2015 Recap, Part II.

This is Part II of my recap of 2015 - find Part I here.

From September through the end of the year, I felt like I was on rollercoaster plummeting down a huge drop. (Or, at least that what I imagine it felt like, since I’ve never actually been on a rollercoaster). What I mean is, life went FULL SPEED AHEAD for the last three months of the year. Erik and I attended an awesome Halloween party and dressed as Wendy Peffercorn and Squints from The Sandlot. I don’t even remember November other than moving Erik’s parents into their new house and celebrating Thanksgiving at my parents’ house.

The period of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas felt short, rushed, and overall disappointing. There were good moments, like buying our first Christmas tree and decorations for our apartment. But I didn’t do much baking like I usually do, and I didn’t really spend time with anyone except Erik’s friends for our ugly sweater party. I don’t know if it was the weather (it was super warm in November and December, so it felt more like spring) or not being in my parents’ house for the Christmas season, but I felt underwhelmed. Christmas itself, along with New Year's Eve, were low-key and I didn't feel my usual giddiness. I was also exhausted from an insane two weeks at work during this time, which didn't help with my holiday spirit.

The first week of the new year never truly feels like the new year because I’m still celebrating through to my birthday on January 8 (one week past New Year’s Day). This year was a little different in that I wasn’t celebrating my birthday in any way, other than getting some gifts from Erik. Instead, this year my youngest cousin on my mom’s side of the family got married on January 9, this past Saturday. It’s a long, somewhat crazy story, but the short version is that it was planned in three months and has been the focus of my mom’s family’s attention for that time. It was a beautiful wedding and we all had a fun time - and, if you know me at all, you know I love weddings in any capacity. For me, though, it was also a finish line. I finally felt like my year was over. My stressful time at work was over, the holidays were over, and now my birthday and the big wedding were over.

So here I am, back to life on my terms. Back to a life not filled with three-week stretches of carefully scheduled days and constant anxiety. Back to focusing my energy on what I want to be doing. One of those things, I’ve decided, is connection with people. This includes diving back into blogging and connections through blogging, because I miss it. Here's to 2016!

Christmas Wish List.

As I was crafting my Christmas(/birthday) wish list this year, I realized I was dreaming pretty big. Usually I don't want too much and all of it is moderately priced. Sure, there are always a few "reach" items - ones I don't expect but would be nice to have - but this time around those items seem to comprise my entire list. So, what do I want?

Kindle Paperwhite

(or any eReader, basically)

This is new for me, because I barely even read as it is. My thought process is that having an eReader will make it faster and easier for me to acquire and read books. This thought process could be completely incorrect, but I still want it.

 

Ridiculously adorable MacBook decor

(will accept any combination of pink, Hello Kitty, glitter, and/or Disney)

I found most of these things before I had a MacBook or even thought I would ever purchase a MacBook. So to say I want them is a total understatement. Of course I've been dreaming of having a MacBook decked out in a cute cover or decal with a colored keyboard since I knew it existed. Because that's the kind of person I am. You should know this already.

Clarisonic Mia

(in pink, obviously)

My face is not my friend. I rarely have actual acne (read: zits) any more, but my pores are always clogged. I go back and forth on this one because I don't know what will solve the problem and this seems a bit expensive (yes, even for a gift) for something that might not even work.

Various Pandora charms for my bracelet

This one's a given and I will likely receive this exact charm. Why? You can build a wish list directly on the website and send it out. This is at the top of the list and Erik is the kind of person who would pick the first one (or two) without bothering to look at the rest. (Now that I've said this, watch me end up eating my words when he picks another one.)

There are other little things I would also love to get, like all of those cute food-related gifts from Target (like the set of hot chocolate with awesome flavors or the popcorn tin!), nail polish, and money to spend on iTunes. In general, though, I tend to like surprises a lot more because I love when people find things they know I'll love without having a list to go off of.

What do you want for Christmas? Anything big?

P.S. - The winner of my Cake Pops book giveaway is Kate! Check your inbox for details, lovely.

P.P.S. - Don't forget to sign up to get a Christmas card from me (link goes directly to the form)!

Christmas Cards!

Happy Monday!

I know everyone and their mother is asking you for your mailing address for Christmas cards, so I figured, what's one more person asking you? Besides, who doesn't love a little extra snail mail?

Fill out the form below and I'll send a festive, glittery card your way.



