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Author: jehdld

Things I Did Not Do

Five on Friday Week in Review 1 Comment

Thought for Five on Friday (er, Five on Saturday Morning), it might be fun to share things I didn’t do this week.

Just kind of random.

ONE: I Did Not Throw Away My Valentine’s Day Flowers

Not until this morning anyway. And I still have a few in a new arrangement going strong:

Do you like to do that as well, see how long you can keep the fresh flower arrangements before tossing them?

TWO: Quit My Job

Oh, I did think about it! And I did check out my options. I’m still thinking about it. It’s definitely (mostly) not the kids though this year’s group is a bit needier than years past. It’s all the other stuff. A certain lack of support when dealing with some of the kids. The passive-aggressive, micromanaging e-mails….ugh.  And I’m a sub so really don’t even need to deal with it much. However, it’s also that grouchy time of year…things might improve with the weather. Who knows.

THREE: Cook Every Meal on the Grill

However, we did grill on on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday! The weather’s been so nice.  Yesterday, I didn’t cook so everyone scrambled for their own dinners. By the way, the Spicy Korean chicken pictured up there is one of our favorite go-to recipes. Everyone likes it! Highly recommend. Usually just keep it simply and serve with rice. Sometimes though I’ll make spring rolls with it.

FOUR: Go on a Walk with the Real Camera

Decided to rest instead. After being sick all last weekend, I didn’t really want to push myself. So, I stuck close to home. We did have a hoot owl in our backyard one evening so I grabbed the real camera to try and grab a picture of it. It wasn’t really light enough but you can see the outline.

Also, I did go to the library! That outing kind of helped me decide to rest up a bit more before venturing off on a walk.

FIVE: Put Away Winter Sweaters and Clothing

I thought about putting away those winter sweaters this week with no jacket/short sleeve weather going strong. However, I made myself wait. Of course, yesterday I planned to wear a short sleeved sweater to work and changed my mind opting for a tee-shirt instead. So glad I did that as it was very warm in the afternoon!

Older photo above but this morning I did finally take down the Chiefs garden flag and replace it with the Spring one.

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We have dinner plans this evening but I’ll probably spend today not reading all those great library books (my e-book holds keep coming up as well) and instead cleaning/putting out spring decor.

What are you not doing or doing this weekend?

Don’t forget to go check out My Creative Life for the Five on Friday link up!

 

 

 

 

Three Left

Winter Wednesday 2 Comments

Guess what?  There are only THREE Winter Wednesdays left in 2025. After that, it’s Spring! Spring starts on a Thursday this year. Spring is officially 21 days away from us! So close. We can get there.

Also, if you want a very exact countdown, check out this Countdown to Spring site (for the Northern Hemisphere). It’s counting down to seconds until Spring arrives!

However, it’s still a Winter Wednesday today despite the wonderful weather (sunshine and feels like 52 degrees at 9:30 in the morning? Sold!).

And I’m still trying a different hot chocolate every week this winter. Two different kinds for this week and a special guest judge for the first tasting.

Evaporated Milk Hot Chocolate

I had high hopes for this Evaporated Milk Hot Chocolate. And a special guest judge as J was home and interested in trying it as well. The nice thing about this recipe was having everything needed in the pantry. J opted to try his with just marshmallows as the topping. He’s a traditionalist.

I wanted something a little fancier so added a bit of whipped cream, marshmallows, and mini chocolate chips to mine.

The verdict: Sadly, neither of us were big fans of this one. J thought it tasted too sharp and thought that came from the chocolate chips in the it. (The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of chocolate chips) He added a bit of whipped cream to his hot chocolate to see if that helped. He said it did not.

My thoughts were simply that it had a bit of a funky aftertaste to it. It wasn’t the worst hot chocolate I’ve tried but definitely not going on the make again list. Only variations I made to original recipe were to cut it in half as I only had one can of evaporated milk in the pantry. Also, I used brown sugar instead of white but I don’t think that had a bearing on our opinions.

