Super Jam Packed Weekend!

Welcome Back!

It's been a while since I've done a little recap of my weekend..I think since summer!? I figured this was a good weekend to recap since it was jam packed and a fun and eventful one.

 My cousin Kelsey came up for the weekend to visit from Penn State. She'll also be back up next month for her spring break aaaaaaand.....21ST BIRTHDAY! I can't wait to celebrate with her for that. The fact that she's almost 21 blows my mind...really where does the time go!?

Let's jump into the recap...

Friday night:

I started the night continuing to watch Shameless on Netflix (thanks, Alecia) and drank wine...duh. Kelsey came over a little later and we played with the VR. I was able to catch a few videos of Kelsey in another world. She punched our chandelier she was so into the game!

After playing some VR, we played Fibbage and then Just Dance. Preeetty sure we haven't played Just Dance in a couple years. I forgot that after each song there is a video recap of us. How on earth Benson always scored higher than me, I'll never know. It's safe to say however that Kelsey was the Just Dance queen.


Saturday:

I woke up and went to the gym and then came home to shower and get ready. We had plans to go to Lovin Cup for lunch with Chelsea and Kelsey. I'll be the first to admit that once I find something I love at a restaurant, it's almost impossible for me to get something different. I stuck with my usual "Hot For Teacher" panini and it did not disappoint.

After lunch we stopped by Barnes and Noble quick so I could buy Chrissy Teigen's cookbook Cravings. I am SO excited about this cookbook! There are a ton of delicious recipes that I'm having trouble deciding what to make first. If anyone has any recommendations, send them my way!

Later in the day we all went to my grandma and grandpa's for dinner with my mom, aunt and uncle, and Kelsey (Benson too of course! He's just automatically included in everything). If there's one thing you should know about my family, it's that there is never a dull moment with us. I'm a very family oriented person so I always enjoy dinner with them. We even called my dad after dinner so he could talk to all of us. Miss you dad!

The night ended with us playing the game "Basket Head" - which is as simple as it sounds. You wear a basket on your head and everyone else throw ping pong balls at you to make it in the basket. Like I said - my family is far from boring!

Sunday:

Who doesn't love starting  off the morning with donuts!? On Sunday morning Kelsey and I ventured out to Ridge Donut Cafe to get a half dozen donuts as well as one for each of us to eat there to do a little taste testing for Alecia's bridal shower. Hey, if she wants donuts I need to make sure that they're top notch. Kelsey and I each got a red velvet donut which was very good. In my half dozen, I also picked coconut, PB&J, glaze, red velvet, cream, and apple crunch. PSA - I took a bite of the PB&J one.....DELICIOUS!

After our donut run we went out with Benson to get ingredients for his super bowl dish which was Shakshuka. We originally had this recipe in one of our Blue Apron boxes and it was a hit. One of the things I love about Benson is that he is a very good cook! He likes working with out of the box ingredients and stepping out of his comfort zone when it comes to cooking. It came out great!

Before the Super Bowl, my grandma, Kelsey and I went to the movies to see "Hidden Figures". If you're deciding which movie to see next, go see that one! We all loved it!

Of course the weekend ended with my family at Aunt Susie & Uncle Tom's to watch the Super Bowl....and eat...a lot! There was sushi, guac, soup, sandwiches, wings, cheese, wine, ice cream and cookies. Why oh why I decided to schedule my annual physical the morning after is beyond me.

P.S - If you're local and watched the Super Bowl, Benson worked on those U of R commercials that aired! #proudwife. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Bachelorette and Showers, Oh My!

Happy hump day!  Today's post is going to be a little insight on my take of the planning so far of my best friend's shower and bachelorette.

Alecia and I have been best friends since middle school. She is honestly more like a sister to me than a best friend. We have been in each others lives for so many years and I could not be more honored to be her matron of honor on her wedding day! She and Nick are absolutely perfect for each other so needless to say, she deserves a more than perfect shower and bachelorette!

I have not been in this full-force planning mode since my own wedding. There are so many fun things to be happening in 2017 that I thought I would share in a blog post of the things I'm most excited about for Alecia's shower and bachelorette party. Don't worry Alecia, I won't be confessing all my detailed plans since I do want this to be a surprise for you, but I figured I would share some of my thoughts and maybe get some more inspiration from others since I want things to be absolutely perfect!

I'll start with shower planning....

