June Goals// May Recap

May Goals Re-Cap:

1. Budget. Track. Save. Repeat. 

Success! And then I promptly spent a chunk of it on a weekend getaway coming up in July. 

2. Spring Cleaning... using this handy guide

Semi-success! I cleaned out my two closets and the medicine cabinet (baby steps)! I also went through the kitchen and bathroom trashing expired/past it's prime stuffs. Now I just want to go through the hall closet, the rest of the cabinets in my bathroom, and the stuff in storage and I'll be done. One thing I absolutely hate doing is cleaning the windows. Luckily, my landlord is changing all the windows in my apartment today, so that's one less thing I have to do! Hooray! I plan to do a full recap as soon as I'm completely done. 

3. Meal plan weekly/ 4 recipes

Fail. I tried. I wrote down meal plans, with corresponding grocery lists, but didn't follow through. 

4. Finish a book

Success! I finished 2 actually! Can't wait to finally link up with Steph on June 8 for Show Us Your Books! 

5. Schedule (and attend) all dr. check-ups
Fail. I kind of want to do them all on the same day just to get it over with.

My June Goals are a repeat of May, hopefully with all successes!

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In addition to monthly goals, I've made some progress on my Summer Bucket List as well!

Summer Bucket List

Go Camping

Booked for the weekend of July 10-12!

Go to the beach at least 3 times

One out of three complete!

Attend at least 3 concerts

Tickets for two concerts acquired!

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

Booked for July! 

Binge on OITNB 

Start (and finish) at least one craft or DIY

Attend a Phillies game

Attend at least one food festival - Complete 5/30/15

Go to the Zoo

Watch fireworks

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

How are you doing with your goals? 

Weekend Recap- Food Trucks and Sunshine

Friday, a friend asked if I would be going out to watch the NY Rangers game. My answer was a resounding NO. I think my actual response was

"Negative. I refuse to fights crowds to get beer and snacks while watching- that alone could take up an entire period...lol" (because adding "lol" always lessens the blow, right?!)

As Alyssa stated last week, Fridays are not always for going out. Fridays are for staying in, throwing on some comfy pants, and decompressing. I did just that, albeit in someone else's home, with pizza, beer, these amazing Extra-Toasty Cheez-Its and the NY Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning hockey play-offs.

[Sidenote: The food and company were great, but the boys didn't seem to want to win it. I lost hope after the Lightning scored their second goal and there wasn't enough time to recover. Le sigh. Maybe next year.]

Saturday I was up and out early, egg, and cheese Croissant'wich acquired and iced coffee, driving down to the good ole' Jersey Shore for the first time this season.
 

After a few short hours soaking up the sun, I met up with friends at the Meadowlands Jerseyfest Food Truck Mashup. It was a food truck competition with NJ and Philly trucks pitted against each other. I got there right when the doors opened, and should have bum rushed the trucks, but decided that I wasn't quite hungry yet. I made a round of all the trucks available, because I didn't want anything orm a truck I saw regularly. I should've just gotten food then, because the lines after about an hour were RIDICULOUS. Every truck had an hour plus wait. I waited for the pernil w/ arroz con gandules with a side of maduros from el Lechon de Negron. (Unfortunately I was a bad blogger and ate it before I took pics. Oops.) I was afraid that they would run out of food, but they were well-stocked. It was absolutely delicious. If you see this truck around, definitely check them out. They cater as well!

Sunday was a washout as it rained alllllllll day, so I perused my Netflix list. I tried to watch teh Chris D'Elia "Incorrigble" stand up, but didn't find it funny at all. I found Ilza Shlesinger's "Freezing Hot" special, and she had me laughing the entire time. Here's a clip:

I also found the show Undateable (also with Chris D'Elia, but not stand up. I've liked him since Whitney) which was a great fluff piece to end the night.

How was your weekend? 

I'm linking up with Biana for Weekending!

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!