Relaxing Sunday...

Happy Sunday everyone!!!

(This is my "I just woke up from a 3 hour nap after an 8 hour work shift" hair do lol.)

How was your weekend?

Mine was just great!

There was a lot of relaxing and work involved.

There were also a lot of delicious food and treats involved as well.

Perfect weekend.

Before we get started there are a few things we need to cover first...

This weekend I watched too many movies and too much tv.....

Including:

The best show to ever hit daytime television.

I was oh so sad when it was cancelled after just 2 seasons.

I was gifted both seasons for my last birthday and I've been watching them religiously ever since.

There is a certain old timey romance/ detective like feel to this show.

Every time I watch the show, it's like watching it for the first time.

I love it. I could talk for days about my undying love for everything Pushing Daisies.

Guess who is giving you a new recipe today....

I AM! I AM! IT'S ME! :)

These are the most delicious pumpkin spice cookies EVER.

And when I say ever, I mean EVER.

These are the absolutely perfect fall recipe.

This is the perfect cakey, pumpkiny, moist, delicious cookie - once you start eating them you won't be able to stop!

I suggest you give them a try ASAP.

Just scroll down to the bottom of this very post to collect your brand new recipe!

I was going to put this video on my “random section”…..

but I quickly changed my mind, because this isn’t some random video. This is a heartbreakingly beautiful video about a twenty-seven-year long romance, and love between a Brooklyn couple. Danny and Annie tell the story of their love from their very first date up until Danny’s final days with terminal cancer.

I am a hopeless romantic, a softie, and a blubbering baby when it comes to things like this…needless to say….I cried through the whole video.

How beautiful. I’ll be lucky to find even half of the love that Danny and Annie have.

I go through breakfast phases…..

Where I will only eat one thing for breakfast for weeks or even months straight. I don’t know why I do this, and I didn’t even notice that I have these phases until just recently.

I had my oatmeal phase

My eggs in a basket phase

My french toast phase

My grilled peanut butter and honey phase

And now I’m on my peanut butter & honey toast topped with a fried egg phase

I can’t tell you how or why I change my mind, and I can’t even tell you how I chose what my new breakfast fad is going to be – it just happens. I’m interested to see what my next breakfast obsession will be. But for now – I’m really enjoying my “peanut butter & honey toast topped with a fried egg” phase.

Why can’t all movies be…

Like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies?

Fred Astaire is my ideal man. He makes me swoon.

Movies like these just don’t exist anymore, and it saddens me ever so much. I am a firm believer that almost all-true romance was thrown out the door in the late 50s. I was born in the wrong era.

For the past 5 or 6 years, right around this time….

I take a look at my life exactly 1 year prior to and do a little compare and contrast.

Each year my life, my friends, my school position, my social situation, my relationship status, and my mental state is completely 100% different. It never fails.

Looking back- it is clear to see that my life is completely different than it was last September in every way possible. Since last year I: began this blog, made friends, lost a job, I chopped off my hair, I got another job, lost some friends , finished up all but 2 classes of culinary school, and I am now planning a big move.

In some ways it saddens me to know that things can change so quickly and that time flies by even quicker, but in other ways it is quite refreshing. It shows that I am growing as a person, and that I’m actually living my life, taking chances, making changes, etc. Its also quite refreshing that no matter how hard things may seem now, next year will always hold something amazing/new for me.

I’ve come a very long way in one year.

Three hundred and sixty five days from now I will be living in another state. I will have new friends. I will have a new home. I will have new experiences. I will have a new job. I will have a new life.

Next years self reflection/evaluation will be no different than this years. It’ll probably be the biggest/most extreme change I’ve seen in my life thus far.

I can't wait.

While going through my daily "blog check" today I came across a lot of pictures that I find interesting, funny, cool, beautiful, and/or wonderful in one way or another:

Thank you oh so much for spending your Sunday evening with me!

I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Have a lovely evening.

Let us begin...

[[Today’s music]]

KID CUDI – SOUNDTRACK 2 MY LIFE

I’m pretty sure I’ve already featured this video.

But it’s been so long since….I can use it again if I want lol.

Kid Cudi is just so darn handsome, and talented, I couldn’t resist!

[[Today’s restaurant]]

DELUCA'S – Pittsburgh PA

(The segment on Deluca’s is at the 7 minute mark on this video- but you’re more than welcome to watch the rest of the video to hear about other great restaurants!)

[[Today's kitchen gadget]]

(1) LAKELAND CUPCAKE MAKER

(2) CUISPRO 3-IN-1 FUNNEL

[[Today’s news]]

BIOTECH BATTLE: ARE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FISH SAFE?

"A battle is expected to be brewing in a hotel ballroom in suburban Washington, D.C., on Monday, over whether the Food and Drug Administration should approve the first genetically engineered animal for human consumption — a fast-growing Atlantic salmon.

The salmon is being developed by a small biotech company from Massachusetts, AquaBounty Technologies, and contains an extra growth gene that makes it grow twice as fast as conventional farm-raised salmon.

“This is a produce that we’re very proud of, we think has a very important role in the future supply of a safe and sustainable seafood product to the citizens of our country,” said Ron Stotish, president and CEO of AquaBounty, in a news conference with reporters last week.

The FDA seems to agree. In briefing documents posted before Monday’s meeting, the FDA says the studies conducted by AquaBounty show that the gene is safe for the salmon, safe for humans and safe for the environment

But some scientists and consumer groups say the agency should slow down and get more information. A panel of scientific advisers to the agency is expected to make a formal recommendation Monday. The agency generally follows the advice of its advisers but doesn’t always do so."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129939819

[[Today’s random]]

HATCHED AT LOUIS VUITTON BOND ST, LONDON

"The ostrich eggs have hatched at the Bond St Louis Vuitton store in London. Every few days a new egg is hatched revealing a new shoe, watch or accessory. You can always rely on Louis Vuitton for original, fresh window displays."

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/article/detail/1786/hatched-at-louis-vuitton-bond-st-london

[[Today’s food clip]]

(1) ANTHONY BOURDAIN – STREET FOOD IN SINGAPORE

(2) TORTILLA CHORIZO SCRAMBLE RECIPE – WHOLE WHEAT TORTILLAS CHORIZO SCRAMBLE

[[Today's curly head]]

ROBERT PLANT

[[Today's recipe]]

PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES

Like I've previously stated - this is THE BEST pumpkin spice recipe EVER.

So moist, so delicious, so cakey and ever so pumpkintastic.

::Ingredients::

-Cookies-

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-Frosting/Glaze-

2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

::Directions::

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside

-In a medium size bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar.

-Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy.

-Mix in dry ingredients

-Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

-Bake for 15-20 minutes.

-In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients for the frosting/glaze

-Let cookies cool COMPLETELY

- Drizzle glaze over the cooled cookies with fork.

Enjoy!!!

Attention ALL curly heads!!

Want to be recognized for your beautiful, crazy, and all natural curls?

Then sign up to be a featured curly head!

You must provide:

- Your: Name, Location, Occupation

-Tell me why you love being a curly head.

-Fill me in on what makes you a unique curly head.

-Give any tips or secrets you might have about maintaining hair like yours.

-And send 2 photos – so you have a chance to put your curls on display!

(If you would like me to provide a link to your blog, facebook, myspace, twitter, etc. for the rest of my readers to see – then also throw that in there! The more exposure you get the better!)

Don’t be shy J Go right ahead and apply!

Please e-mail your application to: Jennablack8@gmail.com