Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Food Weakness of the Week

I am not ashamed to admit it: I have a huge obsession with all things Pumpkin Spice.

My wallet takes a bit of a hit (as does my health) when the lattes make their appearance at Starbucks in the fall.

Just this picture makes me drool a little bit. Curse you, Starbucks!

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I even own Philosophy’s Pumpkin Spice Muffin lip gloss.

So good.

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On Sunday, I found myself craving Pumpkin Spice. Of course, within a matter of minutes, I found a recipe that was just way too easy. It is quite popular on food blogs, and now I can see why…

Two Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Ingredients:

1 Box of Spice Cake Mix

1 Can of Pumpkin (not Pumpkin Pie)

Directions:

I just followed the directions on the box, subbing the pumpkin in place of the usual wet ingredients (water, egg, butter). I had to bake them a little bit longer, but I was using the lower suggested heat setting because I was afraid to burn the muffins.

Mixing

Into the muffin pan...

Done!

Delicious.

So fluffy and soft!

Result:

These babies are dangerous. I put half of them in the freezer so that I would be mindful about eating them. Even after a few days, the muffins are still incredibly soft and fluffy.

Now, of course, I want to try using pumpkin with other box mixes…

Maybe chocolate.

Or a gluten-free mix.

I’ll get back to you on that…

Belated Easter Sweets for My Sweet Sissy

Gluten-Free & Soy-Free Brownie Balls

My poor sister. Due to allergies, she has to stay away from food containing gluten and soy. Being raised in a family of choco-holics, it’s not an easy task. Seriously, next time you are perusing the candy aisle, take a look at the ingredients list of any chocolate bar. 9 times out of 10, soy is listed. Yes, I did just make up that statistic, but really… check it out.

Fortunately, I love a challenge. Especially a food-based challenge. I have created some treats for her before (cookies, cupcakes, brownies, etc), so I really wanted to try something different for Easter. Since I live several states away from my family, I figured that brownie balls would be a fun way to go… and also somewhat portable for the long Fed Ex journey.

Since I already knew a delicious gluten-free/soy-free recipe for brownies, I figured I would try brownies instead of cake. Experimentation Time!

Basics: 

• Brownie Recipe

– For the flour, I used Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix. This stuff seriously                           rocks. As suggested by the name, it also makes amazing pancakes and muffins.

– The only change I made to the brownie recipe is that the baking time ended up                    being closer to 30-35 minutes instead of 25 minutes (maybe because I used a glass              baking dish?). Just check them with a knife. They are done when the blade comes out        clean.

• Frosting

– I decided to try Pamela’s Dark Chocolate Frosting Mix. It was definitely a winner. I will definitely buy this again.

• Chocolate Chips/ Other Melting Candy

– I used Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips. These are one of my sister’s                 favorites. Very, very good.

Instructions:

You can find more in-depth instructions on the internet, but basically:

1. Bake brownies. Let them cool completely. I set mine out on the counter for about 15 minutes and then stuck them in the fridge for a faster cool-down.

2. Make frosting. Stick it in the fridge while brownies are cooling.

3. Crumble up  brownie in a mixing bowl. Slowly add frosting. Mash together with a fork until it becomes a sticky dough-like mess. I only used about 1/4 of the brownie pan at a time.

4. Form the brownie/frosting dough into balls. Place on wax/parchment paper. Stick them in the fridge to firm up.

5. Remove brownie balls from fridge.

6. Melt chocolate chips.

7. Dip brownie balls in melted chocolate. I used two spoons to get good coverage and remove excess chocolate.

8. Place them on wax/parchment paper again. Decorate if wanted. Put them back in the fridge until the chocolate hardens.

9. Eat.

FYI, my roommate said I have created chocolate crack. I must say, that I agree. After I filled up three boxes like the one above, we still had  about 1/4 of the brownie pan left, and a ton of frosting. We ate most of it while watching Scott Pilgrim, Easy A, and The Terminator. Yes, this is how we spend our weekends…

We are not ones to waste food, you know. Especially chocolate. That would just be wrong.

My sister finally got the treats in the mail today…

along with Season 4 of Buffy, Season 1 of Angel, and some Orange Jelly Bean lipgloss from Philosophy.