Bonus Mug: Banana Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

As I’ve been under the weather a bit this week, I was still craving something in the warm treat variety for the afternoon yesterday. I’d debated this banana peanut butter hot chocolate while researching recipes to try. Since I had a couple bananas quickly passing the banana bread stage on the counter, I decided to give this a try.

This one I would make again! It was surprisingly good and very satisfying. That’s something as I’m not a huge banana person. I did ocasional get little bits of banana while drinking this but simply mushing the banana better would avoid that.

I followed the recipe more or less. Things I did differently: used a whole almost black banana (I’d definitely only use half a ripe one), didn’t really measure my peanut butter (eye-balled a tablespoon so maybe went a bit over). And I topped my mug with extra peanut butter as opposed to a banana slice.

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As I said at the beginning of the post, only 3 hot chocolates to go! Any suggestions for unique hot chocolates I need to try? Are you counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until spring along with me?

 

 

 

Happy Homemaker Monday, Last of February

HappyHomemakerMonday 12 Comments

Is it me or has February been a bit brutal this year? Though I’m determined not to rush the year along, I’m not exactly sad to see this month end.

Joining in with Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom for the Happy Homemaker Monday.

The Weather

A Spring preview! And I’m happy to enjoy it. It’s currently 57 degrees outside, snow is melting, only places really left are the giant piles from the snowplows. Bring on the mud! This entire week is supposed to be in the 50’s/60’s with a slight chance of rain on Wednesday.

As I Look Outside My Window

An amazing sunrise this morning! Bit later now so not as much to see, blue skies and empty bird feeders. I’m out of bird seed but not as worried, figured I got the birds through the super cold. They can manage for a day in 50 degree weather.

Right Now I Am

Sniffling. SIGH. I’ve been sick a lot this school year and it’s annoying.

Something Fun To Share

Maybe next week. Unless you want this cold? Of course, it’s not fun.

Thinking And Pondering

Just stuff. I want to go for a walk but how muddy is it out there and I really don’t feel great, zombie level 5ish. New job or no? Need to go on a date with the husband. Hoping I feel better for our friend get together on Saturday and can KMBMS (Keep My Big Mouth Shut) depending on where the conversation lands.

On My Bedside Table

A kleenex (clean), book, lamp, phone charger

On My TV

Started getting this crud on Saturday so basically just watching movies I’ve already seen: Infinity Wars, End Game, Speed, and Spider Man: No Way Home. Also, Next Level Chef later this week and maybe catch up on some other regular tv shows. Need to circle back to Brooklyn Nine-Nine, still enjoying it, just took a little break.

On My Reading Pile

I don’t even know. Some random Ginger Bolton cozy mystery, the next in the series. I like to read them at bedtime because they take very little concentration. My library hold came up but I’ve not started it: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt. Mickey-7 by Edward Ashton, need to finish reading it before the movie comes out sometime in March.

And I just remembered, I have an actual book to go pick up at the local library (usually do e-books), Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, The Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America’s Empire by Jonathan M. Katz.

Listening To

A quiet house, no tv, no radio, really just the appliances now and then.

On The Menu For This Week

Hooray for a warmer week! Friday’s dinner of vodka pasta with bacon and cherry tomatoes (optional add-ins):

MONDAY: grilled chicken legs, asparagus, corn on the cob

TUESDAY: hamburgers, French Fries

WEDNESDAY: spicy Korean chicken, rice

THURSDAY: grilled turkey sausage with peppers and onions

FRIDAY: Open

Saturday/Sunday: We’ve got dinner plans on Saturday night and I’m thinking possibly spaghetti for Sunday

On My To Do List

Usual items of grocery store, cleaning the house, and laundry. Pay a few bills. Water some plants. Hoping I feel good enough to do outside stuff tomorrow.

Happening This Week

Thankfully not too much, I work (so far) on Friday and then, we have dinner plans out on Saturday

My Simple Pleasure

Fresh flowers. I’m especially looking forward to going outside and seeing flowers on the front porch and in the yard again.

Lesson Learned The Past Week

Doesn’t matter how many vitamins you take, a sick kid hanging on you and getting the coughs in before you can say “Germ Catcher!” has a high probability of sharing the cold with you.

