Spring Bucket List

"Spring has sprung!" she typed, as cold sheets of sleet railed against her windowpanes... 

How's that for an opener?! I wish it wasn't true! The weather has been super weird lately, with 75 degrees on Friday and now snow and sleet and low 30's. Not to mention we've only gotten snow one other time this year, though thankfully it's not sticking!

Anyway, the buds are blooming, the birds are singing, and the calendar says the Spring equinox was on March 19th, so it must be true! Before I jump into what I have on deck for Spring, here's a quick rundown of what I accomplished from the Winter Bucket List: 

Saw a play or musical on Broadway (Jagged Little Pill), decked the halls, made a holiday/Christmas wreath, watched Star Wars in theaters, and had a holiday movie night- complete with hot cocoa and footie pajamas (no pic of the last two). 

And now for Spring! This looks very different from years past since we are in lockdown here in NJ until who knows when and I'm working remotely until May 18th. But I'm keeping positive and sticking to things I can do while staying safe and healthy and away from others!

Play more games: Get back into our old favorties Yahtzee and Scrabble and start in on some new ones we've added like Funkoverse, Heart and Brain, and maybe look into the Pictionary Air that Leslie mentioned?

Print pictures and work on scrapbook: Yes, that scrapbook that I started around this time last year and haven't even looked at since! 

Work on and complete puzzle: I bought a puzzle from Amazon that I'd like to glue together and frame when I'm done as a housewarming present for a friend of mine who is currently apartment hunting. 

Take more walks with Blue: We already started this a little bit, but definitely want to incorporate it more as the weather warms up. 

Create a viable WFH space: I've never worked remotely for more than a day before, and even then that meant being "available" for calls and questions, but not like a full day's work. Now that my office will be closed until May 18, I need to set up a workspace that works for me. I have a small desk in my bedroom, but I've realized I don't like having my work area and my bed in the same room (also kind of awkward for work video calls!). So I need to figure out an alternative. 

Spring Clean my apartment: Tis' the season, especially if I'm going to be spending so much time at home! I know some people may not put this on a "fun" list and find it to be a chore, and I do feel that way with daily tasks, but a big clean always helps me clean my mind as well as my physical space! 

Love it Or Leave it - utilize what I have or get rid of it! I'm borrowing this idea from Juhli because it's fitting with how I want to live right now- with less "stuff!" And it goes hand-in-hand with spring cleaning! 

Read more! One major side effect from all of this Covid-19 news is that my reading has really been taking a hit. I just can't concentrate. But this is the perfect time to dive into a different world for a little while each day! Being that my library is closed, it's also the perfect time to read from my physical and virtual bookshelves and magazines that have been sitting around. 

5 new recipes: One that I'm a little less excited for, but hey, a girl's gotta eat! The weird thing is that I love finding great sounding recipes that look easy enough to make, it's the actual cooking (and food shopping) part I don't love! Now that I'll be home more though I can no longer use the excuses "but I didn't take the meat out to defrost," or "I don't want to leave my Crock-Pot on all day... we ALL saw what happened on This Is Us!" 

Keep up "virtual" dates: Today I'm having a "virtual lunch date" with my work shuttle ladies this afternoon, and I've had 2 "virtual happy hours" with my friends, which is more than I usually see and talk to them! 

And that's it! 

What's on your Spring Bucket List?

Linking up with Leslie and Lauren! 

Spring 2020 TBR

I thought I'd be done by Erin's Challenge by now, what with working from home and everything, but I'm struggling through my last two. It's all good, I have until April 30th, but of course those have to make the list for my Spring TBR first! The next 5 are Netgalley ARCs that have either just passed or are coming up soon. All The Bright Places made the list because I'm anxious to see the Netflix movie, and I always try to read the book first! And the last two are 2 of the newest to my bookshelf.  I'm also sticking with my new year's goal of trying to read mostly what I already own, which is even more important now that I don't want to borrow any books from the library for the foreseeable future!

