Thursday Thoughts with Jen - Vol 18

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Who all is dressing up this evening? For the past few years I've gone to my friend Alex's parents house because they have the most ah-maze-ing haunted house. We dress up and sit at the bottom of the driveway to hand out candy to the little ones who are too scared to venture up to the house. This year we have a pretty cute costume in mind. Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see what we dress up as later this evening! And now without further ado, here are your Thursday Thoughts!

1. Speaking of Halloween, I cannot wait until Jimmy Kimmel has his annual video where parents tell their children they ate all of their candy after they went to bed. Best. Thing. Ever. Yooooooooouuuuuuu sneaky mom!
2. My work is trying to make me fat. Yup. They want me to become obese. We have an exorbitant amount of treat days for birthdays, bosses days, wedding showers, baby showers, Wednesdays. You name it. We have a treat day for it. Of course Halloween is no exception. In fact, it's the most absurd. There are different rooms throughout the building with different themes. There's a sandwich room (where meat and cheese sit out all day), a "healthy" room, a cheese/crackers/Little Smokies/chips & dip room, a candy room, a breakfast/dessert room, and last but not least, a nacho room. By about 8:37 a.m. if you haven't made it to the nacho room, well, then you're out of luck because that place is wiped clean. Gluttony at it's finest.Woof.
3. Yesterday, when discussing different types of oatmeal with some of my co-workers (see we even obsessively talk about food), I learned something completely mind-blowing. Did you know Quaker packages can be used as a measuring cup?!? I've been eating oatmeal for at least 20 years, and I never knew this! My world will never be the same. Gone are the days when my oatmeal comes out too runny or too dry. Hallelujah!
   
4. Ok enough Halloween and food talk. Last week my house was TP-ed. Although I may act like a high schooler quite frequently, you'll be surprised to know I do not in fact socialize with 16 and 17 year olds on the reg so I was quite confused. Fortunately it was a case of mistaken identity, and once they realized their error they came back and cleaned it up! How impressive is that?! I can't say I would have done the same when I was 16.
5. Although toilet paper is not one of my favorite decorations for my home, I am getting uber-excited to decorate for....wait for it....CHRISTMAS! How early is too early? I've already been shopping around for the perfect Christmas tree. Why do they have to be so gosh darn expensive? Oh well. Totally worth it. Now who wants to come over, and help me carry up my 27 bins of Christmas decorations from the basement? 
6. Basecamp Hotel is a hotel after my own heart. This is my kind of camping. A tent set up indoors with a cute little fire pit where I won't have to spend the night with any creepy, crawly creatures or mosquitoes?! Sign me up!
   
7. Speaking of sleeping, my winter PJs are out in full force. Are they sexy? Absolutely not. Are they cozy? Heck yes! There's nothing I love more than cuddling up on the couch in multiple layers under a blanket when the temperatures drop. I'm kind of obsessed with the fleece pajama pants from Old Navy. Is it embarrassing to own at least 7 different pairs? I don't of course. I'm just asking for a friend... 
8. Everything about this Twentysomething Party vs. Thirtysomething Party is true (well except for the drugs part. Just say no kids), and I'm only 27. This doesn't bode well for me when I'm actually in my 30s does it? 

Halloween Kitty Cat Cupcakes

If you follow me on Pinterest then you've probably seen the hundreds of Halloween things I've been pinning the last few weeks. I finally had some free time yesterday morning (and we happened to be celebrating my sister's birthday today) so I got to try out some new treats!

In case you aren't aware (which I'm not sure how you couldn't be), I'm a self proclaimed cat lady, as is my mother...and my middle sister...and my younger sister. I guess you could say it runs in the family. Of course when I saw these Black Cat Cupcakes from Better Homes and Gardens I knew I had to recreate them. Side note - if you don't get the daily emails from BHG sign up now. Seriously. What are you waiting for?! They're great.

I did a lot of baking on Thursday night so I took the easy route and opted for boxed chocolate cake mix and store bought chocolate frosting for these cupcakes. After all, the pizazz is in the decorating. Here is what you'll need if you want to make these cute cats:

• Chocolate Jimmies
• Milk chocolate candy melts (I got mine at Hobby Lobby)
• Dots
• Peanut butter chips
• Black Pull n' Peel Licorice or black frosting

After you've frosted your cupcake, start by applying a generous amount of chocolate sprinkles to the top of the cupcake (enough so that it resembles fur). I found the best method was to pour the sprinkles in a bowl and gently dip/roll the cupcake

Next it's time to give this little kitty cat some ears. Cut milk chocolate candy melts into triangles so they resemble ears, and gently press into cupcake.

