THXTHXTHX

I've been scouring the earth for new blogs. It isn't that I'm tired of my old standby's but I'm looking for some new inspiration and some new addictions. So I stumbled upon THXTHXTHX and it made me smile. It made me think of the little things in life and how easy it is to wallow in frustrations or minor delays in your day.

THXTHXTHX gave me a little perspective and here are a few entries that I loved:













A big THANKS to THXTHXTHX for helping me to look at things in a different light!

Kitchen Creativity

In college, my friend Jess always used to whip up crazy things in the kitchen. We'd be sitting around watching TV or procrastinating doing our homework and Jess would suddenly be in the kitchen making a mess. She'd throw together flour and chocolate chips with fluff and cream and voila! A dessert fit for a college student. Now don't get me wrong, Jess knows how to follow a recipe and makes some damn good desserts but her 'concoctions' were always the most eye catching.

Last week I was home after work and itching for something sweet. I didn't have enough energy to whip up an entire batch of cookies or cupcakes but I did have a few ingredients on hand that I could work with. I thought back to Jess and the ease at which she put things together and decided to give it a try. Using smitten kitchen's recipe as a springboard I went to work.



I added a few extra things, substituted here and there but let me tell you the one thing that I added that changed my life: one mashed banana. These blondies turned out to be a mix of cakey chocolate love and banana bread goodness. I am not ashamed to admit that over the course of seven days I ate all of them (granted it was a half batch--granted I need to add that in because I'm headed to the gym and I need to feel good about my life choices) I didn't bring them to work to share with friends like I normally would because they were so delicious I needed them for myself.

I'm glad I had a friend like Jess who, in many ways, showed me that its okay to live your life NOT according to the recipe card.

Cake

Since we're discussing birthdays and all that comes with them, one of my favorite ways to celebrate another year is cake. I am not very particular when it comes to cake and the form it comes in. Cupcakes, ice cream cakes, lemon cakes or chocolate cakes--I will eat it. Now, in all honesty, I'm a girl who likes sweets so it really doesn't have to be a birthday celebration for me to be enjoying cake but it just tastes so much better on your birthday.

In planning for James' big day I encounter a problem that I always encounter when baking for James--he doesn't like sweets. Not only does he not really like sweets--HE DOESN'T LIKE CHOCOLATE! As a chocolate lover, this poses a big problem. The no chocolate rule coupled with the 'I don't really like vanilla that much either and oh by the way I really don't like cake' is trouble. No cake on your birthday? Did I hear you correctly? Yes, yes I did.

I have found a few items James will eat willingly but really only one that he enjoys a lot. I wish I had a picture here to show you but it is a crumb cake--from a box. FROM A BOX! I mean come on, I'm willing to make you a three layer triple chocolate mousse cake and you want crumb cake from a box? Yes he does.

So crumb cake from a box it is and I'll just have to whip up a batch of cupcakes for me. Now that I'm thinking of it, I didn't even have any cupcakes or cake this year on my birthday! Anyone want to whip me up on of these?


via smitten kitchen

I promise I'm not picky.

Birthday Season

When I was little and the summer was winding down I was probably more excited for my birthday than for the start of school. It always seemed to me that everyone else had a birthday but mine kept being skipped. Of course that wasn't true at all and I was just being impatient but when your little you are, perhaps, a little less realistic.

My birthday falls on September 2 which, on a good year, didn't fall on the first day of school. Now that I'm no longer in school I don't have to be worried that my birthday will have to be celebrated during first period. This year my birthday fell during Labor Day weekend and I'm lucky enough to have such a wonderful friend like Jen who just happened to need a cat sitter during that weekend and who just happens to live in a beautiful apartment. I moved over to Jen's apartment in Brooklyn for the long weekend and celebrated my birthday all weekend long.


(Photo taken by James--this little guy is Oscar stretching in the window @ Jen's apartment)

James took me to dinner at Downtown Atlantic and then to icecream at Blue Marble (which, if your in the BK area you must must try because it is delicious each and every flavor). Saturday night I had a few friends from over to celebrate with drinks and food and ended up laughing the whole night. I was a pretty lucky girl this year and really felt loved.

I love birthdays, mine AND yours, and really believe everyone deserves a special day. James' birthday is coming up this weekend and I'm hoping to be able to make his as special as he made mine. We shall see!

(P.S. I'm totally ignoring the fact that I haven't blogged in a month so you should too--but follow along because I'm back!)