Life is good.

Something I was thinking about today when I couldn’t concentrate at work (and because I have been reading my philosophy books from college too much)

Ok, we are all born as helpless babies, right? As soon as we develop some sense of consciousness we also discover loneliness. We come to realize that we are needy people. We need others physically, emotionally and to varying degrees intellectually and/or spiritually. We’ll also realize that we need love and we need to show people love. When we find ourselves giving love we are giving away the one thing we really want. Do the people you choose to give your love to develop your sense of self? Do we only find that we are loved through the reality of loving others? Doesn’t this go against the whole principle of loving yourself before you can others? While we claim we may be lonely, isn’t it completely against our nature?

I dont know. What do you think? What are you doing this weekend?

I knew I had to give The Curvy Carrot’s thumbprint recipe a try from the moment I laid eyes on them (aka last night circa 11 pm…tonight being my first possible bakertunity)

I multiplied the recipe by three mostly so I could photograph this…

Thumbprint cookies for 60…

What you’ll need:

33 tbsps of butter. yup.

1 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/8 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla (or 1 1/2 tsp of madagascar vanilla)

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Sprinkles of all shapes and sizes

60 chocolate kisses (or hugs!)

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Beat butter on medium-high speed till fluffy

3. Add sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and beat

4. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.

Don’t let shells fall in...

5. Beat in the flour.

6. If your dough is too sticky, let it cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour

7. Once easily handled, roll dough into 1-inch balls.

7.5 Invite an elf who masquerades over to help you roll out the cookies. Laugh at how different you are

…?

source

8. Roll balls in sprinkles to coat.

9. Place balls 2 inches apart on your lined cookie sheets.

10. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are firm. Get ya kisses ready and press them in when they’re done

Let cool and enjoy…

I hope you all are having a great week! We’re officially over the hump

Smiles from,
Kelly

P.S. It’s national Oatmeal month andNational Thank You month. That said,

thank you oatmeal, thank you for everything.

Last night, my friends and I decided that we deserve a good meal out. One, a teacher, just said goodbye to her boyfriend. He will be gone for the next four months . The other, is leaving to return home to Ireland where he was offered a job in cancer research. A third, my constant companion, Brittany, deserves a good meal out every night of the week because she is a gem. And then there’s me, and I just wanted to friggin go out – judge.

We went here and had a grand ole time.

There was a tad too many bottles of this

I am embarrassed to write about my dinner experience.

I ordered something off the menu fully convinced it was pork.

It was not pork.

Those that know me know that I have quite the aversion to fish. So, going forward, note to self (and all) that branzino is a straight up fish on your plate, eyes and everything. I gagged, pouted, and finally ordered my dinner.

Banana Nutella gelato – It’s what’s for dinner.

I took the restaurant’s motto to heart.

After dinner I spent some time with my boyfriend(s)





Paul Giamatti? Go with it.

Only this guy has my heart.

Today was also quite a stellar day of indulgence.

Lunch with a friend here uber yum.

Why the hell not? We don’t have to work today.



Terrified by the thought of now ordering anything with fish or meat I went with the vegetarian option. ‘Twas a delicious feast of roasted fennel, braised greens, and warm cannellini bean puree on a rosemary focaccia. Definitely something repeatable at home.

Key lime pie was waiting for me when I got back from the bathroom. Not my choice, but fantastic nonetheless and who am I to turn down pie?

After lunch I dropped my friend off and channeled my inner history nerd. Hoping to visit one of the neat old estates in the area I drove over only to discover that it was closed. I should have known as it falls in line with the rest of my weekend, but I made the most of it and creeped around in estate in my jeep instead.





Such a nice day out.

I suppose I better get my rump in gear or I will miss my spin class and my ice cream for dinner and pie for lunch will forever reside on my hips.

If you had the day off, how’d you spend it?

Smiles from,
Kelly

Ps. Today in history? Happy b-day Edgar Allan Poe. Ya big broken-hearted weirdo. I feel ya.

