Books... Mer!

 

This is exactly how I feel right now... if you add highly aggravated to the mix.

You see, I was reading The Fall of Five, which is the fourth in a series of I-don't-know-how-many.  And I was reading it quickly because it was making me really mad.  It was a good book, don't get me wrong.  But, you see, I saw it coming.  And none of the characters saw it coming, but they should have.  It was so stinkin obvious.  Why didn't they see it?!  Mer.

And then the book ended at only 88% on my Kindle.  I thought I had 12% left for things to resolve a bit and get even just a teensy bit better before the end.  But NOPE.  POW!  The End!

GGGGGRRRRRRRR!!!!

So, yeah.  That's how I'm feeling at the moment, and I thought I'd share.

Sometimes you just have nothing to say...

So... I haven't blogged in a few days...  Partly because I've been busy, and partly because I've been lazy, and partly because I just don't have much to say.  But, here are a few updates anyway.

• I bought a box of Chex cereal last week.  And in seven days, I made FOUR different kinds of puppy chow.  All of them were delicious.  All of them came from Pinterest.  And NONE of them were the Oreo version I've wanted most to try.  And that's because Oreos are so darn expensive, and I'm really trying to be good with my grocery fund and not spend it on things I don't need.
• Last week I made homemade "oreos" (via Pinterest), and they were not Oreos.  I didn't use the kind of cocoa powder that the recipe called for, so I'm sure that had something to do with it.  But for a recipe that claims to be better than real Oreos, I was sorely, sorely disappointed.
• I ended up crushing the cookies (with much difficulty) to make a crust for a Reese's Peanut Butter Frozen Pie.  Which was delicious, by the way, (also via Pinterest) and something I also did not take any pictures of so, therefore, I cannot blog it.
• This week I was busy with sewing color guard flags.  And seriously, that took hours upon hours upon hours.  So much time at the sewing machine that my body screamed when I would get up and stretch.
• We haven't seen any movies in theaters lately.  The beginning of fall is usually a bust time for movies to come out.  Unfortunately, it doesn't usually pick up until November.  Unless you like scary Halloween-themed movies... which I don't.
• Today I spent the whole morning at the grocery stores doing some shopping, and now all I want to do is eat donuts and ice cream and chocolate bars and cake.  But alas, I was a very good girl today and bought none of those things at the store.  Boo.

That is all.

The End of a Weird Week

So, it's Friday.  And technically, since I'm not working right now, that shouldn't make much of a difference, but today it does.  Thomas has been in Tampa all week for work, and he comes home tonight.  And man-oh-man I cannot wait!  He was gone all last week too, which is a lot of time apart for us.  We're basically inseparable, so even a few days apart feels like a lifetime.

Though I didn't blog the last two days, I was still diligent in trying out single serving recipes, so I still have a few I'd like to share.  This particular one doesn't look like anything special.  Mainly because when I got it out of the microwave, it and the mug were hotter-than-all-get-out, so I had to scoop it out into a ramekin so it would cool off enough to eat.

And though this isn't a traditional peanut butter cookie (one of my faves), it definitely satisfied my craving for one!

 

Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Adapted from: My Happy Place
(Her original recipe makes either two cakes or one twice this size, so I just cut everything in half.  Plus, I needed the other half of an egg for another recipe.)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 egg (lightly scramble it in a bowl and then pour half in with your other ingredients)
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 tablespoons oil

Directions:

1. Mix everything together in a mug.
2. Microwave for about 60 seconds.  (If your microwave is very powerful, you might want to start with less time.)
3. If it is not done, microwave at 20 second intervals until done.  Don't microwave it for too long though, or it will become rubbery.
4. Watch out!  It will be boiling-lava-hot!  So be careful when eating!

Well, I'm off to work on sewing flags for color guard and continue my Netflix marathon.  Happy Friday!

Let's Pretend Like It's Winter

Yeah... so.... most of you probably can't believe those words just came out of my mouth, or rather my keyboard.  I really don't love winter.  Every time someone starts up a conversation about winter, it always includes something to the effect of "Oh, but the snow is so pretty!"  Yes, I agree, the snow is pretty.  But for every pretty day of snow, you have at least five days of cold, windy, grey sky, dreary days.  Basically, I just hate being that cold.

But anyway, it's the middle of August, and it's about as hot as it ever gets during the year, and yet I had a small winter moment this morning.  I was jonesing for a hot, delicious drink, so I decided to try out a recipe that I found on Pinterest for "Hot Vanilla Milk".  Because, I love hot chocolate, so why wouldn't I like hot vanilla milk?!  And I was just intensely curious as to what it would taste like.

