Have you heard of it?
I bet not! I googled it and I couldn't find a single recipe, but I had the idea the other day and I've decided to attempt it.
Now I know, it's not beading or jewelry related, but trust me on this one. It's the same basic thing. I am just a person with this weird need to make other people happy. I'm a notorious door holder, even if I am standing there for a good five minutes before that person gets to the door. I say "thank you" to everyone. I tell store clerks to enjoy their day before they can tell me. I just really love doing little nice things. So what does this have to do with cheesecake? Or beading?
Super simple. It makes people feel pretty to wear jewelry and happy to eat cheesecake. This in turn fills that little need of mine... it's actually sort of selfish because it boils down to me feeling good when they do. Also, when I discovered that I can actually make a decent cheesecake, it was like finding the lost city of Atlantis! My first attempt was a key lime, and I followed my instincts as opposed to my better judgement. I messed with ingredients, I added extras, I removed others and next thing you know-- delicious cheesecake. I didn't even know that there are supposedly all these rules for cheesecake, like don't blend too long or be careful how you pour it, or that it can crack and brown too much. It just came out smooth and delicious. Also, since I don't have an electric mixer, I tried to do it in the blender. And when that didn't work, I mixed it by hand. I also juiced the limes without a little twirly juicer and I had no grater so I minced lime peel. Despite all this mess, it worked. Suddenly I knew that I now had the power to make my favorite dessert ANY WAY I WANTED. So now, I want it with Skittles.
All the nonsense aside, I wanted to share my plan. Aka, my super secret recipe. I am not sure this will work, but I've been thinking about it for a solid day now and I have faith. Anyone out there who wants to play along can definitely try it for themselves, because this is going to be fun!
The Invention of Skittle Cheesecake
Recipe, Take One.
Basic Recipe for NY Style Cheesecake (Minus Skittle Alterations)
4 (8oz) packages of cream cheese
1.5 cups of white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix sugar and cream cheese until smooth
Blend in milk, then mix in eggs one at a time
Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth
Pour into crust
Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes then turn off oven, leave door closed and let cool for 5-6 hours
Chill before serving.
Skittle Related Alterations!
*Add another tablespoon of vanilla extract. Or two more. Seriously, you can never have enough Vanilla Extract and I'm not even joking.
*Add a tablespoon of the following: lime juice, lemon juice, orange juice. Fresh squeezed! Or else.
*Add a dash of grated lime peel, lemon peel, and orange peel. If you squeeze the fruits, you'll have the peels left over anyway. Also, there is no way I am actually going to measure out those tablespoons of juice. *Honestly, just squeeze an orange, lemon and lime and add however much comes out. Trust me.
*Add 1/4 cup of pureed stawberries. They better not be frozen or I will personally come to your house and yell at you.
* I'm not sure exactly how this part works because I don't know how to melt skittles but I have a backup plan as well.
*Skittles Plan A: Melt 1/2 a cup of skittles. Try the microwave but keep an eye on them in case they explode. Or maybe try a sauce pan on low heat? I think I'm going to try aluminum foil in a sauce pan because I don't know if Teflon can handle melted, sticky skittles. Start pouring cheesecake batter into a premade graham cracker crust and swirl in the skittle mix as well as green, purple, orange, yellow and red food coloring.
*Skittles Plan B: If you can't figure out how to melt them, put 1/2 a cup of Skittles in a sandwich bag. Drive through rush hour traffic and build a decent amount of road rage. Come home and take it out on the skittles with a blunt object. Seriously, smash the hell out of those offensive little drivers who just can't be bothered to use blinkers, or get off your tail or go above 20 miles per hour... wait. No. I mean smash the Skittles. Yep. Skittles. I am not sure what blunt object will work best, feel free to get creative. Layer the cheesecake batter into your crust and add the food coloring from Plan A, but sprinkle the smooshed Skittle crumbs in between the layers.
