Thursday Things

1)     Whenever I finish a workout I’m always torn – do I jump in the shower right away and just get it over with or do I eat something first? There are pros and cons to both decisions, and I legitimately pathetically struggle over it! If I shower before I eat then I’m absolutely ravenous by the time I get around to eating and I typically try to eat some protein within 30 minutes of finishing my workout. BUT, if I don’t shower right away and eat a leisurely breakfast and make coffee and start dinking around on my laptop, I get too comfy and lazy and don’t want to get out of my workout clothes; dry, disgusting sweat not withstanding.

2)     I feel like a legitimate cook when I’ve got “battle wounds.” Like the burn on my forearm from a wayward cake pan. During the entire summer I never once burned myself at the bakery, and now, at school, I burn myself. Go figure.

3)     I am digging the song “Forever Young” by Bob Dylan. In part, because it’s Bob Dylan. And in another part, because it’s the theme for Parenthood. Color me obsessed.

4)     Supposedly, the new issue of Food Network Magazine is a double issue devoted to the holidays. I wouldn’t know for certain though because my issue hasn’t come in the mail yet! But my family got theirs back home. I check my mailbox every time I walk in or out of my building in the hopes that the magazine fairy has delivered it. No dice. This is a hard way to learn the value of patience. I’m going nuts here.

5)     Sweatpants work just as good as napkins when you're in a bind. Just FYI.

6)     I love the smell of new Vibrams on a cool autumn day.

7)     Too many of my sentences start with “I was looking at/browsing/on Pinterest and saw…”

8)     These pretzels? Ridonkulus.

9)   This weekend was a weekend of sandwiches. Not only did I have an absolutely delicious caprese grilled cheese but I also had this beauty, dubbed “Taking Care of Business.” And I took care of it. Fo sho.

10)   It was also the weekend of care packages. Thank you Sam and Emily, I adore the packages! And the two of you!

11)   Numbers 1, 6, and 8…I can’t even deal. 

Salted Caramel and Pumpkin Smashing S'mores

I’m sorry. I’ve been slacking lately. And I wish I could tell you why.

I’m normally a very punctual person. Possibly annoyingly so. I’m 10 minutes early to work, I’m always waiting on my friends to be ready to leave, I sit in the front of class by choice – getting there before majority of my classmates to pick my ideal seat (all pathetic and all true). 

And this treat right here? I’ve only been wanting to share it with y’all since the spring! Like, I thought of it in May during my history class (notes? Who takes notes?) and patiently waited until fall to bust it out. I mean, it’s pumpkin, caramel, spicy goodness. Basically the epitome of this glorious season.

And yet, I sat on this recipe. I stalled and waited and put it off and waited some more. I managed to share a pic on Instagram weeks ago, but that’s as far as I got…that, and eating all of these lovelies in 2.6 days. I am shamefully late in sharing these Salted Caramel Pumpkin Smashing S’mores. I kept the beautiful combination of pumpkin graham crackers, salted caramel swirled marshmallows, and sweet white chocolate coating all to myself. And for that, I am sorry.

Tea Time

Help me understand something. Help me understand why people don’t like the taste of water. My older sister is one of these weirdos. She claims to detest the taste of water and rarely, if ever, drinks it. I think she’s nuts. I mean, it’s water…so it tastes like water. Which is fine by me, I like water. Usually.

Until this past week when I got sick and my taste buds went all wonky, as they’re prone to do when I’m sick. I also didn’t have much of an appetite for a few days so I was totally thrown off balance. Just wandering through life in a Nyquil induced stupor.

Tea helped with that. It warmed me up (even though I finally have heat!), kept me hydrated, and was just all around soothing. 

Thursday Things

1)     333 Reasons Why Being A 90's Girl Rocked Our Jellies Off?!?! I want to shout a resounding "YES!" to every item on this list.

2)     With school, work, and other duties starting to get the best of me my stress level is rising. I really needed this little reminder from my tea this morning.

3)     After being sick for a week it was SO great to get an intense workout in this morning. I’ve been resigned to only yoga the past few days because my sinuses and muscles couldn’t handle much else. Actually feeling the endorphin rush post-workout just makes me all the more excited for my next sweat session.

4)     Please tell me you watched Modern Family yesterday! That was an hour of pure gold. Easily two of the best episodes the series has produced.

5)     My hands are already feeling the effects of the drop in temperature. They’re starting to crack and be super dry and gross…can’t wait to see what winter brings!

6)     I enjoyed this beauty for breakfast on Tuesday. Best $2 I’ve spent in awhile.

7)     How did I just find out about this?! I’m going to stockpile this in my freezer. And buy more elastic waist pants and flowy tops.

8)     Planning on seeing Hotel Transylvania with a friend this weekend and I cannot wait. This movie is soooooo far up my alley.

8.5)  P.S. – I totally spelled Transylvania right on the first try and without spell check! It’s the little things people.

9)     Which means I’m probably going to end up watching this movie and this movie this weekend too.

10)    But maybe not since, MY DAD IS COMING TO VISIT ON SATURDAY! I’m pretty excited about that.