We rented a space which is sort of like a community center to have the shower at. I highly recommend looking at booking a shower at one of these types of locations because you can't beat the prices, and you usually get the building for a whole day. Plus where we are having the shower, there is a HUGE kitchen so we can store food, ice, and drinks.

Donuts. Do I really need to even explain more than that? For the shower (and yes, she already knows this) we are doing donuts as the dessert. There are so many Pinterest pictures that give me inspiration on how to go about with this and I'm super excited to see how things turn out. I've already contacted some bakeries to get quotes and I have a feeling this donut display is going to be a hit!

Catering. Wegmans does GREAT catering. For my own bridal shower, we had salads, wraps, and snacks all catered by Wegmans. Even at my job for events that we want to book out of house we always go with Wegmans. There are so many different options to choose from that they literally have anything you could want. Plus they have a quick turn around so booking is never an issue.

BACHELORETTE.

This is going to be fun ;)

Many of the girls are out of town. Ok, well really all of them except for me. Even Alecia is out of town! So we decided to make it a bachelorette weekend.

For this bachelorette weekend, we're renting a house that will fit all of us for a fun filled and memorable "last fling before the ring". There will probably be around 10-12 of us so we needed a space to hold all of us that had enough beds, bathrooms (duh), and general space so we can all hang out together.

If you haven't been on a pedal tour yet, I HIGHLY suggest changing that ASAP. I went on one in Buffalo for my friend Camille's birthday and it was a blast. Although I have to admit, I'm not sure if I'm biased because I ended up in the lucky seat in the back that had no pedals so I didn't have to even lift a finger to get our cart moving ;) But needless to say, we are booking one for the Saturday of the bachelorette weekend. Fun fact: I'm not a beer person....which you can probably already tell from the title of my blog but I always find something to drink on these tours. Whether it be cider, mixed drinks, or a fruit flavored beer, it's always good and always a fun time.

Of course there are other surprises up my sleeve, but that's the beginning of what is planned. I still have a few months to get the details ready such as favors, games, and things like that. If you have experience planning a shower or bachelorette, I'd love to hear your ideas! I'm so excited to plan these events and I cannot wait to have the best weekend ever because let's be honest....#ITSGOINGBROWNFORREAL.

New Year New Resolutions

I honestly cannot believe that it's already 2017. 2016 came and went in a flash I feel like! 2016 was a good year for me and 2017 has some fun things in store as well.

For today's post I thought I'd share my resolutions. I've never been a resolution kind of person but this year I figured why not. These resolutions have been "goals" I've been wanting to work on but never really put the effort into. Since it's the start of a new year I feel like it's the perfect time to stop making excuses. Here are my 4 resolutions for 2017:



1.) Drink more water

I am HORRIBLE at this. I only drink when I'm thirsty and by that point I hear you're already screwed because it means you're dehydrated. My mom got me a super cute tumbler to keep drinks cold throughout the day so I'm putting that to good use as I type this. Plus drinking water throughout the day has so many benefits that I feel like I'm neglecting my body by not doing this simple task. Only downfall = peeing 3894738 times a day.

2.) Read more

I actually enjoy reading! My favorite genre are mysteries and thrillers. I would like to set a goal to read at least one book per month. My other goal in this one is to not have late fees on my books too...oopsies ;) If you have any good book recommendations, send them my way!

3.) Use my phone less

I'll be the first to admit that I'm addicted to my phone. I was thinking the other day how now everyone is so glued to their phones and I catch myself scrolling through Facebook or Instagram more times a day than I can count. I feel like I'm missing on what's going on right in front of me! I know this one will be hard especially since my music, recipes, shopping accounts and more are used everyday as well. Hopefully I can lure myself away from "mindless" phone usage!

4.) Be more organized

I am kind of a slob to live with (sorry, Benson!). My last goal is to take a few extra minutes each day and tidy up an area whether it be the bathroom counter to clean up the fur ball of hair that's left everyday, kitchen sink, coffee table or bedroom. If anyone has any good cleaning/organizing hacks let me know. I know this goal will be a constant battle for me.

There you go! Now that I have typed out my resolutions I'm hoping it holds me even more accountable.

Pinterest Made Me Do It #2

Happy hump day! Today's post is the second post of my Pinterest Made Me Do It series. This one is so exciting because it's perfect for the holiday season...a chocolate chip peppermint bark cheesecake! Oh my!