For example, like I do on most Sunday afternoons, I am parked in my usual chair, at my usual coffee shop, drinking my usual beverage. I can’t help but notice the woman seated to my left. She is reading a book entitled “Spontaneous Belief” while taking notes of the people who walk in and out of the shop. She makes an effort to offer her extra chair to those who cannot find a seat. She asks people their names and shakes their hands. We speak about how dreary the day is – she remarks that my hat brightens her day (I’m wearing a rainbow hat, it’s weird). But as we get back to our work, I notice that in the margins of her book she has written “I have been depressed my whole life.” I am floored not only at the bluntness of her statement but also at the clemency of her actions towards everyone she meets.

On this anniversary of Martin Luther King, I suppose it’s appropriate to consider the doctor’s dream. That people should be judged only by “the content of their character.” May we never fail to remember that one’s character is molded by those events, people, and emotions that they hold deep in their hearts. That often times we must be patient with the people who we encounter for we can never truly read their emotions. Furthermore, that we make every effort to live a life that we are proud of. That we take risks we can afford to take, that we help those in need, and that we remember to stop and be grateful. If you do nothing unexpected, nothing unexpected will ever happen to you.

The weekend has, in fact, been dreary. My credit card has been hacked, my phone was stolen, I got in a huge fight with my Dad, I fell off a chair in public, and my heart is just a wee bit broken. To counteract all that I’ve surrounded myself with the things that I cherish most…cookies

Monster Cookies

Adapted from ms. Paula

Dont play with your food.

1/4 cup raisins, optional
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
1 stick butter, softened
1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (1/4 if you’re using Madagascar vanilla)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake (duh).

Enjoy your weekend!

Cran-Banan-Nut Not Too Bad for your Butt Bread
what. that sounds better than banana bread

What you’ll need
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 c whole wheat flower
- 1 tsp soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- As many craisins and walnuts as your heart desires

Preheat oven to 350

Mash bananas well and mix with the beaten egg. Add sugar, fold, then mix. Melt butter (!!!) and add to the banana mixture.

Sift together dry ingredients and add to the banana mixture. Dump in walnuts and craisins.

Pour into a 5×9 bread pan and sprinkle a few more walnuts on top for good measure

Bake for 1 hr (if using smaller pans, bake for 40 mins)

devour

In other news, life is good. I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone. It’s been a year since graduation and I am so blessed to have done so much this year. Twenty one is but a dream now.

I celebrated my birthday in my favorite city in the world with my very best friends. We spent the majority of the weekend preparing for Christmas, decorating the tree, making a gingerbread house and celebrating at Merriment in Georgetown. Now I don’t feel like such a scrooge.

<3 dc

Can’t live a day without it, I swear

Espresso + Gelato = Affogato




they couldn’t get cuter if they tried



ya heard?

When you’re too hungover to go to church, just light your own advent wreath and pray with your best friends

Clearly hurting and thinking about taking the snowman down with me.

My masterpiece


Yukon Cornelius…my dream man.

Ask Lauren about the snowman.


Scariest moment of my life. I’m terrified of men in stilts. Or anything in stilts But it looks like rudolph wasn’t allowed to play in any reindeer games…

15 days till christmas!

Smiles from Kelly

sight

(homemade cranberry sauce)

touch

(baby cousin’s first semester home from uni)

smell

(no explanation necessary)

taste

(finished product from yesterday)

hearing

more than anything, I’m thankful for a family that loves me, friends who don’t have to but still do, a dog who licks my face every morning, and a life that, though crazy, makes me laugh till I pee my pants several times a month.

happy thanksgiving.

keep smiling,
kel

I digress..November has been filled with some fun events.

Kate Nash concert with my best friend

There she is.

Sad that the show is not starting

Passing the time

Making fun of our height difference

Making fun of Pauly D

Spent too much time “passing the time” (see above) to really figure out what was going on at the concert. Oops.

