Super Bo(red)wl

Last night I ate so much Cowboy Caviar. Too much. Probably thousands of calories.

Don't forget the Parmesan Baked Potato Halves with sour cream.

Or the classy cracker tray with cheeses and hummus.

Or the burgers grilled to perfection by our handome husbands.

Or E's muddy buddies that we ate by the fistful. Yikes.

That's how the Holdaways and the Findeis' do the Super Bowl.

B and the Beard shouted and analyzed, but me and E spent our time more wisely with Pinterest and Forever21.com. (These photos courtesy of E's Instagram.)

Glen Coco was LOVING the Puppy Bowl. He sat in front of the TV, even standing up to get closer to his little canine friends.

See that banner above the TV? Made it. That's right. Don't die of shock. I crafted something.

Don't be that impressed either. The hearts were from the dollar bins at Target....

Baby steps you guys.

Bloggers and Jewelry and Slutty Brownies, Oh My!

My friend and fellow blogger Miss Gentri Lee invited me to a blogger party on Saturday at her new salon - A la Mode Studios in Draper. She does facials, makeup, eyelash extensions and generally makes you look better than you naturally look. She's amazing. She did makeup and consultations, as well as jewelry giveaways and delicious treats to throw a super fun party and spread the word about her services.

Check out her blog and give her a call if you need/want to look prettier for something/anything/nothing. She's a beauty wizard and bite-sized fun. 

It was so much fun to meet new blogger friends and see Gentri work her magic in the studio. The cute jewelry and other prizes were courtesy of: cheerfully charmed, (kno)name, perfectly posh c/o tiffany, pixie pie 

I won an awesome (kno) Name watch and cute Cheerfully Charmed earrings (above)! Yahtzee!

Gentri asked me to bring some treats so I made...... drumroll..... Slutty Brownies! Found of course on Pinterest, these have been my latest bake for the last few events I've needed treats for. As seen on the red tray above, they are deliciously messy and positively satanic for your diet. Cookie dough, oreos and brownie batter. Idiot proof and delicious.

These girls were delightful. I should do blogger meetups more often. I get invited to them or see them advertised all the time but never go. Mostly because I'm lazy. But this one has me converted to the blogger world.  Even if I didn't come with the blogger bun and red lipstick, they still accepted me as one of their own. Thanks, blogging world of Utah.

 

Classy. Just pure classy.

 

I didn't even meet everyone, but I added like 10 new awesome blogs to my blogroll. If you are looking for a bunch of fun new ladies to follow, check out the comprehensive list compiled by Gentri and Sarah on Gentri's blog. If you're anything like me you're a compulsive blog reader, Diet Coke drinker and puppy cuddler. Well at least a blog reader. So check it out.

Falling for Fall Break

Oh the short weekend. When freedom isn't so far away, and Monday is simply a Wednesday. I love short weeks. If I could work 4 10-hour days and always have a 3 day weekend I'd do it in a heartbeat. Man. I love a short week.

Fall Break is this week for me. Unfortunately it didn't line up with my family's fall breaks, which were the previous week, but I still get two days off so I'm not complaining. 

I'm in love with fall, like everyone else. {Oh, you weren't sure because I didn't post 1,000 pictures of sweaters & leaves (see below), obsess over pumpkin spiced EVERYTHING and tweet my pure love for the season every 20 minutes? Well let this reassure you.}

Seeing how it's been 80 DEGREES FARENHEIT up until last week.... I thought it was prudent to lay off the fall traditions. You know, like we used to before Pinterest existed. I'm looking at you, girls wearing boots and coats in September. You're gross. 

Well now we have finally arrived.

The leaves are an ever-changing tapestry. 

The air has that crisp bite like the carbonation of a fresh can of soda. 

Goosebumps spread rapidly over my bare legs, screaming for tights. 

The ubiquitous pumpkin spices our views and desserts.

Glen's new favorite activity is attacking the dying flower bushes around our stair entry. 

Slutty Halloween costumes flood the front aisles of Wal-Mart.