* Bake for 60 minutes in the preheated oven and then realize that you have friends coming over in about 2 hours to try your invention. Decide that 5-6 hours is for suckers who do things properly. Turn off the oven after 60 minutes and leave the cheesecake for 1 extra hour. Maybe 1/2 an hour. Put cheesecake in fridge and resist the urge to stick your finger in it and try it. Maybe sprinkle more squished Skittles on top?
* Take cheesecake out of the fridge when you can't resist any more. This will vary from person to person.
*Enjoy!...hopefully?
So there's my 2 cents for today. Next post I'll put up some pictures and let you know how it went and then I'll get back to all the business-y beading stuff. For now? Wish me luck!!
Yours-
the little miss milyssabeth.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Bead Boxes....
... are taking over.
I've been ordering, shopping and ordering again for about two weeks now at an almost frantic pace. Every time I see a certain pendant or bead, I decide I have a brilliant idea for it and I MUST have it immediately. Unfortunately, I think I decide I have brilliant ideas way too often for my bank account and it's gotten a little out of control. The money is not really the issue as much as the space, though and I have no idea when it will slow or stop- I can't remember how many orders I have that are still in transit!!
I decided a few days ago that the giant red bag stuffed full of misc. beads and findings and such is not a suitable storage container for my beads. Now, I don't mean that all of my beads are in there, on top of that I have two giant 24 space boxes, one smaller 18 space box and two smaller 24 space boxes. I headed out to Walmart (please forgive me, it's close and I know it's evil but if there's anywhere that makes me feel classy, it's Walmart.) to try and find enough containers so that I can empty my giant red bag and feel organized. So, 3 more giant boxes and 1 smaller box. I get home and start organizing only to find that now I have 9 boxes of beads and I STILL have the giant red bag, it's half full. To give you a good idea on how many supplies that is, imagine the size of a four year old child standing in your living room. Now imagine that the child is made entirely of boxes with a giant red bag for a head. Got it? Well, that's about what I've got. It's bad. More boxes came yesterday and I'm starting to feel a little afraid of the mailman.
Anyway, the whole point to me sharing this pointlessness is that I am going to make a sincere vow to do something about it. I have no lack of beads or ideas, I just have a lack of focus so I need a goal.
5 items a day. That's the rule. I'll take today off because I am working the office job 12p-5p and working the cocktail waitress gig 5p-2am so I think I can take a break but after that? It's 5 a day. Or else. I need to reduce my bead stash (or reorganize it?) drastically so here we go. Let's see how this works out!!
Yours
the little miss milyssabeth
I've been ordering, shopping and ordering again for about two weeks now at an almost frantic pace. Every time I see a certain pendant or bead, I decide I have a brilliant idea for it and I MUST have it immediately. Unfortunately, I think I decide I have brilliant ideas way too often for my bank account and it's gotten a little out of control. The money is not really the issue as much as the space, though and I have no idea when it will slow or stop- I can't remember how many orders I have that are still in transit!!
I decided a few days ago that the giant red bag stuffed full of misc. beads and findings and such is not a suitable storage container for my beads. Now, I don't mean that all of my beads are in there, on top of that I have two giant 24 space boxes, one smaller 18 space box and two smaller 24 space boxes. I headed out to Walmart (please forgive me, it's close and I know it's evil but if there's anywhere that makes me feel classy, it's Walmart.) to try and find enough containers so that I can empty my giant red bag and feel organized. So, 3 more giant boxes and 1 smaller box. I get home and start organizing only to find that now I have 9 boxes of beads and I STILL have the giant red bag, it's half full. To give you a good idea on how many supplies that is, imagine the size of a four year old child standing in your living room. Now imagine that the child is made entirely of boxes with a giant red bag for a head. Got it? Well, that's about what I've got. It's bad. More boxes came yesterday and I'm starting to feel a little afraid of the mailman.
Anyway, the whole point to me sharing this pointlessness is that I am going to make a sincere vow to do something about it. I have no lack of beads or ideas, I just have a lack of focus so I need a goal.