Between Buffy and Bones (and soon Angel), Delaney is a huge David Boreanaz fan. Obviously.

O, and incase you were wondering if she liked the Brownie Balls…

she had one and promptly told our parents that she wasn’t sharing.

One Week Later…

Long Time/No Post

That’s what happens when life… happens 🙂

So what have I been up to lately, you ask?

This week I:

Suffered an allergy attack. Bleh. This led me to cook with a ton of jalapenos (yum) and chili powder (yum), as well as drink my weight in tea (yum). Considering I really like all of this stuff anyway, it wasn’t so bad, except I sounded like a pre-teen boy for a day or two. This is my (and my Momma’s) favorite tea. I just started another box of it:

A little bit like drinking Red Hots.

Finished Tina Fey’s Bossypants. Quite funny (duh). Definitely recommended.

Devoured some amazing cupcakes from Crumbs. Lindsay and I each got two, split them down the middle, and demolished them while watching How to Tame Your Dragon, Lilo and Stitch, and Sweeney Todd.

Sugar Coma Achievement Unlocked!

Crumbs Bakery findings...

Along with a bottle of Red Velvet Cupcake Wine...

My selections: Raspberry Chocolate and Cookies & Cream

Lindsays selections: Milkshake and Mint Chocolate

Cupcake Sampling Frenzy

Seriously Good. I have been daydreaming about these cupcakes all week. My mouth has been watering like crazy while writing this post….

Stood in a line for three hours to try to get into the Scream 4 Premiere. Unfortunately, they overbooked the free passes, so it was all in vain. Check out the waiver that I had to sign while standing in line, just in case I got into the premiere. Top Secret stuff. Awesome. Because I don’t want any spoilers to ruin the ending for me, I am going to go tomorrow morning (Yay $6 pre-noon show!). It should also be noted that not only does a pre-noon show save you money, but you usually don’t have to put up with annoying teenagers people. I seriously cannot wait to see this film. I have been excited since it was first announced a little over a year ago.  I am not ashamed in the least.

I am so glad they take these precautions. Spoilers suck!

Worked it out in some more classes: Zumba, Bar Method, and Yoga. Today I tried a Yoga with Ropes class. Talk about intense stretching. I would definitely recommend trying it at least once! There was also some upside down action going on…

Stretch....

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Upside Down!

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Until next time…

Think happy thoughts and have a beautiful day!

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Work It Out

Fitness and Books

First Fitness things first. One of my monthly goals is to workout at least 6 times a week. I really cracked down on the plan this week. I will be honest, 9 times out of 10, I would much rather be in a fitness class and/or have someone coach me VS. running attempting to run on the treadmill or using the elliptical. Why? I know that I work harder if I have someone watching me and correcting my moves. I can really feel the workout in my body so much more. Yes, I will occasionally hit the gym for some elliptical or weights, but I really look forward to the classes. Plus, the energy is so incredible and really makes me push myself. Thanks to Groupon and Living Social, I can usually them at a discounted price. My body, my soul, and my wallet thank me. Win-Win-Win.

This is my schedule from this week:

Sunday – Rest

Monday – Zumba, 1 hour, x2 (I took both the morning and the evening class)

Tuesday – Bar Method, Mixed Level, 1 hour

Wednesday – Zumba, 1 hour

Thursday – Bar Method, Mixed Level, 1 hour

Friday – Fusion Yoga, 1 hour

Saturday – Zumba, 1 hour & Bar Method, Mixed Level, 1 hour

A little bit about why I like each of these classes:

Zumba – This really helps fill my dance class void. High energy, really fun music, jingly skirts, and lots of hip shaking. I am never bored and always leave drenched in sweat. What’s not to love?

Bar Method – This is one of the few strengthening classes that I have taken that actually truly works my muscles. Usually within the first 15 minutes of class, my legs are shaking uncontrollably from fatigue. I have only been going for a couple of weeks, but already I am seeing more definition in my muscles. There is a woman in one of the classes that I take who is in her late fifties… and I swear, if I didn’t know this, I would guess that she was mid-thirties. She has a seriously rockin’ body. Talk about inspiration.

