monday night TV

I've never been shy about or ashamed of my addiction to reality television. And now that I work in the television industry, I feel all the more justified. Since my early pre-teen days, my mom and I have been impossibly obsessed with the Bachelor and Bachelorette. Unlike a lot of the reality TV shows I watched in my teen years, I am not "out growing" this one, in fact, I like each season more than the one before. Maybe it's because I'm finally reaching the same age as some of the contestants, so the men seem to get more handsome very season.

I know that when a new year starts each January, a new batch of crazy women will take over my Monday night television as they compete to find love on the Bachelor. And in March, one of the Bachelor's heartbroken and rejected females will take over as the Bachelorette for the summer.

It's a beautiful cycle of television joy. 

This season is all about Emily Maynard. The too-beautiful-for-words single momma who is looking for a step-daddy for her daughter after her finance 

(and daughter's father) was killed in a racecar accident. 

Yes, yes, I know it's horribly contrived. 

Hold your judgements because it's amazing and I vow to never stop watching.

Love me some Monday nights

One part ABC + 

handsome men + 

single mom looking for love

One part wine +

pajamas +

chocolate chips

=

a very happy post grad.

Post Grad new beginnings

Yes, I changed my title. My header. My pages. 

The hopeful, job-seeking college student that created this blog, and the posts that filled it,
is no longer who I am in my new phase of life.

I'm one year into a new chapter, and so a new blog (and color scheme..) has ensued.

As a post-grad I have a lot to learn about the way the world works.

I have a new apartment in a new city & I need to learn how to take care of it without a chore chart and a handful of loving roommates.

I have a new(ish) job that I need to learn how to 1. keep and

2. become good at and seasoned in.

I have a new car I need to learn how to maintain without the help of my dad.

I have a completely new life that I need to learn how to live. 

Newly financially independent, recently college-educated and currently trying to figure out how I fit into this whole mess of adulthood. 

Join me, dear ones, and help me figure it out -- 

or at least drink some wine with me while we try.

It'll be a fun ride, I promise

one word

Somehow 2011 slipped by and 2012 ushered itself in in record time. 2011 was an amazing year for me filled with more blessings, opportunities and experiences then I would have believed were coming my way this time last year. I'm looking forward to see what 2012 has in store and I know it's going to be a great year.

"Resolution" has become essentially synonymous with "New Year" and I've spent the last few days reading about my friends' resolutions and tips for setting new years goals. I've never been too big on setting any resolutions or goals, but I think that this year I am going to embrace the one word challenge. It's an idea of picking one word any applying it to the many and different areas of your life, so that you set a 'theme' for your year. What I like most about this idea is that it can't become condensed into a simple 'accomplished/didn't accomplish' kind of resolution checklist, but something that you can continually go back to month after month, reevaluate and work toward. Some of my favorite ones that I've heard have been: create, humility, purify, inspire, authenticity and focus.

I'm so excited for 2012 to get rolling! What do you want the theme of your year to be?

Not your momma's brussels sprouts

You should know upfront that if you have horrible memories of being forced to eat microwaved-from-frozen brussels sprouts, you are not alone. Many people grow up fearing the mini green cabage, the smell, the texture, the social stigma -- this poor, undervalued vegtable.

I don't have those memories, because I was never exposed to these growing up. My mom must hate them, and that's how it went -- if my mom didn't like something, it was never in the house.

But I don't blame my mom, it's a certainty that I wouldn't have eaten them anyway.

I saw this recipie on a Barefoot Contessa episode and knew that I needed to make them asap, but when picking up the cute little sprouts in Trader Joe's one Sunday afternoon, my roommate was instantly grossed out and told me about her hatred toward the veg after being forced to sit at her kitchen table for hours when she refused to eat them growing up.

For all of you out there who share her sentiment, you've got to know that these are amazing (even she agreed!). Trust that 1. your taste buds have changed 2. the crunchy texture is not what you remember from the microwave 3. everything is better with maple syrup.

I think America's most hated veggie just became a new 'fridge staple for this girl.