5 items a day. That's the rule. I'll take today off because I am working the office job 12p-5p and working the cocktail waitress gig 5p-2am so I think I can take a break but after that? It's 5 a day. Or else. I need to reduce my bead stash (or reorganize it?) drastically so here we go. Let's see how this works out!!
Yours
the little miss milyssabeth
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Less Teeth. More Stress
Good Morning!
So the tooth is gone and has only left a mild ache after the fog from all those lovely tylenol 3s dissipated. The time drugged up and beading was like a little slice of heaven and I feel as though I was decently productive. In the vein of that persephone necklace I made this fun piece with sparrows flying down three strands of brass and garnet. I really did almost keep that one, but I was too proud of it to keep it to myself. So, beading is going well and selling is not bad at the moment after a little 8 sale rush.
But even though the hobby is going well, I should probably follow that old adage of "Don't quit your day job"
Oh... wait... that's EXACTLY what I am about to do.
You see, I had an epiphany. Like, a real, honest to God epiphany. It was a thunderous moment of realization that parted the clouds of confusion and let the sunshine of truth and realization into my soul. It went a little something like this:
So the boyfriend and I are sitting at home and I've just returned from a perfectly horrific day at the office. One of those days where you just feel souless and crushed by everyone around you because you just DON'T want to be where you are. I'm crying just a little on the couch, explaining the horrors of inter office politics and passive aggressive jabs from ego maniacal coworkers as well as expounding on how I really hate that button up dress shirts completely restrict your shoulders. Seriously! Try to lay down in one!
He's tilting his head sympathetically and I'm full on ranting: I'm lost! What do I do? Leave this office job and go to another? I don't love it! Why am I doing it? Do I just hope that if I go somewhere with more potential for earning I can deal better because I will just think of that paycheck? Will I ever get anywhere? Does anyone make a truly comfortable button up shirt???
My boyfriend at this very moment sits up almost angrily and shakes his head, looking over at me with his eyes flashing (most likely in indignant defense of my plight) and says the phrase that is about to change my world forever.
"How about you JUST DON'T DO ANYTHING??"
I am stunned. The silence is deafening. The world stops spinning. The cliches are boundless.
Just. Don't. Do. Anything.
Really?
I could do that. (Or I could not do that? Not sure on the grammar on that one kiddos!) I could leave the pressure of my day job. I could go back to waitressing and go to grad school. I could stop trying to fit into those shirts, I could sling drinks and bury myself in school books. I happen to love school, I would be truly free. There would be no more pointless pressure about stacks of paperwork and being nice wouldn't make me such a good target for people to take advantage of.
Just don't do anything? I could bead ALL DAY! I could waitress at night and BEAD ALL DAY!! It would be like Heaven- but with beads! It would be like summer camp! I could create during the day, then go to class for a few hours and do homework and then go make a little cash... I could just let life take me by following the things that actually make me happy. It's like every poster from middle school- it's FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS!
Holy Crap! JUST DON'T DO ANYTHING!!!
All of this is bursting out of my mouth like dawn breaking over the darkest part of the night and I am so swept up in feeling an incredibly calling to "just don't do anything" that I almost miss my boyfriend shaking his head slowly.
I look to him, my soft supportive, sensitive listener. His real concern for me and my plight has brought him to give me the answer I needed. I gaze lovingly at my prophet and ask why he's shaking his head. He answers:
"Baby, I was talking about the commercial. The Neosporin one. It's just an ad meant to terrify parents into thinking that they need a product when the human body will really just take care of itself. People don't need to use Neosporin, they can just as easily not do anything and end up with the same result."
Aaaah. Neosporin. My epiphany is the aftermath of my boyfriend's indignity at consumerism. And hey, wait, I LIKE Neosporin.
The deflating setback was temporary, I'm a ridiculous sort of optimist and quickly decided that it was some sort of higher power that caused that commercial to inspire that world changing idea and save me from my life of drudgery.