Yoga – So far, I have only taken one yoga class, which was of the slow flow variety (lots of holds). I left stretched, sore, sweaty, and as silly as it may sound, peaceful. Of course, I went out and bought my own yoga mat the next day. Tomorrow, I am trying a class that mixes the slow flow with more of a cardio-based yoga. Excitement!

I also like to try to get at least 20 minute walk into my day. Sometimes this doesn’t happen, but I am working on doing this every day. Tonight, I walked to Barnes & Noble and picked up Tina Fey’s new book: Bossypants.

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You know, because I need another book to read right now…

I still have Mockingjay to read:

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As well as finish up Let The Right One In:

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O, and Handling the Undead:

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O, wait… and my mom sent me Heaven is for Real, which I got in the mail today. It sounds pretty interesting:

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I just started Bossypants a little while ago. Love it so far. I hope to start and finish Mockingjay this weekend… I guess we shall see! Maybe a few book reviews will appear on this blog. That’s geek-y, right? Regardless, I think I am all set with reading material for a while.

Now, to go drink some more tea and read…

Geek Zodiac

What’s Your Sign?

Thank you, Geek Tyrant for posting the Geek Zodiac, concept by James Wright and design by Josh Eckert.

According to this brilliant masterpiece, I am a Superhero.

Of course, if you have checked out this blog before, you already know that:

Okay, maybe that doesn’t prove that I am a superhero, but rather that I hangout with superheroes… Eh, I digress.

I can now claim superhero fame, à la Iron Man. Here’s the basic Superhero rundown:

Pros: Selfless, Moral, Vigilant (Constant Vigilance! ha ha)

Cons: Condescending, Pious, Sanctimonious

Awesome.

So what is your Geek Zodiac sign, baby?

Happy Birthday to the Most Beautiful Woman in the World!

My Momma

Beautiful on the inside and out.

I am beyond blessed that she is mine.

It’s hard for me to find a picture of her on my computer… she is the one always behind the camera!

See? Told ya so.

Three cheers and a lot of long distance (she’s back in Oklahoma with my dad and sister) hugs and kisses to this ever inspiring and wonderful woman!

I miss you, and I wish I was with you to celebrate your birthday!

Kisses.

A Touch of Beauty

There is So Much…

I just thought that I would share a few lovely, inspirational thoughts with you guys today!

While I was lurking around the blogging world this morning, I stumbled on the following:

*Handbook to Life*

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts over things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t overdo. Keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. Be grateful for what you have been given.
18. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
21. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away (like algebra class) but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
22. Smile and laugh more.
23. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

24. Call your family often.
25. Each day give something good to others.
26. Forgive.
27. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
28. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

31. Do the right thing!
32. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
33. God heals everything.
34. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
35. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
36. The best is yet to come.
37. When you awake alive in the morning, thank God for it.
38. Your inner most is always happy. So, be happy

Thank you to Peanut Butter Fingers for sharing!

Back in the day (high school, haha), I used to keep a quote book. Actually, I am pretty sure that I had more like three quote books. Anyway, they were filled with poems, excerpts, and famous quotes that I loved and thought were inspirational. I came across this poem today. I found it in one of my old journal/blogs (xanga).

#1052
I never saw a Moor–
I never saw the Sea–
Yet know I how the Heather looks
And what a Billow be.

I never spoke with God
Nor visited in Heaven–
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the Checks were given–

-Emily Dickinson

May your day be inspired and beautiful!

What inspires you?

Road Trip: San Diego

You Stay Classy

I love road trips. Seriously love. It’s actually pretty sad that since I have moved to Los Angeles, I haven’t explored the exciting nearby cities more. Hopefully, there will be future installments of other road trip adventures.  For now: San Diego.

Lindsay had a haircut appointment in San Diego and invited me to go along. Who was I turn to down the opportunity? We left Los Angeles around 10:30AM with a full tank of gas (bleh) and Starbucks (yay). We hit a little weekend traffic along the way, but completed the journey in about 3 hours… not too bad. It’s always nice to have an excuse (not that we need one) to blast showtunes, Big Band, and Disney music for an extended period of time.