In other news, word on the street is that it’s Thanksgiving tomorrow. Which one means one thing…

Spiced Apple Cinnamon Ice Cream

This was the first time I made a recipe entirely from my own volition…it was quite tasty…

Gather ingredients (You don’t need an Oprah)

Swoooon

That’d be our third tablespoon of butter

Get kicked out of the kitchen by two women with knives and cans of pumpkin

Toast your nuts

Get ready for the good stuff

Find a way to pass thirty minutes/guard the mixture with your life


Transfer to freezer and wait till tomorrow

Recipe – What you’ll need
12 spice wafer cookies (crushed) – you can also use oatmeal cookies or nilla wafers…or graham crackers…or probably even pretzels. Use whatever the hell you want that tastes good baked with butter.
3 tbsp melted better (divided)
2 granny smiths (peeled and chopped)
3 c + 3tsp granulated sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
3 c heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 c half and half
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (toasted)

Directions
1. Peel and chop apples. Add apples to a skillet with 1 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp of sugar, and 1 tsp of sugar. Cook until apples are soft and brown (7-10 min). Set aside in separate bowl and let cool
2. Crush cookies with mix with 2 tbsp of melted butter. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until soft. Add to the bowl with your fried apples.
3. In a separate bowl mix 3 cups of heavy cream, 1.5 c of milk, 3 tsp of cinnamon, 3 eggs (beaten), 1 cup of sugar. Transfer to ice cream maker and freeze per manufacturer’s instructions.
4. Toast walnuts in the pan you cooked your apples in. (Sugar should remelt to help toasting) 5+/- min
5. About 5 minutes before your ice cream is finished add the apples, walnuts, and cookies.
6. TRY
7. Transfer to a separate container and freeze for 2-3 hrs.
8. Enjoy (add dulce de leche or caramel sauce if you want)

Off for some night before Thanksgiving shananigannawoos…Happy Turkey Day

Gobble gobble giggle,
Kel

On this day in 1867, the first stock ticker is unveiled in New York City. The advent of the ticker ultimately revolutionized the stock market by making up-to-the-minute prices available to investors around the country. Prior to this development, information from the New York Stock Exchange, which has been around since 1792, traveled by mail or messenger.

The last mechanical stock ticker debuted in 1960 and was eventually replaced by computerized tickers with electronic displays. A ticker shows a stock’s symbol, how many shares have traded that day and the price per share. It also tells how much the price has changed from the previous day’s closing price and whether it’s an up or down change. A common misconception is that there is one ticker used by everyone. In fact, private data companies run a variety of tickers; each provides information about a select mix of stocks.

In case you may have been wondering what cool thing could have possibly happened on such a boring day?

kelly

I’ve traveled to Ireland with my two best friends and adopted a beer belly.

I’ve moved back home to be with my brother

I’ve celebrated my favorite holiday in Sleepy Hollow with new friends

I’ve been in a car accident

((not really a great photo op))

I’ve made caramel apple, cookies and cream, chocolate peanut butter, cinnamon chocolate, and apple pie ice cream.

I’ve accepted that the Serenity Prayer is, in fact my life motto.

I’ve register for first class at Ice Cream University

I’ve run a 10k
Don’t I look like I’m about to break my foot

I’ve laughed till it hurts more times that I can count. And that, is all that matters.

And with all my blessings and mere setbacks I am now more grateful than ever for the wonderful opportunities I have been given. I believe that gratitude is the greatest of virtues and the one we must master before tackling the others. As we enter into a season filled with thankfulness and cheer, I am so grateful for the people who make me happy and who ignite that spark within my heart that makes life worth living to the fullest.

In others news, if you haven’t checked out Mumford and Sons yet, you must do so immediately.

Also, was recently informed by the best friend that pigeons can’t fart. I think this info needs to be paid forward.

Smiles from,
Kelly