Friday Favorites

Man, for a short week it certainly didn't feel that way. I know part of it has to do with a current work situation, but still. Either way, I'm happy that the weekend is almost here. I'm going to try to hit the beach for the first time this season and a food truck festival with friends. I'm excited! Let's kick it off right with some favorites from the week!

Favorite Song: Delilah - Florence and the Machine

Favorite Video: Game of Thrones  - The Musical (with Coldplay)
"You know nothing, Chris Martin"

Favorite Quote:

Favorite Reads/ Links:

Technology sure has come a long way. Who knew you could opt-out of having your period?

Are we really that crass that we're pitting poor families against each other for entertainment?

Yesterday I asked what I should watch on Netflix now that I've finished Daredevil. Lo and behold, TV Guide had some answers.

I'm not sure how I never saw this before, but it made me laugh so hard.

E-Card of the Week:

Favorite Funnies:

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

Oh hey... I'm still here, just late to the party. I guess my recovery from the weekend took a little longer than expected. Or rather, my re-entrance into the real world. Womp. Anyway, here's where I've been:

Friday I was quite displeased that my department wasn't dismissed early, though the whole rest of the company was. I will never understand why it is "up to the department heads" particularly when the department head in question isn't even in the office that day. Le sigh.

Saturday was spent doing laundry and reading until it was time to head out to Brooklyn for the last night of The Brooklyn Night Bazaar (BMW bought out the space). I had gotten tickets from Time Out New York--"For just $35, the Ultimate pass provides you and a friend with expedited entry to skip the line, and four beers from the Brooklyn Night Bazaar beer garden (choose from Sixpoint Brewery, Budweiser and Narragansett). Dinner for two is included, consisting of five complimentary tastings from Brooklyn Night Bazaar's standout food trucks and carts, including Oaxaca Taqueria, Crafty 'Cue, Brooklyn Crab, Daly Pie and more. Plus, receive a free game of black-light mini golf or table tennis, and score access to our VIP area for the Time Out Live music showcase so you can get up close to the bands."

Well then, sign me up! The warehouse space opened at 7 and though there was a line to get in, it was so big that it was mostly empty. We started off with beers and a game of pool (I won!), followed by several rounds of table tennis. I honestly don't remember the last time I played, but after a few rounds I got back into the swing of it. The only thing I would have done differently was gotten food earlier. A lot of the food carts/trucks either ran out of food or wouldn't accept the tickets we had :(  Major bummer. We had some mini chicken parm sandwiches and mac n cheese with sauce from Sunday Gravy. It wasn't the best but it got the job done. We skipped out around 10 when it got super crowded and super loud. The bands were not our cup of tea, but other than that, it was a fun night!

Empire State Building on the way home

Sunday morning started off with brownie bites, because... well, brownies. Then we made two giant water bottles full of Pink lemonade and vodka, packed a cooler, and headed to the local parade and American Legion. We found a bench in the sun and parked ourselves there for the rest of the afternoon. Major mistake- I forgot to bulk up on food. Normally, I'm not a big eater within the first few hours of waking up. This time was no different. But I started drinking as soon as we got there... something about "we didn't want the drinks to get warm, so we'll just finish them quickly." They were dangerously delicious. So much so, that when I did finally get up, I almost fell back down. Oops.

Boom. 

Pink lemonade+vodka

Early in the day

Monday was a super lazy day. I literally laid in bed all day, eating, re-hydrating, and watching/finishing Daredevil on Netflix. I really, really enjoyed the whole series, and was SO happy to see Jessica Deborah Ann Woll back on the small screen. But now that I finished it... I need something else to watch!

Got any recommendations for me??

Friday Favorites

Woohoooooo who's ready for a 3 day weekend?! I am more than ready. I'm excited for the parades, some sunshine, and BBQ. And relaxing. Let's kick it off with some favorites from the week!

Favorite Song: Cheerleader- Omi (Radio Remix)

Favorite Wish List Item: Love the quote and the style

Find it here

Favorite Cute Pic:

Favorite Read:

PSA for iPhone Users:: Check your Airdrop settings so this doesn't happen to you!

Favorite Tweets:

Tetris taught me that when you try to fit in you’ll disappear.

— Men's Humor (@MensHumor) May 19, 2015

Professor: What inspired you to write the essay? Me: The due date.

— Men's Humor (@MensHumor) May 15, 2015

A secret to a happy marriage is: one of you gets the other one coffee 95% of the time.

— American Housewife (@WhatIDoAllDay) May 4, 2015

Favorite Video:

Favorite Funnies:

To Do This Weekend: 

Weekend Updates on a Thursday

Things I thought I'd accomplish last weekend: closet cleanout.

Things I didn't accomplish last weekend: closet cleanout.

Things I did accomplish last weekend: 

Purchasing and wearing playoff shirts and cheering on the NY Rangers

Breaking in my first and only pair of Chucks

Hitting up Home Goods for some wall art, owl mugs, and dandelion tea (thanks for the recommendation SMD and Steph!)

Celebrating the end of the semester and sticking with one of my course- even though I was closerthanthisclose to dropping it- at a nearby Italian restaurant I'd been wanting to check out for almost two years. It was even better than I anticipated. Everything was so fresh, and even the pasta tasted homemade. The place was small, the service was fast and friendly, and it was BYOB. A new favorite for sure. Dinner was followed by seeing Pitch Perfect 2. I realized that I really, really dislike previews and packed theaters. No more opening weekend movies for me. 

