Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Well, folks, I've not done a Tasty Tuesday recipe in quite awhile, so I thought it was high time (as opposed to, you know, low time) that I did one again.

Oh yes indeedy it does. Since it's Fall and I'm in the baking mood, I thought I'd re-share one of my favorite cookie recipes. Like ever. It's the one for my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies that I shared way back in 2010. Because, you know, that was six long years ago! And it's still my fave cookie recipe!

So, get your taste buds warmed up and get ready to make some cookies, y'all. And I do mean the best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies you'll ever eat!

Ingredients
1 Cup Canned Pumpkin
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Oil
1 Egg
2 Cups Flour
2 TSP Baking Powder
1 TSP Cinnamon
1/2 TSP Salt
1 TSP Baking Soda
1 TSP Milk
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 TSP Vanilla

Directions
Dissolve baking soda in milk; set aside.
In large bowl add pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg; stir.
Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well.
Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla.

Spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until done.

And when they're done, please partake in their soft, pumpkin-y, yummy deliciousness.

Enjoy!

Damonlicious

In my fervent quest to keep my favorite immortal, Damon Salvatore, alive forever--only a couple of weeks away from the premiere of the final season of The Vampire Diaries--I'm doing my best to bring back my favorite memes, digital art, and images of the show. So what could be more perfect than a few memes and images dedicated to the sexiest Salvatore? 

Ask, and ye shall receive.

And for your patience, here is your shirtless Damon reward.

Or maybe it's more like...

And let's not forget that eye thing he does...

Or the Damon Dance Party

Or his little bits of Damon wisdom...

And let's be real: if he asked me to...

He is perfectly Damonlicious.

(Not that it matters).

Oh and,

Am I obsessed? Maybe a little. But guess what?

Best Things I Learned While I Was 49

It was bound to happen, folks. Once I get within spitting distance of a birthday, there's bound be a post about the 'best things I learned while I was...," in this case, 49. These annual posts of mine are usually my most popular of the year. Go figure. And even though you might not think it's possible to top the Best Things I Learned While I Was 48, (I know, right?) who knows what could happen?

And you know, I'm turning the big Hawaii 5-0 (without the Hawaii, unfortunately). So you know what that means.

Yeah, if by 'party' you mean my annual refusal to cook dinner on my birthday, going out to eat, and then falling asleep on the couch by 11:30 or so (it's a work night, after all). Party on, Garth.

So anyhoodle, lets get this best-things-I-learned-while-I-was-49 post underway, before I officially become part of the Over the Hill club. I've got until September 28 to be 49, and I will not go quietly or gracefully into my 50's, people. I'm holding onto my 40's until the very last second!

You know the drill by now: these pearls of forty-nine-year-old wisdom are in no particular order...

• Going back to college, for a second master's degree no less, is not for the weak of heart, or mind, or body...or bank account--but then again, that's what student loans are for, right? As that old saying goes, "he who dies with the most student loan debt...only gets out of it by dying."
• When David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Prince, and Gene Wilder all die in the same year, you realize that a huge part of your youth died with them...and it puts things into perspective.

•  Any idiot can run for president. And one of them will probably win. 

• Finding out that The Vampire Diaries is ending after the 2016-17 season is going to put a bit of a kink in my TVD obsession posts. Not to mention the withdrawals. And all the feels from the absence of Damon my favorite immortals! 

• Getting a teaching job after 7 years of looking (and 7 years of rejection) is kind of maybe totally awesome. 
• I have an addiction to Erin Condren planners and I don't care who knows it. Life planner? Check. Planner for journaling? Check. Teacher Planner? Check. Washi tape and stickers galore to decorate the pages of said planners? Double check.

• You should never underestimate the effect that opening a ginormous pack of gelly roll pens can have on your life, no matter how old you are.
• The word, 'ginormous' doesn't get highlighted by the spellchecker in my browser. It seems like a fake word (gigantic+enormous, anyone?), but I checked and it is indeed in the dictionary. [Oh sure. But 'boom chucka lucka' can't make the cut.]
• When people accuse you of doing things you didn't do, and they refuse to believe you no matter what you say or do, and all they do is spew venom and hate at you, it's perfectly OK to cut ties with those people. Even if they're family. 

• Unless I'm going to be swept away into a fairy tale land full of munchkins, and tin men, and Oz (Oh My!)--and it becomes a Ruby Shoes Day for a skippidy-do-walk down a yellow brick road with 3 new besties and my little dog, too--then I don't want to be within 3 miles of a tornado ever again.

• Just because someone texts you, it doesn't mean you have to read it right that very minute. Or even reply. No, seriously.
• Life is better with cheesecake.
• I don't like soda. I do, however, like an occasional pop.

• Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy art supplies, and books, and music...and that's pretty much the same thing in my book.
• Netflix awesomely allows you to binge-watch entire seasons without commercials and without annoying holidays and hiatuses...so that you can subsequently feel utterly sad, empty, and completely alone when the season or series ends.
• I have no idea who Todd Chrisley is or why he has his own reality TV show. But I think if we met we would be best friends.
• When the official Vampire Diaries page on Facebook posts a TVD meme you made, it kind of makes your day. [Who am I kidding? It made my whole year.]
• Some like it Scot.

Sam Heughan, aka Jamie Fraser on Outlander

• Documenting your life is important. Do it in photos. Do it in a planner. Do it in a journal. But do it. Your kids will appreciate it. Trust me.
• If you decide at the last minute to make a favorite recipe, and you run to the store to get the ingredients to make it, you will get home and start making it, only to realize that you forgot the main ingredient.
• The world's best garden is the one you grow with your granddaughter.

