Essie: Olé Caliente

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I'm sure everyone has a color like this in their collection, but if you're in the market for a new red I highly suggest Essie's 'Olé Caliente'.  Shown here is one coat, ONE COAT.  I'm not even kidding you this color is so opaque and perfect that it would be a great supplement to any red polishes you already have. 

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Personally I like the darker reds most of the time but a great tomato based bright red is good to have on hand as well.  I can see someone with a lighter skin tone loving this color, it would really make their nails look nicely polished and defined.  As for the lack of description or story behind this polish I apologize, I still can't get over how opaque it was! ;) 

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*natural sunlight, 1 coat, Canon T3.

Recipe: Red Velvet Cheesecake Bites

My mom needed me to make some sort of dessert for her to take to a work function so I took the opportunity to try out this red velvet cheesecake bite recipe.  Let me warn you, this recipe makes a TON, so if you don't have a big function coming up I'd suggest cutting it in half.  The outcome is beautiful to look at, the marbling result of the cake and cream cheese layers is great.  I would also suggest baking this a day or two before you want to eat it, I thought it was a bit dry at first when I ate a piece right after I baked it, but the next day I couldn't stop eating them!  Not too sure why, but I think a day or so gives the cream cheese a little more time to settle in.  Nevertheless a great recipe, so enjoy!

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Ingredients:

Red Velvet Layer: 

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

2 c. sugar

2 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1/4 t. salt

1 T. red food coloring

2 t. vinegar

4 eggs 

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

Cheesecake Layer:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/4 t. vanilla extract 

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan, and set aside. Add melted butter to a large bowl then add the following ingredients, in this order, stirring after each addition: sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring and vinegar. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and then stir into the cocoa mixture. Fold in the flour just until combined. (Don’t overmix!) Set aside at least 1/2 cup of the batter for the top; pour the rest of the batter in the baking pan, spreading evenly across the bottom.

For the cheesecake layer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Carefully spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter in the pan, then plop spoonfuls of the remaining brownie batter over the cream cheese. Drag the tip of a knife through the red velvet and the cream cheese to create swirls. Bake for 30 minutes or just until the center of the cheesecake part is set. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.  

Source: 

http://ourshareoftheharvest.com/2011/02/21/dessert-buffet-red-velvet-cheesecake-bites/