11)    I have an unnatural affection for cornbread. Even though I don’t eat or make it often. But I just LOVE the stuff. When I do make it I will literally eat the whole pan if given an ample supply of honey and butter. Needless to say, this make-your-own cornbread mix is going to be happening soon.

12)    Scarves.net Yes, it’s a thing. Yes, they’re having a sale. You have been warned.

13)    I’m one of the biggest proponents of Fall. And all the stereotypes that it encompasses. The Onion found the perfect man for me (too bad he's technically taken).

Salted Caramel Swirled Marshmallows

My mom has always stressed to me the importance of spraying pans. Always. When I was first starting to bake this was the single most difficult thing for me to remember.

Far too many times, I would be pouring brownie batter (from my favorite boxed mix…because a 15-year-old newbie foodie knows no better. And boxed brownies are delicious) into a pan only to have my mom walk up behind me and say, “Did you remember to spray the pan?”

No. No, I did not.

The situation then went one of two ways. I would either 1) pour the batter back into the bowl and wash, dry, and then (finally) spray the pan and return the batter to it’s rightful place. Or 2) I’d tell myself I didn’t really need to spray the pan. It’s just a suggestion. A gimmick to get me to use one more product I don’t really need. The brownies would be fine.

I was an idiot. 

Candied Ginger Scones

You know that episode of The Office where Michael burns his foot on a George Foreman Grill? I fear this may be my future. And by that, I mean burning my foot, not being the manager of a paper company’s Scranton branch.

See, the heat isn’t on in my apartment yet. This wasn’t such a problem the past few weeks, with the temperatures hovering around 60 most days and even passing 70 on occasion. But now, in the midwestern fashion of dramatic highs and even more extreme lows, the temperature dropped a solid 30 degrees overnight. And my apartment has become a very large, very expensive refrigerator. 

I have been keeping warm by wearing multiple sweaters, wrapping myself in blankets, and keeping the oven on to get a little bit of heat into the chilled wooden floors and icy window panes of my apartment.

While this last step may pose a fire hazard, I’m tired of feeling like a character in a Dickens novel. But, I have a new fear of slipping or tripping in my kitchen and putting my foot in the broiler. Of course, standing in front of the oven and alternately standing on my right foot, then my left, then back again, so I can evenly toast them may add to the likelihood of this outcome.

Thursday Things

1)     Went to my first Farmer’s Market of the fall on Tuesday morning! I got up extra early to catch the train to one of my favorite neighborhoods and had an absolute blast. And came away with quite the haul.

2)     61 pumpkin and apple recipes. I’m so there.

3)     All this fig action is driving me mad. Fig and brown sugar, yum. Fig and chocolate, yummy yum yum. This is why breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, y’all.

4)     This is absolutely precious. And kind of cruel.

5)     Continuing the tradition of lists that make me feel old.

6)     This too.

7)     I have jumped on the skinny jean train. I’m so far on the train I’m practically the conductor. Yes, I’ll admit it. Yes, it’s a fad. Yes, they’re so 80s. Yes, it’s not a style a lot of people can pull off (my five-foot-three, stumpy-legged self certainly probably included), but I don’t care! Skinny jeans make boots easier to wear, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

8)     A fashion trend I cannot get behind though, is this whole crop-top, longer in the back and showing tummy in the front shirt thing. What?! I’m sorry, but how is that attractive?! No one needs to be seeing my stomach. At all. Ever. Especially if I’ve squished and lunged and squatted myself into a pair of skinny jeans.

9)     I didn’t have any spaghetti the other night so I broke up some lasagna noodles for an impromptu dinner and I have o say, it was pretty great. Maybe even better than using regular noodles.

10)   Musically my life has been consumed with Mumford & Sons’ new album, Babel. It is phenomenal. I’ve been listening to it non-stop for about a week now and it just keeps getting better. And when I tried to not listen to it and put my iTunes on shuffle this afternoon it kept playing holiday and Christmas songs one after the other, which was unnerving and yet oddly welcomed.

11)   Getting coffee post-farmer’s market, I saw this sign and couldn’t agree more. Isabella Beeton was a brilliant woman. 

Fresh From the Farm

This isn’t a recipe. This isn’t a random list that I find hilarious and/or completely true. This isn’t a review. This is just me, expressing my love for fresh eggs. Like, straight from the chicken in the backyard to the container in my fridge kinda fresh.

A family friend has about a dozen chickens that run around his property and he’s always giving us eggs. I had never really thought much of it until a few weeks ago when I had to use one fresh egg and one store-bought egg for a recipe. Lo and behold the difference I saw when I cracked the eggs into a bowl! The store-bought was considerably smaller and the yolk was much paler compared to the near neon orange-ness of the fresh egg. And the taste! If you’ve never had a fresh egg I can’t even accurately describe it – it’s rich and buttery and just so…so…fresh. (Yes, I need a new adjective to describe the eggs, no I’m not going to use one because they are, indeed, fresh!)

So, here’s to backyard chickens and the eggs they bring!

Happy Wednesday, all!