Bonus! Look at all these chocolate scraps you can munch on :)

For the eyes I used yellow and green Dots, but any gumdrop will do. Unfortunately the box of Dots I happened to pick up was severely lacking in the yellow and green department so I had to make each Dot into three individual eyes which made some of them a little smaller and rounder than others, but I think that gave the cats character. For the pupils, I alternated between using chocolate sprinkles and piping round pupils with black frosting. I think the cats with sprinkles for eyes looked a little evil so the piped eyes were much friendlier looking. Make sure to put a dab of chocolate frosting on the back of the eye so that it actually sticks to the cupcake.

For the little kitty nose I used peanut butter chips. If PB isn't your thing, butterscotch chips would also work. Again, attach to cupcake with a little dab of chocolate frosting. Next pipe on whiskers with black frosting or attach black licorice. Good luck with the licorice. I went to three different stores and couldn't find it anywhere. Oh well. Frosting tastes better anyways. :)

And there you have it - cute black cat cupcakes. Easy enough right? Enjoy!

Thursday Thoughts with Jen - Vol 17

Sorry I missed a week! I decided sleep was more important than staying up late to blog. I'll try to make this week's Thursday Thoughts extra interesting to make up for last week!

1. Have you guys seen this map of six decades of the most popular names for girls, state by state? Jennifer's ruled the world (or at least the country) for 14 years! What's funny is I was born in 1985, the first year Jessica took over as the most popular. I guess my parents were a little behind the curve. I'd be curious to know how many of those Jennifer's actually go by that name and how many go by Jenny, Jenni, or Jen. When I was growing up if my parents called me by my full name I knew I was in for it!

   

   photo credit: jezebel.com

2. Speaking of names, last week C jokingly (I hope) sent me this list of 33 Signs You Need To Dump Your Girlfriend saying I met the criteria for #7, #8, and #20. I've sounded like a broken record the last few months complaining that none of my jeans fit and obviously Tay Tay is my hero so I'll give him those two, but #20? Me? Capable of murder? I'm not that intense. What he really should know is my list of baby names is actually an iPhone note and not a Word document. What is this the 1990s? Does anyone else keep a running list of baby names they like or am I the only psycho? Mine's saved in my phone right after my grocery list but before my list of songs to download. Priorities.
3. You know what's more creepy than keeping a list of potential childrens' names on your phone? This new dating app, Charm. As if Tinder isn't bad enough, the creators of Charm have taken it one step further and you can now choose a potential love interest based on a 3 to 10 second video. Apparently this is more "authentic" then seeing someone's highlight reel of their best pictures from the last ten years. Thanks, but no thanks.
4. Lighting can really make or break a picture. It's kinda sad, but I judge a room or restaurant on it's lighting which will determine whether or not I can take a good Instagram picture. I wish I were joking. I'm just a little obsessed. Please see below for artificial lighting vs. natural lighting. Makes a difference huh? I'm basically a professional photographer. Hah! :)

   

   Crappy lighting at my parents house

   

   Pretty lighting outside. 

     
5. I'm kind of freaking out. Has anyone tried Dunkin' Donuts new Apple Pie flavored coffee?? I must get my hands on some. I've been on the pumpkin spice coffee train for the past month or so, and (I can't believe I'm about to say this) I'm sort of getting sick of it. I know. Surprising right? Me? Sick of pumpkin? Yup - pumpkin coffee at least. I'm moving on to Apple Pie.
   
6. Ummmm this is AMAZING! I've totally dressed up as a bag of Jelly Belly's before. In theory it was a great idea, but I was so angry the entire night because everyone was trying to pop my balloons. People are evil I tell you. I've also been a cupcake. Wow I really am obsessed with food. I don't think I'll be dressing up this year, but if I was, that spaghetti and meatball costume in genius!
7. Let's talk TV. Since I've really only been able to keep up with one show these days let's delve into Nashville. I don't know what to think of Juliette right now! Do I love her? She really was sweet to Maddie last week. Do I hate her? She slept with a MARRIED man. This internal struggle is killing me. One thing's for sure. Nashville is seriously addicting. I've been saying it for over a year now, if you don't watch it already you should probably devote a day to catching up on the first season because it is SO good. 
8. Speaking of love/hate relationships, Google has the saddest commercials ever. They really tug at the heartstrings. First there was this Jess Time one for Google Chrome last year, and now they aired one about a dying dog. Seriously Google you're killing me, and yes I just made the mistake of watching it again and now I'm tearing up. I'm such a sap.