Looking Around The House

Wish I had to the energy to clean up a bit more but I don’t. Carpet needs cleaned although more mud is coming so that might need to wait.

From The Camera

Sadly, I don’t think I picked up the “real” camera last week. Hoping to change that and get some nice outdoor shots this week. Still photographing my Valentine’s Day flowers.

Prayer List

Friends, family, strangers, the country, the world. The Pope. The people I don’t want to pray for because they annoy and anger me but I’m doing it anyway.

Quote For The Week

It takes courage to be kind. (Maya Angelou)

 

Weather and Food

Five on Friday Week in Review 4 Comments

How about two favorite Midwestern topics for today? Especially during the winter months, the main topics tend to be weather and food (also, television and sports but let’s save those for now).

So for my Five on Friday, a recap of our crazy weather week along with mostly pictures of what we ate for dinner each night. Before we begin though, a random picture of my Valentine’s Day flowers still going strong.

Okay, onto tidbits of the week, the weather, and what we ate. Oh, and by the way, I didn’t follow the menu plan from Monday at all.

ONE: Monday we ate tacos!

Monday was a holiday here but my husband and G still had to work. Honestly, I can’t remember much about the day but I know we had tacos for dinner. And we were watching the weather because of winter storm/extreme cold warnings. The time of the storm kept shifting.

TWO: Tuesday I tried new recipes. Pork Chops and rice plus applesauce bread!

With the storm starting and the cold temperatures, I knew I wanted to use the oven a lot this week. So I decided to give this Easy Baked Pork Chops and Rice recipe a try. Everyone seemed to enjoy and it was a nice cozy meal for a crazy cold, snowy evening.

As an added bonus, earlier in the day, I made this applesauce bread as well. I knew I was making pork chops but hadn’t decided on recipe yet. Apples always compliment pork.

Random fact about our family: We all with little exception hate applesauce. Apples are yes, applesauce is a NO. However, sometimes I have some in the pantry and found 3 containers on a pantry clear out. (probably leftover from when the husband had dental work and there are only so many soft foods…)

THREE: Wednesday was an unexpected working day for me so I put the husband in charge of dinner!

Hotdogs and onion rings were an odd meal on a freezing cold night. The real temperature was 8 degrees while he was out there grilling! And yes, without a coat. Welcome to living in the Midwest!

Since my work day was unexpected (I only said yes because a teacher had an unexpected loss in her family), I had put together a French Toast Casserole the night before planning to cook it for breakfast and freeze the leftovers for future quick heat and go breakfasts.

Also, unexpected, lunch at work on Wednesday: hot dogs! SIGH. Had no idea that’s what we’d end up with for dinner.

They have that meal too often at my work. I’m currently not scheduled again until next Friday and guess what’s on the menu for lunch? Yep, hot dogs! I’ll be taking my lunch but I do feel for the kids. It’s one of my current gripes, the menu has gone downhill in an effort to cut costs, I get food’s expensive but come on, do better!

All that to say, I ate French Toast Casserole for dinner on Wednesday evening as I didn’t want hot dogs twice in one day. G had some French Toast Casserole for dessert as well.

FOUR: Thursday was the coldest day yet and another (this one scheduled earlier) half-day of working for me. I settled on stuffed peppers for dinner.

I made sure to take a screenshot of the temperature when I woke up to show the crazy cold.

Oddly, I was actually warmer at work yesterday than on Wednesday. I think because I was in the other classroom with a smaller front door. It’s weird when you go outside to go home and 12 degrees feels warm! Once home, I debated on dinner for a bit before landing on stuffed peppers mainly because I remembered I’d bought peppers (on sale!) at the store on Sunday for that purpose.

 

Orange ones because the red ones didn’t look to be in great condition. Plus they reminded me of sunshine and warmth. Finished product, I was hungry yesterday and almost forgot to take a picture!

I just use the classic Betty Crocker recipe for stuffed peppers only changing it slightly. I like my peppers crisp so I don’t parboil them and also, I use colby-jack cheese as opposed to mozzarella. Did you know as a kid I was not a fan of this meal at all but now I like it.

