Fluffy Nerds Cupcakes

mmm these were delicious. 

If you have a sweat tooth or like things on the tangy side this is perfect.

I had to wait to share this recipes because I served this at my husbands birthday party. He likes his dessert to be a surprise and has no problem with me being creative.

Now this isn't from scratch but I still believe it's blog worthy.

My husband's favorite cake is Funfetti but I like to change things up so I purchased a $0.98 white cake  mix and 2 boxes of nerds. Followed the directions on the package and they came out AMAZING!

     Here's what you need ~

1 box of your favorite cake mix

2 medium boxes of Nerds candy

4 fun colored frostings

4 egg whites

Coconut oil

Follow the directions on the box or your favorite recipe but add 1 box of Nerds to the mix right before you put it in the cake or cupcake pan. The 2nd box is for decorations later.

They wont need any additional cooking time and will come out super moist.

The nerds dissolve and all that's left is a pop of color when you bite in and this super tangy Nerds taste. I loved it!

Let them cool and decorate as desired.

Enjoy!

~Rayah

DIY Makeup Remover Wipes

I wear makeup every.single.day. Seriously, I do. And I must admit... I do not take it off every.single.night.

Gross, I know. But since making these super easy wipes it's fast and easy to remove my makeup and clean my face in less than a minute.

I had been using Mary Kay makeup remover. You know, shake the bottle till both ingredients combine then squirt a little in a towel and remove make up... and $15 isn't bad but since most of my ingredients for these wipes cost only $1 and I can make an endless amount I will never be going back.

So after work I headed to our local Dollar Store and picked up a few items...

Here's what you'll need :

• Baby Shampoo $1
• Cotton Rounds $1
• Small Air Tight Containers. 4 for a $1
• Coconut Oil - Already had in pantry

Here's what you'll do :

I opened and cleaned my new tupperware containers. I chose the smallest round ones I could find for this. Since I am only making a small batch of these all my ingredients can go into one bowl then be separated later. You'll combine 1 cup of water with 1 1/2 tablespoons of baby shampoo and 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil. Oil and water don't mix so it'll looks like this after you've stirred it a few times.

Now pour this mixture into 2 or 3 containers making sure the oil has made it into each bowl. Add about 4 inches worth of cotton rounds to the bowl and press down until fully absorbed. You may need to add extra rounds as long as there is enough solution and space in the container.

Now they are ready to use!

I store mine upsidedown so that the mixture will evenly soak to the rounds that we placed on top.

Now you have perfectly portable money saving makeup remover.

Enjoy!

~Rayah

Peppermint Sugar Body Scrub with Coconut Oil

You may now know that I love coconut oil. There are so many uses for it and it's good for you too!

Last night I put together this AMAZING smelling peppermint scrub in less than 5 minutes with a few items I already had in my pantry. I'm all about making my skin as silky smooth as possibly.

This recipe is very similar to my Shaving Scrub only we'll use far less coconut oil.

Here's what you'll need :

• Sugar
• Coconut Oil
• Jar or Tupperware with tight lid
• Peppermint Extract ( could use any favorite extract )

You'll use 1 tablespoon of Coconut oil for ever 1 cup of Sugar and just a few tiny drops of extract.

Mix until all the sugar has been slightly coated and no longer looks dry.

It's as easy as that. Dead skin BE GONE!!

And you'll smell wildly delicious too ;)

This is so cheap and easy that it would be perfect to give as a gift too... hint hint :D

I'd love to know your secrets to perfect summer ready skin...

~ Rayah

Razor Ready Legs ~ Super Silky Coconut Sugar Shaving Scrub

So lately I've had a love for all things coconut oil. On top of that, a love for anything that helps my skin. I have extremely dry skin. I moisturize and drink plenty of water but still see lines around my shins and ankles. But not since using coconut oil. I usually put some on after getting out if the shower but using this scrub saves me time and helps get rid of any dead skin when I shave. No more expensive shaving products. I made some this weekend with a few items in our pantry.

1 1/4 cups of sugar

1/2 cup of coconut oil

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

Mix well with a spoon. You might need to heat up the coconut oil as it does become a solid if stored in a cool place.

And TA DAAA, that's all it takes.
Use as a shaving scrub and you'll have 100% naturally silky legs.

Personally, I use this all over my body. The sugar is the perfect exfoliant and the oil makes my whole body super silky. Seriously I can't stop touching my legs.