Don't forget about my giveaway! Ends Tuesday night at 11:59EST.

Peppermint Bark.

I couldn't tell you what prompted me to make my first batch of peppermint bark. Honestly. I'm trying to figure out how I stumbled on the recipe and am coming up blank. What I do know is that it's become a hit among all my friends and family. Even Erik loves it, and he hates sweets. And now I'm going to tell you how to make it.

Spoiler alert: it's suuuuuper easy.

What you'll need:

• 1 bag of chocolate chips
• 1 bag of white chocolate or vanilla-flavored candy melts (from the craft store)
• 20ish peppermints
• Microwave-safe container or double-boiler (depending on how you want to melt the chocolate)
• 9" x 13" pan or whatever you want to put it on/in
• Something with which to crush the peppermints

I personally prefer Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips, but you can use any brand and use milk or dark, depending on your tastes. I don't advise using white chocolate chips from the grocery store because they seriously don't melt well. The candy melts are meant for melting and I don't really notice much of a taste difference. You could also use chocolate candy melts to make the whole thing easy-breezy, but I dislike the taste of milk chocolate candy melts.

Alright, step one is to unwrap those mints and double-bag them in Ziplock baggies. Then take out all of your stress and frustrations by crushing the shit out of them. My weapon of choice is this ... hammer meant for pounding out meat. (TWSS.) I suppose you can use a real hammer or maybe a rolling pin?

You want more smaller pieces than bigger ones. Basically, anything you see that you wouldn't want to bite down on, crush it. But you still want non-tooth-cracking pieces to make it look pretty. Separate it into equal parts.

Step two: melt the chocolate. I use the microwave because I'm the laziest person ever, so I throw it all in a two-cup glass measuring cup and heat it up in 30-second intervals. Make sure to stir in between and don't overcook it, because then it seizes and you can't use it.

Pour into your pan and spread evenly to the edges. Or, if you don't have a pan or don't want to use it, you can also use wax paper on a baking sheet and just spread it into a thin-ish layer. Or, be super adorable and put it into molds or cookie cutters!

Then sprinkle one half of the crushed peppermints over the top. Stick it in the fridge (or someplace cold, I've used my garage when I have no fridge space) for about fifteen minutes(?) and find something to do... like drink wine and take ridiculous iPhone selfies.

The timing is flexible; once it looks and feels really solid, you're ready for step three. But don't take it out of the fridge/garage/cold place until you're ready with the next layer. Step three is very similar to step two, except this time you're melting the white chocolate candy melts. I find that a whole bag is a little too much, so use like, three-quarters of the bag. Repeat step two - melt, pour, spread, cover in crushed peppermints, and put it back in the fridge.

At this point I usually leave it overnight. You'd probably be okay with an hour, just to make sure it's really hard (TWSS, jeez). Take it out and let it sit for five minutes, then flip it out of the pan and attempt to break it in pieces. Guys, this is the suckiest part because the peppermints hurt my hands every time. That's why I started putting it in molds.

For a variation, you can definitely reverse the order of the chocolate and put the white on the bottom - sometimes I like this better because with the small cookie cutters, when I add the hot white chocolate, the milk chocolate melts a little underneath and starts to swirl in. However, I've also seen people do a single-layer peppermint bark with just white chocolate or a milk-and-white chocolate swirl.

This is seriously the most addicting Christmas snack ever and I forget how much I love it until I make it every year. I hope you take a crack at it because it really is pretty simple and so, so yummy!

Five Things Friday: Christmas Edition.

{♥}

There is so, so much I love about Christmas, but there are a few specific things that top the list. I figured it would be fun to share my hands-down favorite things about this season.