FIVE: Better Weather, Spring Cleaning Bug, and No Idea About Dinner

Happy Friday! This morning a cat paw in the face woke me up right on time though I didn’t need to go to work. She used to just sit on the nightstand and purr but she’s figured out that pawing at my face works while purring loudly works really well to make a person get out of bed and do her bidding. Sometimes her bidding is she just wants me to sit in the living room while she looks out the windows. SIGH.

This is the downstairs bed/couch, not my bed! I’d never be able to sleep in all that cat hair, adding another cleaning item to the list.

So,cat paw until I got out of bed. Then, had to go to the downstairs for milk since we were out upstairs and oh, yay, stepped in cat puke on the steps. Was I barefoot? Yes. That really wakes a person up fast!

Perhaps, that’s what triggered my spring cleaning bug. Started a bit, as soon as I finish up this post, I’m back to that. Right now, some scented candles going in attempt to refresh things a bit.

And sticking with the food theme, still not sure about dinner but thought I should show a couple healthy things consumed around here. Just so you know it’s not all Oreo hot chocolate all the time.

 

 

And of course, I still have no idea what we’ll end up with for dinner tonight.

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Whew! This turned into a long post! Thanks for making it this far if you’re still reading. Wanted to give a shoutout to Rachel over at Living Better One Day At A Time for inspiring this post with her pictures of what we ate this past week on her Monday posts. I always enjoy seeing the plates of food. And to Carrie over at Northwoods Scrapbook for her Wordless Wednesday post mentioning weather as a conversation topic and of course, for introducing me the amazing French Toast Casserole. Finally, I can’t leave out Cathy from My Creative Life for bringing back Five on Friday as well as her kitchen post from last week which also inspired this post.

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Double Hot Chocolate

Winter Wednesday 2 Comments

Our crazy cold snap is supposed to go through tomorrow at noon and then, the temp swings upward. It’s so cold right now. Late post as I ended up working today.

Somehow, my work did not close the past couple of days and yet, we are canceling family night on Thursday because of the weather. Make it make sense! So much more I could (but will not) say about my work lately.

Anyway, on my stay home days I made hot chocolate twice this week! Two kinds.

Kind of Normal

Okay, so I did say kind of normal. I made my normal hot chocolate packet but then, did this to it:

Had some leftover marshmallow creme buttercream frosting and thought it might make a nice hot chocolate topping. Slight problem, if you take it straight out of the fridge, it sinks! So, I added some whipped cream and then, added the marshmallow creme buttercream. It was good but I probably need to try it some time with marshmallow creme (or the frosting) at room temperature when I add it to the hot chocolate.

The next kind of hot chocolate was the true winner this week!

Oreo Hot Chocolate

I’ve discovered I need to be careful with the hot chocolate recipes as sometimes more than one of the same type exist out here on the Internet (imagine that). So, after my Nutella disappointment, I carefully curated the Oreo Hot Chocolate recipes out there and settled on this one called Creamy Oreo Hot Chocolate.

Oreos happened to be on sale at the grocery store last time I went and so in addition to snagging a package for lunch treats (my husband and G both usually take their lunches to work, I do sometimes), I knew an Oreo hot chocolate was happening.

I pretty much followed the recipe exactly this time. Only thing I did different was skip the food processing part. A sandwich bag and a rolling pin worked well for me.

This made for a delightful dessert! Perfect for an overly cold and snowy night. Reminded me a bit of the Italian hot chocolate as it got thick but not quite as thick though I did mostly use a spoon for it as opposed to taking sips.

Of all the hot chocolates I’ve tried so far, this one I can absolutely see myself making again!

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Now, not related to my hot chocolate experiments, I just want to share that my husband is doing one of the most Midwestern activities ever. He’s grilling hot dogs in 8 degree weather! He brushed the snow off the grill to do this. No further comments from me at this time.

Maybe I’ll ask if he wants a hot chocolate for dessert.

Happy Homemaker Monday, Presidents Day

HappyHomemakerMonday 10 Comments

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day weekend (if you celebrated). Mine was okay. Honestly, I’m glad my Galentine’s Day was so much fun because this weekend was just kind of blah. Nothing terribly wrong but I was just in a funk for most of it.