Between Sisters- Cathy Kelly

Saint X - Alexis Schaitkin

Every Reason We Shouldn't - Sara Fujimara

House Rules- Ruby Lang (Apr 11)

To Have and To Hoax- Martha Waters (April 7)

The Mall- Megan McCaffterty (June 9)

Holly Banks Full of Angst- Julie Valerie

All The Bright Places - Jennifer Niven

An American Marriage - Tayari Jones

Autoboyagraphy - Christina Lauren

What's on your Spring TBR?

Linking up with Jana!

Tasty Tuesday: Snickers Stuffed Cupcakes

Welcome to my first Tasty Tuesday post! I plan on making this a "thing," which will be shared on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. I hope you'l join me!

I've mentioned this before, but Blue and I don't really "celebrate" Valentine's Day in the traditional sense. After my birthday and Christmas in December and our anniversary the first week of January, we're spent (literally and figuratively) by February. We still get each other cards and small gifts, but for the most part we prefer to order in, watch our favorite shows, and just BE together. This year we did precisely that, but decided to "celebrate" the next day. She made me my favorite, chicken parmesan, and I offered to make dessert since I prefer to bake vs. cook (and she has a sweet tooth!). She requested chocolate vs. fruity, so I scoured Pinterest and came across these. I will admit that I'm pretty simplistic when it comes to anything in the kitchen, so this was by FAR  the most elaborate and time-consuming dessert I've ever made. But I'm going to share them anyway because, well, they were freaking AMAZING, and I don't even really like desserts (I know, crazy!). 

A few things to note before we go into the details: 

• Unless it's a special occasion (like this one), just use a boxed chocolate cupcake recipe. Seriously, save yourself the time! It really doesn't taste that different, especially since you're basically butchering half of it to add the filling. 

• When they say "room temperature," they mean it. Trust me. I tried (and made a mess) not doing this during the cupcake stage, but learned to melt the butter in the micro for about 20-30 seconds in the micro by the frosting stage. Just keep an eye on it. 

• I don't currently own a standing mixer (which is going to change if she expects any more treats of this caliber ever again!). So maybe it would take less time and energy (and flour/peanut butter/chocolate encrusted clothes) if I did. I used a hand mixer, and it still turned out delicious. 

• I didn't use the fancy wrappers the author uses here. I used regular foil cupcake liners. I didn't even have to spray the cupcake pan- they came out fine. 

• You will use a LOT of butter. Like, a LOT. And if you're anything like me, you may think it's too much. It's not. Also, I used salted butter since it didn't specify and that's what I had on hand. 

• I forgot to buy brown sugar.  I saw somewhere that you could mix regular sugar and molasses to make your own brown sugar, but I didn't have molasses on hand either, so I used regular white sugar- still delicious. (Also I didn't tell Blue or any of my friends about this and they didn't seem to miss it!)

• I wound up with a lot of extra frosting and I'm not sure why, since I used the exact amounts required. Anyway, I refrigerated the extras and ate it spread on toast the next day- it was freaking amazing, and I may just mix fluff and peanut butter for toast in the future just 'cause! 

• My notes are in Pink (and RED in one section). And all pics after this one are my own- promise! 

TIME: A LOT (depending on your level of experience and tools, but it took me and afternoon) 

QUANTITY: 20 full-size cupcakes (you can edit the original recipe for the amount you want to make, but it went into like 7/8ths of butter, and that got confusing for me since I like to be exact) 

INGREDIENTS: A LOT (just kidding... kind of.) I'm going to break it up the same way I saw it from the original recipe, because that made the most sense to me) 

FOR THE CUPCAKES:
7.8 oz all-purpose flour (1 3/4 cups)
3 oz cocoa powder (1 cup)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup full-fat buttermilk at room temperature
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream at room temperature
2 tbsp water (can substitute brewed coffee for richer flavor) - I used water
6 oz butter at room temperature
4.75 oz granulated sugar (2/3 cup)
5 oz brown sugar (2/3 cup)
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract

