Frozen Goodness

Posted in Personal

Ok. What I’m about to share with you today might just change your life. I know it changed mine.

You might be thinking, “Wow! What could be so wonderfully great that it has Carissa this excited?!” Well, if you guessed the recipe for Frozen Hot Chocolate, you would be correct.

That’s right folks, today I’m going to share with you a dessert drink recipe that’ll turn your world upside down. (If you haven’t already experienced the frozen goodness, that is.) You can thank me later. Or you can thank this website, because it’s where I found the recipe. Or you can thank my cousin Alyssa, because she came up with idea. Or you can thank Pinterest, because that’s where she saw the picture and the idea sparked. Etc., etc. Either way, you’re gonna want to thank someone. (Yes, I understand I’m talking this waaay up and hopefully it will live up to your expectations. I do tend to get overly excited about dessert…)

Alright, here’s how to enjoy the goodness that is Frozen Hot Chocolate. Ingredients you will need:

  • 3 oz. of chocolate
  • 2 tsp. of hot chocolate mix
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. of sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups of milk
  • 3 cups of ice

For toppings (optional) you’ll need:

  • whipped cream
  • chocolate shavings
  • candy canes

I know, I know. I forgot to put the whipped cream in the picture, but I had made a big mess during the process and afterwards I didn’t feel like retaking it. So use your imagination : )

I used Stephen’s Candycane Cocoa (my favorite) for the hot chocolate, and a bar of Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate for the chocolate. I got the giant bar, though, because I wanted extra chocolate to make chocolate shavings. (Who doesn’t want chocolate shavings?!) At first I had no idea how I was going to do that, and then a brilliant idea came to me: potato peeler! (Genius, I know.) Made perfect shavings.

To start, pour one cup of milk (put aside the other 1/2 cup for later) and the 3 cups of ice into the blender so it’s ready to go.

Next, break up the 3 oz. of chocolate into a pot on the stove on low heat, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. (The website where I got the recipe said to do this over a double boiler, but honestly, who has one of those laying around their house? (Or maybe everyone does, and I’m just not kitchen-saavy….) Anyways, the pot worked fine for me.) As the chocolate melts, slowly add the sugar and the hot chocolate mix, all the while stirring constantly. (Thanks to Jake for being my hand model.) When it is totally melted and stirred together, take it off heat and slowly add the remaining half cup of milk, still (you guessed it) stirring constantly. It will be a little chunky, but try to stir it fairly well.

Once those are all stirred together well, add the mixture to the blender. Blend together for about 30 seconds, stir the mixture up, and blend again. You might have to do this several times to make sure all the ice chunks get blended. In the end, it should have the consistency of a daiquiri. 

When it’s all blended, pour into pretty cups, make a nice whipped cream tower, sprinkle on some shavings, add in a candy cane for kicks, and enjoy!

So there you have it!! The most delicious, chocolatey winter drink a girl could ask for.

Makes me want to be all hostess-y and throw a party, just so I can serve these drinks. Haha. 

Hopefully it lives up to hype I’ve given it and you’ll all love it : ) Happy Wednesday!

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Rooms - November 9, 2011 - 11:35 am

we should make this when i visit. :) :) :)

Mary Marantz - November 10, 2011 - 9:40 am

uhhhhhhh……WHAT?! My taste buds just jumped up & down!

xoxo
M:)

Melissa - November 10, 2011 - 7:17 pm

You can throw a party for us when we come home for Christmas, and you can serve your wonderful looking drink! ;-) haha

Park City Anytime: (Senior) Codi

Posted in Anytime

It’s Monday, and what better way to start the week than with this beautiful girl? Meet Codi, another fab senior from PCHS. I must say, I’ve been loooving all the seniors coming my way. They’ve all been so gorgeous and photogenic, and Codi was no different! She’s a dancing, green-eyed, blonde-haired beauty with a sweet smile and even sweeter personality. In fact, she made my job almost too easy. It was as though she could read my mind, and she was doing the things I envisioned before I’d even spoken… Which is never a bad thing. Haha. Below are some of my favorites : )

Codi, thanks for such a wonderful session! I hope the rest of your senior year is incredible. I also hope that looking at these pictures will help you remember it when it’s over : )

Told you she was a beauty.