Mussels marinara, freshly made bread in the sauce, chicken francese, and my absolute fave chicken parm

Sunday we headed over to my friend M's surprise birthday party. And she was actually surprised!! I got her this awesome drinking horn (she's a fan of GoT- it seemed fitting. Plus, even I wanted one!) and the ingredients for a Smoked Apple- Apple Pie Moonshine, Bourbon, and Ginger Ale. There was lots of food and we played charades and Cards Against Humanity. It was a great afternoon!!

Get yours here!

Happy birthday M!

How was your weekend? 

30 (-ish) Min Dinner: Hearty Beef Penne

Good morning! Yesterday was a full day of adulting. After work I paid all of my bills, cleaned up a bit, and made this delicious  hearty dish. It took a bit longer than expected to make, but it turned out wonderful and made my apartment smell ah-mazing! The original recipe can be found here, but I made some alterations (mainly because the recipe called for a Dutch oven, which I don't have). And then I actually washed all the dishes before going to bed. This is kind of a big deal. Living alone, I almost never do my dishes the same night that I use them, because 1) I can be lazy and 2) who else is there to care but me? I was tired, but it mad me feel so much better to see a nice empty sink this morning! It's the little things :)

Makes ~4 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 3/4 cups uncooked penne (I had rotini on hand, so I used that. Any pasta will do!)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 can (15 oz) tomato puree (is this the same as tomato sauce? Because that's what I used)
1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups fresh chopped spinach (or one 10 oz package of frozen spinach)
2 cups of shredded Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions on the package

2. Meanwhile, cook beef until no longer pink. Add garlic, cook for one more minute. Drain.

3. Stir in tomato puree, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and broth.

4. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 min uncovered, or until sauce is thickened. (This step actually took me close to 30 minutes, but I may have reduced the heat too much. I just waited for the sauce to thicken.)

5.  Add spinach, cook for 1-2 min or until spinach is wilted

6. Drain pasta, and stir into beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and cook, covered, for 3-4 min or until cheese is melty. 

Enjoy!

Tip: The last time I made this it was a little salty. I'd use a low-sodium broth next time!

Friday Favorites

It's finally Friday!! After an anxiety filled beginning of the week, things have finally slowed down and I'm starting to realize how much more time I'm finding in my days now that my brain isn't overrun by school related dramz, and I'm loving it! I'm ready for a weekend of getting my apt back in order and relaxing. Kicking it off with some Friday Favorites!

Favorite Song: 

Favorite Cute Pic:

Favorite Quote: 

Favorite TV Moment: 

Favorite Funnies: 

Random Thoughts

I am so fried today. I can't believe it's only Turds-day. But I'm SO happy to be done with this dang semester. Sweet, sweet summer freedom. I know I spent more time actually worrying about schoolwork than doing it, and now I am free to spend my time worrying thinking about fun stuff again.

Anyway, I don't have much to say today, but I'll share some random stuff.

This is how my entire weekend looked::

BYE Felicia. 

Remember my post last Wednesday about the Canadian tuxedo? Well, I saw this gem later that day. A full on DENIM JUMPSUIT. I don't usually do this, but I may have stalked her just to get this picture.

I somehow got some awesome malware on my laptop the day before my final paper for the other class was due last week. Cue major freakout. The Google guided me to some programs to get it off, and identified almost 500 other "threats."

495 identified threats. WHAT???

Did you guys know that Grooveshark is no longer? I loved that site, because I could get just the song, not the videos, to post here. And now all the songs that I have posted from here to this blog don't exist anymore. #annoying.

These are silicon "unbreakable" glasses. Now, I understand that when you're drinking, you are more likely to drop or otherwise break your glassware, but silicone? What if I, like, squeeze it to hard? Won't my drink squirt out? It also promotes itself as being freezer safe. But then my hand would get cold holding it. That's why the stem on regular wine glasses works better, no? I'm just sayin. I do love their slogan though. 

"Because drunk people drop shit! "

May Goals// Summer Bucket List

April Goals Re-Cap:

1.  Budget. Track. Save. Repeat.
2. Spring Cleaning... using this handy guide
3. Meal plan weekly/ 4 recipes
4. Finish a book
5. Schedule (and attend) all dr. check-ups


Yeah... no. I think I completed two recipes, one of which I detailed here. And it was delicious. The second dish I haven't shared yet. There was 0 meal planning, reading, or doctor visits. Actually, there was reading, but it was grad stuff, not fun stuff, so it doesn't count here. So my May Goals are.... see above. 

More importantly, I'm sharing my seasonal goals/ Summer Bucket List!

Summer Bucket List

Go Camping

Go to the beach at least 3 times

Attend at least 3 concerts

See an outdoor movie

Visit the North Fork wineries

Go on a hike... with a picnic at the end

Go on a booze cruise

Visit somewhere new// go on a road trip

Binge on OITNB 

Start (and finish) at least one craft or DIY

Attend a Phillies game

Attend at least one food festival

Go to the Zoo

Watch fireworks

Go to the Renaissance Faire (it's tradition!)

Did I miss anything? What's on your summer bucket list? 

Friday Favorites

I am sooooo happy it's Friday! I am one paper and one presentation down for one class, and only one more paper to go and then FREEDOM for the summer! I'll finally have time to do whatever I want again, and I can't wait. Almost there!! Here are some favorites to kick off this weekend right: 

Favorite Song: Tori Kelly - Nobody Love

Favorite Moments: Realizing yesterday that the final I thought was due today is actually due NEXT TUESDAY!

Removing some serious malware that I accidentally downloaded from my computer all by myself. I'm not the most tech savvy person (obviously), so this was a big deal!

Favorite Pic: 

Gonna need someone to read that to him

Favorite Funnies:

I totally looked...