FOR THE CARAMEL-PEANUT FILLING:
14 oz soft caramels - I found bags of Kraft caramels in the supermarket, add time to unwrap them all individually!) 
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup salted peanuts coarsely chopped (I just bought a jar of salted chopped peanuts)

FOR THE PEANUT-MARSHMALLOW FROSTING:
8 oz butter at room temperature
12 oz creamy peanut butter (1 1/4 cups)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup cream - I used the same heavy cream
1 lb powdered sugar (4 cups) - literally a box
7 oz marshmallow cream (1 jar)

TO FINISH: (I didn't do any of these except adding a lil Snickers on top because I was tired)
1/2 cup chocolate fudge sauce
1/4 cup salted peanuts chopped
7 fun-size Snickers bars cut in half or coarsely chopped

TO MAKE THE CUPCAKES:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 20 cupcake cavities with paper liners.

• In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl or large mixing cup, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and water (or coffee).

• In the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars until they’re light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla extract.

• With the mixer running on low speed, add a quarter of the dry ingredients. When it’s mostly mixed in, add a third of the liquid ingredients. Continue to alternate adding drys and liquids, ending with the dry ingredients. When the drys are almost all mixed in and only a few streaks of flour remain, stop the mixer and finish mixing by hand with a spatula. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.

• Scoop the batter into the lined cupcake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes, until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed. Cool completely. 

TO MAKE THE FILLING:

Don’t make the filling until you’re ready to fill the cupcakes. Combine the caramels, cream, and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring well after every 30 seconds. They may resist melting and coming together at first, but continue to stir and heat until you have a smooth, fluid mixture. Add the chopped peanuts and stir them in. (This was probably my longest step... keep heating and stirring, it does eventually become liquidy, and is much easier to put in the cupcakes when it is. Once it's liquidy, I spooned it into the hollowed out cupcakes. If it becomes hard, micro some more.) 

It may look messy, but the frosting covers it up! 

TO MAKE THE FROSTING:

• Combine the butter and peanut butter in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. 

• Add the vanilla, cream, and powdered sugar, and mix on low speed until the sugar is moistened. Raise the speed to medium, and continue to beat until the mixture lightens and becomes fluffy and smooth. 

• Add the marshmallow cream and stir it in by hand using a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl well. Once the frosting is well-mixed, spoon it into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. (I don't own a pastry bag. I've heard of pouring the frosting into a plastic baggie and cutting off the tip, but I was too tired for that, so I just spooned it on top and smoothed it with a knife. Maybe not as pretty, but got the job done. I nearly skipped this step altogether (especially since I don't even like frosting) but... don't. It really brings the whole cupcake together.)

Please excuse the crumbs!

ASSEMBLY:

• Use a sharp paring knife to cut a cone-shaped hole out of the top of the cupcakes. Scoop the caramel-peanut filling into the hole, coming almost all the way to the top. Cut the bottom off of the cupcake cone, and replace the top of the cupcake on top of the caramel. (The cupcake filling can be eaten or thrown away—I trust you will find something to do with it.- I didn't write that, but I wish I did!) If the caramel starts to get a little hard to work with, microwave it briefly until it is fluid again.

• Once all of the cupcakes are filled, pipe the frosting on top in one big decorative swirl. Add a drizzle of fudge sauce or chocolate ganache, a sprinkling of chopped peanuts, and half of a fun-sized Snickers bar on top. Store Snickers Cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature, and enjoy within 3-4 days. (Good luck if you can make them last 3-4 days!) 

One cup was filled more then the other- my bad!

What's cooking or baking in your kitchen lately? 

10 on the 10th: Spring Questions

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• How did you celebrate spring break/Easter as a child? Ahh, Easter was my mom's Achilles heel. She ALWAYS forgot to be the Easter bunny! I'd wake up, eager to run outside and find my Easter basket, and there'd be nothing there! I honestly thought the Easter Bunny lost my address and should confer with Santa Clause lol! In her defense though, she set up a scavenger hunts for me, which included ridiculous things like "Do 10 jumping jacks, and then go find the next clue where your dirty laundry hides!" and then she'd take a picture or videotape me doing it. I was kinda annoyed about it at the time, but now it's one of my favorite memories. We also always went to church and then a breakfast buffet spot nearby. 

