St Paddy's Day Treats!

Man friend and I got an invitation to a festive St Paddy's Day party the weekend before St Paddy's day, which yes was sooo long ago, and like a great little blogger that I am, I am blogging about what we brought to the party the day before the next holiday! Holla!
So what did we make?  Leprechaun Balls(keeping it super classy people) and Mint Chocolate Fudge.  First up, the fudge:

I decided to follow the recipe from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom.  I melted the chocolate chips with the condensed milk in the microwave and pressed it in a casserole dish lined with wax paper.

 I melted the white chocolate chips in the microwave with the condensed milk:

 and when it was evenly melted, I tossed in two Duncan Hines frosting creations mint chocolate and mixed thoroughly.

 

Smooshed those bad boys on top:

 

We stuck it in the freezer to get it to harden.  I would NOT recommend this.  They were a bear to cut and I ended up getting a blister on my finger, but we soldiered through bagged em' up and off they went.  Badda' bing' badda' BOOM.

 

 

Next up, Leprechaun Balls.  I used the full recipe from Mom Foodie.  I let Man Friend take the lead here.  He wanted to participate, so what the hell. But ladies, DO NOT LET YOUR MAN HELP WITH THIS RECIPE.  Also, this recipe is for adults only.  If you follow the recipe 4 to 5 would equal a shot.  He went into it with the good intention that more alcohol is best, and I'd say 2 of ours made a shot :) But here's what we did.  

We crushed a box of Nilla wafers and split into two bowls, one bowl got 1/3 of the crushed cookies, the other 2/3s.. did you know you'd be practicing fractions? ;)

In the smaller section, throw in about 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder and mix in  the whiskey:

He poured more then the recipe called for(to be honest, neither of us are much of liquor drinkers and were trying to burn through the alcohol as best as we could).

The other larger bowl, we mixed in the Baileys.  We melted more white chocolate chips and mixed in some food coloring and that left us to this set up:

The goal is to begin with the whiskey mix make a small ball then with the Baileys mix, make a flatter circle and wrap the whiskey mix THEN dip/roll in the white chocolate.  Ultimately, this was a fail.  Our mixes were too damp and it was just a big mess.  I got frustrated and basically gave up.  But man friend finished out:

He ultimately just grabbed a little of each and make it into sort of ball and then poured a bit of chocolate on it.  He also renamed these balls as "Shot cookies"
He's just a better person then I am and saw the project through.  I think at the party, the people brave enough to try them liked them, but I'm not sure they were the hit I was going for.  Maybe you all can try them and let me know if you make them any better?

Here he is working his magic :)

Crazy Cat Lady

You guys, all two or three of you.  I feel like before I go ahead and do my house tour (I really really wanna I do, my place is just a MESS and I just have to keep it real and do it, so this weekend or next, or next year, get ready!) I feel like I gotta be honest with you.  I may or may not be a closeted crazy cat lady.  Oh yes, it's true.  And her is the lovely lady that is currently the affliction of my addiction:

Ready for my close-up

Oh yeah, she's a doll.  Here's another, just for good measure after she was professionally groomed.  You do NOT want to know why a 6lb cat needed professional grooming:

+

So fresh and so clean.

A little background.  I was living alone after college just starting out at a new job and literally had NO friends in the area.  I'm grateful I had a cousin nearby who took pity on me and came to visit and invited me out but that was basically it for 6 months.  I eventually started grad school, made friends there and made friends at work and became a relatively more sociable person.  But still, going home to a completely empty place was super depressing.  I wanted a pet, specifically a kitten, but my Mom suggested an adult cat may be 'lower maintenance' and honestly, a shorter time commitment.

Thus, along came Rosie.  I casually go to a shelter.  Interested in a completely different cat, who just happened to be fluffy and calico, but also had an upper respiratory infection and was unable to be handled.  The shelter volunteer, thinking I was only interested in said cat characteristics introduced me to Rosie.  And you know, it would be impossible to not fall for her charm.  The cage opened and she put her little paw on my shoulder and looked at me like 'save me'.  I melted. It was over before I knew the other few little details. Like:

•  She was 12(uh I know that's old but I've had estimates saying she was even older, try more like 16),
• completely deaf(I didn't know until I was home)
• had a raging UTI(discovering THAT was fun)
• crystals in her urine
• and a whole mess of other ailments(bladder diseasse, joint issues, possible site issues, the list goes on and on). 

After two years together, we are making it work.  I have her on a food regime that limits her vomiting episodes(she has to be on solely canned food because of the bladder infections and grain free to prevent vomiting).  She is very very high maintenance.   She can't hear herself, so when she meows, it sounds like a small infant is crying(ignore my messy bedroom). 


It's quite alarming the first time you hear it.  She has age spots and an old lady saggy belly that drags on the floor.  She's had joint injections and has the worst time putting on weight(she probably needs another 3 lbs on her). Needless to say, she's a huge financial commitment and at 14-18 years old, with bladder issues, if it doesn't work out with me, there is no way to rehome her.  Hopefully the new food an constant fresh water will keep her healthy and limit her accidents because I don't want to give up on her just yet!  Let me just say, our relationship has our highs and lows.

At least she is a decent, free, uncomplaining subject to my photography practicing! :)

Let me leave you with this amazing video, probably one of the funniest things I've ever witnessed.  You can thank me later: