Breakfast is the BEST Meal of the Day

I had a couple of great breakfasts this weekend. I LOVE love love breakfast- I'm not quite sure why but I love everything breakfast, so I always end up bookmarking a lot of recipes.  These are the ones I tried this weekend:

Pumpkin Recipe 8:

Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

I liked it, but its not entirely my thing. I didn't add enough oats, so it was a little soupier than my usual oatmeals but it was nice to experiment. And I left out the chia seeds because I have never bought/ seen them before.  I'm definitely going back to her blog to make the Gingerbread Overnight Oats once its time for gingerbread (like in a few days!)

Cherry Bread

And for our church's womens' breakfast, I looked for inspiration from Martha and found this recipe for cranberry bread. But the grocery store didn't have any cranberries! Frozen or fresh! They had them last week, so I was a little shocked.  So I bought some frozen cherries because they are tart, kind of like cranberries, defrosted them and sliced them in half.  One thing about the recipe- it doesn't say to flour your fruit before putting it in the batter, but it will help the fruit from settling to the bottom of the loaf.

I have to say, Martha didn't disappoint; I think this will be my go-to fruit quick bread recipe for breakfasts and brunches from now on! It was easy and used commonly found pantry items, so you could whip it up today with fruit!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend; mine sure was great! Our football team made it to the SEC East championships (big deal) for the first time (even bigger deal) so there was plenty of celebrating going on in the city on Saturday and Sunday.

Christmas Presents: Women

I just wanted to jump start your crafty drive because we are getting closer and closer to Christmas. I love these tutorials because they are on the simpler side and you don't have to prepare to make them months, or weeks even, in advance. 

Owl Sleep Mask from Kirsty @ Ginger & George

The "Lauren" Headband from Disney @ Ruffles and Stuff

Hand Towel Apron from A Little of This, A Little of That




Reusable Coffee Sleeve from Erin @ House on Hill Road

Decorative Tile Coasters from Curbly

One Pretty Thing also has tons of links to awesome tutorials if you need more inspiration. Its my homepage because I love it so much! 

Gingerbread LOVE

One of my favorite flavors of the Christmas season is definitely gingerbread.

I remember making gingerbread cookies for the first time (that I remember, I guess) in the 5th grade with a friend and her mom. We made so many gingerbread cookies that they covered all of the counter space and more when they cooled. It was such a wonderful experience and I still love making gingerbread.

But how many cookies can you REALLY eat? And how many times can you go to Starbucks for a Gingerbread latte without feeling guilty for spending that much?

So, here are some recipes on my "to-try" list for when that gingerbread craving starts:

• Gingerbread Muffins
• Gingerbread Affogato
• Gingerbread Waffles
• Gingerbread Pancakes
• Copycat Starbucks Gingerbread Loaf (I'm loving this blog- recreating Starbucks and other restaurants for a fraction of the price!)
• Gingerbread Biscotti
• Gingerbread Cupcakes
• Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies
• Gingerbread Marshmallows
• Gingerbread Bars
• Gingerbread Latte in the Crock Pot

And for when I DO make my gingerbread cookies, I REALLY want these ninjabread cookie cutters from Bake it Pretty....

What are you planning on making with your gingerbread?

Hot and Spicy Pumpkin Recipe 7

I was going to make another pumpkin recipe, but I lost track of time and made this one instead. SO WORTH IT!. Chocolate and pumpkin and drinkable? Yes, please!

Pumpkin Hot Chocolate from Smithfield

I changed up the recipe and used vanilla soy milk because one of the girls in my small group is lactose-intolerant and I would hate to deprive anyone of hot chocolate! It was super rich and chocolate-y, almost like sipping chocolate and tasted a little like pumpkin, but mostly like the wonderful pumpkin pie spices that were added. I didn't really measure those spices out and just used the shaker to pour some in because I love the mix. It was so good! It has put me in the mood for hot chocolate more often, but in my experience, it serves 4 chocoholics and maybe 6 smaller portions. 

Definitely a keeper- it used mostly ingredients I usually have on hand, but I did have to get more milk so its feasible to whip it up in the fall season when pumpkin is abundant.  It was a wonderful warm recipe for fall (even though its not very cold here yet).

Cool Food Articles This Week

I was reading the Wall Street Journal Tuesday and came across this article about the science behind why we like ice cream. Scientists are working on figuring out the texture element that makes people love certain foods, but I think I just like ice cream because its refreshing :)

Winner, Winner, Pork for Dinner!

I made a great dinner last Saturday night for my boyfriend and me. Which in and of itself is not an accomplishment, but considering I made it all within my residence hall room at college WITHOUT a kitchen, it was extra amazing.

We made garlicky apple pork in the crockpot (recipe to follow), steamed broccoli in the microwave and used a microwave rice pilaf and ate the meal while watching the football game.

Garlicky Apple Pork recipe

(1) 3/12-4 pound pork loin, boneless
(1) 18oz jar of apple jelly
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic (about 2 cloves)
1 Tbsp parsley flakes (optional- I didn't use it, but it still tasted great)
1 generous pinch each of salt and pepper

Cut the pork loin in half. Place in the crockpot.
In a bowl, mix together the apple jelly and water. Pour the mixture over the pork.
Sprinkle the seasonings on the pork.
Place the lid on and cook on low for 8 to 8 1/2 hours. Then eat :)

Why am I restricting myself to my residence hall room when I could use the kitchen? I'm doing my senior thesis project on cooking nutritional food only using kitchen appliances students can have in residence hall rooms, including Crock Pots, microwaves and George Foreman grills.  Do you have any recipes that I could easily make or recreate for my project? I would love your help and feedback!

Christmas Present Ideas: Large Batches

I am so excited for Christmas and giving the people I love presents! I LOVE using this time of year to make cute things to make people smile.

Here are some of my favorite ideas this year for making in large batches to give to groups of people (like the neighbors) or just because your friends happen to like similar things.

Mulling Spices for Cider or Wine- go to your local Indian or Oriental store (or Sam's Club) to get large quantities of the spices to make a lot of gifts on the cheap!

Hot Chocolate and Marshmallows

• Basic Hot Chocolate
• Mexican Hot Chocolate
• Peppermint Hot Chocolate
• Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows
• Homemade Cinnamon Marshmallows
• Lavender and Vanilla Marshmallows

Spice Mixes:

• All Purpose Rub
• Poultry Seasoning
• BBQ Rub
• Sugar and Spice Blend

What do you like to give out as group presents? And how do you package them?