Easter Themed Treats

Around the holidays I like to make desserts and bring them into work.  I usually try to make them holiday themed.

Last year I was trying to find some new treats to make and I stumbled upon Bakerella.  If you didn't know, she is the queen of cake pops and they are absolutely adorable!

Easter Bunny and Easter Egg Cake Pops and Spring Chicken Cake Pops

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I tried my hand at the cake pops and they were well received and delicious but they can be time-consuming to decorate.

This year I've been searching for some more ideas of things to make.

Bunny Cupcakes from Bakerella

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Pillsbury

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Easter Chick Cookies

Easter Egg Cookies

Easter Basket Cookies

Cakes aren't popular around here so I try to make individual items.  I'm terrible with sugar cookies for some reason, so I'm not sure how I feel about the first 2 Pillsbury items.  Anyone else make Easter themed desserts or have other suggestions?

Where my peeps at?!?!

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Sorry for the lame title, it just seemed fitting.

When Easter came around every year, my mom would always put lots of candy in our Easter baskets, but my favorite is the Peeps.  She always made sure to leave mine out for a few days before so that they would start to get stale and then of course I couldn't eat them for another week at least.  Stale peeps are the best.  I know I'm not the only one who likes stale peeps, come on back me up!

Cruising the internet, I found this article on Peep Research and it was quite amusing.

Check it out (clipped from PeepResearch.org):

Basic Science: Our first studies focused on basic attributes and reactions of Peeps to simple conditions and stimuli.

• -Reaction to cold
• -Reaction to heat
• -Solubility testing
• -Low-pressure environments

Our subjects: Before any testing begins, all peep subjects are thoroughly examined and sign a disclosure form explaining the potential risks of their volunteer service.

Peep Health: Perhaps one of the most under-represented areas of study worldwide, issues of Peep well-being are only now making their way into the mainstream consciousness.

• Risk Analysis: Investigating the effects of smoking and alcohol on Peep health.
• Medical Miracle! Quintuplet Peep siblings, conjoined at birth, have been separated through this daring application of modern medicine!
• Fear Response: Discover what causes this dramatic Peep behavior.

I'm definitely looking forward to heading out to the store this week and picking me up some peeps, ripping open the package and letting them sit on the counter for a week before I event eat one!

Anyone else out there like stale peeps?  Do you have a favorite shape/color?

Proud to be a RIT Alumni!

 

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Going to a technology school we didn't have much for sports teams.  I'm sitting here writing this post wearing a shirt that looks just like this:

 

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That's right we haven't had a football team since 1976, so we're still undefeated!  :-)

The year that we graduated our hockey team moved up to Division 1.  We've been Division 1 for 4-5 years (with 2 transition years in there I think).  This year they made it to the NCAA hockey tournament as the 15th overall seed (out of 16).  It might sound weird to people who went to big sports schools that this is such a big deal, but it's huge for us!  Thursday they played and beat the #2 seed Denver, which was great given it was the first year in the tournament for us.

Saturday RIT was playing UNH and about 6 of us alumni (and a few other friends), piled into a local bar and begged them to change the channel from the NCAA basketball games to the hockey game on at least 1 TV.  They agreed and it was so much fun to cheer for one of 'my teams'.  The T.V.s on the left and right were on the game and the one right above our heads was on the Basketball game.

 

Proud alumni (Personal Photo)

It was a great experience to see your Alma Mater do something they've never done before!  Not only did the make it to the tournament and win in the first round, but the second as well, beating UNH 6-2 and moved on to the Frozen Four.

Thursday we'll probably all head back out to the same bar, grab our sunglasses so we can sit on the porch and enjoy the nice weather, and watch again as they try to win for a third time!

Personal Photo

Go TIGERS!!!

Menu Monday - 3/29

Menu - Week of 3/29:

This week's menu includes some of our normal meals.

Here's what it looks like for this week:

• Monday - Chicken Tortilla Casserole


• Tuesday - Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes


• Wednesday - Ranch Turkey Burgers - a summer staple at our house - I can't find the recipe online, but it is dry dressing packet mix with some shredded cheese, mixed with ground turkey, it is delicious!


• Thursday - Chicken Stir Fry Packets - We each put what we want in our stir fry into a tin foil packet and cook it on the grill, it's delicious.


• Friday - Grilled Salmon - Just keep moving this around because we get busy by Friday.