Creepy Crawly Halloween Cupcakes

I really, really love holidays. I've probably said it before, but Halloween to New Year's is my most favorite time of the year. There are so many fun things to look forward to during this time period, and more importantly - so many excuses to bake!

With Halloween just around the corner, today I'm going to show you how to make some fun, creepy, crawly cupcakes. You don't have to be a baking expert to whip these up, and they definitely have a wow factor. Whenever I make chocolate cake I always use the recipe I've listed below, but if you are rushed for time (or baking just isn't your thing) I would suggest using Pillsbury Moist Supreme Devil's Food cake mix. It's the next best thing and basically fool proof.

Best Chocolate Cake Ever

2 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
3/4 cup of cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place all of the dry ingredients (except cocoa) into a large bowl and combine. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients. Add the cocoa and vanilla extract to the boiling water. Slowly combine with other mixture at medium speed until everything is combined. Line a cupcake tin with silver baking cups and fill 2/3 of the way full. Bake until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean (approx. 15-20 min).

While your cupcakes are cooling, it's time to make the frosting. Here is where I'll tell you not to skimp out and buy store bought frosting. It just isn't the same. Trust me. Whip up some buttercream frosting (it's easy I promise), and tint to your desired shade of orange. I'm partial to Hobby Lobby's AmeriColor gel food coloring, but any brand will work.. In order to get a pretty swirl effect with your frosting, attach a Wilton 1M decorating tip to your decorating bag, and fill with orange buttercream. Frost in a circular motion (step by step instructions are in the previous link), and sprinkle with orange sanding sugar. Place plastic spiders sporadically on the cupcakes. I probably went a little bit overboard with mine so they are extra festive. Lastly, in order to jazz up these cupcakes a little bit, I made the silver baking cups look more like spider webs by using these cupcake wraps. And that's it! These are cute Halloween cupcakes that anyone can master! :)

Friday Funnies

Happy Friday! I'm sure there were a lot of other funny things my friends said last weekend, but here are just a few I actually recall. Remember, I'm always listening :)

*~*~*~*~*~*

Friend 1: The dad has to raise the bread, or whatever.
Friend 2: You mean he has to be the breadwinner?

Well...Fall definitely threw up all over my Pinterest feed today.

Dude my fantasy draft is ballin' outta control. My players are trill
good. Lay off my za! Yo you need another brewski?

Even if you get fat your face should stay the same. Your bone structure won't 
change. Unless you get super huge and your bones implode from the pressure.

If my husband doesn't cry when he sees me walk down the aisle, I'm turning around.

Stress eating cucumbers is not nearly as satisfying as stress eating Cheez-its.

I'd argue that my Instagram likes are the rarest of compliments. Like a treasure chest for which 
you spend your whole life searching. A quest that is laced with trials and tribulations, but
 should you ever achieve success, it would taste all that much sweeter.

Oh look a baby pig! Hamlets! Wait a second. That's not right...

Really though, vegetables are just a transportation device for the hummus into my mouth.

Don't freeze. You're getting so thin you won't have any blubber layers to keep 
you insulated. You'll have to migrate somewhere warm for the winter.

I don't really feel like it. I'd have to put shoes on. It's a whole big thing.

White queso and yellow queso are very different. You take white queso to meet 
your dad. You MARRY white queso. ..never yellow.

Spring break junior year I had 11 beers during a KU basketball game. Daddy can throw em back.

I've been mixing candy corn with caramels which has zero nutritional
 value. It'll be a miracle if by Halloween I don't have diabetes.

After bragging about how I make the perfect pancakes, the first flung
onto the floor, and my dog ate the second. I deserved that.