1. Chocolate Advent calendars. You know, the cardboard kind with cheap, plastic-looking chocolate inside. This year I found out that Gertrude Hawk and Cadbury make advent calendars... for $12 a pop. What?! No thanks, I'll continue to spend a dollar or two and enjoy the taste of some no-name brand chocolate. I grew up with them and not-so-fondly remember several years where I was taking them as a follow-up to gross, liquid, non-penicillin antibiotics because I got strep every damn year. That memory aside, there was something really exciting about opening each little "door" every day and getting a piece of chocolate.
2. Light displays on houses. I love the crazy, set-to-music light displays as much as the next person, but I'm talking old school here. Whether it's a house that has every. single. square. inch. of their property covered in lights or one that did a really good job using moderation, it brings me so much happiness. When I was little, my mom would drive my brother around at night (in our PJs) and we'd "judge" the houses, pick a favorite, and drop off a pre-written letter.
3. Giving gifts. Listen. I'm going to say that thing that everyone says, but nobody believes anyone actually means it: I adore giving gifts. Do I love getting gifts? Yes, yes I do. But there is something so thrilling about finding the perfect gift and watching with anticipation as someone opens it. That being said, I think I beat Erik this year in our secret battle to buy awesome gifts for each other. I'll be sure to share once we exchange on Christmas Eve.
4. The original, animated Grinch movie. Jim Carey is the man, but the cartoon Grinch movie is the best Grinch movie there ever was, forever and ever, amen.
5. Going to the mall. This may be a side effect of growing up in New Jersey, but going to the mall at Christmastime is An Experience, and I'm not talking about the negative kind where shoppers are aggressive and angry and it makes you hate humanity. (Probably because I go during off-peak hours.) There's something I can't exactly pinpoint that makes a mall trip an integral part of my celebration of Christmas. Maybe it's the decorations, maybe it's the fact that Santa's there, maybe it's all the stores hawking gifts... maybe it's that I've been trained, through movies and TV, to connect walking through a mall with arms full of bags to be a very Christmas-y thing to do. Whatever it is, it gives me all the happy feelings when I'm strolling through the mall.

What's your favorite part about Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate? Or do you hate this time of year?

Snail Mail Love.

{♥}

I'm baaaaaack!

December - and the holiday season in general - is one of my favorite times of the year. I thrive in the celebratory spirit, the sappy sentimental music, and of course, the glitter and sparkles. So what better time to make another attempt to make a comeback!

Today we're talking snail mail, both for others and for you! This year, like last year, I'm participating in something called 12 Days of Love Letter Writing. It's a special project that's part of More Love Letters, a website that focuses on leaving little notes of encouragement out in the world and sending snail mail to some people who need it most.

Every month, there's a request for a certain someone who's going through a rough time. Everyone who wants to participate mails their letters in to the website's P.O. box, where the letters are sorted and collected into bundles. The 12 Days project is a little more hardcore: twelve days, twelve separate bundles, twelve calls to action for twelve special people.

You have no obligation to write for all twelve bundles - last year, I wrote four or five. I want to encourage all of you to participate, especially if you love sending snail mail! It's so fun and rewarding to write notes to people who need the extra boost. Visit More Love Letters or their Facebook event page for more details and to sign up!

And now onto the goodies for you: if you want some pretty mail in your real-life, non-virtual inbox this years, fill out the form below for a holiday card from me!

Christmas Recap.

My Christmas was chaotic, but wonderful in every way.

The festivities began with a family party at my house on Saturday afternoon. It was quiet and relaxed, which is preferable because the following day is usually buzzing with excitement. We sat around chatting, taking pictures, and preparing a yummy dinner including – my favorite – kielbasa.

Dessert followed up dinner and included my favorite sprinkle cookies from the bakery in my parents’ hometown, where my aunt and grandparents still live. At that point the rest of the family – my uncle and his family – joined us with three more plates of dessert, including my aunt’s famous cream puffs. Holy sugar overload, batman.

Despite planning to leave for Erik’s house by 7pm, I didn’t pull out of the driveway until 9pm. The drive flew by and the next thing I knew, I was reunited with my love after more than a week apart (which sounds like nothing, but when you normally see one another twice a week, that’s a long time). Once I settled in, we exchanged gifts, cuddled while watching TV, and then fell asleep.

Morning came quickly and I was very excited to wake up, as evidenced by the fact that I was up at 9:30 and had to wait (almost like a little kid) until Erik decided to get out of bed at 10:30. Everyone had a delicious breakfast; I had cereal because I can’t eat a lot in the morning. Then we settled around the tree and I played Santa and handed out gifts. After that I was on my way out the door and heading home to quickly shower, get ready, and put together a brownie trifle for our second family party. It took longer than I expected – I’d taken a half-hour head start from Erik and when he arrived, I was still not dressed – but luckily my hair and makeup don’t take long.

 Seventeen people for dinner = one long table & disposable plates.

We arrived at my aunt’s house with plenty of time until dinner. I had time to breathe as I helped with dinner preparations and then we all sat down to another delicious meal. Then it was time for pictures and gifts!

Me and Lynds. Best friends!

