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I use a regular pie crust because that’s what I like and that’s how Baker’s Square used to do. I really like the Trader Joe’s pie crust in the freezer section. You could also do an Oreo or graham cracker crust if you wanted. Because this Chocolate Silk Pie is so rich, I like to make the homemade whipped cream with less sugar than I usually do.

Chocolate Silk Pie Ingredients

• 1 package pie crust, baked
• 4 ounces Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
• 1 cup Salted Butter, Softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs

This chocolate silk pie does have raw eggs in it, so use your own best judgement when deciding whether or not to partake.

Chocolate Silk Pie Instructions

In small microwave safe bowl, melt 4 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate until you’re able to stir it (about 45 seconds on high). Set aside to cool.

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat 1 cup (2 sticks) of salted butter and 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

When the melted chocolate has cooled, drizzle it over the butter and sugar mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat the mixture thoroughly until combined.

Turn your mixer to medium speed and over a period of 15 to 20 minutes, add in the four eggs one at a time, leaving 5 minutes between each egg addition.

Once the pie filling is well mixed, pour it into the baked pie shell. Smooth out the pie filling and place pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours (preferably longer).

Spread homemade whipped cream on top and garnish with chocolate curls or chocolate sprinkles. Enjoy!

Chocolate Silk Pie Recipe

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Chocolate Silk Pie

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

• 1 package pie crust, baked
• 4 ounces Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
• 1 cup Salted Butter, Softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs

Instructions

• In small microwave safe bowl, melt 4 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate until you're able to stir it (about 45 seconds on high). Set aside to cool.

  In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat 1 cup (2 sticks) of salted butter and 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

  When the melted chocolate has cooled, drizzle it over the butter and sugar mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat the mixture thoroughly until combined.

  Turn your mixer to medium speed and over a period of 15 to 20 minutes, add in the four eggs one at a time, leaving 5 minutes between each egg addition.

  Once the pie filling is well mixed, pour it into the baked pie shell. Smooth out the pie filling and place pie in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours (preferably longer).

  Spread homemade whipped cream on top and garnish with chocolate curls or chocolate sprinkles. Enjoy!

All of the makeup items are linked below for easy access in my ShopMy store.

Foundation:

Bare Minerals Loose Powder Matte Foundation When I moved home to California from Utah in 2005, my mom gave me some of this for Christmas. I was hooked! I have never liked a thick, cake-y feeling on my face when wearing foundation. Bare Minerals is the perfect solution! My skin feels like it can breathe, and I feel like it looks like my skin still, just evened out. The coverage is buildable too, so you can go as light or as heavy as you want. I wear the shade medium beige.

Concealer:

Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer I wear color number 4 – fair with neutral undertones. I go a shade lighter than my skin tone to cover and brighten dark spots, blemishes, redness and dark under-eye circles. I apply and blend with a brush for everything but my under-eye area. For that, I put some product on my ring fingers and rub together until warm, then pat gently onto the under-eye area. This concealer gives great coverage with one layer!

Powder:

Bare Minerals Illuminating Mineral Veil Finishing Powder After I put on my foundation and concealer, I set everything with this Illuminating Mineral Veil. It has the most subtle shimmer that reflects light off of your face. I’ve been told that I glow and I’m pretty sure it’s this product working its magic!

Blush:

Bare Minerals All-Over Face Bronzer I use this in the color Warmth for my blush and bronzer. A little goes a LONG way! It gives you a great bronzey, beachy glow. I use it on my cheeks, sometimes a little on my chin, tip of nose, and hairline. Just to keep a pretty flush when I look too pasty in the winter.

Brows:

Anastasia Brow Wiz I love this because it is perfect for filling in bare spots and shaping your brows, followed by setting them with Anastasia Clear Brow Gel

Eyes:

MAC Eye Kohl Eyeliner Pencil – this eyeliner glides on, blends easily, and forgiving. I use the color Teddy, it is a dark brown with a hint of shimmer.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Palette – I use this every day and it has lasted for years! I use the lightest shade in the inner corners of my eye and under my eyebrows. When I want a smoky liner, I use the dark brown and smudge it over my eyeliner. When I want a date night eye, I use the golds and browns. It is awesome!

Benefit Roller Lash – this mascara is the one that I keep coming back to! I have tried others but this one will forever have my heart. It curls and lifts your lashes and doesn’t take a million coats to look great. I get asked what mascara I wear quite often and this is it!

Lips:

Buxom Full On Plumping Lip Polish – If I had a penny for every time someone complimented my lipstick…this stuff is my ride or die. I have told so many people about it who now use and love it too! My favorite color is Kanani, a hot pink. Runners up are Dolly, Clair, and Jessica. I love a good pink lip! While it’s technically not in my makeup bag, it does have a permanent spot in my purse. The color Kanani is getting harder to find, so grab some if you can get your hands on it and tell me when you do!

