Friday Five Favorites: I GET to live and love life.

 

Five reasons this week was great

1.  Getting homework done (again!). I even got reprimanded for turning my homework in too early. Sorry but these one per month classes go by too fast and I get too anxious turning in work too close to the deadline.

2. Mug cakes for breakfast (and at night). Easy and filling.

3. Midday coffee run for my co-workers and getting out of work at 12:30. :)

4. Discovering "Family Tree." Chris O'Dowd, will you marry me? I know, he's not "hot," but watch him! Have you seen "Moone Boy" or "The I.T. Crowd?"

5. Meeting these 4 silly boys. Long story short, they asked if I would take them with me wherever I go. :)

Five crafts

1. DIY nail polish storage made from a shoe box and the gift wrap paper I purchased for the holidays (and beyond).

2. Gingerbread house! Check one off my "December to Remember" list!

I picked the Dancing Deer kit for $13.99. Lots of extra frosting and cookies - you build around the box.

 

My cousin helped decorate it.

 

I did the top two.

3. I could make this myself. I love ya Yancey!

4. Someone invite me to an ugly sweater party!

5. My friend says it's cold out. I suggested this:

Five recipes

1.  Pumpkin pie cheese & crackers were served at the holiday baking party.

2. Holiday stout gingerbread

3. After making pumpkin whoopie pies, I want to make some gingerbread whoopie pies with lemon cream cheese. Whoopie pies are my speciality. :)

4. Sweet potato fritters with yogurt chive dipping sauce

5. Cranberry pinot noir meatballs

BONUS: If you haven't seen this... Joy, you're killing us: Gingerbread Speculoos & Dark Chocolate Cake!

Five workouts

1. Sandbag here and here with my makeshift bag filled with clothes and some weights.

2. Resistance band workouts are all over the place including here.

3. Stability ball, which I haven't done yet but is on the schedule for tomorrow.

4. Walking every night because I don't have to plan and I did all my homework during the day!

5. Dancing - easy Latin and Bollywood.

Five links

1. When did Fullerton become one of the prettiest towns? I may have to revisit during the day...

2. 33 clever Christmas food hacks that are easy and ingenious!

3. How it would look if all humans were bodybuilders

4. 15 reasons why Costco is simply the best

5. I don't have to do anything. I get to workout. I get to go to work. This post seriously changed my life.

Five exciting events

1. Holiday baking party at work. My group make pumpkin whoopie pies and French chocolate truffles.

2. Peter's [surprise] birthday dinner tonight. It'll be a drive for some shabu - I'll explain what that is later... I should get him something though.

3. Indulge L.A. with my friend Julie. I heard there's so much sugar (and drinks) that it's impossible. We'll see about that.

4. Resolution Run, but I'm still not sure if I'm running it or volunteering. Have I told you how much I hate running and I've only ever run one 5K... and I had to train for it?

5. Holiday baking exchange with a Meetup group I joined. It's 20-somethings reading books. I'm thinking about making eggnog thumbprints, but please GIVE ME IDEAS!

Your turn:
What's your go-to cookie recipe?
What's your favorite cookie?

Five Things Friday: Too stuffed to sleep.

It's almost midnight and I'm stuffed and digesting my food. I refuse to sleep with a full belly.

My day started with hunger pangs. I was hungry the night before, but ignored it and just went to bed. I woke up, made another pumpkin mug cake, and watched all 3 hours of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

Swoon... Taylor Kinney.

I finally got in a workout. So many people posted workouts on Instagram. I used their ideas for a warm-up then did a weight/barre workout and stretched it out. Next year, I'm doing the Dana Point Turkey Trot, which apparently is one of the biggest! Who knew?!

All the Thanksgiving pictures warmed my heart and reminded me that it's the holidays! Well, I ended up caving in to my craving for cornbread...

  Five loaf breads (I made or will make)

1. I finally found a recipe I could work with: Whole Grain Honey Cornbread. I made 2 load pans worth and definitely nibbled on some with honey butter while I kept baking.

2. My second loaf was Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread, which was much denser. Not sure how much I like it.

3. My last quick bread is a favorite, Orangette's Banana Bread with Cinnamon & Sugar. I post all my favorites under Food on the tabs.

I actually ended up using Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Pancake & Waffle Mix for the flour after looking at the ingredients. I just didn't add any more baking soda/powder.

4. Ginger tea bread from the former owners of Bake It Pretty, an online shop that became brick & mortar in Asheville. It was such a coincidence - I loved this shop. This bread is more like gingerbread.