The little known 27th Amendment to the US Constitution is that meals eaten
at the airport must be both underwhelming and overpriced.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Mini Oatmeal Pumpkin Creme Pies

You guys. I've been bitten by the pumpkin bug hard. I can't get enough pumpkin flavored coffee, waffles, cookies, bread, you name it. I want it. I made these little guys last year (prior to starting the blog) so I thought I would make them again for a pumpkin carving party I'm going to later this evening. Yes, my friends and I are 27 and 28 year olds who still carve pumpkins every year. Holidays aren't just for children. Duh. Of course there will be adult beverages there as well. Let's just hope none of us lose a finger. Now that I think about it, as accident prone as I am, maybe I should only draw my design on my pumpkin and leave the actual carving to someone else, but I've digressed.

Back to these cute, little, itty bitty oatmeal pumpkin creme pies. I just had to share this recipe with you all. Fair warning - these things are tasty. It's nearly impossible to stop after just one...but they're mini so it's okay right? You can have at least three. At least that's what I'm telling myself. :)

Mini Oatmeal Pumpkin Creme Pies

Mini Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 and 2/3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour

Pumpkin Creme

4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 T unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour (as needed)

Let's start with the cookies. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing well after each. Slowly stir in baking soda, cinnamon, oats, and flour. Mix until just combined.

Now you should probably chill the dough for about an hour, but I was pressed for time last night seeing as I didn't start making these until 8:30, and I have a non-negotiable 10:00 p.m. bedtime because I'm a grandma like that. I popped the dough in the freezer for maybe 15 min, and I think they turned out just fine. Not too flat at all, but if you want to follow the rules, chill for an hour.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball and place on prepared sheet. Bake for 9 minutes and let cool on cookie sheet for a minute or two before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

While the cookies are cooling, it's time to prepare the pumpkin creme. Mix the cream cheese, butter, pumpkin and spices until creamy. You can substitute 3/4 pumpkin pie spice for the ginger, clove, and nutmeg if you have it on hand. Add powdered sugar. If creme is too thin, add flour to thicken.

Time to assemble! Spread a generous portion of creme on the underside of a cooled cookie and sandwich another on top. That's it! Get ready to be wowed! Enjoy!

Young and Wild (When Freed) - Texas State Fair

J: This past weekend C and I were in Texas for the KU/TCU game, but I must admit I had ulterior motives for traveling to the Lone Star State on this particular weekend. Sure I might have used the KU game as an excuse to get C to agree to the trip, but the main appeal for me was the chance to consume lots and lots of fried goodies at the Texas State Fair...that and the baby farm animals. Why are baby pigs so stinkin’ cute?!? Friday afternoon we bought our $5 DART tickets and headed off to the fairgrounds, and let me tell you, it was an experience for sure.

C: Jenny and I are both from Topeka, KS, so we are no strangers to the state/county fair scene. I feel comfortable speaking for both of us when I say that growing up the highlight of the summer was the Fiesta Mexicana, a typical parking lot carnival with the standard nausea inducing rides and rigged games of chance, but with the addition of stomach churning Mexican Food. Jen tells me she vomited during her last trip to the Fiesta, so I was excited to accompany her to the Texas State Fair, particularly after she linked this list of best fried foods on her blog. She admitted to me (privately) that the weekend would be a total bust if we didn’t get fried cookie dough. I thought it would be a total bust if we couldn’t get Jen to eat so much she puked. She owes me after I spewed twice the first weekend we spent together. That should tell you something about her cooking. I wouldn’t trust this particular food blogger.  

J: Let me set the record straight. It wasn’t my last trip to the Fiesta Mexicana. You guys know I don’t turn down Mexican food ever. Also, at no point did my cooking make Cory sick. He simply can’t handle his alcohol or was abnormally nervous around me to the point he made himself sick. I’ll let him decide which one of these is the truth.

Anyways, like I mentioned earlier I’d been salivating over attending this particular state fair for years. Everything’s bigger and better in Texas, right y’all? When C asked me to rank my priorities of things I wanted to do in Dallas this past weekend, eating an absurd amount of fried food obviously topped my list. We purchased $50 worth of food tickets, and we both agreed that all of them would be used to sample the various delicacies throughout the fairgrounds. Who has time for rides and games when there’s heart-clogging food to be consumed? Not us. Over the course of maybe 4 hours I tried 7 different items, probably consumed more calories than I’d eaten in the past 3 weeks combined, and by the time we left I looked like I was 6 months pregnant. Hellllllo food baby.

C: (Once again, Jen has more baby talk in her post than I can be comfortable reading.)

