New Blog Series!

I am happy to announce that I will be writing some new blog series! There will be an article featuring a person, place or thing for each title listed. If you miss a feature, check under the "labels" at the bottom right side of this blog. Details are as follows:

• MissIceTee's Kitchen - recipes, pictures and food items that I have cooked or baked
• Community Spotlight - people who are volunteering or helping out in their community in a great way
• Aspiring Entrepreneur's/Professionals - interview with up and coming career professionals
• Discovering Websites - interesting or notable websites
• Buy Handmade - beautiful arts, crafts, and handmade items up for sale
• The Book Shelf - books and magazines that I review, read or would like to read
• Places to See - reviews of places I have visited or destinations I would like to visit
• Movie & TV Moments - movies and TV moments that inspire us!
• Loving the Lyrics - words to songs that speak to your heart
• Dynamic Discussions - like to debate? Leave a comment on these posts
• MissIceTee's Giveaways - I will be giving away prizes such as gift cards, cash and more throughout the year to active blog followers! Details for each contest will be available as I announce them.

If you know a person or place that can be featured in a series, please let me know! Stay uplifted ~

Bavarian Apple Torte

I have not made a cheesecake in a couple of years! Last week I made this for a coworker and ended up making 2 more - one for Mom and one for Me. It was delicious! I highly recommend it, especially if you love apples. I can't remember which cookbook I got this recipe from 3 or 4 years ago but when I find it, I will post it as the source. Happy Eating!

Bavarian Apple Torte

Crust

¾ cup  butter or margarine, softened

½ cup  sugar

1½ cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling

2 packages cream cheese (8oz) softened

¼ cup sugar

2 eggs

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

3 cups thinly sliced peeled apples - wedge shaped (preferably tart apples)

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the first four ingredients. Press unto the bottom of an ungreased 9” inch springform pan.  In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Pour over the crust. Combine topping ingredients; spoon over filling.

Bake at 350º for 55-65 minutes or until center is set. Cool on a wire rack. Store in refrigerator. Cut into wedges with a serrated knife. Serving size 12-14.

**Note: Even a tight-fitting springform pan may leak. To prevent drips, place the pan on a baking sheet in the oven. 

Resizing Header Photo

After a lot of trial and error, I finally got the header photo to fit the width of the blog! I have no clue why this task is difficult on this blog. This is what I did:

1. Go to www.resize.it - if you have any other photo resizing website or software you still should be able to use it
2. Advanced Tools
3. I used 200 height and 970 width; sharpen - yes; jpeg - yes; 90 left; okay
4. Shift and left mouse button to resize image; crop it
5. Save image as
6. Reupload the photo to Blogger; uncheck "shrink to fit"; save; preview blog to see if it worked

Hope this helps! (The image in this post does not represent any software I used, its just a graphic)

Happy New Year!

Hi, everyone! Hope you are having a great New Years so far! Did you make any goals, resolutions or list of things you would like to accomplish in 2011? Well, I have. It's a pretty short list which will help me get it done quicker..hopefully! 

My first and immediate goal for 2011 is to study and receive a CompTIA A+ certification. I started studying the last week in December and am aiming to finish and sit for the exams at the end of January. It's fast approaching! My older brother is holding me accountable! This means I definitely have to step it up...eekkkk. My second goal is to plan and pay for a trip to Italy! Yay! So, excited about that! I also will be graduating with a Bachelors degree =). So, hopefully we stay on track with our goals throughout the year. Best of luck if you have some of your own!

In 2011, I hope to post more often. I want to add more inspiring stories, recipes,  good book reviews and suggestions, and any other good stuff that's worth mentioning! So stay tuned and stay uplifted!