So I've written up my two weeks notice and it's sitting in the corner of my desk. It's waiting for tuesday when the manager will be back from leave and I can make this whole dream chasing nonsense an impractical and wonderful reality. It's terrifying. I hate having people mad at me, and though I know the office will continue swimmingly without me, I am afraid of not only the moment when that letter transitions from my desk to the manager's desk but also the two weeks that I will have to sit and absorb the reactions and wrath.
Needless to say, I'm a giant ball of twitching tweakiness, but I'm trying to convince myself that it is like a giant adventure. I am just keeping my eyes on the prize and the glorious idea of returning all my damn button up shirts.
So, in the absense of my troublesome tooth, a new evil fear has risen and I must face it. I can only focus on the end result though, I can only focus on all those beads, just waiting to be arranged and strung. I can't wait to post the more recent ones, I've started playing with shapes and adding weird dangly parts. It's way more appealing than I just made it sound. So here's to major changes and hopefully so much good to come.
Wish me luck and then wish that I won't need it!!!
Yours-
the little miss milyssabeth
So the tooth is gone and has only left a mild ache after the fog from all those lovely tylenol 3s dissipated. The time drugged up and beading was like a little slice of heaven and I feel as though I was decently productive. In the vein of that persephone necklace I made this fun piece with sparrows flying down three strands of brass and garnet. I really did almost keep that one, but I was too proud of it to keep it to myself. So, beading is going well and selling is not bad at the moment after a little 8 sale rush.
But even though the hobby is going well, I should probably follow that old adage of "Don't quit your day job"
Oh... wait... that's EXACTLY what I am about to do.
You see, I had an epiphany. Like, a real, honest to God epiphany. It was a thunderous moment of realization that parted the clouds of confusion and let the sunshine of truth and realization into my soul. It went a little something like this:
So the boyfriend and I are sitting at home and I've just returned from a perfectly horrific day at the office. One of those days where you just feel souless and crushed by everyone around you because you just DON'T want to be where you are. I'm crying just a little on the couch, explaining the horrors of inter office politics and passive aggressive jabs from ego maniacal coworkers as well as expounding on how I really hate that button up dress shirts completely restrict your shoulders. Seriously! Try to lay down in one!
He's tilting his head sympathetically and I'm full on ranting: I'm lost! What do I do? Leave this office job and go to another? I don't love it! Why am I doing it? Do I just hope that if I go somewhere with more potential for earning I can deal better because I will just think of that paycheck? Will I ever get anywhere? Does anyone make a truly comfortable button up shirt???
My boyfriend at this very moment sits up almost angrily and shakes his head, looking over at me with his eyes flashing (most likely in indignant defense of my plight) and says the phrase that is about to change my world forever.
"How about you JUST DON'T DO ANYTHING??"
I am stunned. The silence is deafening. The world stops spinning. The cliches are boundless.
Just. Don't. Do. Anything.
Really?
I could do that. (Or I could not do that? Not sure on the grammar on that one kiddos!) I could leave the pressure of my day job. I could go back to waitressing and go to grad school. I could stop trying to fit into those shirts, I could sling drinks and bury myself in school books. I happen to love school, I would be truly free. There would be no more pointless pressure about stacks of paperwork and being nice wouldn't make me such a good target for people to take advantage of.
Just don't do anything? I could bead ALL DAY! I could waitress at night and BEAD ALL DAY!! It would be like Heaven- but with beads! It would be like summer camp! I could create during the day, then go to class for a few hours and do homework and then go make a little cash... I could just let life take me by following the things that actually make me happy. It's like every poster from middle school- it's FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS!
Holy Crap! JUST DON'T DO ANYTHING!!!
All of this is bursting out of my mouth like dawn breaking over the darkest part of the night and I am so swept up in feeling an incredibly calling to "just don't do anything" that I almost miss my boyfriend shaking his head slowly.