• I'm still not over the end of LOST, saying goodbye to my FRIENDS, or the death of McDreamy. And I'm OK with that.

Well now, that is quite a lot of acquired knowledge from the last year of my life. But before I finish this ode to my fading forties, I just want to add that even though I don't usually want gifts on my birthday, since turning 50 is a milestone year, I would not be opposed to a present this year. 

You know, like...

Or...

And you know, even though it's kind of not exciting to be turning the big 5-0, at least I do get to have a birthday (hello, bright side? I'm talking to you!), right? So let's just bring this Best Things I Learned When I was 49 post to a  birthday-worthy finish, shall we?

Can you say, Christina and Meredith Dance Party, boys and girls?!

Here's to the last 24 hours of my 49th year...and the beginning of (hopefully) the fabulous 50's. Dance it out, people.

The Vampire Diaries Meme

I've been watching The Vampire Diaries on Netflix...or should I say, re-binge-watching, in anticipation of the start of the 8th and final season. And thinking about the fan gurl that I am, I thought I'd share this meme I made about watching TVD.

I love these kinds of memes. I've seen them for many topics and they're always fun to read. Have you seen any others about The Vampire Diaries? I'd love to see some others. :)

Pondering the End of Shirtless Damon

Most of you know that I'm a big obsessed fan of The Vampire Diaries. When I discovered that show on Netflix in about 2010 I didn't really think I'd like it. But I was hooked before the end of the first episode. 

And now that the series is going to be coming to an end after this coming season, I thought I'd share some of my favorite TVD memes and digital photos/art with you, and maybe create a few more along the way through this season.

For this blog post, we're going to walk down the Shirtless Damon Memory Lane. Because let's face it: no matter what the reason is that you love TVD, you gotta rank Shirtless Damon somewhere near the top of that list. So here are a few of my favorite memes that I've made that feature my favorite shirtless Salvatore brother.

And my personal favorite...

The official TVD page on Facebook just featured that meme today--and not gonna lie, it made me smile. :)

As a bonus, just in case you need to see Shirtless Damon in action, here's an animated gif for you as well. 

So that is my tribute to Shirtless Damon. More TVD memes, moments, and memories to come as I follow the end of one of my favorite shows of all time for its final season. 

White Chicken Enchiladas

I saw a recipe in my Facebook feed the other day that I knew I had to try. It was for White Chicken Enchiladas and it looked so yummy. Funnily enough, turns out I have made this before, from a recipe sent to me by a dear friend last year. But I didn't know that until today, when I double-checked my recipe binder (oh yes, I have a recipe binder!). Anyhoots, I was anxious to make these enchiladas. And lets face it: I love me a recipe that is packed with cheesy goodness. I've got the hips to prove it.

I made this recipe over the weekend, and it was delicious! So of course I'm going to share it with all of you, too. I'm sure not gonna keep all these calories to myself, ladies. If I'm eating them, you need to eat them too. But trust me, you'll be glad you did.

So let's get to it.

Ingredients
2 Cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (even pepper jack would be yummy)
1 Cup shredded Colby Jack Cheese
8-10 Flour Tortillas (I used 10)
3 TBSP Butter
3 TBSP Flour
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 4oz can of Diced Green Chiles (Mild or Hot, your preference)
2 Cups Shredded Chicken (you could use frozen chicken, or rotisserie too; I used an entire bag of Tyson frozen diced chicken.)
2 Cups of Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Salsa (optional)




Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cook/shred your chicken breast and mix it with the 2 cups of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
3. Lay 8-10 tortillas out and fill each one with the chicken mixture. Roll them up tightly and put them in a greased 9×13 baking dish.
4. In a saucepan, melt the butter and then add in the 3 TBSP of flour. Mix and cook for about one minute. Don't overcook--you don't want it to turn brown.
5. Add in the 2 cups of chicken broth, whisking until it’s a smooth consistency. Whisk over medium heat until the sauce becomes thick and creamy (this will take about five minutes or so).
6. Mix in the sour cream, salt & pepper, and the can of green chiles.
7. Pour the sauce evenly over the rolled up tortillas.
8. Add the 1 cup of the Colby Jack cheese on top.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes until hot and bubbly, or until the cheese is golden brown.
10. Add salsa, if desired.

When it's finished, it should look a little something like this...

I don't mean to brag much, but the Hubs told me this was one of the best meals I've ever made. He is not one to throw compliments around willy nilly, mind you. And I have made a lot of meals in my almost 32 married years. So that's really saying something. Never mind the fact that I have made this recipe before and he didn't rave about it then. I think it was the cheese variation I made--I added more cheese to the inside of the enchiladas, so they'd be even more cheese-a-licious. And clearly it worked.

But you know, don't worry about those extra calories. You can easily get rid of an extras that may land on your hips with just a little dancing.

And Tom Hiddleston's hips never lie.

WTF Wednesday Teeny Bikini Moment

Well it's that time again, folks. You know, that time of the week when we're all just standing around a little dazed and confused from the midweek mind melt thinking, 'WTF?!'  And since we're thinking that anyway, it's the perfect time to share this WTF Wednesday Teeny Bikini Moment.

Now I fully realize that this is America, and we're all pretty much free to wear any damn kind of bikini we want. But in the words of my grandma....just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD.  And I couldn't agree more. No other words come to mind here. Only one thing fits [and it ain't that bikini].

WTF?!