This week has been really busy but really good in all sorts of ways.
And it’s probably going to stay pretty busy with all the plans I have; I’m excited for it all though.

But I’m pausing a little this midweek, slowing down to remind myself of how I want to be through all the plans and everything that keeps me busy – kind, intense, and brave.

I hope your week’s been swell so far!

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Every Wednesday, I share a quote + some thoughts that have been especially relevant in my life during the week. Read more Wednesday Words here.

chocolate pistachio fingers

27 August 2013

Chocolate Pistachio Fingers

With the array of pinterest recipe boards and online recipes nowadays, recipe books hardly make an appearance in our kitchen anymore. But once in awhile, they show up and we get to try some yummy recipes from them (:

These chocolate pistachio fingers came together in no time at all and the salty pistachios gave a nice contrast to the chocolate.

Chocolate Pistachio Fingers

Makes: 12
Baking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Scant 1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup golden superfine sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a shallow square 7-inch pan with parchment paper.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour and cocoas powder. Add to the butter mixture and work in using your hands until the mixture is smooth. Add the pistachios and knead until soft and pliable.
Press the mixture into the pan and smooth the top using the back of a tablespoon. Prick with a fork and mark into bars.
Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. Do not allow to become too brown or the cookies will taste bitter.
Allow to cool slightly then cut through the marked sections and remove from the pan. Cool on a wire rack and dust sparingly with cocoa powder.

Try it and let me know what you think.
Happy Tuesday!

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Adelia Makes is a blog series featuring my very own little sister and all the fun things she makes. Read more about Adelia Makes here.

21 projects // DIY travel journal

26 August 2013

I’m not even really sure whether to call this a DIY, since all I really did was compile several printables and put them all into a book, tied together with some twine. But I really had fun doing this so I’m counting it in (;

I made this travel journal for one of my little friends who traveled to America for several weeks. And just to keep her occupied during the long flight there and back, I put together a fun travel journal for her to work on during the trip.

The options of what to include are endless. But here are some of the ones I chose to use: travel journal prompts, map of the United States, games, and journal sheets. (You can find more printables on my Pinterest board.)

I kept things simple – travel journal + color pencils + a pack of chocolate. But really, you can make this as simple or complicated as you like. I would’ve put more things in, but I didn’t have much time to get this together, so nice + simple it was.

6 down, 15 to go.

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21 DIY projects are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 DIYs here.

Friday Favorite no. 013 // spotted on instagram

23 August 2013

In all honesty, I really do try not to spend excessive amounts of time on social media. In fact, I try to be really intentional about who I follow and what I spend my time on.

But once in awhile, I get distracted and find some really inspiring Instagram accounts that keep me scrolling. So this week, I’d thought I’d spread the love + share the inspiration!

01 / Corinne Tan writes love letters to strangers and completely inspires me to write some myself!
02 / Sue Lyn is on a cookie project that is both encouraging and uplifiting.
03 / Amanda Rydell does amazing packaging + some fun DIYs.
04 / Rachelle captures life beautifully and just has such an inspiring-looking feed.

I hope this kick-starts an inspiring weekend!

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Life is often full and busy. But I like to take time to enjoy some of my favorite things. So Friday Favorite is a weekly series where I share my favorite(s) for the week. Check out my other Friday Favorites here.

Right Now // Thursday

22 August 2013

image via pinterest

Motivating myself to go running.

Trying to finish things on the twenty-one list.

Enjoying a rather easy first week of school this fall term.

Thankful for friends who make me laugh + genuinely care about me.

Hoping to tackle some of the growing to-do list this weekend.

Wanting to make time to scrapbook + make stuff + be creative again.

Soaking up the last couple weeks left of being twenty-one.

Learning to embrace BIG dreams.

Making a birthday wishlist (:

Trusting God’s sovereignty for His perfect plans.

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Be truthful, gentle, and fearless.

Only one more day until the weekend! xx.

Wednesday Words // no. 014

21 August 2013

image source

This past week, I had several opportunities to catch up with friends + bond. It’s amazing what happens to your friendships/relationships when you spend time over food. It’s like a whole new world opens up and you connect in a brand new way. You come up with inside jokes, tell stories, laugh, and go away remembering that you have so much to be grateful for.

So it looks like Julia Child said it right.
Because I couldn’t have said it better myself.

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Every Wednesday, I share a quote + some thoughts that have been especially relevant in my life during the week. Read more Wednesday Words here.

Adelia Makes no. 013// chocolate mint brownies

20 August 2013

Chocolate Mint Brownies by Joy of Baking

Chocolate + mint have always been one of my favorite combinations. So I absolutely loved these chocolate mint brownies. They especially make a good post-dinner dessert, like those After-Eight mints. Mmm.

These were pretty simple to make – the brownie was nice and fudgy, and the balance of all three layers was good. Adelia used more peppermint extract than was stated in the recipe but really, I think it’s up your personal preference and how minty you like your brownies to be. And instead of chocolate glaze, Adelia used a chocolate ganache (cream + melted chocolate) since we already had some of those on hand.

I think these make a fancy-looking dessert, which actually isn’t as hard as it seems. That, is always a plus.

Let me know what you think if you try this out!

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Adelia Makes is a blog series featuring my very own little sister and all the fun things she makes. Read more about Adelia Makes here.

21 recipes // creamy lemon crumb squares

19 August 2013

Before we jump into today’s post, the winner of my 100 followers giveaway has been announced in the post! Click here to find out if you won. THANK YOU to everyone who participated (:

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Creamy Lemon Crumb Squares by The Girl who Ate Everything

The first time I made this, almost all the taste-testers raved about it and emptied the entire box I made. So I’m assuming they really, really liked it. Which I’m so glad they did. Because just for the record, the last time I tried making lemon squares for my twenty list, they hardly turned out like they should’ve. And the rest of my family members have rather, uhm, fond memories of my last failed attempt. So I’m really glad things worked in my favor this time around.

Okay, so back to all the yumminess that is creamy lemon crumb squares: they are a nice twist on traditional lemon squares. And I especially like how the crumbly top and base, together with the oats, give a nice texture contrast. Of all the twenty-one recipes I’ve tried this year, I think this one ranks pretty high on the top of the favorites list.

A note on the original recipe: I actually tasted the filling as I went along and added the lemon juice accordingly. I ended up using 2 1/2 to 3 lemons (not sure how much this is in cups) because I like my lemon squares slightly tart.

21 down, and we’re done! Over forty recipes and two years later, trying out these new recipes is still one of my favorite parts of my annual list (:

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The 21 recipes are part of my 21 list, a list of 21 things I’m working to accomplish during my twenty-first year. Check out my other 21 recipes here.

Friday Favorite no. 012 // five simple productivity tips

16 August 2013

I found this article during the week and thought I’d share it with you guys!

While I don’t own a home business now, I found these tips from Modern Mint Designs hugely helpful for someone like me who spends a lot of time working on my own. And really, I think these tips work for anyone who has a flexible schedule that needs to be planned out each day.

I can’t wait to implement these tips into my daily routine and watch my productivity skyrocket! I’m especially going to have to work on the one about waking up early (; I love the idea of having extra hours to get work done, so I can spend my evenings relaxing and hanging out, because who doesn’t like having more time to have fun, right? (:

Which tip are you planning to try out?

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