Fried Picnic On A Stick: That's spicy chicken, tater tots and pickle slices,
battered, rolled in spicy bread crumbs and fried. Yup. This was only snack #1.

Fried Cuban Sandwich: Marinated pork shoulder, diced ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and secret sauce wrapped
in flaky pastry and you guessed it - fried. This won "Best Taste" this year which is the top award at the fair.

Funnel Dog: Your standard corn dog, but instead of corn batter the hot dog was fried in funnel cake
batter then coated with powdered sugar and covered in chocolate sauce. This was a messy one for sure.

Fried Snickers: Pretty self explanatory. I personally thought this one was
 way too sweet (I know that's surprising coming from me), but C liked it.

Fried Oreos: Also self explanatory, and my personal fave although I
couldn't eat all three. I tapped out after maybe one and a half. 

Fried Guacamole: Both C and myself were super excited to try this one, but we were under impressed.
I don't think the guac was terribly good to begin with, and once it's fried and hot it's just a little
 too weird. It sure makes for a pretty picture though once you bit into it. :)

Fried Spaghetti and Meatball: This was just okay, but we wished we'd
saved room for the fried Cool Ranch Doritos pizza. Maybe next time

J: Food babies are a real thing. I’m not talking about actual babies. Get with it. Anyways, I was pretty much miserable the rest of the night, but you only live once! If possible, I would highly suggest attending the fair with a group of friends so you can all buy different things and take a nibble of each. Although be sure to get your own fried Oreo’s. No one should be forced to share those :)

C: We spent so much time looking for specific and interesting fried food items that we hardly did anything else at the fair. My wallet benefited from Jen’s disinterest in me winning her a stuffed animal at one of the fair games. I do not have the arm strength or accuracy to knock three milk bottles off a platform. Jen is not dating me for my athletic ability. We also did not use our tickets for any of the carnival rides. I was really hoping to drag Jen onto the Octopus, or one of the other twisting, spinning puking aids. We did not watch any of the numerous live bands, we missed the ostrich, pig, and weenie dog races, we did not see any livestock shows (no sheep judging?! I don’t know how we skipped that either), no auto show, Chinese Lantern Festival, pumpkin carving, wine garden, dog agility, greenhouse, cow milking, African acrobats, or Lucha Libre Mexican wrestling. We did however find the baby animal tent, where Jen squalled when I pointed out the piglets. I was able to drag her out before she stuck a baby goat in her purse.

J: There was cow milking?!? How did I not know this? I would have wanted to do that for sure. Also, ostrich, pig, and weenie dog races?!? I think C withheld this information from me on purpose after I spent almost an hour with the baby animals. Now we have to go back.

C: I agree, I didn’t see the Cool Ranch Doritos Fried Pizza until my food tank was well past full.

J: I don’t think my stomach or my arteries could handle it. Maybe we have one more fair trip in our future, but it is highly unlikely I’ll be making the Texas State Fair a yearly tradition. It was worth the $12 admission (side note - be sure to check for coupons online before attending any state fairs. Most of the time there are discounts offered if you attend during the week instead of a Saturday or Sunday. We got $5 off because C’s friend was a smarty pants and thought ahead like that), but now I can check attending a state fair off my bucket list. Now off to the gym so I can fit into my pants again after this indulgent weekend.

Thursday Thoughts with Jen - Vol 16

Yay! Today is Thursday which is actually my Friday. I always hate when people say that, but now that it's me that doesn't have to work tomorrow I'm suddenly more okay with it. Here's your Thursday Thoughts:

1. There's no better test of will power than driving home with a take out pizza in the car. I always have to put it in the backseat to ensure I make it home with a full pizza. One thing's for sure, if it was riding shot gun next to me it would be a goner. I've never claimed to have any will power whatsoever when it comes to food, especially za. 
   