The Grand Finale in My Makeup Bag:

Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray after all of my makeup is done, I set it with this spray. A bottle lasts forever and helps keep everything in place all day and night long!

There you have it, all of my favorite makeup that is always in my makeup bag! I have used and loved all of these products for years and stand by them. I hope this helps you in some way, please let me know if you have any follow-up questions.

To prep all of the chopped vegetables (carrots, celery, potatoes, and onion) I use these OXO cutting boards. They stay put while you slice and fit into the dishwasher for easy cleanup! To cook the veggies and make the soup on the stove top, I used my new Ninja Possible Cooker Pro that Matt and the girls gave me for Christmas. The insert comes out and you can use it like a normal pan! Then when I was done cooking, I put the insert back into the Possible Cooker Pro and turned the slow cooker function to low to keep the soup warm so everyone could serve themselves.

I like to serve this delicious Minestrone Soup with some sea salt flakes and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. You can use any type of small pasta shape as well, shells are most classically used for minestrone. You could use macaroni, farfalle, ditalini, orzo, or even alphabet shapes to get your children excited about eating it!

This minestrone soup recipe makes enough for a crowd and will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. You will have yummy leftovers for lunches and dinners or to share with loved ones!

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Minestrone Soup

Course Main Dish, Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword pasta, soup, vegetables

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 potatoes peeled and cubed
• 5 carrots chopped
• 4 stalks celery chopped
• 1 sweet onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 1 15 ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 14 ounce can petite diced Italian tomatoes
• 2 14 ounce cans chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 12 ounces baby spinach chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh oregano chopped
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 2 cups pasta shells or other small pasta shape

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic into pot.
• Mix in tomato paste, beans, tomatoes, broth, and water. Season with basil, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir 30-40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
• Stir pasta into the soup and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes depending on the pasta shape.
• Add the chopped spinach the last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve with freshly grated parmesan.

Ever since I was a little girl, my Nana would make strawberry jam for our family. She used Santa Maria strawberries of course! Santa Maria is famous for our strawberries and they are the best, in my humble opinion. We get ours from Little Pete’s on Highway 1. They have jam berries you can buy that are sweet, ripe, Chandler strawberries with the stems removed. Years ago, I went over to Nana’s house and she showed me how she makes strawberry freezer jam so she could pass the baton to the next generation of jam makers.

My mom, sister, and daughters have taken over making, “Nana’s Jam” as we affectionately call it. It is simple to make but time consuming. The six of us make an assembly line with one person washing the strawberries, one mashing them, one measuring sugar and fruit, one mixing the sugar and fruit, one mixing the water and pectin, and one pouring the finished jam into containers. My Nana used to make freezer jam all by herself!

Here’s the recipe we use, it is the one from the Sure Jell package insert that no longer exists. I had to go to their website and print it out. Times are changing!

It helps to have many timers going for the various amounts of time things need to be stirred or sit for. I use my Google Home Hub since it can have many timers going at once. In the past we have used everyone’s phone timers. It just helps keep everything straight.

This jam is pure nostalgia for me! One taste and I’m a carefree kid again. I love this tradition of a labor of love that our family gets to enjoy all year long!

Ingredients

crushed strawberries – use a masher and go to town

granulated sugar – we used a whole 25 pound bag and then some for 48 containers of jam

water – self explanitory

Sure Jell pectin – what Nana used and where this recipe came from

Directions

1. Look over jam berries and remove any remaining stems. Fill a sink with cold water and pour strawberries into it. Rinse strawberries under the faucet and move to a paper towel to dry. Crush strawberries thoroughly in a large bowl. Measure exactly 2 cups of crushed strawberries into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Mix water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring for 1 minute. Add to fruit and sugar mixture; stir 3 minutes, or until most of the sugar is dissolved (a few sugar crystals may remain).
3. Fill containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or in freezer up to 1 year (if frozen, thaw in refrigerator before using).

The first picture is this year (2023) and the one under it is 2020. Crazy how much the girls have grown!

