EUROPE // Part 3

Now that it's around 2 years since I got back from Europe, I'm going to finish my last post about Europe. 

This is the post where I throw in a few more "real camera" pictures, but after that I will share the pictures that show more of the moments and the people I hope to never forget. They aren't the best quality, but they captured the realness rawness of our trip to Europe.


So hang with me for a bit longer while I share these last few pictures.

We did get to tour the inside of Neuschwanstien. Let me tell you, that castle was a DREAM!
I would tell you all the crazy details and all of that, but then you might not want to go yourselves, so I will refrain from spilling the juicy details, so that you want to go yourself.

"Little townnnn, it's a quiet villaaaage."

That's what these two pictures remind me of... Beauty and the Beast.  There is something about the narrow cobbled streets, the vines climbing up the Hotel Reichskuchenmesiter - it just seeps disney princess town. 

The End.

Not actually though!

Now I'll let you all see the behind the scenes phone pictures! Some of these ended up being my favorites, just because of all the memories.

^^ This is us singing in Holland. 

That was a day with many lasts in it. The last concert in Europe. The last time the program would ever be sung. The last "goodbye's", "I love you's, and "I will miss you" to new friends. One last "see you someday," because who knows.... Maybe I will get to see more of these people again on earth. I have already gotten to see one sweet lady who came to visit the United States, and that was such a sweet reunion. 

These scene below is one that happened over and over. These are just a few of the people who welcomed us with open arms, took care of us, and loved us, and then sent us on our way with many prayers. I know the likelihood of me ever seeing them again is so low, but I still exchange emails with many of them!

<3

These girls.

Thankfully, speaking the same language isn't required to be friends. Sometimes, friendship comes from tickling, laughter, being around the same hight, and laughing at trying to speak each other's language and failing... But that's okay! Through many different words and actions, they managed to tell me that they would miss me, and the feeling is extremely mutual.

I still email back and forth with them and when a friend recently went to Germany, they sent back a card for me. I keep it in my Bible, and every time I see it, I pray for them.

My trip to Europe was incredible. And now that I've actually finished posting about it, I will have to start working on a post about my trip to Africa. 

But that trip is still too close to my heart and describing just how much Africa changed me is impossible, so it will have to wait. 

xoxo,

Anna Rose

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Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

These cookies are the best of both worlds and the bomb.com all at the same time!
There's that incredible peanut buttery taste, and the super smooth-melted chocolate taste... These cookies disappear like crazy!

My biggest tip for this recipe is to not over bake the cookies. I'm one of those people who like cookies super chewy and warm.... and it doesn't get much better than when you add a chunk of chocolate on top. 

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1½ cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (Stir the flour and then scoop it, so it's not packed into the measuring cup/spoon.)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 30+ Hershey Kisses

Instructions

1. Cream the butter and sugars together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix well and scrape the bowl.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture all at once and mix until just incorporated. *this is where you set aside a bit of dough to eat later. ;)
4. CHILL dough for 2 hours in fridge or 45 minutes in the freezer. (This keeps the dough thick and puffy / helps it not spread too fast while baking.)
5. Scoop dough and shape into balls, about 1 rounded Tablespoon each. Place 2-inches apart on silicone lined baking sheets.
6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 to 9 minutes. Remove from oven. Immediately place a single Hershey Kiss in the center of each cookie while still warm. Rest for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store cookies in an airtight container up to 5 days.

Enjoy!!

xoxo,

Anna Rose

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Cranberry Pound Cake

PINTEREST HAS DONE IT AGAIN, FOLKS!

I know I'm not the only one who has used Pinterest as a last resort.... okay, let's be honest, it's usually the first resort. 

Let me tell you, this recipe is delicious! It does take a while to put together and I would probably measure more carefully the next time I make this... But for the first try, it was definitely a winner!

This is the perfect combo of cakiness, tart cranberry, with hints of cream cheese and white chocolate. Who can beat that?! Anyways... I'll quite rambling and give you the recipe. :) 

For the Cake:

187 grams cake flour-sifted (it’s about 1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tablespoons flour but you better measure it on kitchen scale because the cake could be dense or dry if you overdo it with the flour )

1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of salt

1cup cranberries (fresh or thawed)

5 oz. white chocolate chunk

1/2 cup unsalted butter ( room temperature)

300 grams sugar ( 11/2 cups)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons browned butter

For Frosting: 

1/4 cup butter(softened)

4 oz.cream cheese

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar (or more to make it thick enough to spread on top of the cake)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Garnish:

handful dried cranberries

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup white chocolate chips 

Now to be completely honest, I did alter this recipe slightly when I made it.... I took things out and added other things, so mine might be a little different than yours.

Instructions

• Preheat the convection air oven to 325 F (if you don’t have convection air oven raise the temperature to 350 F and you will have to rotate the pan half way through the baking time)
• Butter and flour 8.5x4.5x3 inches loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
• Combine cake flour, baking powder and salt and sift it three times, set aside.
• In a small sauce pan over medium heat brown 2.5 tablespoon butter until it’s nice amber color, remove the foam and set aside to cool.
• Whisk the egg with vanilla extract and set aside.
• Mix the butter on medium speed until it’s creamy, slowly add sugar and continue beating until it’s creamy.
• Add heavy cream and mascarpone, and beat on medium speed.
• Turn mixer on low speed and gradually add dry ingredients alternately with eggs.
• Add handful flour in chocolate chunks and toss them to cover evenly. Toss cranberries with a handful flour to cover them completely.
• Add chocolate chunks in the batter and stir well, then gently stir in cranberries
• Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan, smooth the top and gently tap the pan on working surface to remove the air bubbles.
• With a butter knife draw a line down the center of the pound cake and pour browned butter into the line.
• Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean (about 55 to 65 minutes). Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on the rack.
• When the cake is completely cooled prepare the glaze.
• With a mixer, cream together softened butter and cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add in powdered sugar and beat until smooth, mix in vanilla extract. Spread on top of the cake.Place the cake in the fridge until the frosting is set.
• When the frosting is set melt 1/2 cup white chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a small sauce pan over low heat until it’s smooth( cool if it’s too thin)
• Sprinkle the cake with dried cranberries and drizzle with chocolate. (You can drizzle the chocolate with a spoon or transfer it into small zip-lock bag, cut off the corner and pipe the chocolate over the cake).

Now I should probably go burn off some extra calories I may have obtained from snitching broken pieces of this cake. 

xoxo,

Anna Rose

Lemon Blueberry Cake >> Breakfast Recipes

"No fake lemon here!"  I thought as I grated and juiced the lemon...

My mouth had been watering ever since I had seen a recipe for lemon blueberry cake. 

"Use the sour milk",my mother had told me, so I went on a search to find the perfect blend of blueberry, lemon and sour milk.

I found it in this recipe. 

It was a perfect, moist, melt-in-your-mouth breakfast cake.

And I was NOT going to wait for breakfast to eat it!

I, of course, had to take pictures along the way, because that's just what I do!

So then I grabbed my trusty computer, put the pictures on, and promptly forgot about them.

I remembered this morning that I had never told you all about this amazing recipe, so as soon as our internet started working again, I decided to share it with you!

Let me know what you think it!

XOXO,

Anna Rose