It truly is magic. 

Without further ado, I submit my Fall Break to-do list, open for suggestions, corrections, additions or your attendance!

• Canyon hike/walk with my favorite Derrick girls
• CDP (Classy Dinner Party) with the Findeis'
• Making this delicious pumpkin treat
• Zombie movie/Walking Dead marathon
• Reading a new book (I just finished Water for Elephants, looking for something not about animals being abused, thanks....)
• Yoga
• Temple trip (If you knew how rarely we go, living 1/2 mile away, you'd judge us so hard)
• Sweats. Always. 
• Taking Glen Coco to the park, all bundled up obvs
• Figuring out a good Halloween costume. The Beard is working late Halloween, and I can't be Leslie Knope without my Ron Swanson. I also can't be Hermione for the 3rd year in a row...
• Spa Day - basically I just use every possible beauty product in my house: face mask, deep conditioning treatment for my hair, mani/pedi, etc. 
• Make my favorite drink - Hot Vanilla. It will change your life. 

How am I going to fit this all into a 4 day weekend, you ask? Autumn is magic, remember?

Cake Balling Part 2

I had a fairly nice experiment with Cake Balls for my YW activity a few weeks ago, so I decided to give them another try for Easter. I also took more pictures this time. I learned a ton and I think Cake Balls are going to be a regular for me.

Bake your cake - I used Funfetti for festive reasons.

Crumble into a large bowl, picking out the edges that don't crumble so well. Some blogs said to use a food processor/blender/vegetable grater. Crumbling with my hands worked fine.

Mix in your frosting (and I added sprinkles).

Here's where my learning came in. I used a small cookie dough scoop to make sure I was using equal amounts of cake ball each time. I kept a stream of water going and rinsed my hands every few cake balls, keeping my hands wet while I formed the balls. This way, they don't stick to your hands and they are smooth instead of rough. I tried to make these kind of egg-shaped. LOLZ. Don't worry if they are a little wonky. You can smooth out the bumps when they are frozen before you dunk them. Mine still don't look like eggs even then. It's ok. Really.

Freeze. I only froze these for a few hours. I feel like the ones I froze overnight last time were easier to deal with.

Set up your station. Melt your almond bark with a little shortening, little bits at a time. You can also melt it in a small crock pot left on "warm" if it is deep enough for dipping. I was going to cover my cake balls in crystallized sugars, so I dumped them into small prep bowls. Have your tray covered and ready.

I dipped my "eggs" using a fork, then stuck the fork in a small cup so it could drip back into the almond bark bowl and firm up a bit. Then I shook the sugars over the sticky candy-covered egg balls and back into the cup to harden completely. I found it was much easier to pull off the fork when it had firmed up a little.

Finally, I froze them overnight to harden completely and then put them in an egg carton for Easter dinner. :) Again, a little time consuming, but super yummy and way cute.

Everybody is Cake Balling Except for Buster

Cake pops are the fun new trend on the dessert scene, and I'll admit I've been intrigued. Never much of a cake person, something small and bite-sized rather than an enormous slice seemed much more doable. I've never been incredibly crafty, nor have I been mistaken for Betty Crocker. Still, I've been looking for a good reason to make them and finally the opportunity presented itself. Saturday was the Young Women's General Broadcast and our ward did a mother-daughter dinner beforehand. I was divinely assigned treats by our Beehive advisor.

I ventured into the unknown dessert land with a heart full of hope, and I was rewarded. Cake Pops are not that hard. Even Danica can do it. Ryan snapped a few photos as I was making them, but I clearly don't have the photo/blogging prowess to be a real life Mormon Housewife blogger. But here goes. Click here for the exact recipe I used.

Ingredients

1 baked Funfetti Cake (so including the oil, water and eggs, or however you choose to bake it)

1 package of frosting (I used Whipped buttercream flavor)

1 package of Almond Bark

2 tbsp of Shortening

Large Disc sprinkles

First, bake your cake. I did this Friday afternoon.

Next, crumble it up into a bowl. The browner edge-parts may not crumble and look gross, so I left them out.

