Happy Fourth of July...... A week late......

I had a great Fourth of July.   I was a little sad that we had to pack so much fun into a one day time frame in the middle of the week.  Personally, I think we all should start a petition to outlaw holidays that fall in the middle of the week.  All holidays should fall on a Friday or Monday.  After all, who doesn't need more three day weekends in their life?  It may mean the the Fourth of July is really not on the fourth because I am not quite sure that we can rearrange the calendar.  Now that I think about it, it might not be such a good idea to celebrate the Fourth of July on the Tenth of July (for example).   It feels very un-American.   So forget I said anything at all. 

But despite feeling overwhelmed with all the mid week celebrations, I had a great time.   I went to Red White & Boom on Tuesday night downtown.  I met up with some friends and watched the fireworks from Huntington Park downtown.   It was a fabulous fireworks show despite it being 100 degrees or so outside.   

After the fireworks, I went to see Magic Mike with some girlfriends.   The Arena District theater was offering $5 movies after the fireworks.  Personally, this movie thing was a great deal.  I was all hot and sweaty after being outside all night in the heat surrounded by hundreds of people.  The theater was a great way to cool off.   Plus, I avoided all of the crazy traffic after the fireworks.   Can you imagine 500,000 people trying to leave the downtown area at once.   I can and it is not a pretty image at all.   After you picture that just picture me- one of the most impatient people ever- pulling out my hair- one-strand-at-a-time......

But back to Magic Mike..... No words....  I laughed. I covered my eyes.  I laughed some more.   I probably laughed at parts where you were not supposed to laugh.   I also am not sure I can ever see Matthew McConaughey again without cringing.   And laughing.

I did go see some local fireworks on the Fourth.   It was still very hot that day.  So I needed to make some goodies to share that would hold up the heat.   So I decided to make this recipe from Kevin & Amanda.   These were homemade honey roasted peanut butter cookies.   

I will warn you that this recipe makes quite a few cookies.  I saved quite a few for my co-workers on Thursday.   To be honest, these were not my favorite peanut butter cookies, but my co-workers enjoyed them.  And I do tend to be my own worst critic when it comes to my baking.   So ignore me and give these cookies a whirl for yourself.   

I hope you had a safe and happy Fourth.   Leave me a comment and let me know what you did.  If you plans were super fun let me know and maybe I will crash your Fourth next year!!!

Smiles,

Marci

June Madness

For some reason June just seemed to fly by.  I am not sure how, but it sure did.   June was a pretty busy month.  Work and many weekend commitments seemed to make it more "mad" than usual.  

But as always, I find time for food and fun.   I am sure I did some baking this month.  Although by the lack of blog postings, I cannot show any evidence of this.   But, that is the great thing about a blog.  It is my blog and I can blog when and how I want to.  Now, I may not have any followers and I betcha many hard core bloggers find my lack of baking and posting of recipes shameful, but eh- life is like that sometimes.   

I did find a delightful treat this month that I just HAD to share with you.  Mint M&M's.   I do not know how I managed to miss these yummies for so long, but I am telling you about them now.  I like to eat them after meals because they remind me of an after dinner mint.  Now, I am not sure how many people eat a whole package of "after dinner mints", but I always have been a special one.   Anything mint flavored is sure to be a favorite of mine and these do not disappoint.   

I also have had some stress and anxiety this month.  My cat, Thumper, has had a few medical scares.   She is older and recently had two emergency tooth extractions.  I am still not quite sure she has bounced back as well as I would like her to, but I am trying to be patient as she takes time to heal.   Here she is sticking her tongue out at me.   Actually, it is kinda cute, but she does poke her tongue out more than ever.  I am sure that it is because one of her major canines were removed.

I also participated this month as a walker in Columbus's Pride Parade.  I walked with the OSU College of Social Work.  I graduated from OSU with my Masters and was so happy to walk with such an amazing group of students, faculty and allies.   It was a hot, hot day, but worth it because I truly believe in what social workers do and was proud to walk as an ally in Pride.

I seem to find a funny or two every month that tickles my fancy and this one was the winner for June.   I cannot possibly say anything more except- yep.... It's true.....

And I leave you all with a picture I took while walking around my nephew's neighborhood.    I am not sure whose house this is, but I loved the way the ivy was climbing up the wood and tangled around the metal numbering.

Hope everyone has had a safe and happy Fourth of July! 

Smiles, 

Marci

Jeni's

Columbus, Ohio is the birthplace of Jeni's Ice Cream.   And I have never been more proud to promote a hometown product/business like Jeni's.   Their ice cream is out of your mind amazing.   The flavor combinations tease your taste buds and challenge them in a way that ice cream never has before.   