Erik and I, yay!

All of the 'kids' - me and my cousins, along with Erik and family friend, Brian.
 

The rest of the evening was spent catching up with family members and noshing on a huge variety of desserts. We – Erik, me, and my brother – ended up staying last and having a three-hour chat with my aunt and cousins over various family issues. It was exhausting and a bit emotionally draining; when we arrived home, I was in a poor mood and thankfully Erik was here to comfort me.

It was such a fabulous weekend. I saw almost all of my family, got to spend time with Erik’s family, and spent the entirety of Christmas Day with Erik. I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas.

Christmas Haul.

While I finish up the recap of my fabulous Christmas weekend, today I'll be sharing a few pictures of all the goodies I got this year! To me, showing off my gifts is proof that I was excited and grateful to receive them. It’s like a great big thank-you note!

My very first gift was from Melissa a week ago – a pretty necklace that came in a cute little box. (She also brought cookies for my family, which were super delish.)

Since I missed out on my family’s Christmas Eve gift exchange, my next set of gifts were from Erik, and he did a good job shopping for me. I got a Rangers sweatshirt to wear to the game we’re attending in January(!), a pair of earrings I was lusting after, and a gift card to Victoria’s Secret.

My favorite part? The tie in the front is criss-crossed like hockey jerseys are.

 

 

I'm not lying to you when I tell you these match my eyes exactly. Love them.

Christmas morning was spent with Erik’s family, which meant swapping with Natalie. She knows me so well – I got sour gummy worms and a Starbucks gift card. Now I can buy lattes guilt-free! Plus, I was super surprised to find a gift from his family under the tree for me, containing a perfume set.

In between the morning’s celebrations and my family party, I unwrapped my gifts from my parents on my own (they were already out at the party). I did pretty well – an Erin Condren planner; the same earrings Erik got me (I did not expect my mother to buy them for me); a scarf; feather earrings; a calendar; the last two Harry Potter DVDs; and a buttload of candy.

 

My new scarf & earrings.

At my aunt’s house, I’m pretty sure I freaked out at every gift I received. My cousin Clancy made DVDs of all the footage she’s video taped at our family gatherings* and also got me cute knee socks, candy and nail polish. Lynds got me Hello Kitty pajamas and a necklace, about which I was the most excited. My aunt gifted me a satchel-type purse, which I really wanted because sometimes lugging around my big purse is too much.

 

I can’t help but get excited about receiving gifts, but I was also just as excited to watch everyone open the gifts I got for them. It’s one of my favorite parts of Christmas.

What was your favorite gift from Christmas? What was the best gift you gave this year?

* Clancy is the younger sister of my cousin who was in the Navy and lived in California. She would carry a video camera around to record all of our family gatherings and send them off to him. I asked her a few times if we could get copies and she was finally able to get them on DVDs!

Merry Christmas!

 

{close-up of the lights on our tree; photo by me}

Christmastime is my favorite part of the year. My personal holiday season starts with Thanksgiving and ends with my birthday (January 8th, mark your calendars!) and is filled with so many things that I love.

Thinking up gifts. Shopping for those gifts or the supplies to make them. Baking endless amounts of cookies and making peppermint bark. Wrapping everything up in pretty wrapping paper or packages. Decorating the house from top to bottom. Blasting Christmas music at all hours. Seeing the Christmas lights lit up while driving at night. Drinking hot chocolate and peppermint mochas. Wearing a Santa hat while partaking in any and all holiday activities – this includes cleaning the house for company. Planning and baking desserts with my cousin for Christmas day. Picking out cute outfits.

Most importantly, of course, is spending time with friends and family. It’s the perfect time to show my love, both through gifts/baked goods and more personal interaction. My birthday is also included here because – and here’s the only plus of a winter birthday – all of my friends are usually free to get together because people are on break. I spend most of the year making plans with friends individually, so to have everyone in the same room for a night is really special.

And last year, this time of year got even better because it was when my relationship with Erik was just beginning. (It literally spanned my whole holiday season: he asked for my number on Thanksgiving weekend and we became an official couple three days before my birthday. Coincidence? I think not.) It’s been really fun to look back on those memories and it just supplements this season with an extra something special.