I made this decadent dessert for when we had Amanda and Nick over. Also - Amanda has finally launched her food blog and you should totally go check it out. One of the recipes featured in her blog is an artichoke dip that she brought over and it was to die for! You can't go wrong with any of her recipes :) https://shesaidfood.com


Now let's get into the cheesecake. This was my first time making a cheesecake so I was slightly (ok VERY) intimidated. First things first is the spring form pan. Luckily my mom had one she doesn't use so she gave me hers....THANKS MOM! :)

Here are the ingredients...

Oreo Crust:
24 Oreos
5 Tablespoons unsalted melted butter

Cheesecake Filling:

4 - 8oz cream cheese softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
3 eggs
peppermint bark chopped into small pieces
1 cup chocolate chips

White Chocolate Ganache:
5.5 oz high quality white chocolate finely chopped (I used Ghirardelli)
1/2 cup heavy cream

Garnish:
Whipped cream
Crushed candy canes
Dark chocolate shavings

To make the crust:
1. Grease the spring form pan
2. Combine finely crushed Oreo's and melted butter. Then press evenly into the spring form pan and set in fridge while making the filling.

To make the filling:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Once smooth beat in sour cream, flour, salt, and the extracts
3. Add in eggs one at a time on low speed until mixed
4. Add chopped peppermint bark and chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon flour
5. Once mixture in combined pour into spring form pan
6. Place the spring form pan on a roasting pan with 1 inch of water in the roasting pan
7. Reduce oven temp to 325 and bake for 70-90 minutes (Mine took closer to 90)
8. Once cheesecake is cooked, turn off oven and let set in oven for 30 more minutes
9. Cool cheesecake on a rack and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight

To make the ganache:
1. Bring heavy cream to just a boil and pour over white chocolate.
2. Stir until melted and smooth. Let cool then pour over cheesecake
3. Once the ganache is set, garnish with whipped cream, crushed candy canes, and chocolate shavings

This cheesecake was amazing and not as intimidating as I originally thought (Thank God!). I love peppermint bark during the holiday season so this hit the spot for sure.

Hope you enjoyed my Pinterest Made Me Do It #2! :)

What I'm Loving Friday #8

Happy Friday! I haven't shared a "What I'm Loving' post in a few weeks which means it's way overdue. I do have some fun things to share this week so let's get right into it shall we?

                                                             1.) Old Navy Pajamas

I went Christmas shopping with my mom last weekend (and may have picked up these pj's for myself!). They are SO COMFY. I love the gray and white pattern. Benson made fun of me because it's a lot of gray and looks like you're wearing a onsie but guess what....I love them! 

2.) Because of a Case Cellphone Case

This is one of my Christmas presents! And I maaaaay have already opened it and put it on my phone...oopsies. Anyways, this case is gorgeous and for a good cause! 10% of sales go to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America AND it's on sale right now! I wish I had waited to get it. I paid $24.99 for mine but right now you can get it for $18.74. I've already gotten a lot of compliments on it. 

3.) Christmas Decorating

This is the first year Benson and I have gotten a tree! Our last 2 Christmas' we were in a smaller apartment and really didn't have room. This year we were able to go and get one and I could not be more happy! P.S. Colored lights are the way to go ;)

4.) Krispy Kreme Donuts

YOU GUYS. I have not had Krispy Kreme donuts in seriously like 12 years? This week at work we were surprised with a dozen glorious glazed donuts from the RIT Hospitality department for giving students a tour. We received these on Monday and they were gone by Thursday. #noshame. I remember when we use to have Krispy Kreme and if the light was on you could go in and get a free glazed donut. Those were the days! My favorite donut from Krispy Kreme was the glazed donut with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles. If you live by a Krispy Kreme, know that I am jealous. 

5.) Plans over the weekend

We have some fun plans coming up this weekend! Tonight I will be baking a dessert for our get together with Amanda & Nick at our place tomorrow and it will be featured in my next "Pinterest Made Me Do It" post! Fingers crossed it comes out well. I say I'm making to tonight so it can set but really I'm also thinking that I want to make it tonight because then if it turns out bad I have tomorrow during the day to come up with a plan B! Then on Sunday we are taking a little family trip to Skineateles. Should be fun! 

