i'm on the beach!

© peaches

i couldn't possibly let july go by without posting at least one entry. especially since certain people have been on my back about blogging. trust me when i say a lot has been going on this month...it's all good stuff though.

like for instance, my homies and i took a mental health day a couple of weeks ago and headed down to the beach. it was the most awesome day of the summer so far (yes, awesomer than madness which i'll post abt another day) and i'm so glad i decided to go. we got down there a little before noon and stayed until early evening. with the beach being less than an hour away from home we were back in no time.



it's funny because as a child i HATED the beach. i had bad memories of sandy crotch and seagulls. i didn't like it at all until we had a family reunion picnic on american beach in florida. i got the best tan ever and collected some really nice seashells. ever since then i've tried to recreate that beach experience and i hadn't been successful until now. we all had so much fun we're thinking of renting a beach house for a week next summer. i wonder what all that entails. but yeah, hopefully we'll get to go back again before the summer is over.

ugh

i just looked at my monthly budget and got depressed.

i really wanted to go to somebody's beach in may so i could get a tan before madness. but if i'm serious abt taking my bday trip i need to keep my happy ass at home and save. the beach trip is turning out to be more than i expected, mainly because i want to go alone. as much as i enjoy planning, trip planning doesn't tickle my fancy at all. factor in more ppl with different agendas and it's just a big hassle. all i want to do is sit on the beach and tan. a non-crowded beach.

last night i dreamed about a puppy again. this one was all black and sort of looked like a pekingese but it was so cute and cuddly and adorable. and i was holding it in my arms to keep it warm. then it disappeared and i thought maybe i put it under my shirt to keep it warm. but when i lifted my shirt only my satin cap fell out. never did find that puppy.

oh yeah...happy spring!

i started blogging on blogger a year ago today but i don't know if it really counts as a birthday because my original blog started before that. i suppose it's not too important to keep up with things of that nature but i wanted to acknowledge the fact in some way. so yeah. there it is.

vacation - part 2

food

yeah so you know i ate everything on vacation that i had missed so dearly. chick-fil-a, wendys, mcdonalds, white castle (3 times but two of those times were onion rings only and i still haven't had a milkshake), some other stuff i had no business eating. but it's cool i'm back on track with my regularly scheduled healthy living program. i feel like i've gotten it out of my system.

i made my cookies but i didn't send any out. here's the recipe (courtesy of 101cookbooks.com):


chocolate peppermint bark cookies

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups chopped peppermint bark

Place the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler placed over but not touching barely simmering water in the bottom of the pan. Heat, stirring frequently, until the chocolate and butter begin to melt. Remove from over the water and set aside to cool slightly.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until light in color and thick, about three minutes. Reduce speed to low, add the melted chocolate mixture and beat until blended. Add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm enough to roll into balls, about 2 hours.

Preheat an oven to 325. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

To form each cookie, roll a rounded tablespoon of dough between your palms. Place the cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press 2 or 3 pieces of peppermint bark into each cookie (hs note: more!). Using the bottom of a water glass, flatten the cookies slightly. Bake the cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until the tops are puffed and firm, 13 to 17 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the racks and let cool completely. Dust the cookies with confectioners' sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Makes 30 cookies.

now, between the time i found this recipe and actually made the cookies, the website updated the recipe. maybe i should've gone with the new one because this dough was not easy to roll. i left it in the fridge for more than two hours and while i was able to roll it, a lot of it was wasted sticking to my hands. maybe my hands were too warm, maybe i should've used a frozen ice cream scoop...i dunno. but i think the next time i make these i'll use my own chocolate cookie recipe. these were quite delicious though and were a hit at home.

i made my own bark too, which was pretty simple. i used a bag of semisweet chips, a bag of white chocolate chips, and peppermints. the chocolate layer spread smoothly but the white chocolate not so much. probably because i added the crushed mints to the white chocolate before spreading. next time i'll crush the peppermints a bit finer and sprinkle them on top. there was leftover bark and i was going to try regular chocolate chip cookies with it but we kinda got to just eating the bark by itself. YUMMERS!

vacation - part 1

shopping

that's how i kicked off my vacation. in need of a new pair of jeans and simple (inexpensive) gifts for my mom & sis, i went shopping with my homegirl two days in a row. what was i really thinking? i love her to death but my wallet wants to beat her ass! i never come home empty handed when i go out with her but my pockets are ALWAYS lighter. i am so easily swayed sometimes but it wasn't that hard because i love to shop. it's like a sport to me and i think i'd make a great coach. i carry clothing coupons in my purse. i check websites and compare online vs. in-store prices*. i memorize inventory and wait for items to go on sale. there's nothing more thrilling than finding a good bargain. here are some i found:


from l-r:
tweed pleated lady coat - gap, $48.99 (originally $148)
blue metallic knit dress - h&m, $15
brown print dress - target, $10
green print faux wrap dress - tj maxx, $15
black empire waist dress - banana republic, $10 (originally $128, marked down to $20 minus a $10 reward)

ironically, i didn't find any jeans. i did, however, wear the h&m dress with my grey boots, grey tights and the tweed lady coat. i wanna pair it with something rust next.

*speaking of in-store vs. online prices...this jacket i wanted from target was marked down online from $20 to $13 but when i went to the store it was still $20. i mentioned it to the cashier and she gave me the marked down price on the condition that it was a final sale (no returns). a week later the jacket was marked down to like $10 in-store. L for me i should've held out longer!