Quick weekend synopsis:

Friday at work was a hard day leaving me so fed up at the end of the day. Thankfully, I ended my day in my favorite classroom which probably saved my sanity.  We did nothing at home Friday evening although my husband did fix the waffles and bacon for dinner. I’d left him a Valentine’s Day card earlier in the day.

Saturday, he brought me flowers and eggs from Sam’s Club. Can you guess which one cost more? If you said the flowers, you’re wrong!

Sunday, my mood didn’t really improve despite it being a sunny but very cold day. Ran lots of errands to try to be out in the (cold) sunshine but my mood stayed pretty grumbly until last night.

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Moving on to today, the lovely little gray cat woke me at 4:00AM for who knows why. She didn’t leave me alone until I was out of bed either. SIGH. Let’s just get to our Happy Homemaker Monday categories and link up with the host of this lovely community, Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom.

The Weather

Mood partially explained! Dusting of 1-2 inches of snow today with a high of 20 degrees, currently 11 degrees with a windchill of 0. Still snowing right now though supposed to stop. Winter storm warning from Tuesday at 12:00 AM until Wednesday at 3:00 AM. Also, cold weather advisory from tonight at 9:00 PM (apparently 20 degrees isn’t cold) until Wednesday at 6:00 PM. Oh, and let’s not forget this one: Extreme Cold Watch (I’ve honestly never even heard of this one!) from Wednesday at 6:00 PM until Thursday at noon. And it’s supposed to be 50 degrees by Sunday, of course. Welcome to the Midwest Weather Roller Coaster.

As I Look Outside My Window

Think we covered that in the weather. However, I did want to share this photo of my Flicker woodpecker from last week. He (or she?) is still visiting my suet feeders and I was excited to see some of the yellow tail feathers showing from this angle.

Right Now I Am

Working on this post in a slightly chilly basement (it’s usually warm).

Something Fun To Share

 

I made grocery store Valentine’s cookies on Saturday that I filled with marshmallow creme buttercream for part of our Valentine’s Day weekend. G said they looked like “Walmart brand macarons” which he said was not an insult when I asked if I should be insulted or complimented. LOL.

Thinking And Pondering

Work. I said on Friday that I was going to find another sub to cover me for a certain classroom on Thursday but I’m torn. I feel like I’m giving up if I don’t go ahead and work my day but I can’t have another experience like rest time on Friday. The teachers in said class will understand either way, I know. They’ve been nothing but supportive.

And I do love the kids, some of them just…honestly, need a different environment than that classroom. They’d probably thrive with a smaller class and more structure.

On My Bedside Table

Same stuff, lamp, phone charger, book

On My TV

Still working through Brooklyn Nine-Nine though I did watch the SNL music special on Saturday night and enjoyed it. Missed the big program last night, might stream it later today just to see.

On My Reading Pile

If you want a completely creepy and engaging read, I suggest Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara. Couldn’t put it down.

Listening To

Forgot to cancel my Amazon music trial, must do that this week, so had on some classical music while I read on Saturday afternoon.

On The Menu For This Week

Well, I had it all planned out in my head while grocery shopping but I’m struggling to remember…

MONDAY: hotdogs, French fries, cantaloupe

TUESDAY: Maybe minestrone, rolls

WEDNESDAY: Pork chops, sweet potatoes

THURSDAY: Mexican casserole (corn tortillas, taco meat, ect)

FRIDAY: No idea

*All subject to change

On My To Do List

Need to pay a few bills, laundry, water plants! (forgot this yesterday), not really anything pressing (unless I’m forgetting something, highly possible)

Happening This Week

Snow. SIGH. Depending on the storm timing, Bunco on Tuesday night but I’m thinking it’s going to be a no-go. Maybe work on Thursday from 7:45-2, see thinking and pondering section, suppose that also depends on if I can find a sub for myself as that might not happen anyway.

What I Am Creating

Nada

My Simple Pleasure

Fresh flowers. Warmer weather and sunshine.