• AC on or windows open? Windows open. Gotta air out the place! I especially like windows open at night. In general I'd rather be hot than cold, so I almost never turn on my AC (except at night in summer). 

• Do you spring clean? Yup! I do all the regulars like sweep/mop/dust, but I get in deeper with ceiling fans and baseboards, in between windows which I don't normally pay attention to, and power wash some appliances. My tip is to keep all cleaning supplies together, set a timer for rooms, and put on the music! I've been loving the "Get Chores Done" and "Cleaning Kit" playlists on Spotify!

• What’s spring weather like where you live? Uhhh, I guess rainy but not too cold? I usually wear a long-ish black raincoat and my Hunter rain-boots- one of my very favorite presents!

• How do you decorate for spring/Easter/Passover? I don't really. I switch out my fleece blankies that adorn every ounce of every couch for a lighter material coverup and maybe change out my doormat and put out a lighter scented candle.

• How green is your thumb? Black? I'm the worst at keeping any plants alive! 

• How do you get bathing suit/shorts/warm weather ready? Pedis are a must if toesies will be out, because I'm a staunch anti-naked-toe person. So much so that I will paint Blue's toenails if necessary! I also cut my hair every other year and donate it- I try to wait until I have anywhere from 12-15."

• Is your closet arranged with just the current season’s clothes? Usually, yes. Right now I'm still rocking a mostly "winter" collection, but I'm adding a few spring pieces here and there until I do the full closet switch. 

• What’s your go-to spring uniform? Converse sneakers, jeans and a hoodie or t-shirt. 

• What outdoor activities do you enjoy in the spring? Blue lives on a (small) mountain, so we usually take walks around there on Saturday/Sunday, but we also love visiting new wineries in spring! Our friend is trying to talk us into playing some tennis (I was a captain in high school-ha!), so we may try that again , depending on how Blue's knee is. (She twisted it climbing the waterfalls in Jamaica.) 

Your turn! 

Linking up with Leslie! 

February Reads

Sooo... I accidentally published this yesterday. For once, I drafted ahead of time, and then published on the wrong day- dang it! I'm continuing to read what's already on my shelves, so two of these were Netgalley reads that have far passed their published date, one was a library read because I was just itching for and came in my holds, and one ollllld Micheal Crichton novel that just caught my interest. Here's what I was reading in February. 


Girls' Night Out- Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke: 3 Stars
Netgalley/ Kindle Unlimited

This book was... fine. It pulled me in initially  but the second half of the book dragged so much that by the end I didn't care what happened to any of the characters. I didn't feel like any of the characters developed as the story went on either; they kept harping on the same issues with no resolution. 
I read in the beginning of the acknowledgements that the two authors fought a lot during the writing of this novel, and it showed. This was disjointed at best. 

The Girl With The Louding Voice- Abi Dare: 4 Stars
Netgalley

I found the Nigerian accent hard to understand in the beginning which made reading it a bit clunky and hard to connect with Adunni, however her unyielding perseverance hooked me. The chapters opening with the eye-opening Nigerian facts made the whole story feel more authentic and believable for me. I also liked how the time period in which this story takes place was not defined until later in the story. I was shocked by the physical abuse that Adunni took from Big Madam, and her sister wife's storyline as a whole. Those definitely kept me turning the ages faster than I would have normally. I was also intrigued by the concept Dare introduced that women business owners were considered less worthy than their male counterparts, especially women who were not married or separated, but wish Dare had explored this more deeply than just mentioning it. I took off one star for it being overtly predictable from the beginning.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter- Erika L. Sanchez: 4 Stars
library e-book

I found Julia to be insufferable throughout the first half of the book, but in the second half her character developed and the story picked up pace.