5. Eggnog pound cake

I didn't get a chance to eat any of it though (except aforementioned cornbread). What turned out to be a quiet Thanksgiving ended up with a dinner complete with turkey, green beans, stuffing, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, mac & cheese, cold cuts, creme brûlée, Sprinkles cupcakes, wine, beer & whiskey. Oh and bacon in everything!

Five things I ate for Thanksgiving dinner

1. Turkey

2. Green beans (not casserole)

3. Brussel sprouts with bacon

4. Creme brulee mini

5. Fat Tire beer

My cousin worked for the ABC. That's a kegerator and cabinet full of wine and liquor...

I'm not one to do cheat days but if there ever was one, this is it! 

Five things I didn't eat on Thanksgiving

1. Sprinkles cupcakes, though I was given the whole box because we didn't eat them. I'm handing them out. :)

2. Mac & cheese... I love mac & cheese, but white pasta wasn't going to do.

3. Mashed potatoes with bacon

4. Green bean casserole, which is cool since it's my least favorite of the side dishes.

5. Sweet potatoes! How did this happen?! There were no sweet potatoes on the table!

(source)

Five things to get in the holiday spirit

1. Go ice skating.

2. Walk in a neighborhood with lots of Christmas lights and sip hot chocolate (or tea).

3. Make a gingerbread house.

4. Listen to Christmas music on the radio and live!

5. Drink Highlight Brewing's Cold Mountain Ale. Wait, I can't do that. They don't sell that here, but if you're lucky enough, you should try it.

What did you eat yesterday? What did you avoid?
Are you going Black Friday shopping? I'm not!

Thursday thoughts: Thanksgiving break

I'm getting excited for Friday.

We get a whole week off for Thanksgiving, much needed after 3 long months of school.

Unfortunately, it's also the end of my long-term sub position, the one I've had since May. 4 months of glorious lessons and a stable, paying job.

I will miss my students; however, I will continue to sub after and I'm sure to see them again. Right now, it doesn't seem like the end and it really isn't.

I'm much more excited about the break. I'm excited about hiking and eating and other adventures.

What I'll be eating

Savory pumpkin cornbread waffle

Bourbon bacon whipped sweet potatoes

Bacon cheddar biscuits from Manhattan Beach Post

Dairy-free pumpkin bread pudding

Raw carrot cake from here

What you should make, and for some reason I want a very Southern Thanksgiving/holiday

Sausage jalapeno hushpuppies

Tater tots with dijon gravy

Eggs Benedict over savory waffle

Sweet potato and honey dinner rolls

Pumpkin tiramisu

Adventures, and things to do.
I begin the break with a Duffy boat ride, finally!
Bodies, the Exhibition
Redwoods in Southern California and a little picnic and reading while I'm there
Catch up on "Walking Dead."
Watch "Waitress," "What's Cooking," and "Chocolat."
Read!

What will you be doing?
What are you making for Thanksgiving dinner? 

The Great Move of 2013: Baking & cooking

After an insane day, waking up at 3:30 and not having my normal schedule at work, I managed to fit in everything and more.

I subbed for a World History Honors class. It was strange being in a class of 30+ students. I had anxiety because there were so many of them and they talked so much. Sure, my 10 or so students are a handful, but they're easier to handle/I know and love them.

I got to work with my students the rest of the day though most of them were testing.

Donuts for the ones who came to class

By the end of the day though, my classes returned to normal and we had an amazing lesson/discussion on Prohibition.

I left a bit early, took a long 3 hour nap, and worked out. I'm proud to say I've planned out the rest of the month (up till Thanksgivng), did my homework, and started to clean out all my junk in anticipation for THE GREAT MOVE of 2013! Yes, that's what I'm calling it!

Discovering and purging, and cleaning out my extract bottles

I moved back to California in July 2011 and squatted for 2+ years. I will now be living permanently in a 2-bedroom, 2-bath detached home. It's not big, only 1,000 square feet, but what can you expect from Southern California?

What am I excited about?

• My first real home!
• Baking and cooking! 
• Designing!
• Decorating for the holidays!

What will I be baking and cooking?

Turkey, bacon, & avocado summer rolls

Smoked salmon breakfast burrito

Sweet potato chocolate chip pancakes

Pumpkin beer bread

Sea salt chocolate muffins

Baked strawberry donuts out of my never-used donut pan!

Homemade pizza with fig preserves, caramelized onions, & chicken sausage

Quinoa burgers on an outdoor grill

What are you cooking this fall? I would also love to learn to preserve foods and bake a layered cake!