#1: The sourdough bread cuts through the sweetness of the sugar and syrup

#2: By tearing the bread into smaller pieces, you are left with a finished product that is easier to eat

#3: Sourdough bread tends to be heartier than other breads and retains its shape and bite where other breads can get too soggy and mushy

Sourdough French Toast Casserole Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• Cooking spray
• 1 (1-pound) loaf sourdough bread
• 8 large eggs
• 3 cups half and half, or 1 1/2 cups each whole milk and heavy cream
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar, divided
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• powdered sugar (for serving)
• maple syrup (for serving)

Sourdough French Toast Casserole Instructions:

1. Place 4 tablespoons unsalted butter on the counter to soften slightly.
2. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish or other 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
3. Tear 1 loaf sourdough bread into bite-sized (1 to 2-inch) chunks. Arrange the bread in an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
4. Whisk 8 large eggs, 3 cups half and half (or 1 1/2 cups whole milk and 1 1/2 cups heavy cream), 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the ground nutmeg together in a large bowl until smooth and combined.
5. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
6. Mix 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, remaining 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt together in a large bowl.
7. Add the softened butter to this mixture, working together with your hands if needed to incorporate the butter until it forms moist, small clumps. Cover the crumble topping with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake.
8. When ready to bake, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Take the casserole out of the refrigerator, uncover, and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to take the chill off while the oven heats.
9. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the casserole. Bake until the casserole is puffed, golden brown, and set, 45 to 50 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

I originally found this recipe here. Thank you for sharing it, The Kitchn!

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Sourdough French Toast Casserole Recipe

Are you looking for a crowd-pleasing breakfast? If yes, then look no further. This Sourdough French Toast Casserole will fit the bill perfectly!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine French

Keyword casserole, french toast

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 9 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• Cooking spray
• 1 1-pound loaf sourdough bread
• 8 large eggs
• 3 cups half and half or 1 1/2 cups each whole milk and heavy cream
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar divided
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg divided
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• powdered sugar for serving
• maple syrup for serving

Instructions

• Place 4 tablespoons unsalted butter on the counter to soften slightly.
• Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish or other 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• Tear 1 loaf sourdough bread into bite-sized (1 to 2-inch) chunks. Arrange the bread in an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
• Whisk 8 large eggs, 3 cups half and half (or 1 1/2 cups whole milk and 1 1/2 cups heavy cream), 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the ground nutmeg together in a large bowl until smooth and combined.
• Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Mix 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, remaining 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt together in a large bowl.
• Add the softened butter to this mixture, working together with your hands if needed to incorporate the butter until it forms moist, small clumps. Cover the crumble topping with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake.
• When ready to bake, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Take the casserole out of the refrigerator, uncover, and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to take the chill off while the oven heats.
• Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the casserole. Bake until the casserole is puffed, golden brown, and set, 45 to 50 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ConsumerDrugTakeBackSantaBarbara

It is inevitable that every home will have prescription drugs in it at some point. When I go to clean out a medicine cabinet in my house, there are many expired prescriptions in there. One time, I found a bottle that only had one little pill left inside! I know the medicines are not good to use anymore because they are expired, but I know that throwing them in the trash is not a good way to dispose of them. I also know that flushing old pills down the toilet is a huge no-no because the drugs can seep into the water supply.

As a mother of three children, I have always kept prescription medicines out of reach of little ones and safely stored them with child-proof locks. What to do when you have expired medications?

Enter: Inmar Intelligence! Did you know that they have places where you can safely dispose of your expired medications? It’s true! In certain pharmacies (mine was a SavOn), there are marked kiosks where you can drop them off and know that Inmar Intelligence​ will safely dispose of them.

Safe Medication Disposal Program

Inmar Intelligence​ Consumer Drug Take-Back is a company that is setting out to educate the general public on the risks of leaving prescription drugs unattended in their homes. They hope to reduce the risk of drug abuse and help protect the environment through making disposing of your medications properly more accessible to make our communities healthier and safer.

The Inmar Intelligence​ kiosks are easy to find in your area by clicking here. Once you get into the pharmacy, just look for the marked kiosk! Here in California, mine was bright green so I couldn’t have missed it if I tried.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is on April 22nd. I hope this Spring brings you a renewed sense of growth and organization. I know it has for me! While Spring cleaning, will you commit to cleaning out your old, expired prescriptions? Inmar Intelligence ​has made it so easy to either mail in or drop off your old medicines. Let’s keep our homes, communities, and Earth healthy. This is an easy way to do it through California’s Safe Medication Disposal Program!

Hawaiian Shaved Ice Home Pro Shaver

Have you ever had Hawaiian shave ice? It is one of the first things we get when we land on the islands! My middle daughter, Lola, was obsessed the last time we were on Kauai and wanted one every single day. We came pretty close to making her wish come true!

Since we live in California and can’t have truly Hawaiian shave ice every day, we have the next best thing! A Hawaiian Shaved Ice Home Pro Shaver. It creates truly shaved ice, not just crushed ice. It is so fluffy and light! We love it so much that it has a permanent spot on our countertop (a BIG deal for me). The profile is very sleek and it hardly takes up any room at all.

Authentic Shave Ice at Home

My whole family loves shave ice for a treat, and Hawaiian Shaved Ice syrups taste superior to any others we’ve tried! My personal favorite is piña colada with cherry or tiger’s blood. Yum!