It was so yummy!  Warm, sweet, smooth.  Just overall yum!  I didn't really change anything from the original recipe that I found, except that I wanted just one cup of it rather than the four that the recipe made, so I just scaled it down.

Hot Vanilla Milk
From Laugh With Us Blog
Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a mug.
2. Microwave for 60-90 seconds.  Stir well to make sure the sugar is dissolved.
3. Top with marshmallows if desired.

 Oh!  It was soooooo good!  Next time I'm going to try it with a sugar substitute for less calories.

In all seriousness, I'm really glad it's not winter, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy my few favorite parts of winter!

It's Definitely the Little Things {Lundi Little Lovelies}

Today is a wonderful day so far!  And it's because of small blessings that sometimes would be easy to miss if we weren't looking!  I've found that the key to finding contentment is in appreciating and thanking God for the little things he blesses us with!

So here are some little lovelies from today:

• I got to meet the hubby for lunch at Panera this afternoon!  And this is like so many little lovelies wrapped up together with a nice, pretty bow!  I love getting to meet up in the middle of the week (and usually a workday) for lunch.  I don't know what it is, but it just makes the whole day better!  It was such a blessing that Thomas had the time to take a break; I didn't have anywhere I had to be; we have the money to get to eat out when we want; Thomas chose Panera!  So many little things that make me happy!
• Piggy-backing on that, when I got to lunch, Thomas informed me that he also got to work from home the rest of the day!  Yay!  So he's sitting next to me now, and even though he's working, we still get to be together.
• I made some yummy crepes for breakfast this morning!  The recipe for one serving of crepes is shown below!  I'm still going to be cooking for one a lot this week, so I think I'll be continuing the single serving recipes.
• Church volleyball starts tonight.  This one is only half of a little lovely, because only half of me is excited about it.  The other half would rather chicken out and stay home.  The last time I played volleyball was in high school.  Eek!  But it was so fun.  Volleyball makes me reminisce a lot.  Thomas and I started dating the summer before our senior year, and I started hanging out with his friends... A LOT.  And man, I just love those guys.  Thomas had the best friends, and hanging out with them was ALWAYS a good time.  But anyway, back to how this relates to volleyball; one year at youth camp, we had this huge volleyball tournament, and I was on a team with Thomas and his friends.  We played like 8 games in a row without a break and were on fire!  It was awesome.  We didn't win the tournament because we lost the very last game we played (I blame it on the fact that we played a zillion games in a row, and the winning team only played twice total.)  But, it just reminds me of all the good memories I have from hanging out with his friends.

Anyway, now I'm off in lala land.  Let me bring it back and give you this yummy crepes recipe.

Customizable Crepes for One
Minimally Adapted from Like Mother, Like Daughter
Serving Size: Makes 4 crepes about 6-7" in diameter

Ingredients:
1/3 cup flour
1/6 cup milk
1/6 cup water
1 egg
2/3 tablespoon melted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix until well-combined.  (I used my hand mixer.)
2. Heat a small skillet on medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  ( I used my 8" skillet.)
3. Pour batter into the hot skillet by the scant 1/4 cup.
4. Swirl batter around a little to thin it out.  Cook about 1 minute.
5. Flip the crepe over and cook the other side for 30 seconds.
6. Place on a plate covered by a paper towel to keep warm until all four crepes are ready to serve.
7. Fill with your desired toppings and enjoy!

 

 I filled my crepes with half of a fresh peach chopped up and mixed with some brown sugar and cinnamon.  (I heated the mixture up in the microwave to make it all warm and gooey first.)  Then I topped them with powdered sugar and honey!  But, you can fill and top crepes with pretty much anything you want: nutella, peanut butter, fruit, whipped cream, the list goes on and on!

Here's to the little lovelies that bring me closer to contentment!

Cinnamon Sugar Scones for One (Kind Of)

So, this one isn't exactly a single serving recipe either.  I scaled the original recipe down to make three small scones.  So, technically, you'll have to eat these for breakfast for a few days... oh darn!

Honestly, I was amazed at how delicious these scones were.  They were so light and flaky.  Wow!  I could have eaten all three in one sitting, but I managed, with some difficulty, to make them last two days.  They were amazing, and the glaze on top was the perfect finish.  I will definitely be making these again... soon!

