En route a un cafécito...

Happy Monday, amigos! I'm just getting ready to head out of work and wanted to stop by to say a super-quick hello! My plans for the evening include a cafécito and a leisure reading of Maricel E. Presilla's new book: Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America. How wonderful does this look? I'm also planning to enjoy a big bowl of soup for dinner since it's freezing cold and raining outside and then I'll head to the gym a little later tonight for a pre-bed run. I have a four mile run on my half-marathon training schedule, so I'm hoping that the cafécito and soup will be the perfect pre-run fuel! If only I could find a mug like this and a coffee shop that would serve me Cuban coffee in a Cuban mug. That would be wonderful. Much love to you all. xoxo

Shelter Co.

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Hello there and happy Thursday! I hope you're all having a wonderful day before the last day of the work week! So, I found out about this awesome company through one of my favorite blogs, and I am SO thrilled to share this awesome find with you!

Let's rewind a few years. It's the summer of 2009 and my sisters and I plan an knock-down-drag out awesome camping trip full of fun and adventure. We had our cooler packed to the brim, full of fruits and veggies and all of the fixings for vegetarian burritos. We packed the stove and all of the plates and utensils. We were clearly preparing for a camping feast! It was so awesome!

camping cooler

packed VW

man's best friend...so stoked to be going camping! 

We've got Koya in the car, and everything is packed and ready to go! We set out on our journey...

through the Columbia River Gorge...

all the way to Mt. Hood...

We arrived to our campsite right after the sun had set...remember that KEY piece of information as I continue on with my storytelling...

Note: The pictures above were taken the following day in the bright sunlight! 

So, we settled into our campsite, pitched our tent, unloaded our belongings and began preparing our dinner. We had a wonderful time enjoying the outdoors and preparing our burritos and marveling at the wonders of mother nature. There was a stream which was adjacent to our campsite and provided some ambient background noise. Koya was going crazy and enjoyed chasing after anything and everything that was in existence in the wild (remember this point, too).

We all are smart campers and had our headlamps so that we could see in the dark. One of my sisters had the important job of cranking the lantern (it's manually powered) so that we could enjoy even more light. She basically just walked around and illuminated the area. She was an absolute trooper. We feasted and stuffed our bellies with delicious vegetarian burritos and then we promptly picked up our ingredients and utensils and put everything away so that we would not attract any unwanted creatures. Nothing like an unwelcome visit from a raccoon to spoil a camping trip (I learned that the hard way back in 2000 when I went camping with the Girl Scouts! Raccoons LOVE Hershey's bars...always remember that, friends.). Anyhoo, after cleaning up, we chatted around the picnic table and before we knew it, Koya began FREAKING out! I don't live with Koya on a daily basis, but something in his bark was totally off and totally different from his typical bark and behavior. He started running around and growling and he would not calm down. Typically, after a few shouts from his momma, he'll settle down, but that certainly wasn't happening that fateful night in August. It was about 10pm at this point and we had survived a solid three hours of camping. We collectively decided that Koya was not going to calm down (after he was barking for 15 minutes straight) and we made the difficult decision to pack up our tent and head back home to our creature comforts. It was super disappointing that we had to head home, but we all agreed that it was super fun to make dinner outside and enjoy a warm meal around a picnic table in the middle of the woods by a stream. We were three girls and a dog who were camping in an unfamiliar (to two of us) location. Also, we drove into the campsite while it was already dark and we had ZERO idea about our surroundings. We headed home and then headed back to the campsite the next day to scope it out and face our fears. It was great to see the campsite during daylight and we all agreed that entering the park after dark + Koya going crazy + three girls alone in the woods = recipe for fear. We definitely want to go camping again and have camped in these awesome rolling huts, but we're saving tent camping for another summer. And I think I've found the perfect company to help us out with our camping experience. I'm thinking that we can bring our whole family and have  Shelter Co. help us out. I foresee a few tents perched in the wilderness...what do you think? Here are some pics from their site and blog. How much fun would this be? I can hardly wait to talk to my family about it and book our adventure! Enjoy! :-) xoxo

Here's the inside of a tent.

