktail for the evening.

So there you have it. My {possibly slightly crazy} Dexter mood board. Perfect for your upcoming premiere party!

Questions of the Day:

Are you a Dexter fan? Will you be watching this weekend?

psst...we're rounding up a bushel of handpicked peaches over on The Peach & The Pit! Head over to find some links to stuff we're loving around the web today!

Game Day Eats: Pear, Gorgonzola & Bacon Toasts

It's sooooo rainy and humid and disgusting here on the East coast. It's one of those days that makes me want to stay in bed with a cup of tea, some good reality TV and the air conditioning blasting. Yep, I'm still rocking my air conditioning. I simply cannot sleep while it's hot in my apartment. And I simply cannot bear the though of wearing rain boots while it's so warm outside. Ick.

Anyway.

You all know about my love for football Sundays. I love the constant of it. I know that it will always be a relaxing day where Shaun and I make time to just relax, geting dooded up in our respective team jerseys and making a yummy spread of food. I also like to use it as an excuse to try some new dishes! So often I get caught up in my usual favorites; pizza dip, mini hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls (yup, we go there) and simple chips and onion dip.

This past week, I decided to change it up a bit. I threw together these pear, gorgonzola and bacon toasts in no time. The toasts are quickly cooked in the oven, while the rest comes together in a snap.

Creamy, sharp gorgonzola, crunchy toast, sweet juicy pears and turkey bacon crumbles...what could be better?

Pear, Gorgonzola & Bacon Toasts
*Adapted from Food Network Magazine
**Makes a lot of toasts
1 baguette
1-2 fresh pears, cored and sliced
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 oz gorgonzola crumbles (about half of a container)
2 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
olive oil
kosher salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the baguette, spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 7-10 minutes until baguette is toast-like. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet or microwave until slightly crispy and crumbled. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. Mix together the gorgonzola and cream cheese; season with salt and pepper. Cut up the pear into small slices. Take out the toasts, place them on a platter and assemble. Spread gorgonzola mixture, followed by pear and top with bacon crumbles.

Enjoy. It's easy!

And pretty! For a party, you could probably even make these right before your guests arrive, simply toss the pear slices in lemon juice before plating them and cover with saran wrap. I'm keeping this on file for my next gathering. Yum!!

I love the combination of sharp cheese and sweet fruit. Not to mention the smoky bacon flavor topping. So delicious.

So there you have it. A {very} easy game day {or anytime!} eat!

Questions of the Day:

Do you ever enjoy a rainy day?

What's your favorite unusual flavor combination?

What foods do you enjoy for curling up in front of the TV?