Author: Sadie

Holding It Back

Sadie3 Comments

My new favorite way to accessorize is at the gym.  I am loving bright and crazy headbands these days.  I used to have a lot of trouble keeping headbands from falling off while I was working out.  I guess my head shape combined with my thin and slippery hair made headbands like these slide off:

But then I decided to turn to the experts, and I got some Nike headbands.  It turns out, they work!  I followed that purchase up with some funkier headbands from Under Armour.  And they’re great too!  I bet they companies put more effort into research and development for their products, so I’m not surprised that their headbands preform well.

I just got some more really fun headbands from UA that have great sayings.  My favorite is: All I Do is Win.

PS- I think my calendar is really funny this month.

Back in Business

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So I’m back in Virginia in my own cozy apartment.  I really missed my apartment when I was in Connecticut.  I was living with just the bare necessities in Connecticut so I was so happy to see all of my stuff when I got home to VA.

After dumping the contents of my car into the middle of my living room, it took me just over a week to dig myself out of my own mess and clean up my apartment.  In addition to unpacking from the summer I also cleaned out my closet so I could actually fit my clothes back into it.  It felt so good to get rid of five large shopping bags filled to brims with old clothes that I don’t wear anymore.  I hope I do this on a more regular basis in the future.

As I settle back in, I am slowly restocking the ingredients in my kitchen, and I jumped back into baking with a cookie recipe I found while perusing blogs.  It’s definitely a great one for peanut butter lovers.  It’s a twist on a traditional peanut butter cookie with the addition of chocolate chips and peanuts!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yields 2-3 dozen depending of size from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter room temp
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cups + 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 16 oz semisweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup unsalted peanuts chopped

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
  3. Cream together butter and peanut butter.  Add sugars and beat until fluffy.
  4. Add in eggs one at a time and vanilla extract.
  5. Slowly add in flour mixture.  Mix until just combined, and then fold in chocolate and nuts.  The dough will be kind of crumbly.
  6. Form large balls of cookie dough and allow to chill for 20 minutes.  (I smushed them down before I put them in the oven so they would end up flatter)
  7. Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to cool and enjoy!

The Pioneer Woman

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I mentioned when I posted about the books I read this summer that I would hopefully read one more before summer was over.  Well I did, and I’m so glad because it was the best book I read all summer.I was browsing in a BN store in search of a new book, and this one caught my eye.  It was in the food writing/cookbook section which I enjoy, but it’s a love story.  It seemed like the perfect option.  It’s by a celebrity blogger/chef who’s been working her way up to a spot on the Food Network.  But the great part is that it’s about her love life.

Prior to reading this book I did not know that much about the Pioneer Woman, but now I’m a complete fan.  I am so jealous of her fabulous love story with her husband who she refers to as the Marlboro Man.  Plus I love that it’s a true story, it makes it that much better.

This book is about 300 pages and I read it in less than three days.  That might be a normal speed for other people, but for me it’s warp speed.  I just couldn’t put it down!