2. Speaking of food, I'm going to the Texas State Fair this weekend and seriously cannot wait to try some of these 25 Deep Fried Foods. While I love a good margartia, a deep fried one just seems a little too weird. I think I'll stick to the deep fried Pop Tarts, Oreos, and cheesecake. I feel a stomach ache coming on.
3. I think Starbucks' #payitforward campaign is so fantastic. How great would it be to know that you put a smile on someone's face first thing in the morning when they pull up to the drive-thru and realize their latte is already paid for? AND bonus: you get a free tall coffee! The other morning my barista informed me the 7 cars in front of me had all paid for the person's drink in the car behind them. Of course I kept the trend going. It's nice to see that people are kind hearted and generous. Stop by your neighborhood Starbucks today or tomorrow, and you too can participate. Let's all #payitforward.
4. You guys. I have a serious problem. I cannot stop listening to "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus. For real. Yesterday I listened to it on repeat for 45 minutes straight while I was doing cardio at the gym. Her songs are just so catchy. There isn't one I don't like. Don't even try to tell me you don't bust a move when you hear "Party in the USA" or get a sudden boost in confidence as soon as "The Climb" comes on. My personal fave though? "Two More Lonely People." Hands down. Best Miley song EVER. Check it out below :)
5. This list of 29 Underrated Things About Being in Your Late 20s is fantastic....except for the part about only liking regular Oreos. I personally think all the fun flavors are amazing. Although tried and true plain, Golden Oreos are far superior to all the rest. Oh, and I can't keep a plant alive for the life of me. My green thumb needs some work, but I have kept a cat alive for the last 11 years so there's that...
6. These 19 Cats Who Just Want to Look Sexy for Halloween definitely made me giggle. I'm pretty sure Evie would murder me if I tried to dress her up so looks like she will be going as #19 - a sexy nudist. Ow ow!

   

   Look at her showing off those sexy legs. She's an exhibitionist.

7. Time for a little TV talk. The Farewell to Finn episode of Glee is tonight. I feel a major sob fest coming on and an instant obsession with all of the songs in the episode. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I'll be on my way to the airport this evening when it airs so I guess I'll have to wait until Sunday to watch. Probably best I don't send myself into a depression right before the weekend.
8. On a happier note, who's ready for basketball season?! I know I am. Unfortunately, my friend Alex and I were two of the many people who did not get into Late Night in the Phog last Friday night, but how awesome is it that KU fans had to be turned away because too many people showed up for the team's first "practice"?? Jayhawks are pretty much the greatest fans ever. If you missed out on Late night like me, check out this Dream On video from Friday. Chills. 

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cake Balls

This past weekend I had the pleasure of doing a little baking for a baby shower hosted by Miss Ashley. I've made glitter cake pops for her on a few other occasions, but we switched it up this time and went with pumpkin cake balls. OMG. They were delish. I'll admit I may have sampled one of the "ugly" ones. :) Apparently Ashley's guests were requesting the recipe so hence this post.

Now here is where I have to make a confession. My first attempt at baking these treats was an utter disaster. I tried to make these fancy pumpkin cream cheese truffles from scratch, but I was left with a bowl of goop that could not be rolled into balls let alone coated in chocolate so back to Target I went.

Pressed for time and a bit depressed after the beating the KU football team took on Saturday morning, I was feeling lazy so I purchased Pillsbury Perfectly Pumpkin cake mix and a jar of cream cheese frosting. Wouldn't you know this is the one time people actually request my recipe. How embarrassing. But hey, at least they will be easy to recreate?!

Just follow the instructions on the box, and once baked crumble cake in a large bowl and mix with about 1/2-3/4 of the jar of frosting. Roll into balls and coat with vanilla almond bark. If you want to make them look fancier, sprinkle with crumbled graham crack crumbs. For more detailed, step by step instructions for making cake pops you can check out a previous post I did a few months ago right here (just omit the lollipop sticks). Happy baking friends!

Thursday Thoughts with Jen - Vol 15

Happy Thursday friends! I'll keep this brief today. Here are your Thursday Thoughts:

1. My allergies are out of control this year. I swear it has to be something in Kansas. I was fine allllll weekend, but Sunday night on the airplane when we were within 15 minutes of touching down in KC my nose started dripping like a faucet. What the heck?!
2. By now you know I have a serious obsession with food. I think I might love food more than I love people and this list of 31 GIFs Perfectly Express My Feelings About Food. Well, besides the part about ham. I don't like ham. Turkey > ham, any day. And cranberry sauce is not the best part of Thanksgiving. Clearly the turkey, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, and pumpkin pie are infinitely better.
3. Yesterday I had a pumpkin pie crumb bar one of my friends made, and it's safe to say my yearly pumpkin obsession is in full swing...although I've only had one pumpkin spice latte so far this season. I'm disappointed with myself. I need to step up my game. My ever growing list of treats to bake includes pumpkin pie cupcakes, melt-in-your-mouth pumpkin cookies, pumpkin crunch cake, and my favorite, oatmeal pumpkin creme pies. Baking party anyone?