• Saturday - Out/Freebie


• Sunday - Easter Dinner

Not sure what's going on for the weekend since KC might be playing some Ultimate, so we're going to play it by ear.

We're going to a friends for Easter dinner but I am making some things, I'll post some recipes for them later!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Wish we could be there to celebrate!

Dad and I last year at my wedding during the Father/Daughter dance.  (Taken By)

Fill in the blank Friday!

I thought I'd try this and see how it works.  Fill in the blank Friday from Lauren at the little things we do...

1. The best piece of advice I was ever given was to remember to remember - the advice I got on my wedding day since it goes by so fast.


2. If I had a million dollars to give to one charity I would give it to the American Cancer Society, fortunately I haven't been directly affected by cancer, but in-directly affected.  We need more birthdays!


3. If I got to choose my "last meal" it would be Sushi with some Edamame, Yum!  I hate sushi 2 years ago and now I love it!!


4. My hair is at an in-between, not sure what to do next length, that's wavy (sometimes frizzy) unless I use the straightener on it and tame it down.  I need some help deciding what to do!


5. If at first you don't succeed call mom, KC or friend Marcy and see what they would do to make it better.  They always have the best advice.


6. I have always been very precise with details and organized (that includes being a neat freak!).


7. Oh....and by the way.... I'm going to look at new furniture and might paint the living room and dining room this weekend!  The only rooms we haven't touched since we moved in 3 years ago.  I'm excited.

Ruffles!

Lots of emails have been coming in for Spring fashions and I have been checking them out whenever possible.  I'm usually a pretty plain dresser (as mentioned here) but all these ruffles seem to have caught my attention lately.

Shoes:

Target - $12.99

Cardigans/Tops

 

Old Navy (online only) - $29.50

Gap - $34.50

 

J.Crew - $29.95

Bathing Suits

 

Old Navy (online only) - $19.50

 

J. Crew - $44.00

And these are just a few of them, I could post pages of them.  Now if only I'd seen the Gap/Old Navy stuff last weekend when I had a 30% off Friends/Family coupon!

This is definitely one of the more popular trends this summer.  Now, to keep myself away from the mall/internet!

Oh so many choices!

One of the reasons I don't post too many pictures is because we don't have a point-and-shoot anymore.

We have a Nikon D40 dSLR and it is great when we use it.

 

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Only problem, is that I'm not that great at bringing it places because of its size.  I need something that I can just leave in my purse and have it at all times.  We're looking at investing in a point-and-shoot but I'm just not sure what to get.  KC definitely wants one that has Image Stabilization (optical) but that is really our only requirement.  Previously, I have had 2 Sony cameras and would prefer to not get another.  I would like something that has 'share-able' media with other devices, not one that is proprietary to the camera itself.  I'm not sure how I feel about the LCD screen on the front, if it will be useful or not.  Does anyone have one?  Do you like it?

There are just so many different options out there and KC is definitely a researcher, but we need to start somewhere so I'm looking for suggestions, recommendations or even something you would not recommend.

Easter Eggs

I've never been one to decorate Easter Eggs, but this year I just might.

Our Best Bites posted these beautiful eggs and I can't get over how beautiful they are and how they are done!

Eggs in progress:

Final Products:

There are instructions here.  Let me know if you've tried it!

All images and instructions:  OurBestBites.com

Menu Monday - 3/22

Menu - Week of 3/22:

This week's menu has some new recipes to try.  I'm looking forward to it.  Plus the weather is great so we're going to try to get some grilling in!  I updated the Recipe Round-Up page with some new recipes to try after stumbling on Annie's Eats blog (some of which we're trying this week).

Here's what it looks like for this week:

• Monday - Ranch Chicken with Oven Baked Fries


• Tuesday - Easy Italian Pasta – Despite just having this last week, we need a quick and easy meal because we have a softball scrimmage and KC wants it and will cook it, so I'm all for it!


• Wednesday - Chicken Tequila Burgers


• Thursday - Chicken Tortilla Casserole


• Friday - Grilled Salmon


• Saturday - Out/Freebie


• Sunday - Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

Last week we didn't stick to the plan that well (Monday - Wednesday was good), we had some things come up during the week and we made some modifications.  Thursdays thru Saturdays tend to be the hardest days to stick to the plan.

