Good morning dear reader! I hope your weekend has been filled with fresh air and a little sunshine. I can feel spring coming. Can you? Hang in there.
The photo above is a picture of bacon-and-chocolate -covered -strawberry-roses. Remember how on Thursday I mentioned I once did one fun Valentine gift for E? That was it. It was during my first year in Los Angeles and I decided to get crafty. Needless to say the roses (and how I delivered them) were a big hit. Now the bar has been set too high. (Also, I apparently had sushi that week?? I dunno.)
As for this week, I want to bake a chocolate cake. Not for Valentine’s Day per say, but mostly because I know it will be a rough work week. I feel like it will be good therapy/self-care: baking (and eating) a chocolate cake. Options one, two and three. (Feel free to add your vote or share a favorite in the comments!)
Besides looking at several dozen chocolate cake recipes, I found a few other tidbits on the ‘net this week.
Hi, I work from home. This is why I’m super chatty with the grocery store clerk.
I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Valentine’s Day. It’s a holiday I’ve often overlooked because, this time of year, I’m trying to stay alive and in one piece. In the past I typically had no one to “celebrate” the day with so I focused on my work and ate some chocolate like any other night. My mind is going in all these other places during February and it’s all I can do to stay focused on my work and all the decisions I need to make. This “holiday was made by greeting cards” and “love should be shared every day” mentality..that was me.
Then a few years ago I fell in love (yes, crazy gooey love that I didn’t think was actually possible) and Valentine’s Day became just another day, but now I felt like I needed to “do” something. Equal parts fun and exhausting (again, lots of work happening!). I’ve only gone out of my way once with a fun Valentine’s gift (check back later for details). Other than that, E usually gets a small treat and extra flirting from me that day. We don’t do a gift exchange. Maybe we get each other a card. Maybe. I’m a romantic deep down, but I don’t like a spotlight on my love. Certainly not just for ONE day. I love big and love hard. There’s a lot of emotion wrapped up in it. It has to be spread out.
All that to say, I’m not a huge Valentine’s Day fan, but I am a Galentine’sDay fan.
Parks and Rec
My gals have been there for a lot of ups and downs. We don’t always talk regularly, but I know I can text or call them at any time and they’ll be there for me to cry on the phone or lift me up with encouragement. That’s something worth celebrating.
In the spirit of Galentine’s Day, I’m highlighting a film that’s truly close to my heart. A film I can watch over and over and over again with my girls, quoting all the lines we know by heart.
Of course, I’m talking about Clueless.
Judge if you like, but this story of friendship and love is one of my favorite films ever. (I’m sure it will appear on this blog again in the future.) Cher may seem superficial on the surface, but you have to dig a little deeper with her. She’s a true friend, genuine and thoughtful.
Clueless (1995)
Make a date with your best gal, whip up some Chocolate Cake Mix Waffles and spend an evening with Cher and her friends. Sounds like a perfect Galentine’s Day to me!
Are you a big Valentine’s Day fan? If so, what are your plans? If not, what’s your pick for a Galentine’s movie night? Curious to hear your thoughts in the comments!
1 1/4 cup dry chocolate cake mix
1 large egg
2 tablespoon neutral oil (like grapeseed)
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
ice cream, for serving
Blackberry sauce:
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons crème de cassis (black currant liquor), optional
Preheat a waffle iron to the highest setting.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cake mix, egg, oil, water and chocolate chips.
Scoop batter into waffle iron (i have a Belgium waffle iron that holds 1/2 cup batter per waffle; I made 4 waffles from this recipe).
Cook the waffles until done.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, combine the blackberries with the sugar and a splash of water. Simmer until the blackberries collapse into a sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in the crème de cassis, if using.
Scoop ice cream over each waffle and top with blackberry sauce.
Watch the films mentioned in this post:
– Clueless on iTunes, Netflix or Amazon.
It’s my birthday week and I’m struggling to pick a movie to watch that fits my mood. I had hoped to have something picked by now to share here, but alas, the inspiration has not come.
Sixteen Candles (1984), 20th Century Fox
The film to watch that first comes to mind is Sixteen Candles (1984). It is the quintessential birthday film. John Hughes films are usually a good choice, but I’m not eager to reminisce about my teenage angst right now. While not excited to be turning older, I’m certainly happy with being in my 30’s than my teens. Perhaps I’ll make this the back up for now.
While exploring my options, I found a website that tells you what film was #1 at the box office on the day you were born. Mine: E.T. The Extraterrestrial. It also happens to be the film I always reference when people want to know how old I am. I didn’t see it until I was five or six years-old and I had nightmares for weeks about E.T. living under my bed and the scary men in white puffy spacesuits coming to take my family. Luckily, like most nightmares, this never actually happened. This film could be a decent option to revisit. (Also, the price of a movie ticket then: $2.94!)
Junior (1994), Universal Pictures
I remembered going to the movies for my birthday one year with a group of friends. We saw Junior (1994). I don’t remember much of this movie other than it being terrible. The film was an attempt to play off of the success of Twins (1988), reuniting director Ivan Reitman with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. The plot: the Terminator agrees to be the test subject in an experiment and becomes pregnant. Yeah…NOT going to watch that. (Just for fun, I’ve posted the trailer below. It’s painful. The flute in that score! Oh my ears!)
So readers, I’m curious to hear from you. What movie do you typically like to watch around your birthday and why? What film pairs best with your birthday (cup)cake? Let’s discuss!
Watch the films mentioned in this post:
– Sixteen Candles on iTunes, Amazon or Netflix
– E.T. The Extraterrestrial on iTunes, Amazon or Netflix – Junior on iTunes, Amazon or Netflix
– Or even better, support your local video store!
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