Sweetgirl- Travis Mulhauser: 4 Stars
Netgalley

Started and finished this in one night which never happens! I was immediately drawn in and unable to put it down.  I loved Portis' character. He was so flawed, but genuinely a good guy," and the banter between him and Percy though not always friendly felt honest and believable. I truly felt the isolation and the bitter cold as Mulhauser described the setting as well. I also really enjoyed the alternating POVs- I thought these were very well done (even though Shelton is a complete drug-addled idiot). Percy didn't seem like your average 16 year old girl, but that made sense because she's had to care for her mother for so long.

A Case of Need- (Jeffrey Hudson pseudonym) Michael Crichton: 2.5 Stars
Kindle Unlimited

There were so many things WRONG with this book. First of all, there were too many characters. I didn't make a character chart like I did last time, because I didn't care enough and it didn't seem intrinsic to understanding the story (and I was right).  Second, the narrator was a patriarchal asshole. Third, I know that this took place in the 1960's when abortions were illegal in many states and taboo in general, but this seemed a bit over the top. And fourth, there were a lot of plot holes. I can't say much more about it without giving away spoilers. I will say that this was a very fast-paced book but these things combined muddled the entire story.


Currently reading: In The Dark- Loreth Anne White

What are you reading?

Linking up with Steph and Jana! 

2020 Purchases

I haven't done a "purchases" post since the beginning of December, and even then it was a "Best of 2019" one. So I figured it was past time to do one! A bunch of these (particularly in the beginning) are Christmas presents, so forgive me those! I've been trying to NOT buy too many things this year, also known as "No Spend" months, but I did need to purchase some replacements and a few that just made me happy. Ok enough preamble, let's get in to the "things!" 

Fodor's Essential Switzerland Guidebook and Swiss outlet plugs: this was a gift for my niece since she was traveling there for a 3-month stint for work. This turned out to be a lifesaver because she had accidentally purchased the wrong ones! 

Rechargeable Clip-On Book Light (with 3 Brightness Levels) and Habor Digital Meat Thermometer: gifts for Blue. Happy to report she uses the book light regularly, and had success using the meat thermometer on our steaks last week! 

Bean Bag Chair: a gift for my other niece, since no one else wanted to buy it for her! 

Kate Spade stemless wine glasses and Oster electric wine opener: These were a gift for my other niece, who just moved into her first apartment, and loves wine! I love the classic yet fun dots on the stemless wineglasses, and I'm a little of jealous of the electric wine opener- it's less than $20 too, so I may have to get myself one! 

Papermate Pilot pens and White-Out tape: for my planner and life in general. Both were add-on items so they were super discounted as well.


Whitmor Gift Wrap Organizer: This was a recommendation from Steph. Not only is it great not having to dig around for tissue paper and cards, it's really cleared up some closet space too since it hangs! 

Taylor Digital Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer: My apartment has a really old, non-digital heating system. The kind where you turn the dial on the thermostat, and hear the heater clicking when it comes on. Because it's a dial I'm always guessing what the temperature is or around where I want it to be, so I finally bought a thermometer. 

Folio Smart Cover Leather Case with Auto Wake/Sleep for Kindle: So apparently this says that it doesn't fit Kindle Paperwhite which I didn't realize before I bought it, but it does fit! I love the auto wake/sleep feature, and the little pocket in front. And it's so soft! 

Fitz and Floyd Old Fashion Glasses (set of 4): A gift for my SIL, along with a bottom of good bourbon!

Sistema "Dressing To Go" containers (set of 4): I don't bring salad to work, but I do like condiments and don't have time to properly make my lunch some mornings, so I'll bring bread, cold-cuts, and some mayo or mustard in these so I can make myself a sandwich when it's time to eat! 

Black and Brown Plaid Pants: I needed work pants since I hadn't packed any pants when I went to Blue's one weekend last month. I got basic black and some brown plaid ankle ones to spruce up my spring wardrobe a little bit. 