Meal Planner Tools


We're using Google Calendar right now, but last week I came across this Meal Planner Excel doc over at Livin' the Simple Life and I think it's a great idea.  It just might take some time to input recipes.  Has anyone tried it or anything similar to it?

As always, if you have other suggestions/recommendations, let me know, we're always looking for some new ideas.

It's Madness

Source:  Google Image

It's the time of year again for March Madness, and to be honest I LOVE IT!!  Confession:  I'm not too much of a 'girly girl' and most of that probably has to do with sports.  Maybe it's because my dad didn't have any boys, ever since I was little, I can remember watching any and all sports with my dad.  College basketball is one of my favorite sports (league) to watch, with the NCAA tournament taking the cake.  (Yankees baseball and NHL Football are right up there too)  I played sports throughout my entire high school career and continue to play softball now.  This is one thing that K and I enjoy doing together (for the most part, depends on who is playing, but that's for a different post :-) ).

Where we live there are usually at least 3 if not 4 schools in the NCAA tournament that are within an hour of our home.  You cannot go out to a restaurant/bar that has TV's on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday for the next 3 weeks without preparing in advance or waiting multiple hours for a table.  The waiting sucks, but secretly I love the enthusiasm of everyone.  There are so many transplants in this area, combine that with the local schools and it's an interesting bunch.  I'm jealous of everyone and their school spirit.  My college was not competitive in sports at all, though we're moving up in hockey.

Every year I make my picks in the brackets.  What is this based off of?  Umm, nothing.  Most of the time I pick hometown schools or other NY based school.  What do I win?  Again, nothing.  Why do I do it?  To see if I am right in any way whatsoever.  This year I tried my hand at it again.  The #1 rule this year (and most others):  Go Orangemen!

 

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I love that CBS let's you fill in an experts picks and make some adjustments on your own, so that's what I did this year.  (Maybe you think it's cheating, I don't)  Here's my bracket:

I will be trying my hardest for the next 3 weeks to be doing work while at work, but it's going to be hard, I'm not going to lie.  This article on CNN was interesting, regarding the amount of money that Employers lose during March Madness.  I will work hard to not be part of those statistics! (At least my iPhone app will give me score alerts ;-) )

I've been bit . . .

by the Liberty of London bug.

Yesterday we were heading to the hardware store and I decided I wanted to stop by Target on the way and see the new Liberty of London line I'd been hearing about.  If you remember from this post, patterns are not my thing at all!  I steer clear so I was pretty sure I wasn't going to find anything that I liked in the clothing or home section.  If I liked them, there was no way I was buying them because they just don't fit my normal style.

Well, boy was I wrong.  First thing when we walk in the store, is the Women's clothing line.  The first shirts I see, I love!  I just kept looking at them saying, I can't believe I like these!  I bought them both and I can't wait to wear them.  I do plan to wear a cardigan with each of them to "pare-down" the boldness of one of the patterns.  I have two different cardigans that will go great with each of these tops.

Here's what I got:

I will say that the key-hole is a little low, but I normally wear something underneath, anyways so that should be fine.  My fashion adviser (my sister) wasn't home when I returned, so I'm anxious to hear what she has to say about them when I get home from work tonight, I'm hoping she doesn't say "take them back, they look terrible!" :-)

I didn't get to see everything they have as this is one of the smaller Targets around town.  Looking at the Target website, there is everything from shirts, dresses, swimsuits, scarves, flip-flops, hats and more in the women's clothing line.  There's a men's and children's line as well.  Bedding, bicycles, Dining, Furniture, Home Decor and so on.

There are so many patterns, these are just a few that I like:

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Have you gone to Target and checked it out yet?  Did you like the new line or not?

1st Anniversary Trip

K and I have our 1st Wedding Anniversary coming up in 2 months.  We would like to take a short trip somewhere, but we can't decide where to go and what to do (sometimes we're very indecisive people).  We already have two "Big-City" trips in the works for the summer, but we are looking for somewhere different to go for our anniversary.  Somewhere different, to do some site seeing or just enjoy the city in general.  We'd like to do something that doesn't require a plane ride, so that may limit things a little. We've visited a few places in driving distance from Raleigh, but are looking for a few more options.

We went to the Outer Banks for our first 'non-family', 'just-the-two-of-us' trip, about 4 years ago (with Maya!).

We went to Asheville almost 2 years ago for my Birthday, but K had other things in mind as that is where he proposed.