Lesson Learned The Past Week

When things are bothering me at home, I need to speak up a bit sooner and not let them simmer so long. Also, never agree to come into work in the middle of a holiday party. I will never do that one again, shouldn’t even have been asked to do that. Beginning or end is fine but not the middle, so disorienting and confusing.

Looking Around The House

Another part of my weekend mood, might have uttered words to effect that I’m not the hired help. I think the walls are closing in, actually it needs the usual cleaning bits and a whole lot of declutter work.

From The Camera

Combo of phone/”real” camera pics in this post but this one’s from the phone. Doesn’t she look all cuddly, cute, and innocent and not like a furry, demanding 4:00 AM alarm clock?

Prayer List

Family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, all the kids in our school. Anyone struggling with this crazy cold winter.

Quote For The Week

 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18 ESV)

 

Galentine’s Day Fun

Five on Friday Week in Review 8 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day! We don’t do much for it around here. Today, it’s just a normal workday for most of us though the preschool kids have their “party,” a pretty understated affair at the school. A special treat and then an exchange of Valentine’s day cards using brown paper bags the kids decorate themselves mostly with stickers.

Here at home, I planned on a simple dinner of waffles (they vetoed the idea of chocolate waffles!) and bacon. However, my husband was mentioning something about pizza last night so who knows. I did pick up some slice and bake cookies on sale so probably going to make those into cookie sandwiches (Why do we have so much marshmallow creme in the pantry??)  along with some chocolate covered pretzels I promised J. Maybe we’ll all watch a movie or have a game night, clearly our Valentine’s Day is not planned out very well.

What is usually somewhat planned out is the annual Galentine’s Day adventure with my close friends! So I thought I’d share about that for this week’s Five on Friday hosted by My Creative Life.

ONE: Friendship Gift

While the gift of having a group of amazing friends for almost 25 years is certainly enough, we usually exchange small token gifts of friendship at our annual Galentine’s Day dinner. Here’s a glance at what I gave:

What’s in the bag?

Chocolates (Of course!) and some photos, one of which I framed. Then, I wrapped the framed photo in some Valentine’s Day tissue paper before putting them in the cloth bags.

TWO: Outfit

I like to dress in something somewhat Valentine’s day related if only through the colors. I picked my red sweater (Chiefs fans tend to own lots of red, LOL!) and some black velvet pants.

THREE: Location

Since we’ve started celebrating Galentine’s Day, we’ve met at The Cheesecake Factory on the Country Club Plaza. It’s expensive, yes, but typically we only go once a year. J gave me a gift card for Christmas so that was nice. And it’s always been very good. I typically get the spicy vodka pasta, a cosmopolitan, and a slice of classic cheesecake with strawberry topping.

An added treat this year, they decided to leave the Plaza lights on until Valentine’s Day so we also got to see those.

(Dear Cheesecake Factory, you need to clean your windows!)

Thankfully as well, the weather held off until late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning as a winter storm moved into our area.

FOUR: My Amazing Gifts

A funny thing happened this year as 3 of us had the exact same idea to do photo related gifts, framed photos and a picture coffee mug!

 

The other friends went a self-care route, we know each other well after almost 25 years! And some of us are very talented on top of that, look at the beautiful cardinal print my friend made for me.

FIVE: Thankful for Friendship

I’m thankful for all the friendships in my life whether they are new or life-long, work, in person or blogging friendships made over the Internet. I hope all of you reading this have many great friendships of all kinds as well!

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Happy Valentine’s Day, Friends!

 

 

 

Another Snow Day Plus Hot Chocolate Review

Winter Wednesday 2 Comments

Kind of a clunky title up there but that’s exactly what this post is about today.

Really thought I was going to have to work (we don’t get snow days quite as often as the public schools) so super excited when that message showed up on my phone.

Got my snow day list ready instead of trying to figure out what to wear:

  • Pajamas. Check!
  • Latest Paula Hawkins book loaded on my phone. Check!
  • Hot chocolate. Check!
  • Not needing to worry about driving in the snow. Triple check! (For the record, I can do it but it’s nice not to have to do it)

Hot Chocolate Time

I’m happy to report I enjoyed this Chocolate Covered Cherry Hot Chocolate. And it was easy enough to make, could be an occasional repeat around here. Seemed like a good choice for Valentine’s Day week.