Today I'm getting together with Lynds to bake for Christmas, watch a movie, and sip on wine. Tomorrow will be a party with my mom's side of the family, and as soon as I take my last bite of dessert, I'm driving to Erik's house to spend the rest of the evening and Christmas morning with him and his family. On Sunday we'll both be driving back here, then over to my aunt's for the second party with my dad's side of the family. It promises to be an exciting weekend.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! Have a wonderful weekend.

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Treats.

Cookie Week: Snickerdoodles!

When I heard that Erin would be hosting a feature about cookies this week, I knew right away I'd be participating. It's the week before Christmas, which means that I go into Baking Overload. Hop on over to Erin's blog, The Speckled Palate, today and every day this week to find a collection of awesome cookie recipes!

Today I'll be sharing a recipe for snickerdoodles, which is a new favorite of mine. Here's the recipe card (I'll also be typing it up for you at the end of this post).

This recipe is from my ex-boyfriend's siblings. They all loved to bake in that house, which meant in that aspect, I fit right in. Here's what you'll need... and preheat your oven to 375 while you find everything.

You don't need a stand mixer; a hand mixer will also suffice. I don't know if you can swing mixing it by hand because the dough gets a little thick at the end. But, you can try! Otherwise you need flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, ground cinnamon, an egg, a stick of butter, vanilla extract, and sugar.

I like to mix dry ingredients first. That'll be the flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda.

Oh, and the cinnamon. It's my secret ingredient - I just add a few dashes in with the dry ingredient mix.

In another bowl (or your stand mixer bowl), combine the wet ingredients: butter, egg, sugar, and vanilla extract. You'll want the butter to be softened - if you think of it ahead of time, leave it out for a while before you start. Otherwise, my trick is to nuke it in the microwave for 10 or 15 seconds on a 50% power level. (If your microwave doesn't have 50% power level, I'd suggest nuking it for 5 second intervals, checking on it in between. You don't want it melted, just soft and mixable.)

Mix those up until they're kinda creamy - it won't be completely smooth, but don't worry, it's supposed to look that way. Here's a reference.

After that, add the dry ingredients slowly. Dump a little bit in at a time and mix slowly so that flour doesn't fly everywhere. Once you've added it all, mix until everything's completely combined. The dough will be pretty thick - it should stick together and to your mixer.

One more thing you'll need before you put these on baking sheets: cinnamon sugar. The ratio is two parts sugar, one part cinnamon; make more or less depending on how many batches you're making. Usually a teaspoon of cinnamon and two of sugar suffices. Blend them together with your fingers.

Almost time for baking! Roll the dough into quarter-sized balls (I used to make them bigger but tried this size for this year and loved the size of the final product!).

Roll the dough balls around the plate of cinnamon sugar until their coated on all sides. Sometimes the dough is too soft or your hands are too warm, resulting in the dough sticking to your hands. If this is happening, pop the dough in the fridge for fifteen minutes and come back to it.

Put them on ungreased baking sheets about an inch apart. Be careful when you go to pick up the baking sheets - since they're coated in the sugar mixture, they'll slide out of position if the tray is tilted. Pop them in the oven and bake them for 10 to 12 minutes. (I find that 11 minutes is the perfect number for me, but our oven is small and yours may vary.)

You'll know their done when the tops have crackled a bit (it was hard to get a picture of that) and the bottom edges just start to brown. In the oven and when you first take them out, they'll be a bit puffed up...

...but once they cool, they should flatten out and look completely delicious.

(Although sometimes, because my oven is small, the batch on the lower rack doesn't flatten out as nicely. They're a bit lumpier, but just as delicious, I promise.)

So there you have it! This should make about two dozen cookies, though it really depends on how big you make them. Once they've completely cooled, eat them or store in an air-tight container so they stay soft. If you don't, they'll get harder and crisper... of course, if you prefer that to soft cookies, go right ahead and leave them out on a plate!

Kim & Steven's Snickerdoodle Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter, softened (1 stick)
1 cup of sugar, plus 2 tsp. for coating
1 egg
1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup of flour
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
A few dashes of ground cinnamon, plus 1 tsp. for coating

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In one bowl, mix together dry ingredients (flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon).
3. In another bowl (or mixer bowl), combine wet ingredients (butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract). Beat until combined and somewhat creamy.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones slowly, in about three or four parts.
5. On a small plate, combine the sugar and cinnamon set aside for the coating; mix together thoroughly.
6. Roll dough into quarter-sized balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar mix.
7. Place on ungreased baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for a minute or two before removing them from the tray.