Oops!

i forgot to do my new Monday tradition yesterday! i just started working last week and (of course) i got sick right before i started, so i've had a lot on my mind lately. but i'll make sure to have a list for next week!

Chocolate

last night my aunt and uncle hosted a dinner party, and as it was one of the guest's birthday, i made a special dessert for her. i heard she liked dark chocolate so i tried out this flourless chocolate torte recipe.

preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1/2 lb of butter, plus extra for greasing the pan

1 lb semisweet chocolate

1/4 Baileys (the recipe calls for amaretto but this is what we had in the liquor cabinet)

8 large eggs

1/4 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

butter a 9 inch springform pan, line the bottom with parchment and wrap with foil. the cake cooks in a water bath so you need a roasting pan big enough to fit the springform pan in. 

chop butter into 1/2 inch cubes and roughly chop chocolate.

melt butter, chocolate and baileys in a double boiler (or a bowl over a simmering pan of water, like i did). stir pretty constantly. once mixture is melted and smooth, take off heat and set aside.

 also, have a kettle (or pot of water) boiling. 

meanwhile, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until frothy and almost double in volume.

pour 1/3 egg mixture into chocolate mixture and fold in. repeat process two more times until eggs are completely incorporated into chocolate.

pour mixture into pan and place pan in roasting pan. pour boiling water in roasting pan to about halfway up the sides.

bake for 40-45 minutes. remove cake from roasting pan and cool to room temperature. remove foil, cover, and refrigerate over night.

right before serving dust with cocoa powder or powdered sugar. we used powdered sugar and grated dark chocolate over the top.

everyone loved it! 

also, since the birthday girl is a tequila fan, we enjoyed some of this. it was surprisingly delicious! 

Walking Alone

"She is a girl and would not be afraid to walk to whole world with herself." - Augusta Gregory

i would like to be that kind of girl.

Comfort Food

tonight my aunt made homemade meatballs and gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans for dinner. yum. not the healthiest of meals, but comfort food, for sure.

my mom used to make "meat muffins" instead of meat loaf. they taste so much better in mini form!

mac n cheese

i've been craving a good cheeseburger and fries... or better yet, onion rings!

my mom makes the best spaghetti.

i always crave chile con carne when i'm sick.

what are some of your favorite comfort foods?

It's Monday...

some of my favorite blogs have weekly traditions that i look forward to: Sometimes Sweet has Tattoo Tuesday, Lauren Conrad has Tuesday Ten, Jenna used to have Friday Favorites, but has recently switched to Sunshines/Dark Clouds. i'm a fan of any sort of ritual or tradition to keep me on track. so i think i'll start a new Monday tradition. since nobody really likes Mondays, i thought it'd be good to make a list of things to look forward to for the week! i'll come up with a clever name by next Monday (maybe). 

here goes:

• i have 2 job interviews today! neither one is for my dream career but any job is better than no job, eh?
• the weather is supposed to be better this week.
• on Saturday my aunt and uncle are having a dinner party and i get to make the dessert. it's one of the guest's birthday and we were told she likes dark chocolate, so i'm thinking of making this cake. i love trying new recipes!

well i need to get ready for my first interview, cross your fingers for me?

Snow

we had a little snow storm yesterday, and since i didn't need to go anywhere, i was stuck inside all day. i was getting a little stir crazy and grumpy, so i decided to think about all the good things about snow.

the other day i saw cardinals for the first time. they were outside the window fluttering around in a snow covered tree. so pretty. (i didn't take this picture, it's from the internet.)

any excuse for hot chocolate...

"When I was five, I had a really bad ear infection and I had been home in bed for a week and I was very sad. So I wished really hard that something wonderful would happen to me. And I woke up the next morning and it had snowed. And I was sure that some fairy godmother had done it just for me. It was my little present." - Lorelai Gilmore

 "Everything looks magical when it snows, everything looks pretty. The clothes are great. Coats, scarves, gloves hats." - Lorelai Gilmore

for Christmas my godfather got me these great boots to keep me warm when i do have to venture out in the snow. and "Santa" brought me a down jacket like this but in black. some of my friends also gave me some great scarves and i'm ecstatic that i finally have cause to put my collection of beanies to use.

"I love the snow for the same reason I love Christmas; it brings people together while time stands still. Cozy couples lazily meandered the streets and children trudged sleds and chased snowballs. No one seemed to be in a rush to experience anything other than the glory of the day, with each other, whenever and however it happened." - Rachel Cohn, Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Beauty

"There are just some really beautiful people in the world. When you're walking down the street, or you're at a restaurant, someone catches your eye because they have their own look. It goes way beyond what they're wearing-into their mannerisms, the way they smile, or just the way they hold themselves."

Mary-Kate Olsen

Working on Fitness

ok. i am not as dedicated as staying healthy as i need to be. i admit that i'm pretty good at finding reasons not to work out and i tend to serve myself that second helping more often than i should. but i have exercised every morning this week!

since it's so dang cold outside, i've had to find ways to get my cardio indoors. one of my favorites is doing sets of jumping jacks while holding light weights. also, boxing while holding weights really works up a sweat.

this morning i tried the circuit workout from Lauren Conrad's  7 Days to Skinny Jeans plan.

• 100 jumping jacks
• 20 crunches
• 20 squats
• 10 pushups 
• 25 bench dips (i couldn't do these because the chair kept sliding on the hardwood floors)
• 60 second wall sit
• 60 second plank 
• and repeat!

this was harder than i thought it would be, but i felt so accomplished afterwards and it only took about 20 minutes!

since the living room is the only area large enough to exercise in, i watched How I Met Your Mother while i worked out, but i generally prefer to listen to music. here are some of my favorite workout songs.

• Hey Boy Hey Girl - The Chemical Brothers
• Nightmare - Avenged Sevenfold
• Hella Good - No Doubt
• The Boys are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy
• Mambo #5 - Lou Bega
• Knockout - Lil Wayne & Nicki Minaj
• Wannabe - Spice Girls
• Dirty Little Secret - The All American Rejects
• Mony Mony - Billy Idol
• What The Hell - Avril Lavigne

i realize that working out is futile without the right diet. i eat a healthy breakfast (and lunch and dinner) most days. dinner is when i mess up and always get seconds when i'm not still hungry; i just want more. starting tonight i'm going to make a conscious effort to stop myself before i get that second helping of noodles. 

i eat dinner with the family every night, but breakfast and lunch i eat alone, so tomorrow morning i think i'll try this breakfast quinoa recipe (also part of the 7 Days To Skinny Jeans plan)!
*a note - this recipe, though delicious, takes quite a bit of time. to boil milk you have to use medium/low heat and stir pretty often to keep it from scorching. the whole process takes me 30-45 minutes. so if you work in the mornings (i don't), this might be a breakfast best saved for the weekend.

happy Tuesday!

this morning i made Moons Over Miami (or nest eggs, or egg in a basket, or a multitude of other names for the same dish) for breakfast. you take a piece of bread and cut a hole in the center with a biscuit cutter or glass. then you butter both sides of the bread and place it in a frying pan over medium heat. you crack an egg into the hole (careful not to break the yolk!), salt and pepper the bread and egg to your liking. after a couple minutes when the is golden and crispy, flip it over (this is the tricky part) and cook till done! i put shredded cheese on mine. i ate my toast with a cutie and English breakfast tea. delicious! i wish i had taken a picture. i think i'll try it again tomorrow (:

this candle from Target is bamboo and water lotus scented, with eucalyptus and coriander. it smells so great. really fresh and invigorating. 

i discovered this dress today at  Olivine. i love how simple, yet elegant it is. you could wear it with some great tights and chunky heels, or a fab pair of flats!

i love this Why Don't You? list. 

Frustration

something frustrating happened today. i won't go into details, but it (on top of other things) left me a little upset.

luckily, Pinterest stepped in and reminded me to:

so. letting it go. i'm going to enjoy the rest of this weekend and continue job-hunting on Monday. that's really all i can do, and staying upset won't get me employed, will it?

24 before 25

i got this idea from a beautiful mess (i love this blog, in case you hadn't noticed). it's a list of goals to accomplish before my next birthday. my birthday was over a month ago, so i'm a little late on completing my list. it's harder than i thought it would be. most of my goals were grandiose statements like, "try new foods," and "push my boundaries." this list contains goals that are all quantifiable and can clearly be crossed off. SO after a month of consideration, here are my goals!

1. move to a new city
2. get a writing/editing job
3. discover a new band/musician (that i'll keep listening to)
4. make new friends (which, as it turns out, is harder to do as an adult)
5. go to a music festival
6. take a class (such as cooking, photography, something creative!)
7. take a road trip
8. take a blog tutorial or e-course
9. learn how to French braid
10. try Dutch food
11. try fried chicken and waffles
12. make at least 5 Julia Child recipes
13. learn how to apply eyeliner well
14. have a spa day with mom and sister
15. go to Vegas with friends
16. cook lobster
17. plan a trip with Brittany
18. take a zumba class
19. live on my own
20. go to a concert or play in a foreign language
21. learn how to ride a bike
22. get a dia de los muertos tattoo
23. make cute jewelry
24. make an outfit for K-lee

there you have it! my 24 things to do before i turn 25. i may not do them all, but i'll damn well try. and hey - i already accomplished #1!