Lamp: I needed a replacement lamp for my bedroom since mine broke in the middle, and I was able to find the exact one at Target for only $13! I love that it has the "task light," it's perfectly situated between my desk and my couch, which is where I often read. For some reason this same exact lamp is $39 on Amazon...why?! 

Books! I never buy new books for myself but I received a gift card for Christmas, so I purchased a few (heavily discounted) ones, and still have half of my gift card left! I picked up:

• It Started With Christmas- Jenny Hale
• You Better Watch Out- Augusten Burrough
• Women Who Launch: Women Who Shattered Glass Ceilings- Marlene Wagman-Geller
• and a book for my friend who loves (loved?) The Game of Thrones and gin!

Bluetooth Wireless Karaoke Microphone: We actually bought this for a New Years Eve party and had a lot of fun with it! It syncs with your phone or any bluetooth device- definitely a party hit! 

(Tile-Lock) Scrabble: Blue and I love playing board games, and were tired of "playing" Words with Friends online. We needed tile lock because our cat Keebler likes to walk across anything we have on the table! 

Earbuds: I got a 3-pack because for some reason mine are always breaking! 

A new doormat: I love it. It makes me happy every time I walk in, and I've even received a few compliments from my friends and neighbors! Thanks for sharing it on IG, Michael! 

What are you buying lately?

Linking up with Tanya! 

What's New With Me: February Recap

As usual, I'm joining Kristen for "What's New With Me?," where I'm recapping last month. Let's jump right in! 

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I started my month with a training and exam for work which I was really nervous about (not the training but the exam part). I'm notoriously terrible at exams. I've always studied hard, but I remember even for the SATs, I signed up for those Princeton Review prep classes and went every week, took multiple practice exams where I did great, and then did terrible on the actual exam... twice. 

So yeah, I failed this one by ONE POINT. And that was just the first week of February.

During second week of February, I tried to order GrubHub one night and my debit card got denied. "I should eat what I have anyway," I reasoned with myself. But the next day I logged into my bank account and got a shock. I saw a pending transaction with the description "JPMORGAN EXT TRANSFER" in the amount $1,350. And, to add insult to injury, a bank overdraft fee! So I called my bank to report this fraudulent charge. I said to the very nice (and patient) rep, "Yeah, it's really weird, because I don't even HAVE a JP Morgan account." He replied, "So all these other charges from them are fraudulent as well?"

....'Scuse me?! Say WHAT NOW?

Long story somewhat shorter- someone called in pretending to be me, robbed me 8 times, and got away with a grand total of $12,150.00. It took a week to get all that sorted out, but eventually my money was refunded by the bank. Moral of the story- check your bank account regularly!

It wasn't a terrible month overall though. Blue and I threw a SuperBowl party that I forgot to take pictures of... the following weekend we went to see  Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in concert with the NJ Philharmonic Orchestra which was super cool...

I took off Valentine's Day to sort out my bank shit and had a lazy day with Blue. We don't go out for Valentine's Day because it's super expensive and crowded. Instead, we started the day with mimosas and pastries, hung out in the afternoon, and then she made my favorite chicken parm and I made these Snicker's stuffed cupcakes that were amazing but took forever! 

Blue and I both had off on President's Day, so Sunday we headed to a new-to-us brewery called Bolero Snort Brewery. They had so many delicious beers, and even though I don't normally like "fruity" flavors, the Magically Bullicious and Fruity Pebbulls (yes, named after the cereals and tasted similar) were my faves. Then we headed to my friend's place where I was able to share the Snickers because I accidentally made 20 and Blue needed them out of the house lol. 

We ended the month at a friend's birthday party that started at hibachi and ended at a strip club! I think I've only been to one before, and this was Blue's first time. As you can see the stage was empty for the majority of the time we were there which we thought was pretty strange for a Saturday night. We didn't mind though, we had fun just hanging out with everyone- there were 10 of us! 

And that's a wrap! 

So, what's new with you?