Happy Thursday Everyone! I am going to New York today!

And guess what? New York is supposed to have (lest I say it and ruin it) lovely weather! It’s February!! I was counting on snow and clouds. But sun and 50! I’ll love that!

So, there’s this crazy thing you do when you have a boyfriend. You do anything to make him happy. So when his oven fails to work two days in a row and the brownie batter you made on Tuesday still won’t bake, you run out to the store on Wednesday night to buy ingredients for cookies that don’t require oven-time. (And here’s a secret: they're just as easy, and taste just as great- if not better).

These cookies were created by the least baking-inclined member of my family, my aunt. She probably wasn’t even following a recipe, and she accidently stumbled upon a gem. If she can do it, so can you!

I’ll tell you why it’s SO easy:
1. It utilizes a microwave
2. Only two ingredients are needed
3. Only one bowl is dirtied in the process (unless you’re like my boyfriend and have an unusually small microwave)

Easy-peasy!
Let’s do it:

Chocolate Cornflake Cookies

Ingredients:
One large box of Kellogs Cornflakes Cereal

Three giant-sized bars of chocolate (I usually mix two dark with one milk. You’ll need at least one milk, since it’s has a lower melting temperature and will keep the chocolate from seizing up in the microwave)

Directions:
Break each of the giant chocolate bars into the uniform, perforated rectangles and add them to a, microwave-safe bowl (if a large bowl fits in your microwave, then great! If not, I suggest melting the chocolate in a pyrex measuring cup and then transferring to a large bowl once melted.)

Microwave times vary, but to be safe, microwave the chocolate at one minute intervals, making sure to stir, between each round. The chocolate will continue to melt with the residual heat as you stir, so this is very important!

Once the chocolate is melted and transferred (or remaining in) a large bowl, add half the box of cereal and stir until well coated. Continue to add cereal until the box is gone or until the remaining chocolate is not enough to well-coat.

Place spoonfuls of the chocolate cereal on a wax-paper covered cookie sheet. These are ideal to make in the winter, because you can then simply place the cookie sheet outside (on your deck, patio, etc) to aid in the cooling/drying period of the cookies.

I hope you trust me on the deliciously simplistic quality of these cookies! I wish I had a picture to show you, but unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough to grab one. One to come later…

Have a great weekend, can’t wait to fill you in on NYC when I come home!

Happy Valentine’s Day Eve! (Never thought you’d hear that one now, did you?)

Well, being that it is Valentine’s Day (Eve) and all, I thought I’d get in the spirit with these deliciously, Valentine-y cake pops! They’re sure to put a smile on your Valentine’s face.

Secret: These are super easy, but super messy to make, but it’s all SO worth it in the end.

Also: You may be thinking they sound too sweet (as if that’s even a thing), but they’re actually really not. They’re made with German chocolate cake mix, which cuts back on the cloyingly sweet nature of traditional Devil’s food or fudgy chocolate cake. Trust me, you’ll see…

Cake Pops For V-Day (or any day, really)

Ingredients:

1 box of German Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Trader Joe’s brand) and the necessary accompanying ingredients (mine called for butter, eggs, and water)

1 package of white almond bark (I used Log House- but it can be anything, fanciness not necessary here)

Sprinkles, Valentine’s-themed in this case. See...super easy!!

Directions:

Bake the cakes according to the package, using a 9’’ x; 13’’ cake pan, baking until just done (leaning towards the side of under-baked)

Allow the cake to cool, but not completely. Just until you won’t burn your hands when rolling the cake pops…burned hands are zero cool/fun. (Hint: cut the cake in a grid, like you would if you were serving it, to allow it to vent more quickly…If you’re nervous that you are butchering the cake, don’t worry, it won’t matter what it looks like once we put it into “pop” form)

And we’re just getting to the messy part. With a melon scooper, scoop out pieces of the cake. Yep, just scoop right on into it. Relax, it’s going to be fine. No one will ever know or care about how pretty the cake looked before you demolished it and rolled it into pops.

Once, scooped, put your hands to work and roll the cake into little balls, about one-inch in diameter (about the size you would use for cookie dough), stick them with an hors d'oeuvre stick, and put them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. (Another hint: I would “skin” off the top layer of the cake. It doesn’t stay in pop-shape as well as the inside of the cake.)

Next, put the cookies sheet in the freezer for about 5 minutes to let the pops set. While, in the freezer, melt the almond bark in the microwave (you could use the stove, but it tastes just the same in the microwave).

Take the pops out of the freezer, dunk ‘em in the almond bark, put them back on the wax paper, and give them a good dose of sprinkling.

Then…wait, that’s it! Like I said, super easy.
Enjoy! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Life is that good; it really, really is.

Sometimes the sun shines the brightest just when you bought a new pair of sunglasses.

Sometimes the flavored coffee is Cinnamon Nut on Saturday morning.

Sometimes he wants to meet downtown for lunch and beer (and maybe even some shopping).

Sometimes you feel cheery and special and exactly right.

Yeah, life really is that good.

TRUTH: In life, there are everyday obstacles.

TRUTH: Not all people will always agree, will always stand up for you, will always have your back.

TRUTH: Sometimes, the truth can hurt you.

BUT:

Today I love:

Starbucks Valentine’s Cups. Life just got awesome.

Heart of Worship by Chris Tomlin. Sometimes all you need is an encouraging word to get the day off to a great start.

Soup and Saltines. I knew I was on to something as a 5 year old. How did I forget how satisfyingly warm and buttery this combo can be?

And what I don’t love, my gym is closing for the month of February…what?!? And right when I’m about to hit the beaches of Florida! What is a girl to do?

Hey there, up here! Remember me?!

Sometimes we forget to look up.
We’re so focused on where we need to get to, when we need to get there by-
We forget to enjoy the getting there.
We forget to see how tall the buildings really are,
We forget to admire the waves of fuchsia peering out of an overcast sky.

Heck, when I was writing this post in the morning,
I intended to take a picture from the ground-up of my building as I walked to the gym at lunch.
However, when lunch rolled around, I was so hell-bent on getting to the gym to make the time shift on my treadmill, that I forgot to take the picture.
Talk about the ultimate ‘Saying one thing and doing the other’.

Life moves fast,
And being able to stop and share a moment,
Now that’s something pretty special
Today, I am reminded to look up.

Thank you, Brittney.

P.s. Not-so-Secret: I took the picture the next day!
P.p.s. I took the picture on my new iphone…love it!

You know what I like?

I like girl nights. Full of gab and banter and laughing. Where wine and beer run rampant but no one looks at you funny if you order a lemon drop martini or a pinneapple mojito. Yes, I loooove a good girls’ night. And I sure hope the snow does not get in the way of mine tonight!

I like chocolate. And coffee. And sometimes, I even sneak a little of both at the same time. Flash to: me in the kitchen adding a sprinkling of Swiss Miss to my Starbucks Blonde. By the way, have you tried the Blonde?! Sure is a step in a good direction for the SBucks!

Surprises. Especially because it means someone else has done all the planning. All you’re expected to do is show up, look pretty, and enjoy. I can’t wait for my Saturday Surprise!

Vacations. And Vegas. And ok, ok I’m not going to Vegas for vacation this time, but even “work” in Vegas is better than work in Chicago for a good, thirty degree warmer, break. Vegas, here I come!

What do you like on this snowy Friday?!

This night is sparkling.