Last year, our "Big-City" trips consisted of Washington D.C. and San Francisco (we went to Lake Tahoe while we were there)

We've tossed around a couple of ideas, including Savannah, Charleston and Boone.  We're not looking for a beach trip, just somewhere that we can have a good time exploring the town, maybe going hiking.  Any suggestions or recommendations?

If we don't go out-of-town, I'd like to find something out of our norm to do in town.  What have you done for your first anniversary or what do you plan to do?  Anything different from dinner and/or a movie?

Menu Monday - 3/15

Menu - Week of 3/15:

This week's menu is pretty simple compared to last weeks.  Not too many new recipes this week, just a carry-over from last week.  Last week was successful, see the recap below!  I'll be updating the Recipe Round-Up page soon as well.

Here's what it looks like for this week:

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• Monday - Perfect Pot Roast - Carried this over from last week because KC was out-of-town over the weekend and wasn't going to be home in time.


• Tuesday - Indian - Butter Chicken Curry - We use the Kitchens of India Curry Paste and love it, it's so easy!  They also have naan at the grocery store in the bakery section which goes great with it!


• Wednesday - Easy Italian Pasta - This is one of our favorites, and another easy one.  We've modified it a little to use a can of diced tomatoes and I think it's better that way.


• Thursday - Ranch Chicken - Another easy one that comes right from the dry packet mix.


• Friday - Grilled Salmon - Haven't tried this recipe yet.  I'm not big on cooking fish (though I do like it), but it's Lent and we abstain from meat on Fridays during lent.


• Saturday - Out - I'm giving us a freebie day this week.  We did very good last week and didn't eat out once (or I didn't, KC was out-of-town which makes it hard).  That's unusual for us, we usually go out ~2x a week, but are trying to cut back to 1x


• Sunday - Chicken Parmigiano - I made this a few weeks ago and I've been looking forward to it again.  It's a simple recipe if you need one, let me know.

New Recipe Menu Recap:

• Tuesday - Chicken Enchiladas - These were delicious!  We loved them.  I think I might make a modification next time (use salsa instead of pico-de-gallo in the chicken), but otherwise it was a hit and will be added to the rotation!


• Wednesday - Pasta alla Marlboro Man - Another delicious first!  The rosemary flavoring was strong, but I didn't mind it.  I might use diced tomatoes instead of whole tomatoes next time.


• Thursday - Chicken Curry - This is not a keeper in my book.  Though KC really wants a curry recipe, so if anyone has one, please pass it on.


• Sunday - Perfect Pot Roast - We're having this tonight, I'll update next week.

If you have other suggestions/recommendations, let me know, we're always looking for some new ideas.

Career Counselor Tests

I saw this link to CareerPath Career Counselor and I thought that it was quite interesting.  I've never taken any career quizzes before, so I decided to do the "Color Career Counselor" to see the results.  The results were quite interesting, some were dead on and some were not..


Best Occupational Category: You're an ORGANIZER

Key Words: Self-Control, Practical, Self-Contained, Orderly, Systematic, Precise, and Accurate

These conservative appearing, plotting-types enjoy organizing, data systems, accounting, detail, and accuracy. They often enjoy mathematics and data management activities such as accounting and investment management. Persistence and patience allows them to do detailed paperwork, operate office machines, write business reports, and make charts and graphs.

Yes I definitely am.  I sometimes may categorize myself as having OCD.  While I don't perform any of the jobs that they suggested, maybe I'll have to look into the for the future.  :-)

2nd Best Occupational Category: You're a RESEARCHER

Keywords:

Independent, Self-Motivated, Reserved, Introspective, Analytical, and Curious

These investigative types gather information, analyze and interpret data, and inquire to uncover new facts. They have a strong scientific orientation, enjoy academic or research environments and prefer self-reliant jobs. Dislikes are group projects, selling, and repetitive activities.

I don't think that this one is as accurate.  While I fit the bill for most of the Keywords, I don't fit the description as well.

Have you tried any of these tests before?  How accurate was it for you?

I saw this link off of How About Orange to CareerPath and I thought that it was quite interesting.  I've never taken any career quizzes before, so I decided to do the "Color Career Counselor".  The results were quite interesting.

