rushley & crew

On Friday, we were last-minute invited to this fancy gala (one of those things where it's like a million dollars/plate) because a family friend from out of town decided to buy a bunch of seats last minute (basically to just make a donation) and told my parents to invite their kids, so that is how we got invitations. We were also able to extend an invitation to Russ's sister, Lacey, and she got to bring a friend as well. Though we didn't get to sit by them during the event, we went to Lacey's after for a few hours to hang out and chat. The gala was for Mentors International , a company that goes to poor countries and finds the poorest of the poor, gives them tiny loans (we're talking like $20), and then those people are expected to build a business with that loan, repay it, and pull themselves out of poverty by doing so. So it's pretty awesome :) The event included dinner and an amazing performance by William Joseph and Nathan Pacheco . And guys. They were A...

Sugar cookies have always been more of a Christmas cookie at my house, but this year I made some for Valentine's Day because sugar cookies are pretty dang delicious so why not enjoy them more than once per year? I've had many sugar cookies in my life, but this is the only recipe I absolutely love. It's perfect! Enjoy :) Ingredients: 1/4 c. Shortening 1/4 c. Butter 1 c. Sugar 1 Egg 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract 2 2/3 c. Flour 1 tsp. Baking Powder 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda 1/2 tsp. Salt 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg 1/2 c. Sour Cream Directions: Cream together shortening, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Add sifted dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg) alternately with the sour cream. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll dough out to be 1/4 inch think. Cut into shapes and place on a greased cookie sheet with at least an inch between shapes (so they don't stick together). Bake for 5-8 minutes. Makes about 35 cookies (with about a 3-inch diameter if the ...

I didn't try cake bites until my freshman year of college--2 years ago. But since then, they have been one of my absolute favorite desserts because, well, they're delicious.  duhhh. So the other day, I was on Pinterest trying to decide what pumpkin-themed dessert to make since it's officially pumpkin-dessert-season, and I saw these Pumpkin Cake Truffles (how many times can I say "pumpkin" in one sentence?) delicious looking, right?! So I tried to make them, and this is what happened . . .  They took forever and they turned out so ugly! I didn't even do the butterscotch drizzle because I wasn't about to spend any more time on them. However, don't judge a book by its cover, and don't judge a cake bite by its chocolate covering . . . they were DELICIOUS and I'm pretty sure Russ and I have gained approximately 50 pounds in the past few days eating them. moral of the story? Don't use chocolate chips for the chocol...