Since we got there a couple hours before Lindsay’s appointment, we walked around the general area looking for a good place to get some lunch. There were a ton of cute little cafe/bistro places, and we finally settled on one: Olivetto. Sorry, no pictures. I think my brain was still half asleep for some reason. Anyway, the food was excellent. A brief rundown:

• Fresh bread with olive oil and vinegar
• Chicken with lemon caper sauce and steamed vegetables (mostly squash and broccoli – two of my favorites).

The bread was so delicious. I usually avoid eating non-whole grain bread, but since road trips are few and far between, I figured it was a splurge day. Let me tell you, this bread was a-mazing. It was fresh and light with a seasoned, crispy crust. The chicken and vegetables were great, as well. The roommate and I both happily cleaned our plates.

We walked around a little more, stopping off at a cute children’s toy store (I am a sucker for toy stores). We then headed to the salon. True to form, we were superbly early, so we sipped on tea (green for me, black for Lindsay), and perused magazines. Sadly, we could not find a single quiz. Are Cosmo and teen magazines the only ones that do quizzes? Obviously, I don’t read magazines much.

Lindsay got her haircut… and it is cute! Kind of a long-ish pixie… makes me think of an edgy Audrey Hepburn. Very chic. While we were there, I got a few compliments on my hair (the 2nd and 3rd compliments of the day). Thank you, Sharon!

After we finished up at the salon, we headed out in search of some good shopping and coffee! We decided on the Westfield Mission Shopping center, thanks to the suggestion from Lindsay’s stylist. Of course, I think the shopping center is the only place in California that does not have a Starbucks… seriously. We walked around the entire place, and finally settled on going to The Corner Bakery. We drooled over the brownies and cookies and ordered our lattes. We then proceeded to spend the next couple of hours searching through Nordstrom Rack and Loehman’s. I found some seriously soft sweatpants, but avoided buying them… My wallet thanks me. I ended up leaving with a really cute pair of boots, more than half off the original price! Hooray!

The Geek in me really likes these boots because they are “Elven Ranger-esque.”

The Chic likes them because they are summer-y boots – at least, I think so.                           I hate flipflops.

We drove around for a little bit, before deciding on a place to eat. We ending up stopping at Taste of Italy.

It was a good decision. And I remembered pictures this time!

The Rundown:

Predator Zinfandel, Lodi, 2008 (I believe)

I loved this wine. It was quite fruity, but I was in the mood for that. I’ll admit, I first asked to sample it purely because the name made me think of this cutie:

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And these guys:

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I am that cool.

Chicken Saltimbocca Alla Romano

Chicken Saltimbocca Alla Romano

Yes, more chicken. And it was superb and I demolished it, as well as the veggies. I didn’t bother with the garlic bread (not pictured) or the pasta, because I knew that I wanted dessert…

Chocolate Blackout Cake

The cake was pretty decent, but the icing was a little much. To be honest, the dessert was all a little “from the box” tasting. O, well. I still ate quite a bit of it, though I couldn’t finish it all.

Lindsay's Raspberry Cheesecake

I also had a bite of Lindsay’s Raspberry Cheesecake. It was also decent, but not the best cheesecake ever.

Overall, Taste of Italy was a success! Great food and wine! Also, there was an accordian player, who played some of our favorite songs (La Vie En Rose, It Had to Be You, etc). We dubbed the music selection as Rob Reiner/ Nora Ephron-esque.

We then set off for our journey home to LA. The trip back was about an hour quicker – no traffic. Thank goodness, too, because we were a little tired. Again, we blasted music the whole way home and blew out our voices singing along at the top of our lungs.

The entire journey made for quite the successful Saturday Road Trip!

Feeling Foolish

An Ode to April Fool’s Day

I love a good practical joke… especially if I am in on it, and not at the receiving end (although, that can be fun, too). April Fool’s Day is an odd sort of pseudo-holiday. Not everyone celebrates it, and not a whole lot of people like it. I think I really got into the spirit when I was in junior high. I was always trying to come up with ways to trick my parents, though they rarely, if ever, worked. My parents, however, are masters…

Let me start off by saying that I absolutely adore my sister… now. When we were growing up the same house, however, we fought like crazy. The nine year age difference really got to us. Plus, I babysat her… a lot. One sibling was more than enough for me. I am sure you can see where this is going…

When I was in 7th or 8th grade, my parents gave me a huge scare. My mom was braiding my hair for me before school. We were just talking about run of the mill stuff. My dad walked in before he went off to work to say goodbye to us. Then, he casually said, “So, did you tell her?”