The Hawaiian Shaved Ice Home Pro Shaver comes with small plastic containers with lids for making the ice cube cylinders. We keep them filled and in the freezer so we can make shave ice any time we feel like it!

The ice block then goes into the top of the machine. Be careful with this step as you can see the blade where the ice will be shaved against.

There the ice block is inside, now you put the top back on and twist it to the lock setting.

Ready to make some shave ice!

Voila! Light, fluffy, delicious shave ice with grape, blue cotton candy, and piña colada syrup. With the push of one button (the black one in the bottom middle), the entire ice block is shaved down in seconds and you have a bowl full of snow! This bowl was gone right after I took this picture with three eager girls waiting for a bite.

The Hawaiian Shaved Ice Home Pro Shaver would make the perfect gift for any friend or family member! You will be the star of the party or neighborhood shave ice stand with this shave ice maker. Right now you can get 10% Off at Hawaiian Shaved Ice with code SHAVEDICE10 (restrictions apply) & also Free Shipping on Orders Over $40!

I am an affiliate with Wildgrain and was sent a box of goodies to try and review. If you shop through my links, I may receive a small commission. As always, all reviews are 100% honest and mine alone.

I received my first Wildgrain box and I am in love! Guess who loves it even more than I do? My husband, Matt. He’s obsessed and we both can’t believe the high quality items we got from Wildgrain. Here is what was in our box:

• chocolate avalanche croissants
• ciabatta bread
• sourdough bread
• walnut sourdough bread
• plain croissants
• fettuccine pasta
• tonnarelli pasta

Wildgrain’s founders set out to bring back whole grains that were missing in most people’s diets. They partner with world-class bakeries to bring clean ingredients and artisanal breads to your home kitchen.

Chocolate Avalanche Croissant

These were amazing, much more rich than a classic French pain au chocolat. Definitely a dessert!

I absolutely love everything that was in my Wildgrain box. This is a big deal because I am choosy when it comes to my baked goods! If it’s not high-quality, I don’t want it. Every single thing in this box delivered on taste and quality.

It all arrives frozen, so there is no worry about bread going stale. You can bake it when you need it and keep the rest in the freezer for another day. The croissants didn’t even need to proof overnight, I only had to preheat the oven and bake them. It doesn’t get easier than that!

Ciabatta French Toast

We made this ciabatta French toast the morning after we had the bread with spaghetti for dinner. It was so delicious that my daughters and I ate the entire rest of the loaf I cooked up!

I would highly recommend signing up for a Wildgrain subscription box! There is something so comforting about having good, clean carbs ready to go at a moment’s notice. They have a special running right now that gives you free croissants for life with your subscription, need I say more? Here is my affiliate link to sign up: Wildgrain Subscription Box

Bacon, Egg, & Hashbrown CrockPot Breakfast Casserole Ingredients

• 12 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 (32 oz.) package frozen hash brown potatoes (shredded)
• 1 lb. bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled 
• 2-3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon Susie Q
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup green onions – diced (optional)

Bacon, Egg, & Hashbrown CrockPot Breakfast Casserole Instructions

Line the slow cooker with a disposable liner and spray with non-stick spray.

Layer the frozen hash browns, bacon, onions (if using), and 1 cup of shredded cheese in the crock pot in two or three layers.

Sprinkle the remaining 1-2 cups of shredded cheese over the top evenly.

Beat the eggs, milk, dry mustard, Susie Q, salts, and pepper together.

Pour the egg mixture over the cheese evenly in the crockpot.

Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or until eggs are set and thoroughly cooked. I start this at midnight and wake up to a yummy breakfast!

Keep an eye on the casserole for the last hour of cooking, it might burn along the edges. Turn your crock pot to warm at that point. Enjoy!

Bacon, Egg, & Hashbrown CrockPot Breakfast Casserole Recipe

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Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients

• 12 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 32 ounce package shredded frozen hash brown potatoes
• 1 pound bacon cooked, drained, and crumbled
• 2-3 cups cheddar cheese grated
• 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard optional
• 1/2 teaspoon Susie Q seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup green onions diced (optional)

Instructions

• Line slow cooker with a disposable liner and spray with non-stick spray.

  Layer frozen hash browns, bacon, onions (if using), and 1 cup shredded cheese in the crock pot in two or three layers.

  Sprinkle the remaining 1-2 cups shredded cheese over the top evenly.

  Beat the eggs, milk, dry mustard, Susie Q, salts, and pepper together.

  Pour the egg mixture over the cheese evenly in the crockpot.

  Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or until eggs are set and thoroughly cooked.

Try these other favorite Christmas recipes:

• Braided Christmas Bread
• Creamy Christmas Fudge
• Easy Microwave Caramels