This past weekend, I indulged in some Jeni's.  I indulged in Jeni's several times.  I indulged in several flavors of ice cream and each one did not disappoint.   And my taste buds are thanking me, however, my hips are not.  

My hands down favorite ice cream (at least so far) is Strawberry Buttermilk.  Creamy, sweet, fruity with a hint of richness.  I love it and once I found the ComFest booth, I had to get some.   Jeni's was smart this year.  They had two booths at ComFest.

On Saturday, I decided to eat some more Jeni's.  This time I met some friends at the shop in the Short North.   I took a picture of the flavor description because the signs really do say it best.  And this flavor lived  up to the expectation.   In fact, it surpassed my expectations.

Below is the picture of Brambleberry Crisp.   Amazing. Sweet. Pop of Vanilla. Surprising crunch of crisp.  Perfection.

And my last night at ComFest I had to... just had to... eat Jeni's one more time.   That night I had Dark Chocolate and Salty Caramel.   The combination was amazing.   The dark chocolate was chocolaty but not as sweet as one would expect which was perfect for pairing with another flavor.   The salty caramel was sweet with just a hint of saltiness.

This past weekend was a perfect blend of friends, relaxation and fun.   And Jeni's was the perfect compliment to each day.

I do feel as if I tend to gravitate towards the same flavors of ice cream every time I go to Jeni's so I am going to challenge myself to try a new flavor every time I go there.   And, I promise to share my flavor tests each month in my monthly wrap up.

If you want to check out Jeni's for yourself- here is the link to their page: http://www.jenis.com/

**FYI: Jeni's does not know I exist.  I just decided to share Jeni's with my group of three readers because firstly- Jeni's is amazing and secondly everyone could use a little more ice cream in their life.   I do believe that if Jeni's was shared with the world- world peace might just be possible.

I live for the weekends....

I feel very fortunate to live in a city where there is always something going on.  And summertime in Columbus is the best.   I have decided that this year I am going to try to find as many fun and free activities to participate in.   I have a few of my summer favorites listed below.  

I love the FAIR.   Food.  Popcorn.  People Watching.   Bacon-wrapped-anything-you-can-dream-up.  Fair rides.  Food.  Horses.  Thin cut french fries with malt vinegar.   Food.  Deep-fried-everything.   Food.  Well, you get the point.   I think that the Ohio State Fair is one of the best around.  The Ohio State Fair is not free but one can generally get pretty good discount tickets.   If you go- look for me.  I will be the girl eating. Everything.  

I am thinking about attending this festival in a couple of weeks.   I remember going to the Powell Festival when it was just a small street affair.  Powell has grown as a city and this festival grows every year.

 

I signed up to do The Color Run this summer.   This is not a free event, but I am still super excited to participate.   I want to make it clear that the word "Run" is a little misleading as I do not plan on running anywhere.   In fact, I do not run unless I am being chased.   But, I am excited to walk this race with a fun group of friends.   We will certainly have a blast and I cannot wait to see pictures!!

 And lastly, but certainly my most favored is ComFest.   ComFest is a major holiday in my life.   I always look forward to spending as much time as possible at this Community Festival.   I think that ComFest is truly a festival that has a strong message of promoting community, environment, and social consciousness.  Live Every Day the ComFest Way.   You will find me there.  Hanging out.  In my element.

What are some of the local festivals or summer events that you attend?   Let me know so I can check them out.   Maybe I will even join you and we can find some deep friend goodness to share.  

Smiles,
Marci

Waffles what??

Every weekend I have a conversation in my head.  And it goes something like this: "Man I am craving Belgian waffles! I really wish I could have some Belgian waffles!" And every time I have this conversation I have to remind myself that I do not have a Belgian Waffle maker.  And then I cry.  

A long long time ago in a far away kingdom I had a Belgian Waffle maker.  It was a beautiful round waffle maker and it made beautiful waffles: crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.  I enjoyed these waffles- I probably enjoyed them more often than my dentist would recommend.  But, then the evil queen came and broke my waffle maker and I have been alone ever since.   

I don't know why it took me so long to buy a new waffle maker.   Partly, I think I was shocked at how much money a quality waffle maker cost.   But I broke down recently and bought a new one.   And thanks to Kohl's bucks and 20% discount coupon, I did not feel like I mortgaged my house to get it.   

So today I tried my waffle maker for the first time.   My new waffle maker makes square waffles- four of them (oink oink) instead of one round one.   I must admit it took me a round of waffles before I had it down.   (it's like riding a bike)! But I did make some beautiful waffles.   But my year(s) long exile from waffles resulted in me consuming the waffles before even remembering to take a picture.

Yep- here is my plate.  It had a mound of fluffy waffles on it.   But no more.  