So here you have it, Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts:

1 bag of fresh sprouts, halved
Olive Oil
Maple Syrup
Salt and Pepper
Easy Peasy

get these cutie pies halved and give 'em a run through the sink if they don't come pre-wash

Put them in a bowl or pot and coat with with enough olive oil to fully cover them, but not drench them, you're going to add some yummy maple syrup next

Use about the same amount of syrup as you did olive oil, mix it well and add salt and pepper. You may want to give it 15 or so minutes to soak its heavenly goodness into every little leaf of the sprout

Get them on a baking sheet with foil - or the syrup will ruin your pan - and put them in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 30ish minutes, or until they're crispy, smell delicious and look like this:

voila

Give them a try, I promise you won't pull the fake 'mouth wipe but really spit into a napkin,' feed to the dog, strategically spread out on the plate, or remind you of the hours you spent sitting at your kitchen table.

falling in love with [a southern] autumn.

Last year, I wrote an homage to my favorite season of the year-- my beloved fall.

When I found out that I was moving to Nashville I was more than a little bummed that I would be leaving the infamously beautiful Northeast for the fall season. I imagined the south to be lacking in any kind of fall weather, colors and everything of the like. I thought it would be 90 degrees until October and then just turn to 40 degrees.

How amazingly wrong I was! I've spent this autumn season in Tennessee and Georgia and it is just as beautiful as the Northeast... except there's a lot less rain. It's been absolutely perfect.

Eating lots of squash, wearing a jacket and sweaters and scarves, putting cinnamon in my coffee and taking photos of leaves. Fall, you'll always have my heart.

token fall produce photo

A Georgia Antebellum Home, so beautiful

Oktoberfesting

cutie Nashville, just because

Fall, you've been good to me

hurricane pizza

this delicious piece of heaven may not have anything to do with a hurricane, but it was born as a product of watching 8,000 hours of hurricane Irene coverage. No, but really.

As I sat in my tennessee apartment where it was sunny and 1,000 degrees outside, my pennsylvania-native roommate and I spent a good portion of last weekend glued to CNN as we kept our eye on our beloved Northeast and news anchors told us "this storm is unique because of its size" and "there will be a storm surge" 20 times per hour. At 9 am we were really into it, curled up on our couch with our coffee, but by 9 pm when it was apparent that most everyone in the Northeast was going to be just fine, we were wine CNN drunk and couldn't stop laughing at the poor reporters getting hit by sea foam.

post vicious attack

So, we decided to watch Sex and the City and make pizza.. which brings you hurricane pizza.

The ingredients on this are pretty outlandish, but this will seriously be the most heavenly specimen of pizza you may ever eat. So as I list off what you need, don't be all 'oh no she didn't' because trust me it'll kick you in the mouth with flavor. 

Here it is, you need:

1. your favorite pizza dough
2. a few slices of mozarella cheese
3. a few slices of jack cheese
4. blue cheese
5. fig preserves or jam
6. green onions
7. honey mustard

cheese. yes.

So roll out your dough, you can buy pre-made but it's cheaper and more delicious to make your own. I made this one with 1/2 of a 84 cent package of quick rising dough. Add warm water, wait five minutes and it's ready to go.

Then, add that ridiculous fig jam. It's super sweet, so don't over do it, just a light spread.  **because if you over do it, it'll be too sweet and you'll want to throw it out and you'll have wasted all of your ingredients and you'll still be hungry and nobody will be happy -- so just don't do it. 

Then add all that cheese.

 

Then half of the onions

 

Now it's time to bake it, I wish I could say I had an exact time and temp that works but I usually keep it spontaneous. Sometimes it's 350 for 15 minutes, or 425 for 10. Jut wait till its gooey and the crust gets golden, then your good to go. 

At this point, try not to be overcome by your instinct to rip this apart and inhale it, hold out because it's about to get really good.

Add the other half of your green onions, then dip a fork or knife into honey mustard and drizzle it on top and finish it off with a little pepper.

Cut it up and eat it right away because by this point the anticipation should be killing you and you deserve some relief. The flavor combos on this thing will really change your life.

I've found that this pizza pairs well with a Pennsylvania brewed lager and a lazy weekend, but you can eat it however you want. 

Can I have it please?