Mini Egg Cheesecake!!

Hey guys!

I know it’s been almost an eternity since my last post, but here I am again and I’m super excited to share this recipe with you. This recipe combines two of my favourite things- mini eggs & cheesecake! What’s not to love right? So, when I spotted it on The Busy Baker’s site, I knew I had to give it a shot! Check out her version here!

Just in time for Easter, this treat is perfect to serve for dessert (or, as a meal, who’s gonna judge?) so make sure to let me know what you think!!

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• Servings: 9 squares
• Time: 30 minutes
• Print

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 5 tbsp melted butter
• 600g (approximately 21 oz) cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 cups whipped cream
• 2 tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups crushed  mini eggs
• whipped cream, mini eggs, and chocolate drizzle for topping

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°C and grease a 9×9 square pan
• Combine graham crackers, melted butter, and 1 tbsp of vanilla. Pack into pan and bake until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Chill in freezer.
• Whip the cream cheese and beat in powdered sugar.
• Fold in whipped cream, the rest of the vanilla, salt, and the crushed mini eggs.
• Pour into the pan, once the crust has cooled. Chill for 8-10 hours.
• Top with mini eggs, whipped cream, and chocolate drizzle.

Just a note- I didn’t have enough graham cracker crumbs so I ended up using 3/4 cup of graham crackers and 1/2 cup of Oreo cookie crumbs and it was extra delicious so that’s worth a shot as well!!

Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Happy Easter,

Hanna

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Life Update/Tasty Breakfast

Hey guys!

I just wanted to write a quick update here on why I haven’t been posting lately! I went back to university the beginning of January and had plans to continue with fairly regular posts following the first week of classes. Unfortunately, I had a bit of a tumble. (Okay, actually I thought I could fly or something and jumped off of a fence trying to get to my vehicle and had a pretty rocky landing.) I spent the day in the hospital and then was sent home with essentially a full leg brace. I was on crutches for a fair while but have starting walking agin recently.  The highlight of this whole thing has most likely been my scooter hehe (we decided crutching around the university for the next few months was too much to handle haha- there’s a picture down below of my sick wheels). I guess more or less what I’m trying to say is that I hope to be back experimenting and writing as soon as I can.

In the mean time, I thought I’d throw in a little breakfast recipe to tide ya over. These hash-browns are super easy to make but definitely delicious! I topped them off with hollandaise sauce because I’m pretty much obsessed with it lately.

Hashbrowns:

• 1 russet potato, shredded
• 2 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 2 egg whites (save the yolks for the hollandaise!)
• 1 tbsp oil
• salt & pepper
• garlic powder

Shred the potato and rinse with water. Pat dry with paper towel. Microwave potatoes for 2 minutes so soften them. Fry bacon for a couple minutes just to get it cooking, and then add potatoes, onions, oil, and egg whites. Cook for a few minutes and then add seasonings. Fry until crispy.

Hollandaise:

• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp dill

Whisk eggs and lemon juice until they double in size. Place the mixture in a double boiler (I just use two different sized pots) with simmering water in the bottom. Slowly drizzle in the butter and whisk continuously. Don’t let the mixture boil, but whisk until thickened.

Top the hash-browns with hollandaise, or serve with eggs. I hope you enjoy this recipe! I plan to post more soon!

Thanks for reading,

Hanna

K’s Makeup Artistry

Hey guys!

I’m super excited for today’s post! Just before Christmas, I visited Krista of K’s Makeup Artistry. Krista is from Kincaid, Saskatchewan and recently decided that she was going to become a makeup artist and is working on getting certified from a school in California. She has such amazing natural talent (and always looks gorgeous herself) so it’s such a perfect fit for her.

We had such a great time and she did a super fun holiday look on me. I’ve listed the products that she used down below! She created a beautiful sparkly eye and paired it with a neutral lip to tone things down a bit. Not only is Krista clearly an amazing makeup artist, but she is also a beautiful person inside and out. Her chair is at Laser Body Rejuvenation in Kincaid- a new stored owned by another amazing lady, Jenna. I would highly recommend stopping in and checking out the awesome products and services that she offers! And seriously everyone- if you ever need makeup done for any special event, party, or just because you feel like a pampering, give Krista a call. I can’t tell you enough how good she is!!

Before!

Products Krista Used:

• Benefit- The Porefessional primer
• Mac- Studio Face and Body foundation
• Urban Decay- eye shadow primer in Eden
• Too Faced- eye shadow in “Oh, Deer!” and “Angelie”
• Stila- liquid eye shadow glitter in “Smoldering Satin”
• Lancome- Hypnose mascara
• Tarte- Maracuja Creaseless concealer in “Fairly Light Neutral”(under eyes)
• Make Up Forever- concealer (blemishes)
• Benefit- Hoola bronzer
• Becca- highlighter in “Opal”
• Make Up Forever- lipstick and blush

This is a bit of a different post for me, so I also wanted to include a bit of a new makeup review. Krista and Jenna stock the makeup line from “The Balm” in the store and I grabbed a couple of the products to try. I have the Smoke Balm eye shadow palette, the eye shadow stick in “Moonshot” and the Meet Matte Nude Matte Lipstick in “Sincere”.

The Smoke Balm palette features 3 shades- a sparkly black, a matte brown, and then a shimmery highlight shade. The three pair together to make quite a few different looks depending on how dramatic you want to go. For myself, I like to wear the brown in my crease and then deepen the outer corner with the black. All over my lid, I add a layer of the Moonshot eye shadow stick and then pat the highlight shade out of the palette on top. Layering the cream and shadow helps the looser pigment stick and helps the colours to pop even more. I also use the highlight on my brow bone. I have also used the highlight shade as a cheek highlight and really loved how it looked. All of these shadows blended flawlessly and the  colours are really amazing! I would high recommend this palette for anyone that wants to create gorgeous shadow looks with ease. The Meet Matte Nude Lipstick is also a wonderful product! I have the shade Sincere and love how pigmented it is. With a slight peppermint taste, this lipstick lasts forever and dries down super matte. It is completely transfer-proof and wears beautifully.