Love these.

Codi, you’re adorable.

Such a babe.

Model status right here.

Umm. Gorge. Just gorge.

To finish, she pulled out her ballet shoes, which I thought was a great idea.  

Have a lovely Monday everyone : )

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Mary Marantz - November 8, 2011 - 5:49 pm

beautiful!!

xoox
M:)

Carissa - November 8, 2011 - 6:23 pm

Thank you SO much Mary!! I can’t tell you how much your comments mean to me : )

Friday Fun Facts

Posted in Friday Fun Facts

So I got my hair cut the other week. Which is kind of a big deal. I tend to put it off until the last possible moment. You see, I’ve never really been able to find someone who gets my hair. Like, really gets it. Gets all the frizz and the curl and the thickness and how it lays. If I had a dime every time I sat down to get a haircut and the hairstylist said, “Wow, you have really thick hair!”,  I’d be quite rich. (Ok, if you actually did the math and how often I get my haircut, I’d only have like $50. But you get my point.) That’s when I want to turn around and say You don’t think I know that?! Trust me, I KNOW! Instead I just smile and nod.

Then they start offering me all these products, telling me that will help with the frizz, this will help me straighten my hair, that will keep it moisturized… All the while I just keep smiling and nodding. Because even though I know that product doesn’t do anything to the frizz, this spray makes it straighten funny, and that cream only makes it greasy, I know they mean well. (Or they might just be trying to sell me stuff and get commission. But I prefer to think that they mean well.) So I smile and nod, and hope that some day I will find the person who gets my hair. Really gets it…

Anyways. That was sort of a tangent. The point of all that was to say, don’t you just LOVE how your hair feels after a haircut?! The ends feel so nice and fresh, all the split ends gone. It’s such a great feeling! Which leads us to this month’s Fun Facts:

1. Getting a haircut always makes the day better. Almost like wearing a pair of new jeans that fit just right. The two are very comparable.

2. Why does the grocery store even bother selling anything but broccoli florets in the freezer section? No one wants the stems.

3. Women who drink 2-3 cups of coffee a day have less risk of depression. I heard that one on the news, so you know it’s true.

4. It’s a huge confidence boost when you sit down in your seat on an airplane and have to tighten the seatbelt. On the contrary, it’s a total blow to the ego when you have to loosen it…

5. On the subject of traveling, someone needs to make some travel sized mousse. They have shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, gel… but no mouse. Lame.

6. Real fires in the fire place beat electric fires any day of the week. Or year for that matter.

7. Green is the best color for highlighting. It just is.

8. I don’t care what anyone says. It is now perfectly acceptable to listen to Christmas music.

9. Panda bears can eat up to 16 hours out of the day. I should be a panda bear in another life.

10. Candy Cane Lane Celestial Seasonings Holiday Tea. If you are a tea lover, you’re welcome.

Seriously. One of the best teas I’ve ever had. And now that it’s getting cold out and snow is in the air, it makes it that much better. So go out and get yourself some of this, you won’t regret it.

They also have a few other holiday teas as well, which are definitely worth trying, but the Candy Cane Lane is by far the best. Enjoy : )

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

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Mary Marantz - November 7, 2011 - 4:38 am

Carissa!! I ADORE this post! I totally agree about the broccoli stems…I just want the little trees. And you now totally have me craving all four of these teas. Love it!

xoxo
M:)

Park City Anytime: (Senior) Andy

Posted in Anytime

This is Andy. She’s a senior at Park City High School. We met on a (reeeeally) windy afternoon to take some pictures. And we had one uh-mazing shoot. Seriously. I had the hardest time narrowing down the pictures for this post! She just doesn’t take a bad picture. Not to mention the fact that she’s as fun to hang out with as she is beautiful. Not a bad combo lol. Here are a few (or a lot) of my faves!