"WHY DID YOU RUIN THAT CAKE? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" - The Beard during this step.

Dump in the frosting and mix well. I poured some small sprinkles in as well, so it looked more "Funfetti-y."

This is (one of) the messy parts. Roll the mixture into small balls and place on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper, parchment paper or aluminum foil. The more spherical and even the balls, the better. Your hands will be covered and gross, by the way.

Freeze. I froze them overnight. This process is a bit long to do all in one day.

On Saturday afternoon (when I woke up.... yikes), I melted the almond bark with the shortening in a small, deep bowl. Melt it for about 1 1/2 minutes, stir, then again for 15 second intervals, stirring in between until it seems well mixed and melted.

This was the hardest part for me. I'm going to find a better way to do it (suggestions?). I used a fork to spear and dip each cake ball into the candy, let the excess candy drip off and placed it on the pan. The hardest part is getting it off the fork without totally screwing up the candy coating on the top. You may need to drip some extra candy melting to cover up the fork punctures. Then I sprinkled the large disc sprinkles on the top while it was still wet.

I placed the finished pans of cake balls into the freezer to set up for about 30 minutes before placing them in a little basket and taking them up to the church for the dinner. Regretfully, I only got a picture of the two "crippled children" or imperfect ones that The Beard wanted to eat. So these have way more around the bottom that I didn't drain off well enough.

But I have to admit, they were delicious. Time-consuming, but fairly easy. And they look oh-so-pretty.

Tagged... I'm it.

I've seen these challenges, and never been tagged. I feel honored and also a little bit like I lost the tag game. Thanks, Karlie!

Here are the rules of the challenge:

1 - you must post the rules.

2 - post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post

3 - answer the eleven questions the tagger set for you in their post

4 - create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged

5 - tag eleven people and link them on your post

6 - let them know you've tagged them!

11 Fun Facts About Me

1. I eat more microwave popcorn than anyone you know.
2. I have an extremely obsessive personality. When I love something, I LOVE IT. Too much. A little like a crazy person.
3. Due to my obsessive love of The Office (see #2), I regularly dream in full, original Office episodes. And they are hilarious! I always think about writing actual scripts and sending them to NBC. Maybe one day I will.
4. I use Pinterest for everything. Seriously.
5. Lately, I wake up at 4 am on the dot every morning, regardless of when I go to bed. Whyyyyy?
6. I loved sports and always will, but during college I got super into yoga and now I'm getting into kickboxing.
7. As much as I love the concept of a Zombie Apocalypse, if I ever have to "roug
   h it" I'll just cover myself in honey and lay down in front of a bear. Not worth it.
8. I have earned over 600 stars on Just Dance 3.
9. I have wanted to be a drummer since I was 6 years old. Meg White style.
10. At any given moment, there is a 70% chance I'm picking at my split ends.
11. I think I'm addicted to fashion magazines. And blogs.

Karlie's 11 Questions

1. How many kids do you want to have?

Right now? None. I'm kind of terrified of kids. I have "daymares" where I accidentally drop my babies on their heads. Part of me is scared I'll never get past that. But I know I will. In the future, maybe 2-3? Ryan wants a whole baseball team....

2. What is the number one quality you look for in a spouse?

Humor, always. Ryan and I love some quote that says something like "a relationship based on playfulness will last forever."

3. What is your favorite picture of all time? (Either post it or explain it)

4. What do you cook most often for dinner? (I need some ideas...preferably easy ideas)

The Beard loves mac n cheese more than anything, so I do a ton of variations of that. The next most common is what we like to call "Asian Wok Adventure," usually every Friday night if we don't make plans. It's fried rice, potstickers and whatever style Asian dish we want - General Tso's, Orange Chicken, etc.

5. What is your favorite craft you have ever done? (Will you teach me how to do it, I'm on a craft kick right now. Thanks)

I have never done a craft in my life and I suck at it. My cousin Chelsey is amazing at it though. She basically decorated her entire house in the cutest urban style and all homemade. Check her blog.