Wardrobe Woes

I'll admit it, I have a fairly 'plain' wardrobe.  I don't usually get into the latest and greatest things out there.  Most pieces I own are neutral and solid colors, and not the 'it' style for the season.  Now that my sister is living with us, she likes to put in her 2 cents about my outfit for the day.  She wants me to start wearing more 'stylish' clothes (you mean that sweater from 2005 isn't the 'it' style right now?).  I think I've been doing better.  I tend to by something in multiple colors when I find something I like (the Gap outlet is too close for my bank account's comfort!).  Lately I've been gravitating towards wearing more cardigans.  I wish I could show you the pictures of the sweaters I just bought (3 of one style in different colors and 2 of a different style in different colors).  Work is cold in the summer, so cardigans are a great option, but I need something other than a white tank to go underneath.

There are a few things I'm trying to get over:  patterns, and shoes with a heel.

• I think I have a fear of patterns/appliques, I am afraid they're too bright or bold or loud or something, I don't know.  I'd really like to find some patterns that I like to go underneath these cardigans.  I also tend to like tops that go down mid-hip, thanks to watching What Not to Wear I think that is the style that looks best on me, so sometimes this limits my options.


• Let me start this by saying, I love shoes!  But, I have a fear of wearing any type of shoe with a heel (so basically I just wear flats and flip flops).  Part of it is that I usually only wear shoes with heels to work because hubs and I are the same height and I prefer not to tower over him (I know some ppl don't mind this, I'm just not a fan).  The other part, I think I look a little silly sometimes.

I've been searching the internet and found a few things I'd like to add to my wardrobe this summer (or have already).  Here's what's in my shopping bag (hopefully) for when that tax refund arrives!

Tops:

Land's End Canvas

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Old Navy

I tend to shy away from the embellishments like on the top of this one.

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Nordstrom

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Express

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The Limited

I actually bought this a few weeks ago but wanted to share.  There are flowers on one side, it's one of those shirts I wish came in multiple colors so I could have them all!
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Shoes:

J. Crew

I know they're only kitten heels, but I think they still fit the bill and they're not flats.
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I also really want to find summer sandals that are strappy but not around the ankle.  If someone could find me a pair like these ones that Jillian wore on the Bachelorette, I'd be forever grateful.  I wear flip flops 90% of the time in the summer and would love a pair of sandals (that don't slide on).

I have some other 'wardrobe woes' that I'll share in the future.  Any suggestions for tops, shoes or sandals?

Weekly Menu - 3/8

Menu:

We've decided to post a weekly menu on the Google Calendar and make sure that we get the supplies to make the meals when we go to the grocery store and that we stick to our eating at home better.  I love that Google Calendar allows you to create separate calendars (in this case we created a Dinner calendar) and share it with someone else, so hubs can have input as well.  We tend to plan 1 or 2 meals and then when I get to the grocery store the rest is just random stuff I pick-up that we can put together quickly.  We're hoping that this way we'll try out more meals and if we like them, we'll plan them again in a few weeks.  Here's what it looks like for this week:

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• Monday - Dinner at a Friend's House - I had something planned, but we were invited over last minute, so I moved things around.


• Tuesday - Chicken Enchiladas


• Wednesday - Pasta alla Marlboro Man - Hubs is really, really looking forward to this.


• Thursday - Chicken Curry - He's also looking forward to this one, me, not so much, I don't like coconut and curry is not in my top favorite things either.


• Friday - Portobello Quesadillas - Since hubs is out of town this weekend this is a guilty pleasure for me.  I observe no meat on Friday's during lent and he doesn't like mushrooms.  I am beyond excited for this meal! (Kinda lame, I know)


• Saturday - Lasagna - He also doesn't like Ricotta cheese, so another of my favorites that I rarely get to make is lasagna (or stuffed shells).  I thought I'd make some lasagna this weekend for myself (and a few friends that will be around) and enjoy it (and the leftovers next week) when I can.


• Sunday - Perfect Pot Roast - This just looks too good to pass up.

I'll try to post this each week.  If you have other suggestions/recommendations, let me know, we're always looking for some new ideas.

Grocery List Keeper:

We both have iPhones, so we've been looking for a way to share lists for the grocery store, etc.  This would be really helpful because he's not that great at remembering everything I said we needed beforehand.  So far we've been using the Grocery G Lite App.  There's a regular version you can pay for we're just trying to determine if it's worth it.  Yesterday a friend recommended Grocery iQ.  Anyone have any other suggestions?