Mostly, I followed the recipe exactly with a few exceptions: I cut it in half so just made one cup. Didn’t want to dirty a pan for one cup of hot chocolate so I warmed my milk in the microwave and then just mixed in the hot chocolate mix. Also, I only had regular hot chocolate mix with marshmallows (though I do only buy Swiss Miss brand so that part was the same). I find the little marshmallows just melt into the hot chocolate anyway so doubt it impacted the flavor.

Clearly, I also didn’t take the time to make a chocolate covered cherry opting instead to just add some cherries on top of the whipped cream (Reddi-wip over here) and garnished with a bit of regular cocoa powder.

Final thoughts: This had good flavor and would probably be truly amazing with the extra chocolate in the garnish. I think a shot of amaretto might really enhance this hot chocolate if you were so inclined (though maybe not at 8:a.m.). Might consider simply adding in a teaspoon of almond extract as well if I make it again.

It’s got enough cherry flavor that if you for some reason do not like cherries, you will not like this. I liked it as I like cherry flavor. The only flavor I really despise is grape so I won’t be trying any grape hot chocolate not that I’ve see a recipe for that anywhere.

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Are you a fan of cherry flavor? Are there any flavors you intensely dislike? What flavor do you think would be a good addition to a hot chocolate?

What about snow days? Do you get those? And if so, how do you spend them?

Hope if you are in the path of this latest snowstorm, you stay safe and warm!

 

 

Happy Homemaker Monday, Blue Monday

HappyHomemakerMonday 8 Comments

Or rather a green Monday. Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles fans! Your team outplayed the Chiefs big time.

Still love my Chiefs though. Can’t knock a team too much that’s made it to the Super Bowl 3 years in a row. Who knows maybe it’ll be a re-match (hopefully, with a different outcome!) next year.

Joining in with Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom for Happy Homemaker Monday. She’s changed up the categories so I’m trying to play along a bit.

*Headings in Green in honor of the Eagles* Just for today.

The Weather

Sunday’s sunrise

A bit gloomy. Cold. Supposed to snow tomorrow night into Wednesday–winter’s back! Along with a winter storm warning, just snow. And again on Saturday though that might be rain or snow.

As I Look Outside My Window

Clouds, a few random birds at the bird feeders. In the front, a truck doing some sort of serious looking plumbing work at the house on the corner.

Right Now I Am

Working on this post, trying to decide where to start on cleaning the house, status: post-birthday and Super bowl nightmare level & we didn’t even host anything here.

Thinking And Pondering

Trying to not feel guilty for saying no to work today. If I’d been called early, I’d have probably went but I got the text while in the grocery store. By the time I got there, it’d been a 2 hour day of lunch and naptime. Need to focus on my own family today (housecleaning, groceries, errands, etc)

On My Bedside Table

Just a lamp, phone charger, and the book G gave me at Christmas (my e-books from a long library waiting list keep popping up so I keep putting it down). Sometimes the cat if she’s decided I’ve slept too long and decides to sit there meowing until her lazy employee gets out of bed, I mean really the nerve of her employee to sleep past 5:30 in the morning!

On My TV

We watched last season’s Super Bowl yesterday afternoon. It was much better than the one last night 😉 Other than that, random westerns (My husband tends to turn that channel on and leave, then here I am all interested in movies like Red Headed Stranger with Willie Nelson from 1986.). Also, still watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine

On My Reading Pile

One of my long-wait list books, Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. Eleven people waiting on me, kind of wish the library wouldn’t show me that. A little slow to start but really intriguing. I also have Paula Hawkins latest novel to read waiting as well.

Listening To

A bit of sports talk radio last night/this morning before I turned on the regular Pop music station.