Check back here next week for my next Pinterest post and more! Have a good weekend everyone :)

Pinterest Made Me Do It

It's a new series! Welcome back to my blog. I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving as well as some relaxing days off.

Over the weekend I was thinking of what I wanted to plan for my blog in the upcoming weeks. I was making my grocery list while looking on Pinterest and of course pinned SO many holiday treats, crafts, and more. Since I was heading to the grocery store anyways I decided to pick up ingredients to make on of the things I pinned. That's when I thought of doing a series called "Pinterest Made Me Do It." Like I said, this series will include not just food but also crafts - maybe fashion looks? We'll see with that one but definitely food and DIY!

I decided to start with something that wasn't too overwhelming. My first recipe in this series is a Loaded Cookie Bar.

This recipe is by no means healthy (obviously) BUT it's delicious and a little goes a long way. It's loaded with mini chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and m&m's - oh my! This is a perfect dessert to bring to a holiday party, cookie swap, or just to make for your family!

Let's start off with prep and ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9 x 13 baking sheet.

The ingredients you'll need are:

• 2 sticks of butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of M&M's , plus more for topping
• 1 cup of mini chocolate chips, plus more for topping
• 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips

1.) In a mixing bowl, beat butter and both sugars until fluffy.

2.) Add in eggs, and vanilla while continuing to beat

3.) Lower the speed of the mixer and add in flour, baking soda, and salt - mixing until combined

4.) Add in M&M's, and mini chocolate chips (saving a little to top it off) and reserving the white chocolate chips to add on top as well. 

5.) Transfer dough to greased baking dish and press remaining M&M's and white chocolate chips on top. 

6.) Bake for about 35 minutes or until golden brown

And there you have it! My first Pinterest Made Me Do It project...and it's delicious! This one is definitely a thumbs up in my book. Only thing that would have made it better is if Wegmans had plain Christmas colored M&M's! Or maybe they did and I didn't notice but either way this still came out amazing and definitely rich! If you have a sweet tooth like me, these will blow your mind. 

Be sure to let me know if you make these too! Be on the lookout for my next "Pinterest Made Me Do It" post! These are fun :) 

Waking Up with The Skimm

Hello everyone! Long time no see! Is it just me or can you not believe that Thanksgiving is TOMORROW!? I sure can't! Hope you all have some exciting plans coming up. Mine will include going to not one but two Thanksgiving's - Benson's family first and mine later! I have to say that our family plans could not have worked out better. His family likes to do dinner early in the afternoon and my family eats around 6 or so. I love that we're able to spend the holiday with both sides and that we all live so close. Can't wait for my grandma's stuffing (which is the best part of the Thanksgiving meal if I do say so myself!)

For today's post, I wanted to share one of my must-have's every weekday morning which is The Skimm.

Just what is The Skimm? It's a newsletter that's delivered to your inbox every weekday (mine comes in at around 6:30 in the morning) that covers the most recent news broken down into easy to understand and witty paragraphs! I love that I can stay up to date on everything that's going on and it actually makes me enjoy reading the news. It's no more than a 10 minute read so it's perfect to read on your way to work, while you have your morning coffee, and get ready! 

I've been reading The Skimm for about 2-3 years now and have been a Skimm'bassador for a year. A Skimm'bassador is someone who has gotten at least 10 people to sign up for The Skimm using your unique link (see mine below!). Once you have at least 10 people, you're sent a cute tote and officially added to the Skimm'bassador Facebook group and LinkedIn page. They have milestones for different referral counts that include a t-shirt, wine glass, umbrella, cellphone case, apparel and more. I love being a Skimm'bassador and connecting with others in The Skimm community! It's a great way to get involved and connect with people who have similar interests as you. 

Another great reason to sign up for The Skimm is that they do frequent giveaways! By sharing your link and having people sign up you're then entered into their giveaways which have included gift cards, aparrel, TV's and more. 

Lastly, there's an app called Skimm Ahead which is a subscription service ($2.99 per month) and syncs to your phone's calendar that include's events coming up such as sports games, Netflix releases, concert tickets, show specials and everything in between. It's extremely convenient and I love being on top of the things that interest me!  

I highly recommend signing up for The Skimm. It's free and I look forward to getting mine each morning before I go to work. :)

Go sign up for The Skimm and let me know what you think!! (copy and paste link into your browser)

https://www.theskimm.com/?r=31AJK

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!!