Oh man, sorry I haven’t posted in such a long time!!! I’ve been busy with work and getting my life in order for the new 2015! I have some ambitious, but achievable, 2015 new year resolutions and they will only be realized if I work hard…at work! Care for some inspiration? I figure that writing it down for you will help myself as well, since these goals are currently living in my brain, but seeing it in print might make achieving these goals better!

1. Become more knowledgeable about the industry that I am in, which means attending conferences, whole heartedly listen to webinars and trainings, and really apply myself.

2. Be more responsive and conversational about topics in the industry – this means piecing together all my thoughts into a cohesive statement, or argument, and being able to respond quickly to different opinions or things being brought up. I read a lot of articles and know a lot about investments, but seriously, not nearly enough to be able to talk to the big shots. Something I am willing and able to do this year!

3. Be more active in the community – I actually developed a volunteer policy at my company, where we encourage each other to service the community at least once a year. Since my company is small, I plan to organize group volunteer events where we can participate together and have fun while doing so! I hope to inspire others to help the less fortunate by any way possible.

4. Be more active socially in this amazing city! People who have seen me recently know that I have been quite the hermit lately, and only going out when begged to – I want to change that! I would like to explore more of this city and discover new things about it, myself, the people, and the culture in it. Also, it is to meet more people who are of like mind – intellectually curious with a vast interest like myself! So excited!

5. Wear sunscreen on my face so I don’t get wrinkles.

6. Buy 2 hats – a baseball cap (or mom hat) I can wear while running errands, and a floppy hat for tea time/picnics in the park.

SO those are my new years resolutions! What are yours? I would love to know what you will be working on this year!

Ingredients (~8 servings)

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen, with personal preferences!

Crust

1 1/2- 2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (I used Trader Joe’s Honey Grahams, and used 2 packets, about 18 rectangles)

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

8 tbsp, or 1/2 cup, unsalted butter, melted

Key lime pie filling

1 1/2 tbsp, or more, grated key lime zest (I used about zest from 7 limes!)

3 egg yolks

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/4 cup fresh key lime juice*** (I used about 7 large key limes as juice) (***if you want it to be less sour, you can use about 4-5)

***Key lime pie does not require key limes! You can use bottled lime juice, lime extract, or regular limes to make it! Just make sure you have at least 2/3 cup juice!

Garnish

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp granulated sugar

Lime zest

Preheat oven to 350 deg.

1. Make the crust. I put the graham crackers into my Vitamix and ground it finely that way. Stir in granulated sugar and salt. Mix in the melted butter.

2. Press the graham cracker crust into a 9 inch pie pan.

3. Bake the crust for 10 min. in 350 deg. oven. Take out the crust to let cool while making the filling, but keep oven on.

4. Using a mixer, beat the egg yolks until the eggs look pale and creamy. It will take about 5 min on high speed.

5. Mix the condensed milk into the egg yolk mixture and beat until nice and creamy, about 3-5 min.

6. Add the lime juice and lime zest and mix until combined.

7. Pour filling into the crust.

8. Bake for 10 min. Take out the pie and let the pie cool completely before the next step.

9. Once the pie is cooled completely, whip up the heavy cream into whipped cream by mixing the sugar and cream on high until the cream becomes whipped cream! Top the pie with whipped cream. Place in fridge for at least 3 hours before serving!