On The Menu For This Week

MONDAY: Sad Superbowl Leftovers (smorgasbord of leftover Chinese (G & J), salad, maybe shrimp cocktail, strawberries, cookies, and I don’t know what else)

TUESDAY: Chicken and Noodles/mashed potatoes *I hopefully have plans OUT for Galentine’s Day*

WEDNESDAY: Roast in the Crock Pot *I work(?) 8-4*

THURSDAY: Korean Meatballs, rice *I work 11-2*

FRIDAY: Waffles, Bacon *Valentine’s Day* *I work 10:30-4*

On My To Do List

grocery store, clean the house (cat box, blah!), laundry, check in with work over Wednesday, order prints for part of a Galentine’s Day gift, call brother to see if family still coming in for other brother’s birthday, probably other stuff I can’t remember. Adding in have J look at the computer and see why it’s going so slow again.

Happening This Week

  • I work Wednesday (maybe, teacher wanted off for the Chiefs parade, yes, that’s how spoiled our Chiefs had us), Thursday, and Friday
  • Galentine’s Day dinner out with friends on Tuesday night (hoping it’s not cancelled due to weather)
  • Might have family in town for brother’s birthday on Thursday, need to check on it
  • Valentine’s Day on Friday, no plans at the moment

What I Am Creating

I have a few artichoke seedlings!

My Simple Pleasure

Spending time with friends

Lesson Learned The Past Week

Trust that I raised my kids to do the right thing.

Looking Around The House

I need to quit looking and start cleaning, it’s bad!

From The Camera

Didn’t pick up the camera this week but here’s a phone pic of the cat giving G a very mean look because he was out of town over the weekend. She was mad at him but has since forgiven her favorite person.

Prayer List

Friend who recently lost her father, everyone to stay healthy (so much ickiness floating around), friends, family, strangers

Quote For The Week

 

Better to light a candle than curse the darkness. (William A. Watkinson)

 

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Ice, Ice, Baby

Winter Wednesday 4 Comments

It’s an ice day around here (well, for me). Husband went to work and G had a late start. It’s not a pretty ice storm either. It’s the kind where the roads/sidewalks look fine but then you step outside and it’s slick! Lots of wrecks and highway shutdowns this morning.

Oddly, Monday was so warm that I went to the grocery store with no coat and we grilled pork chops for dinner. Yesterday, the temperature took a dive and by the late afternoon, the bitter wind arrived.

Anyway, here’s the hot chocolate report for this week.

Iced Hot Chocolate

A few weeks back I tried a vanilla hot chocolate packet which I did not like at all. And to my dismay, I’d accidentally purchased 2 of them! I noticed on the back of the packet directions for making iced-hot chocolate. Interesting. Since it was so warm on Monday, I gave it a try. Definitely better this way. Probably not going to be a go-to for me but way better than the hot version. However, I’m going to stick with iced-coffee (or blended–a better value at the fancy coffee shops) and iced-tea when the weather is warm.

Hazelnut Hot Chocolate

I think I’ve perhaps learned my lesson with these particular packets of hot chocolate:

The Hazelnut chocolate cocoa mix is missing hazelnuts from the ingredients! Geez. Since I had time this morning I opted to go in search of an actual hazelnut hot chocolate recipe instead. Maybe I’ll try the iced version of the packet another time.

I found a recipe for Nutella hot chocolate here.

And since we always have some of this in our pantry:

Yes, it’s off brand Nutella, don’t judge.

I decided to give it a try.

Cut the recipe in half as I was the only one interested in it. Final product:

Looked pretty. Apparently, I’ve become a pretty big hot chocolate critic. This was only okay to me. Not something I’m going to make again. And I do love Nutella! Maybe it needed more, it reminded me more of a hot Nesquik than hot chocolate. I guess is it even technically a hot chocolate?

Going to stick with having my Nutella the proper way, just having it straight off a spoon. Or heated over a bit of ice cream. (G likes peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches but I’ve never tried those).

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I’ll end this post properly with this fun throwback (we actually heard it on the radio this weekend!):

And a couple questions: Have you ever had an iced-hot chocolate? Do you think Nutella hot chocolate counts a genuine hot chocolate?

*Full Disclosure: I had to pay a cat tax collector in a bit of whipped cream while trying to judge my Nutella hot chocolate. She refused to be photographed.

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