   

   Yup I ate this right off a napkin because I'm classy like that. Hey, at least I used a plastic fork.

4. You know what else is my favorite? People with accents, especially Southern accents. I swoon over a good slow drawl. I may or may not have just watched 3 YouTube videos on Southern accents y'all. I'm basically a professional now. Hah. You better believe when if I have children they will be raised below the Mason Dixon line. Toddlers with accents have got to be the cutest things ever.
5. I have no idea what to be for Halloween. Last year I didn't dress up which was totally unacceptable. This year I must have a costume. Anyone have any ideas?! The Chicken Tindahs and I are thinking we need a group costume so any ideas for three are welcome...but nothing sleazy. I'm all about creative costumes that are not of the slutty variety. Slapping on a cleavage baring dress and some animal ears is NOT a costume.
   
6. Even though I have a 50/50 chance of getting it right, I always try to put USB cords in the WRONG way 100% of the time. It never fails. Every. Single. Time. So annoying.
7. Does anyone else despise Bruno Mars' "Gorilla" as much as me? I'm sorry, but lyrics like "you and me making love like gorillas" have no place in a ballad. I'm usually such a big Bruno fan, but I just can't get on board with this one. Moving on.
8. Things should be symmetrical. Closets should be organized by color. I'm the only one who knows the right way to clean. Check out this list of 22 Things Only People With OCD Will Understand.
9. I finally have a weekend in Kansas City so I think I should take the opportunity to try all of these desserts. Someone want to go with me so I don't feel quite so pathetic? :)

Young and Wild (When Freed) - Athens, Georgia

If you've been following my blog (or my Instagram) lately, you may have noticed I've been going on some fun weekend trips with C. My parents always encouraged my sisters and I to keep travel diaries on all of our vacations when we were growing up so we could remember the restaurants we ate at or the parks we visited etc. I thought it might be fun to do the same sort of thing on this here little blog. Funds for traveling can be limited as a 20-something, but I'm always on the lookout for exciting, new, inexpensive weekend getaways to break up my monotonous day to day life in the "real world". I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that I’m not the only 20-something that literally lives for these little mini-vacays so hopefully this series will prove to be helpful and somewhat informative. Rather than rehash my opinions (which are probably very one-sided and skewed towards activities for females) I thought it might be fun to bring C into the loop. Well, I've worked my girlish charm, and he has actually agreed to this endeavor so here is your first ever Young and Wild (When Freed) detailing our trip to Athens, Georgia for the UGA/LSU game.

C - Like Jenny says, most of us in the first few years after graduation are not able to take two week trips to Europe or Spring break in Cancun like we once could (I don’t know about you, but my parents laughed in my face when I asked them to pay for my desired trip to Mexico). In my opinion, the best way to get the most bang for your travel buck is to take a road trip to a college football game. I have my own college football web site, so of course I am partial to the sport, but there’s lots of great reasons to travel for football, even if you’re not a football fan. First off, there’s probably several college towns within an afternoon’s drive of where you live, so you don’t need to spring for airfare, and you can make a last minute decision to go. You can almost always meet up with friends who have a tailgate, just make sure you bring a side item or dessert, and don’t forget to bring your own beer or you might have to bum PBR’s from someone’s mustachioed cousin. Tickets to a couple select games will cost you hundreds, but most of the time you can help a scalper relieve inventory for less than $30. Money aside, tell me on what other vacation could you drink all day with friends, have access to a feast of finger foods, cookies, and chips and dip, then go cheer till you’re hoarse, before reliving college at some just-off-campus dive with cold beer and beautiful young people who are yet to get punched in the face by post grad life. You CAN’T. 

J - Obviously, my favorite part of a football game isn’t the game itself. It’s the tailgating beforehand, and let me tell you, the tailgating at UGA was INSANE. I’ve always been a Big 12 girl, and a KU girl at that; clearly football is not the main focus at Kansas (27 days until the first basketball game, but who’s counting?). Going to an SEC football game was eye opening. There were people everywhere. Tents lined the streets, and no inch of grass was left uncovered. I have a few 20-something friends who attempt to tailgate before games in Kansas, but they were put to shame by the people I met this past weekend. Southern hospitality truly does exist. Everyone was incredibly friendly and really made us feel welcome. Plus, I could listen to someone with a Southern accent chit-chat all day. I’m obsessed. I think I need to raise my children in the South just so they can have those adorable drawls. 