Cinnamon Sugar Scones
Adapted from: Money Saving Mom
Scaled down to make 3 small scones (see original website for full yield version)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold butter
1 teaspoon yogurt (I used fat free vanilla, but plain would work too.)
scant 1 tablespoon honey
scant 1/8 cup milk (if in doubt, start with too little; you can always add more if it's not enough)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
3. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or a fork until crumbly.
4. Combine the wet ingredients in a small bowl and then add them to the dry ingredients.  Use your hands to mix the dough until it forms a ball.
5. Divide the dough into three sections and pat out until they are about 1/2 inch thick, and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
6. Brush the tops with a very thin layer of milk.  Combine 1/2 tablespoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over scones.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
8. While the scones are baking, stir together the following ingredients to make the glaze: 1/4 cup powdered sugar, scant 1 teaspoon milk, 1/8 teaspoon vanilla. 
9. While the scones are still warm, drizzle the glaze over the top.  (When I make these again, I probably won't use the entire batch of glaze just so it isn't overpowering.)
10. Eat while warm!  Refrigerate any leftovers, and reheat in the microwave before eating.

Once again, I cannot express how incredibly delicious these were.  Wow!  I can't wait to make them again!

Also, here is my tart from Thursday that I didn't get a chance to post:  Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake Tart!

The photo isn't great.  But this time, I finely chopped some of my sugared strawberries and stirred them into the cheesecake pudding.  Then I drizzled some melted chocolate chips on top!  It was sooooo good!  Also, I can't wait to make a s'mores version with chocolate pudding and toasted marshmellows on top!

Have a yummy weekend!

Strawberry Cheeesecake Tart {Wednesday Wins}

Ok!  I've got a lot of wins today, so let's jump right to them!

I french braided my hair again today, and it was good enough that it held through my morning run!  Woo!
 
Today was the first day of school for the county.  And I was sitting in bed reading when the bells rang for high school classes to start.
 
To celebrate my not-first-day-of-school, I decided to pay a visit to my very best friend.  

 

Of course, it's the beach!  And it was lovely.  The waves were super tiny, and it was so quiet and peaceful.

Also, this is one of my favorite views on the planet.  When you walk up over the dunes and you catch just a glimpse of the ocean.  Love it.

I made some super yummy ham and cheese muffins for lunch, but that recipe is for another day.

Here's what you want to see today:

 Yep, I'm super proud of this single serving baby!  Actually, that's just a tiny bit of a lie though.  It made two servings.  Oh darn... I guess I'll have to eat another one tomorrow.  Boo hoo!

 This recipe is a little more involved than the "mug" recipes.  It does require an oven.  *Gasp*  And there are several steps.  But, let me tell you, it was worth it all the way!

Strawberry Cheesecake Tarts for Two
Crust adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook
Makes: 2 tarts

Ingredients for Tart Crust:
1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Handful of finely chopped almonds (optional)
2 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon very cold water

Directions for Tart Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine flour, sugar, and almonds in a medium bowl.
3. Cut in cold butter using a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the cold water and 1/2 egg yolk.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and knead with your hands until the dough can form a ball.
6. If the dough isn't too sticky, you can go ahead and roll it out, but if it is sticky, cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for up to an hour.
7. Divide the dough into two balls and roll each one into a circle that is about 5 inches in diameter.  Try to use as little flour as possible.  (I rolled mine in between two sheets of wax paper with just a tiny bit of flour on it.)
8. Transfer each circle into a 4 inch tartlet pan (I don't have any tart pans, so I used ramekins and they worked out just fine).  Press into the pans and cut off the excess dough.  Prick the bottoms and sides several times with a fork.
9. Cover tarts tightly with two layers of aluminum foil.  (I'm not sure why it's two layers, but that's what the cookbook said to do, so I obeyed.)
10. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
11. Remove aluminum foil and bake for another 5-6 minutes until crusts start to turn golden brown.
12. Cool before gently removing from pans.

Assembling the Tarts:
While the crusts are cooling, you can prepare the filling.  Here's where you can be creative and come up with your own versions of the tart.  Below is what I did to make the tart you see in the photos, but your options are as endless as your imagination.

Filling:
1 box Jell-O Cheesecake Pudding (I used fat free, sugar free.)
1 1/2 cups cold milk
A handful of fresh strawberries

1. Whisk together the pudding mix and the milk, then place in the fridge.  I used 1 1/2 cups milk instead of the recommended 2 cups because I wanted a nice, thick, rich filling.  *Also, you won't use all the pudding for just the two tarts, so I guess you'll just have to eat it!
2. Once the crusts are cool, and the pudding is set, you can assemble the tart by filling it with your desired amount of pudding and garnishing with berries.  *Note: the tarts are best eaten on the day they are assembled, otherwise, the crust gets soggy with the pudding filling.

Enjoy your delicious treat!  Mine was amazing!  I'm already trying to figure out how to change it up  for tomorrow!  I'm definitely thinking chocolate!  Yum yum!

And one last win, tonight I get to have dinner with one of my best friends!  Yay for real human interaction!  Lol!