Sparkles

what's one thing that always makes me smile? that's right: sparkles! sparkles have the ability brighten up even the gloomiest days.

a simple, yet charming way to add some shine in your life. throw some sequins in water!

i'm a sucker for glittery heels.

the only thing better than glittery shoes? glittery shoes that you make yourself!

my day-to-day makeup is pretty simple but i like to wear dramatic makeup for special occasions.

this skirt is just perfection. you could dress it up for nighttime or make it casual for daywear.

a chandelier is a great way to add sparkle and shimmer to any room. and is a must for my dream home.

fireworks! duh.

i love this combination of matte and glitter polish.

unfortunately i'm not that gifted when it comes to doing nails. but i did give myself a simple pedicure to brighten up my day!

More Words of Wisdom

i especially like #6 ;)

Coachella!

last year i went to Coachella, an annual music festival in Indio, CA. it was the  best experience of my life. 

3 days of music and friends and dancing. pure joy.

i learned more about the friends i went up with. i met Kyle, who is now one of my closest friends. i made new friends. there's something about a road trip and music festivals that brings people together. 

this year, i wasn't planning on going to Coachella again. why, you ask? not because i didn't want to. because i want to experience as many music festivals as possible. while i would love to go to all of them, it's just not possible. they're expensive, for one thing. and taking time off is another issue. i plan on getting a "grown-up job" soon, and i can't just take off for mini vacations with friends like i could with my old job. 

this year, i was thinking about going to Sasquatch, or Bonaroo or Lollapalooza. Lolla would be the most realistic since it happens in the city i currently live in. 

but today... today, the Coachella lineup came out.

Florence. Snoop. Calvin Harris. Kaskade. Beirut. Black Keys. Andrew Bird. AVICII. First Aid Kit. Azealia Banks. SBTRKT. Swedish House Mafia. Morgan Page.

it goes ON & ON & ON

conundrum.

just thought i'd share

i'm wasting time on pinterest, while waiting for my peanut butter brownies to finish baking and i came across this. 

happy saturday! (:

Image

at dinner last night my dad was talking to me  about maintaining an image for oneself in a professional setting. he does leadership workshops sometimes and one of the exercises they do is to define how you want to be seen and then work on ways to improve and maintain that image. he said it's amazing how many people don't think about how they come off to other people, and while he was talking specifically about the workplace, i think it's worth reflecting on for your day-to-day life as well.

so how would i like to be perceived?

• patient. 
• as i've previously mentioned, i am not the most patient person. i need to work on not getting  frustrated with people so easily. i think a good way to start is to breathe and take a few seconds before immediately reacting when i start getting annoyed.

• creative.
• to be perceived as creative, i need to focus on doing more creative activities. creativity feeds creativity so i really just need to make it a point to make time to write, or doodle or read magazines. i love the montage of words and images that make up magazines.

• quick-thinking. 
• i would like to be the kind of person that can react quickly in a given situation. unfortunately, i am not this type of person. i tend to panic or get flustered when things don't go as planned. i need to work on going with the flow. as far as being on top of things, i'm not sure how to work on that, but i'll think about it (:

these are just a few attributes that i would like to cultivate. how would you like to be perceived? 

Resolutions

have more patience. (be kind, in general, but patience is something i feel i lack.)

exercise more. (in addition to making wiser food decisions. be healthy.)

sleep better. (i have terrible sleeping habits.)

stop biting my nails. (i want to have nice hands.)

call mom and dad once a week. (in general, stay in touch with those who matter.)

push boundaries. (i need to take more chances. not play it so safe.)

write more. (including keeping up with this blog.)

New Year...

in more ways than one! not only is today the first day of 2012, but i just made a huge change in my personal life. last week i moved from Las Cruces, NM to Chicago.

this is a big deal. i was born and raised in Las Cruces and have never lived anywhere else. the thought of going away for college didn't occur/appeal to me for some reason.  but lately i've been feeling like i need a change. Las Cruces is so small and it just seemed like i couldn't meet new people without finding some connection that was previously there. that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it gets old. the opportunity for work was also limited. i wasn't very happy with the way things were.

i need something new.

when i visited Chicago in September i mentioned to my uncle that i would like to try living in a big city (like Chicago). at that time they were in the process of looking for a larger apartment, and my uncle suggested that i rent a room from them for a year or so, after which he thought i'd be tired of the weather. 

i thought about it and proposed the idea to my mom, and decided it was a great idea! so last week my dad, my friend Kyle and i loaded my car up with about half of my stuff and drove across the country to my new home (eek!)

and that's where i'm writing this post from. sitting at the dining room table as my aunt Maria reads a book about butterflies to my cousin Martha. 

it was really hard to leave my family and some of my friends, but i'm excited about the opportunity this city offers.