6. What has been your favorite date you have ever been on?

The Beard and I had been pseudo-dating for like 8 months, but had never really done a "real date." When we finally became "official," we went on a few "real dates" to "consummate" our relationship. My favorite one was a couple of weeks after we had been officially dating. He told me we were going on a nice date, but kept it a secret. He picked me up, in a nice shirt and his fancy jeans (embarrassing, honey?) and took me to his favorite Italian place, La Dolce Vita, which later became our "spot." (Really sorry for all the quotation marks.) Then he surprised me by taking me to see Easy A, because he hates movies. It was so simple and regular, but he made a real effort and it was just so sweet. I remember smiling for days.

7. How often do you change the sheets on your bed?

Not enough? He loves nothing more than a freshly made clean bed. I really try to get it every couple of weeks, but I need to improve.

8. Which is better - cherry, watermelon, strawberry?

Raspberry.

9. Is Pearl an old person name? How about Ruby?

I will admit I think of a little old lady that is trying to give me some stale chocolate. I really like the name Ruby though.

10. Does the future scare you? Why or why not?

The future involving kids, yes. Otherwise, no. I really do have faith that everything is going to be awesome, even though we have no idea what we'll be doing even next fall. And I know that at some point I will feel better about having little ones.

11. What do you like more of in blogs, pictures or words?

It depends. On my fashion blogs - pictures all the way. But with the humor and narrative blogs, I love great stories and fun messages.

Here are the friends that I tag....

1. Eliesa. Bestie
2. Courtney Bestie
3. Jeanette Bestie
4. Katie S. Bestie
5. Katie A. Married Besties
6. Cristina, English Teacher Extraordinare
7. Chelsey, Cousin/Sister-in-law
8. Kaybri, High school sensation
9. Meg from Pinker on My Side
10. Lisa Nickle, funniest person I've never met
11. Tayler from Wales

My 11 Questions

1. Last book you read?
2. Favorite song right now?
3. Favorite place to shop?
4. Best purchase ever?
5. Most embarrassing moment, please.
6. First kiss story. May NOT be the same as #5.
7. Grossest food you've ever eaten?
8. What is your next vacation? What are your plans?
9. Favorite blog that you follow?
10. Celebrity you'd most like to punch in the face?
11. Something you LOVE that you're embarrassed about?

Thanks, all!

How Getting Married Solved All My Thanksgiving Problems

There's no better time than the holidays to engage in awkward personal conversations under the pretenses of "love and concern." Though us Mormons don't get plastered and act inappropriately, we find ways to compensate. In addition to awkward conversation, I've found that large amounts of stress somehow find their way to me in the kitchen.

The solution to all of this? Marriage. Sorry @MormonGirlProbs. But it's just another thing to look forward to, right?

The first advantage I noted was the limited amount of time I had to spend in the kitchen. Usually, I would come home Wednesday night and spend that time and all day Thursday cleaning, prepping and escalating the stress in general just by virtue of my presence. Not this year. I showed up a little early to help (still dealing with inevitable stress and basic paranoia). I even got to bring something!

Secret Danica Holdaway fact: Hates pumpkin, banana cream and coconut cream pies. All the traditional Thanksgiving desserts. So I brought a dessert that I actually liked - Caramel Apple Cheesecakes. Thank you Pinterest.

During dinner, the second advantage became apparent. No longer was I forced to bear questions of "So, are you dating?" "I heard whats-her-name is getting married..." "You're turning 21, have you thought about a mission?" Even the harmless and less awkward school/BYU questions are dropped when you get married. And for the time being we're young and newly-married enough to preempt the pregnancy questions. So cheers!

Clean up? See ya later! We now get to duck out of one dinner before clean up and arrive at the other conveniently AFTER clean up. Yahtzee.

Since we got engaged I've greatly appreciated the doubled family. It's great to get to see both of them. We're so lucky to have them both close. But on Thanksgiving, not only do we enjoy the company of two families, but the delicious desserts of each. The best of both worlds, if you will.