february "cookie": brown butter & sea salt rice krispie treats

okay, okay. so this technically isn't a cookie. but I'm counting it anyway. because it is the most addictive thing you'll ever eat- right up there with pringles or kettle corn. they might sound like a super fancy version of your favorite elementary-school treat, but they really aren't at all. basically, it's just the original rice krispie recipe, but you just brown the butter first & then add a little sea salt (recipe from smitten kitchen). try it. you'll be hooked! 

{recipe from here}

"suck it moneys. I'm going corporate"

my first job out of college was working at an advertising agency. while it's certainly not as glamorous as the movies make it, it was definitely a fun environment, especially working in the creative department. lots of quirky people (which I happen to love) who weren't afraid to be themselves. 

a little over a year ago I left advertising & took a job in the corporate world. and boy, what a shocker that was. where's the margarita machine & the liquor cabinet? why are the IT people blocking me from gmail, facebook & pandora? how come everyone is wearing gianormous slacks that don't fit? you mean we can't wear shorts?? even in the summer? do you guys not have a beer cooler-scooter to ride around the office on? or a pool table? or a ping pong table? or friday half-days? sheesh. it was rough, I tell you. 

but once I got over all of that, I actually started to enjoy working the 'ol nine to fiver. this job has given me so much more free time to do what I please after-hours. and plus, I'm getting paid in actual money instead of alcohol (kidding. kind of). but the one thing I will never get over are these stupid sayings that people in the corporate world use. here are some of my favorites: 

"I'll loop you in." 

"sorry I forgot to circle back with you."

"I can't stay for the whole meeting; I have a hard stop at 3:30". 

"I'll give you 5 minutes back," if a meeting wraps up early. gee, thanks for being so generous.

"It's in the same field, but a different flavor."  please don't mix my favorite food term with work. it's just depressing.

"be sure to let these issues bubble up."

"this project really goes in a different bucket." these figurative buckets really get on my nerves. 

"we need to sunset this project." this is the dumbest. I think it just means "end".

but in the end, this pretty much sums it up for me:




what are some of your least-favorite corpo sayings? am I crazy in thinking these sound ridiculous? 

just like old times

good news. apparently my 9th grade cousin isn't too embarrassed to hang out with a 30-year-old in public. she was in town over the weekend & I totally pretended that I was in high school again. we hung out at the mall, took pics in the forever 21 photobooth & ate that nasty chinese food they shove at you in the food court. ah, to (pretend) to be young again.

bicycle basket

my sweet husband gave me the best valentine's day gift- this awesome basket for my bicycle. and it's not just a regular basket- it actually detaches from the bike so I can take it in to do my shopping - no bags needed. the weather was amazing this weekend so we did a little grocery shopping & made this delicious dish, as spotted on pinterest. 

snippets from valentine's day

happy valentine's day! I like to think I celebrate love all year round. so v-day isn't too big of a fuss. here are snippets from the day. hope you guys had a lovely, low-key day.

{sweet tulips from my sweet husband}

{super target had pillsbury cinnamon rolls... with chocolate icing! yes, they were awesome.}

{my annual heart tights - goin' on three years with these babies}

{I made some white chocolate covered pretzels}

{treats for my work friends}

{I printed out a bunch of our instagram photos as a gift for robert. idea courtesy of elsie}

{and right now I have a handsome man in my kitchen, whipping up a three course meal. best gift ever -both the man, & the meal!}

nerd alert: harry potter world

warning: robert & I are harry potter nerds. we're the annoying type who watch the movies on the first day they're out & subsequently buy them on dvd. or visit platform nine & three quarters in king's cross station on a trip to london. or admit to wanting to be like sirius black (robert). so it was imperative that we take a trip to the wizarding world of harry potter at universal studios. 

this place is pretty magical and the details are just incredible: chocolate frogs in honeyduke's candy shoppe,  moaning myrtle in the bathroom, carts serving butterbeer (insanely sweet but pretty delicious), muggle t-shirts, squealing mandrakes. even employees who tell you that "the ministry requests your signature" when making a credit card purchase. and the best part- the place was filled with even nerdier harry potter fans! people of all ages dining at three broomsticks wearing house robes or scarves or carrying wands around the park, attempting to cast spells. we kind of loved it. 

 {the train to hogwarts}

{"please respect the spell limits"}

 {"anything from the trolley?"}

 {vomit-flavored jelly beans, anyone?}

 {the owl post}

 {the employees ask you if your wand has chosen you yet}

 {animated wanted poster}

 

{we got some delicious pear cider & fish & chips at three broomsticks restaurant}

 {all these potter nerds made me feel quite at home}

valentine's day packages o' love

inspired by pinterest, here's a super easy valentine's day craft that is fun for kids and, let's be honest, adults too.

to start, cut out various sized hearts from kraft paper. be sure to fold the paper so that it's doubled-up & each heart has a front & back. decorate them with sweet messages & designs. I also think they look pretty just leaving them undecorated. 

sew around the edges, leaving a hole for stuffing. don't have a sewing machine? you can do this by hand with a needle & thread, making the stitches a lot longer. or seal using some fun washi tape on the sides. or heck, take a sharpie and color the top of some staples & then just staple around the edges. whatever works. 

now the fun part. fill with treats: candy kisses, lollipops, confetti, lip gloss, hamburger erasers... you know, normal stuff.

 stitch back over the opening so that it's secure.

pass these "packages o' love" out & watch your friends rip into them with joy & excitement. 


ps- what I made for robert last year for valentine's day. 

jason wu for target

did any of you get in on the jason wu goodness at target this past sunday? I'm embarrassed to admit that I hit up three targets & still managed to make it to church by 9am. the dress I was after was already sold out in my size. but I managed to pick up some other really cute pieces that I think I'll get a lot of wear out of (who am I kidding? I say that every time I buy something). plus, every item was under $40! not too shabby. thanks tarjay!

super bowl snacks

the only two reasons for me to watch the super bowl: snacks & commercials (oh, & tom brady didn't hurt either). we made some pretty delicious snacks this year. "preeetyyy preeetyyy good," as larry david would say. here are my two faves. robert made joy the baker's mini pretzel dogs and they were amazing! like, auntie anne's good. and then I made spoon fork bacon's chocolate covered ruffles. so addictive. I don't think we'll be waiting for another super bowl to roll around to make either of these again. 

january cookie: chocolate toffee cookies

chewy chocolate. rich ganache. toffee crunch. that pretty much sums up these chocolate toffee cookies I made as my january cookie (in case you're wondering,  2011 was a year of cakes so 2012 is going to be a year of cookies). a good start to the year so far.

{recipe from here}