I look to him, my soft supportive, sensitive listener. His real concern for me and my plight has brought him to give me the answer I needed. I gaze lovingly at my prophet and ask why he's shaking his head. He answers:
"Baby, I was talking about the commercial. The Neosporin one. It's just an ad meant to terrify parents into thinking that they need a product when the human body will really just take care of itself. People don't need to use Neosporin, they can just as easily not do anything and end up with the same result."
Aaaah. Neosporin. My epiphany is the aftermath of my boyfriend's indignity at consumerism. And hey, wait, I LIKE Neosporin.
The deflating setback was temporary, I'm a ridiculous sort of optimist and quickly decided that it was some sort of higher power that caused that commercial to inspire that world changing idea and save me from my life of drudgery.
So I've written up my two weeks notice and it's sitting in the corner of my desk. It's waiting for tuesday when the manager will be back from leave and I can make this whole dream chasing nonsense an impractical and wonderful reality. It's terrifying. I hate having people mad at me, and though I know the office will continue swimmingly without me, I am afraid of not only the moment when that letter transitions from my desk to the manager's desk but also the two weeks that I will have to sit and absorb the reactions and wrath.
Needless to say, I'm a giant ball of twitching tweakiness, but I'm trying to convince myself that it is like a giant adventure. I am just keeping my eyes on the prize and the glorious idea of returning all my damn button up shirts.
So, in the absense of my troublesome tooth, a new evil fear has risen and I must face it. I can only focus on the end result though, I can only focus on all those beads, just waiting to be arranged and strung. I can't wait to post the more recent ones, I've started playing with shapes and adding weird dangly parts. It's way more appealing than I just made it sound. So here's to major changes and hopefully so much good to come.
Wish me luck and then wish that I won't need it!!!
Yours-
the little miss milyssabeth
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
D-Day
As in Dentist Day....
dun dun dun dun.....
I fell asleep on the couch last night and slept through until this morning, operating on the idea that if I don't get up and go to bed, then I won't have to wake up and get teeth pulled. Unfortunately, the whole time space continuum thing does not make allowances for couches and now I am about 3 hours away from going under the pliers.
On the bright side of life, sales picked up a little when I least expected it in the ol' Etsy Shop. It's strange how amazingly happy it makes me to get an order and be able to wrap up those items like little birthday gifts and send them happily on their way. It really isn't about money, it's this special sort of sharing. Also, it makes you feel somehow loved by the people who are ordering. It's like someone is undoing all the damage done by years of living and telling you, "I like this thing you did. And I like you. Now go be happy for 20 minutes before reality comes crashing in."
Making things that someone else will love and then selling them is a really special kind of sharing. It's a weird connection to a stranger for just a bit. Maybe I'm a little too Mr. Rodgers about it, but it's definitely a warm and fuzzy sweater kind of feeling...
So anyway, I'd better go get ready for my torture session and also take pictures of the two most recent pieces before I go so that I can attempt to post them tonight.
Wish me luck!
-the little miss milyssabeth
dun dun dun dun.....
I fell asleep on the couch last night and slept through until this morning, operating on the idea that if I don't get up and go to bed, then I won't have to wake up and get teeth pulled. Unfortunately, the whole time space continuum thing does not make allowances for couches and now I am about 3 hours away from going under the pliers.
On the bright side of life, sales picked up a little when I least expected it in the ol' Etsy Shop. It's strange how amazingly happy it makes me to get an order and be able to wrap up those items like little birthday gifts and send them happily on their way. It really isn't about money, it's this special sort of sharing. Also, it makes you feel somehow loved by the people who are ordering. It's like someone is undoing all the damage done by years of living and telling you, "I like this thing you did. And I like you. Now go be happy for 20 minutes before reality comes crashing in."
Making things that someone else will love and then selling them is a really special kind of sharing. It's a weird connection to a stranger for just a bit. Maybe I'm a little too Mr. Rodgers about it, but it's definitely a warm and fuzzy sweater kind of feeling...
So anyway, I'd better go get ready for my torture session and also take pictures of the two most recent pieces before I go so that I can attempt to post them tonight.
Wish me luck!
-the little miss milyssabeth
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