“Tell me what?”

My mom stopped braiding my hair, and both of my parents looked at me with huge smiles on their faces.

“Well, we went to the doctor the other day and found out that I am going to have a baby.”

My jaw dropped, and my parents swear that all of the color drained out of my face.

“That’s great… Wow.”

Fortunately, my parents didn’t take it any further. I may have had a heart attack. They thought that it was so funny how shocked and terrified I looked.

Keep in mind, my little sister was about 3 or 4 at the time and loved the word “No,” especially when I was babysitting.

Happy April Fool’s Day to me.

 

What’s your most memorable April Fool’s Day prank?

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 30

Prompt: Your highs and lows of this month.

Goodbye March!

The past month was a little slow activity-wise. It wasn’t a bad month, by any means. Just so you can get the full idea of what March was like for me, this time I will include the “lows,” although, they really aren’t that bad at all. Keep me in mind, this is stuff that directly concerns me, which is why I haven’t included world issues.

Blogging! – Of course, I started this blog. I forgot how much I liked the blog-style of writing. It can be quite fun. I am looking forward to writing about whatever I want to write about now, versus just sticking to the Blog Challenge.

Starting up with class again – I am so glad my acting class started up again. I had really missed it, and not having it was making me feel a little rusty.

Sitting in on auditions – I have been so fortunate to be able to sit in on some pretty high profile auditions this month. The result: I have become more aware of the image and product that I want to put out in an audition… and what to do to get there.

Hair – After a few months of giving my wallet a rest from the salon, I finally went back two days ago. This time, I decided to go a little more on the strawberry blonde side of red. I left feeling rejuvenated and awesome. +5 Charisma, at least.

Roommate Fun – Well, I think this pretty much speaks for itself. Of course, I can’t remember everything we did, but an example would be last night… we had a night in and watch Tangled and A Knight’s Tale. O, and we made fun of/spied on our neighbors. We are so cool.

This picture is from Lindsay's birthday in February, but I don't care.

Bar Method – I am so grateful that I found Bar Method. The classes seriously kick my butt. I love it. It brings me back to my ballet days, just a little bit. Check out the website for more info.

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Frankenstein – The live streaming of Frankenstein that Lindsay and I saw was just brilliant. I can’t wait to watch it again with the roles of The Creature and Frankenstein reversed. Everything was just… incredible.

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The Walking Dead Night – I bought The Walking Dead on Blu-ray and was finally able to introduce my roommate to the zombie-awesome-ness. We watched the entire series (six episodes) in one sitting. So, so good. I love that it really focuses on human relationships and interaction versus what the zombies are doing. Of course, the Special FX are stunning, as well.

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“Garage Sale” – This episode of The Office was amazing. So, so good. No spoilers…

Phone Troubles – It’s no secret: I miss my iPhone. I switched from AT&T to Verizon (due to the fact that I had almost zero reception in my apartment with AT&T) two months before the Verizon iPhone was announced. Bad luck. My Droid has given me so many troubles. I have sent in for a replacement once already. So far, the replacement is working okay… but I still am not a fan. Honestly, I don’t even really use half the stuff that a smartphone should be used for because it is too troublesome to sync it with my Mac. Actually, it is pretty much impossible. But, I digress. It is a small matter.

Gas Prices – Everyone is dealing with this right now… and it sucks. Fortunately, I get pretty decent milage out of my car. Still, filling up (like I did yesterday) is a pain in the butt… and leaves a pretty big dent in my wallet.

Yesterday’s Heat – It’s pretty sad how spoiled I have become with California weather. In Oklahoma, it is considered to be a hot day when the temperature gets into the triple digits. In Los Angeles, it’s anything over 80. I am now so accustomed to Los Angeles weather, that I started acting like a wimp about yesterday’s heat. I’m a little lame…

After the car cooled down a little, the temperature dropped to about 91, but still....

That’s pretty much my month, recap-style. Here’s to March 2011!