I can’t wait to try more of these products and keep experimenting with the ones I have!

Let me know how you feel about this kind of post and if you’d like to see some more beauty related posts in the future!

Thanks for reading!

Hanna

Chewy Gingerbread Cookies{gluten-free!}

Hey guys! I was doing some Christmas baking the other day and decided I’d share these some gingerbread cookies with you all. These are the softest & chewiest ginger cookies and they are so delicious- I seriously can’t stop eating them. Perfect if you’re doing some last minute Christmas baking (or if ever you’re craving a wonderful cookie)! Hope you like them!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 1/4 cups gluten free flour (more on this down below)
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt

*I used gluten free flour, but these would for sure work just as good with regular flour.

**If you ever need gluten free flour, the President’s Choice All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend is the best I have ever found! We get it at the Superstore and it seriously works the same as regular flour and its impossible to tell the difference. I swear by it!

Cream the butter and sugar. Next, add in the egg and the molasses and beat well. 

Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and beat until well combined. The dough will be pretty sticky, but this makes the cookies soft and chewy.

Roll the dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar and then flatten slightly with a glass.

Bake for 9-11 minutes at 350 degrees (or until cookies are lightly golden and poofy) Cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.

I’ve attached a pdf to the bottom of this post, that you should be able to print off.

Thanks for reading!
Hanna

gingerbread recipe pdf

Roasted Red Pepper Potato Soup

Hey everyone!

If you’re looking for a super delicious {and crazy easy} soup recipe, look no further! This Potato soup is creamy and cheesy, with the perfect hint of red pepper flavour!

Ingredients:

• 1 box of vegetable broth (900mL- approx 4 cups)
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• approx 4 cups potatoes (I used 3 russet and 5 red)
• green onions (optional, for topping)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup cream
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• salt & pepper
• garlic powder
• 4 tbsp roasted red pepper seasoning

 

 

First, chop your veggies and throw them in the slow cooker pot. Add the vegetable broth and the bouillon cube. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.

After the vegetables are tender, separate out the potatoes and cauliflower. I know- it sounds strange but this step is super important! {If you have little kids who don’t like vegetables, you could actually pick them all out and blend them up so the kiddos can’t see them!}

Blend the potatoes & cauliflower (or all of the vegetables) with the cream cheese, butter, milk, cream, cheese, roasted red pepper, salt & pepper, garlic, and 1/2 cup of the hot broth. This will create the super creamy soup. After blending, pour the mixture back into the crock pot and stir well to combine the broth. Heat for 45 minutes on high.

After the soup is heated all the way through, it’s ready to be enjoyed. I topped mine with green onions & some cheddar cheese, but that’s totally up to you!

Hope you enjoy this recipe! Thanks for reading!

Hanna

 

Paint Chip Tree Cards

Hey guys!

I wanted to share this super cute Christmas card idea with you! I was wandering around Walmart when I got the idea and I think that they turned out really good! These cards are perfect for Christmas, or could be made with any colour of paint chips, depending on the season! Read on for directions!

Supplies:

• paint chips (I used green & brown, but it’s up to you)
• cardstock (I used white & grey, but again, totally up to you)
• double-sided tape or glue
• scissors
• markers, colours of your choosing
• ruler

I started by folding my cardstock in half lengthwise.

I took my paint chip and drew a line down the center on the backside. From this line, I measured 4 cm on either side and draw 2 more lines:

Then I cut out my paint chip triangle and attached a brown stem- I cut mine out of another paint chip, but any brown paper would do. Next, I attached my tree to the front of my cardstock, and then decorated the tree and the background with coloured markers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add a message on the inside and your card is complete!

Get creative with your trees- there’s so many options!

Thanks for reading,

Hanna

 

Small Town & Big Dreams

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to my new adventure- Small Town & Big Dreams! Completely on a whim, I decided that I would try my hand at something new and create a blog. This is an idea that I have been mulling over for a while and just finally got the courage to take it seriously. I hope to eventually share recipes and little craft projects as well as anything else that I can think of. I won’t bore you with my everyday life, so in that aspect, this won’t be a typical blog. My plan is to try to post about once a week but we will see how that goes with a busy university schedule. I am looking forward to a new opportunity & seeing where it will take me!

I figured that I’d start off by introducing myself so hi! I’m Hanna. I grew up on a farm near a tiny town in southern Saskatchewan. I attended the same school my whole life up until now, when I moved to the “city” of Lethbridge. [I say “city” because my new friends ensure me that this is really nothing and would be better titled a town but I have to disagree] I started school at the University of Lethbridge this fall, and I must say that attending classes of more than double the population of my entire K-12 school was overwhelming at first. However, it has been an amazing opportunity, albeit challenging, but one that has really affected me as an individual. Over the last four months, I have grown so much and I am sure I will continue too- through this blog & through my new life adventures.

Before I started university, I spent my time with my beautiful family, teaching figure skating, dancing, playing volleyball & fastball, and helping out on the farm. Some of my favourite memories are ones spent in a rink watching my brother or hanging out with my little sister and our puppies. I am currently studying to become a teacher and am extremely excited for my career as an educator. I love kids and hope to be able to make a difference in my future students’ lives.

Thanks for reading!

Hanna