Andy, you’re a total rockstar. Thanks for an awesome afternoon! And I told you, the wind was definitely our friend ; ) Hope you love them!

So lovely.

Oh hi, my name is Andy and I have intensely beautiful green eyes.

Love this one. So fabulous.

The wind was like our own personal fan. It was great.

Favorites right here.

We took a break to change outfits and when she put on her second necklace, I died. And then I added it to my Christmas list. I mean, how great is that?!

Such a beauty.

I’ll end on the last frame I actually took that day. As we were walking back to the car I had her turn around for one last shot. And there’s something about it that I love…

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Dana Denison - November 4, 2011 - 5:57 pm

Carissa,
Hi, I am Andy’s Mom. I can’t tell you how much I love these photos. I am having a hard time narrowing them down to order. So, I will get the order in as soon as possible. Can you please email me the link with all of them? I am just looking at them on her Facebook page and your page. Also, if I order the large package, can I get different photos for the sizes, like do all the 8 x 10’s have to be the same shot?
Again, you did an amazing job. I LOVE the ones, where she is standing next to a fence with red berries on the trees or bushes or whatever they were. Thanks for doing them.
Have a great weekend.
Dana

Carissa - November 4, 2011 - 6:15 pm

Hi Dana! I’m SO glad you like them!! I sent all the info to Andy, but I will email you shortly as well : ) Thanks for the comment!

Happy Halloween!

Posted in Personal

I was always an angel for Halloween. I mean always. (So typical of a pastor’s daughter, right?) Seriously though. For like 8 years in a row, I donned my glittery wings, fuzzy pipe cleaner halo, and white robe. I wish I could say I was ridiculously artsy and creative as a child, and I came up with awesome and crazy costume ideas through the years. Sadly, I’m pretty sure I was an angel until I got too old for trick-or-treating. (Maybe throw a bunny in there for one or two years.) But I will say this, I was one legit angel. F’real. *Disclaimer. I couldn’t find a picture to prove that, you’ll just have to take my word for it.

Anyways, it’s been a while since I’ve dressed up for Halloween, and I’ll be honest. This year won’t really be any different. However, I have decided that it’s necessary for my dogs to dress up. Yep. Totally necessary. (They might disagree, but I hold the power of treats so they’ll be fine.) Frisky takes it like a champ. I’ve been dressing him up since he was a puppy so he knows the drill. In fact, I think he likes his costume. It keeps him warm since he recently got his one of his quarterly haircuts. And really, how much do you want to EAT HIM UP in this?! (His hat was a little big.)

Zuka and Akiva need a little work, though. They’re not as big of fans of their costumes. But they’ll learn. At least, they like the milkbone they get after lol. Akiva the fairy!

I really wanted to make Zuka a lion, but I couldn’t find a lion’s mane. ANYWHERE. Not even online. I guess I could’ve made one but, let’s be real, I’m too craft-lazy for that. (You know, craft-lazy (n.): 1. Really unmotivated to make anything crafty. Could stem from lack of craft and home-ec skills.) But if any of you know where to get one, holla back at a girl, because I’d so do it next year! For now, though, a wizard will do just fine. Zuka the wizard!

Happy Halloween everyone!

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Kathi Eteaki - October 31, 2011 - 2:11 pm

Frisky looks especially jaunty in that hat! Thanks Carissa – you made my day! I wish my mom could get a look at those pics today! Love you

Carissa - November 1, 2011 - 8:30 am

Aww glad I made your day!! Haha. Love you too : )

Jacki - November 1, 2011 - 5:10 pm

Hey Riss it’z Prolm!! Lovin tha pics chick!! Frisk does seem to hav tha routine down for posin(reminds me of Brandy ALWAYS havin 2 b in tha family pics.)Allthough 4 Kiva an Zuke 2 get it down tht well could take awile. Anyway if u need any help gettin crafty enough 2 make Zuke’s mane jus call me, i’ll help ya!!
Love ya,
Stinky Prolm :)