If the oil does become a solid again I just run the container under the hot water from the shower and it turns back into a liquid.

Feel free to use on your lips to hydrate and slosh off any dead skin.

Bring on the shorts!

~Rayah

UPDATE - after using this for a few weeks I have a few extra tips.

• Don't leave the container open... it will attract bugs. ick
• Be careful not to get any water from the shower in the mix. It will dilute the sugar.
• Go ahead, lick your exfoliated lips, it taste good.

~Rayah

Now I can share... Raspberry Coconut Cheesecake

Since yesterday was Sarah's birthday but we couldn't fully celebrate until today I can finally share my cheesecake recipe I made for her. OH MY!!! It was DELICIOUS.

By far one of the best deserts I have every had. I had trouble sharing.

I licking the bowl clean... NO LIE!

 But for her birthday I did take her out for Sushi. Tulsa's Sushi Hana is absolutely the best. Get the OMG Roll... Tell them Shurayah sent you and they'll hook you up with a free appetizer.

After we were fully stuffed they brought her a deep fried slice of cheesecake... again delicious!!!

But back to my cheesecake recipe.

Ingredients

4 - 8-ounce packages of cream cheese

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon Coconut extract

1 tablespoon Vanilla extract

2 cups of Coconut shavings

2 cups of Raspberries

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp Sea Salt

3 large eggs

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 335 F and oil ( I used coconut oil)  an 8 to 9-inch cake or glass pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom for easy removal later. If you are wanting a crust I recommend toasting some of the coconut now to use.

Place one 8-ounce package of the cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch in the bowl to mix. Beat on low speed until creamy, about 3 minutes, then beat in the remaining 3 packages of cream cheese.

Increase the mixer speed to high and beat in 1 1/4 cups of the sugar. After you're done with that beat in the vanilla, coconut extract, and salt. Blend in the eggs one at a time, beating only until completely blended.

Now slowly mix in the cream and sour cream until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan in a larger shallow pan containing warm/hot water that comes about halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake the cheesecake until the top is lightly browned and center not wobbly, about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Allow to cool in the oven with the door propped open for about 30 minutes. 

Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours if you plan on eating it the same day.

Now for the coconut. Switch the oven to broil and spread the coconut on your baking sheet.

Toast for about 15-25 minutes, checking every 5 minutes to make sure you're not burning them. They wont all turn brown but as long as 20% of them change color that's what you're looking for. Remove from oven and let set until the cheesecake is ready.

For the Raspberry sauce topping use only 1 cup fresh raspberries ( the rest will be for decoration) and 3/4 cup sugar. Reduce in small pot over medium heat until thickened. If you don't like the seeds then now's the time you'll want to strain the sauce.

 

Press the toasted coconut into the sides of the cheesecake. They wont all stick the first time so you might have to go around it a few times to place as much as you want on.

Spread raspberry sauce to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the cheesecake. Place fresh raspberries on the top.

Eat and Enjoy!

Since my husband hates seeds and I wasn't sure who would mind I did strain them out as much as I needed to cover the cake. I was a bit hungry and everything was so delicious that I decided to use the remaining seeded sauce for a late night PB&J sandwhich. mm mmm

~ Rayah

Strawberry Cake

So the other day my husband was antsy so I decided to bake him a cake.

Why? I don't know but it seemed to be exactly what he needed.

I looked through the pantry and found a mix for Moist Supreme Strawberry Cake. He absoltely loves strawberries.

The recipe calls for

• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 of oil
• 3 egg
• mix

It didn't specify what kind of oil and right now I'm trying to sneak Coconut Oil into everything so that's what I used.

I set my oven for 350 degrees and mixed everything into a bowl. Coated my 7 x 11 glass pan with Coconut Oil, poured the mix in then baked for 36 minutes. ( time will vary based on your oven )

Now for my secret weapon... Frosting! I heated the frosting up in microwave just long enough for it to be a pourable consistency ( 30 seconds to 1 minute). Now that you've safely pulled the cake out of the oven go ahead and pour the melted frosting over the cake. The cake has air pockets that will absorb 90% of the frosting down into the cake. The cake still stays moist and even more delicious. The frosting is not over powering this way.

Now if you'd like your cake a little prettier I suggest following all the steps above then letting it cool and coating it with a thin layer of frosting so you wont see any air pockets. But my husband was too anxious to wait any longer.

Results- the most delicious box Strawberry cake I've ever had.

Enjoy!

~Rayah