Since I do not have any pictures to share I thought that I could at least share my favorite Belgian Waffle Recipe.   Please don't torment yourself like I have over the years and just go out and buy yourself a Belgian Waffle Maker!! Trust me- you will thank me.  And then you can invite me over to eat breakfast with you!

Smiles,
Marci

Belgian Waffles

2 cups flour

2 TBS sugar

1 TBS baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 cups 2% milk

6 TBS vegetable oil

2 large eggs

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl with a whisk until blended and smooth.   In my new waffle maker- this batter makes about 8-10 small square waffles.  If you have a round waffle maker it makes 4-10inch waffles.  

I prefer my waffles with butter and powdered sugar, but have fun and add all kinds of toppings to these waffles.  

Enjoy!

May Wrap Up

May has been a good month.  There have been calm moments, happy moments, peaceful moments and moments where tears have been shed.   There also may have been moments where teeny tiny itty bitty temper tantrums have been thrown as well.  But not by me- of course.  

I always find these sayings all over facebook and Pinterest.  And some of them just speak to me and my soul.   This would be one of them.  I like to think of myself as a spontaneous, spur of the moment, type girl.   But, alas, I am not.  Why else would I carry a purse that weighs five hundred pounds? That way I can be prepared for anything.  Wipes- got them.  Anti-bacterial- fear not.  Chap stick- I got five to choose from.  Books- kindle- of course (but more on that later). Charger- phone, kindle, emergency phone. I have them all.  Pens- ummmmmm I may have a slight problem with collecting pens, but we shall not talk about that now.  

I was especially daring this month.   I tried seafood.  And I am not talking about the Fish and Chips thing- because I already have that down pat.   No, I tried real seafood.   The mussel kind of seafood.  The kind that I would always convulse at the idea of trying.  But I did.  And I enjoyed it.   They did have a slight texture-thing going on.  I tried not to think of that too much.  But the mussels were tender and the sauce they were prepared in helped pave the way to success.   However, I did not like those weird sausage things that were scattered in there.  Yuck.  (and yes I know only four year old children say Yuck.)

My culinary adventures were vast this month.   I was also introduced to Cookie Butter from Trader Joe's.   Oh My.   It is all I can say.  I can imagine that there are all kinds of amazing things you could do with this from spreading it on cookies to baking with it.  But, I just ate it with a spoon.  And sometimes with a fork if that is all I had.   It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.   I will always try to keep you up to date on the most tasty of things and so with urgency I encourage you to run to Trader Joe's to get some of this.

There were also tragedies this month.   My kindle died on me.   Dead. Dead as a door nail dead.   I got mad.  I "may" have called Amazon and ranted a little.  Just a little.  I am upset that this kindle is only a couple of year old and it seems far too soon for it to have died on me.  But, despite my frustration, I know I will end  up getting another one.   Because I love my kindle.  I love reading on the sofa.  I love reading while waiting in the car.  I love reading anywhere and anytime.

I also did bake some this month.  I tried out a new recipe combination.   Banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.  And they were GOOD.   I will surely post more about these later.

May was also a busy month in the office.  Surely you can see how productive we have been by the below picture.   I think May has been the month of office pranks.    I do admit the office filled with balloons was the best.   I remember hearing Fred walk into his office after seeing what happened and all I could hear was "pop" "pop" "pop".  But I give the guy credit.  He worked all day in that office with those balloons around him!

I am still day dreaming about getting a new camera.  One that I am convinced will instantaneously make me an amazing photographer.  cough cough.  However, I am always pleased when I manage to take a picture on my I phone that catches my breath.   This is one of them.   I love the weathered look of the house, the creeping vine and the brick contrast.   I just hope that I continue to live life looking around me instead  of running through life looking down.   Because if I do, I am sure that I will catch more gems like this.

Enjoy life.  Be kind and good to others.   Smile and be with friends and loved ones.  And say Thank you.

Smiles,
Marci

There's A Cookie Inside of this Cookie......

This past weekend I made up a double batch of goodness- goodness in the form of sugar.   One batch of these lovelies went to a co-worker for her belated birthday and another batch went with me to the park.  

These cookies are amazing- that is if you like homemade chocolate chip cookies combined with creamy chocolaty oreo cookies.  I must admit that these cookies are not to be taken lightly and will likely need milk intervention.  I ate half of a cookie and literally felt the sugar hitting my bloodstream.  And these cookies have some heft to them as well.   

Here is a quick snapshot of the cookies right from the oven.

If you want to make up some of these bad boys for yourself here is the link.  Picky Palate has some amazing recipes on her site and I definitely plan on testing some more out.  She also has a recipe for a mini Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookie as well- Just in case you can't handle the full size madness.

So I leave you with this quote as a friend said to me as she was eating her cookie- "there is a cookie inside of this cookie!!!"

Enjoy the yumminess.
Marci