C - (Uh oh, she’s talking about children already)

J - But, enough about the people and my future offspring. We need to talk about the most important component of a tailgate - the food. Like C said, never show up to a tailgate empty-handed. Leave the beer to the boys, and whip up some corn dip or cookies and you’re in!

After several beers, I had the most amazing hot dog smothered in pimento cheese (nevermind the fact the cheese had been sitting out in the heat for several hours). OMG, you guys. It was to die for. I’m pretty sure I could have ate seven. Luckily, I restricted myself to just one, which was quite the feat after all the beer I’d consumed.

C - Jenny and I had brought 14 Coors Light pounders to the tailgate, and I still had two left as we walked to the stadium. I was able to finish one, but the other I left in the middle of the sidewalk, unopened. Hopefully some youngster got his dirty mitts on it and snuck a few sips before Dad noticed. 

J - I had one in my purse too, so we actually had 3 left. Don’t make us sound like alcoholics! 

C - I must have been drunk, because I happily paid $300 for our seats in the lower level end zone. It was worth it for what turned out to be the best game of this young season. The Georgia Bulldogs were ranked #9 coming in, and the LSU Tigers were #6 and undefeated. One of these teams had to lose and would realistically be eliminated from championship contention. The teams traded blows, each one taking a lead and looking as if it wouldn’t be relinquished. Sanford Stadium isn’t known for being loud, but on this day it was near-deafening. The Bulldogs scored late to go up 44-41, but left almost two minutes on the clock, and we all KNEW that 120 seconds was enough time for LSU to take back the lead. The Tigers had been eating up yards all day, but their final drive ended with an incomplete pass, followed immediately by a bellow from the 80,000+ Bulldogs fanatics.

J - What I heard there was blah blah blah - football - blah blah blah - more football - blah blah blah. Enough with the snooze worthy stats. I’ll tell you about the atmosphere. At some point you must attend a game in a huge stadium. Walking into that gigantic sea of red was astonishing. While I wasn’t a fan of all the barking (Bulldog fans do a lot of fist pumping and hoo-hoo-hooing. If you watch C’s video you can hear some of it at the 3:10 mark), it’s clear these people love their team. Plus you can buy an $8 Diet Coke with unlimited refills. Sold. That’s enough to keep me happy for 3+ hours.

C - After the game no one was in a hurry to leave the stadium, as it was just magnetic. Bulldogs chants were thundering the concourses. We had decided earlier to head downtown and toast to the victory, and the walk that way lead us through the heart of campus. It was a long walk, but the temperature was perfect, and we had a stop to make anyway.

J - It was such a long walk. Even after wearing flats all day, my feet were killing me. Girls, as much as you may want to wear wedges, if you’re spending an entire day at the game I highly advise going with sandals, flats, or boots without a heel. You’ll thank me I promise...and so will your boyfriend when he doesn’t have to hear you complain and carry you around the rest of the night.

C - Jenny isn’t as light as she looks. Like I was saying, as is tradition following any big win, the Chapel Bell was bonging from the fans who had lined up to play Quasimodo. We got in line and pulled that rope with all our might when it was our turn.

Downtown was packed, every restaurant had a 90 minute wait for a table, and most college bars had lines. We were able to squeeze into one place, and I ordered us a round of Yuenglings. Three bones each; I really miss the drink prices from college. As with any good college town, Athens has a downtown area loaded with local eats and drinks, cool boutique stores, and hotels. Of course, these hotels had been booked months prior, so we were staying outside of town, which meant I had to sober up before hitting the road. Another great thing about college towns is that there’s myriad late night food options, so after some nachos and a panini, as well as quarts of Coke Zero, we were ready to get outta town. 

J - Yea. Moral of the story - make sure to reserve a hotel room months in advance for any big game. That drive back to Atlanta was horrible. There was still traffic even at 10:00 p.m. and poor C. I couldn’t stay awake for the life of me. I’m pretty sure I was speaking gibberish at one point as I struggled to keep my eyes open. Thankfully he was much more coherent than this grandma and we rolled into ATL shortly after midnight. It was a long day, but so worth it. If you want a fun-filled, relatively inexpensive day (depending on tickets) I would highly suggest attending college football Saturday, and then sleeping for 17 hours afterward.