For an additional charge, they'll throw in some extra gear...a cozy Pendleton blanket (see below!), a flashlight, and all the fixings for s'mores.

An alternative to an on-the-ground tent...this totally reminds me of camping with the Girl Scouts...too much fun! 

You can uphold the golden rule of camping and arrive at your campsite during the daylight...

And hopefully, you'll arrive to see your tent (or tents!) all set up!

Then you can unpack your belongings and settle in to an exciting game of Scrabble...thanking Shelter Co. for hooking you up with the board game while you play! 

Yay for playing Scrabble on the dock by the lake!

Then it's time for some burritos for dinner and then s'mores by the fire...

...and then you're all set to do some star-gazing...

...and then off to bed. How fun would it be to crawl right into this awesome tent?!

You'll sleep as snug as a bug in a rug and you'll have the sweetest dreams.

And then you'll wake up to a cool and misty morning...

You can enjoy some coffee...

And marvel at the galloping horses as you sip your hot beverage...

All the while remembering this fine quote:

I hope you'll check out all that Shelter Co. has to offer! You most certainly will not be disappointed and I can guarantee that you'll be checking your schedule and planning your next camping trip as soon as you explore their site! Much love to you and your families :-). 

xoxo

Double Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Hello there and Happy Tuesday! Hope you all are having a wonderful week. My office is having a Holiday Potluck Lunch today and I signed up to bring a dessert. I always sign up to bring something sweet and this year was no different. I knew immediately that I would bake my beloved Dark Chocolate Fudge Cookies. They're so delicious and full of dark chocolate and they have so much flavor. Plus, they take less than five minutes to put together. Seriously. So what's the secret? My good friend Duncan Hines...

You'll need a total of five ingredients to make these fudge cookies. Here's the recipe...

Ingredients:
1 box of Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
1/2 cup oil
2 tablespoons water
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips (I used Hershey's Special Dark chips)

Directions:
Place cake mix, oil, water and eggs in a medium sized bowl. Mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined. Add chocolate chips and stir. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes, or until top of cookies have lost their glossy shine and appear to be cooked. Do not overbake! Let cool on cookie tray for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

My mom created this recipe back in 2005 and we've been making it quite frequently for holidays, parties, and get-togethers. Sometimes, we'll even add a half-cup of chopped walnuts to the mix if the recipient of these cookies is a nut lover. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Happy baking! :-) xoxo

Boot Love

Lately, I've been having a major crush on Frye boots. They're absolutely beautiful and I love them so much. There's only one problem...they're super expensive. Maybe one day, when I have a little bit more spending money, I'll splurge on a pair of these fine boots. But, until then, a cheaper alternative will have to suffice. Here's the original...

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And here's the alternative choice by Aldo...

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What do you think? I know the colors are a little different, but the basic style is the same. Oh man...the Frye boots are incredible. I currently have a pair of Via Spiga riding boots that I scored right after Christmas two years ago for a ridiculously cheap price. They're $300+ dollar boots and I can't even tell you how cheap they ended up being. Let's just say, the Big Man Upstairs was definitely helping me out that day (and every day!). Here they are...

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I absolutely adore these boots and they're so well made. The leather still looks brand new and polished and I haven't even buffed them! They've lasted me almost two years and I've basically worn them to the ground. I can't even tell you how many miles I've put on these. My guess would have to be in the hundreds. No lie. The soles are wearing down and I might have to get them re-soled, but I'm hoping to add another pair of boots to my wardrobe. We shall see. I just don't want to go the Target route and end up with a pair of cheap-looking boots. No offense, Target, but these look kind of cheap! Call me a snob, but I can spot a pair of knock-off leather boots from a mile away.

Please indulge me one last time before I leave you...how beautiful are these boots? I mean, seriously, they're gorgeous! Is it appropriate to have an awesome pair of $300+ dollar boots and then dress in rags? Well, that might very well be my situation in the very minuscule chance that I end up purchasing these beauties. In my mind, I'm not really fancying that image of myself. Oh well, a girl can dream....

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xoxo

Stress-free bus stop!

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Happy Friday! I found this article this morning and I'm so excited to share it with you all! I absolutely LOVE this idea. I think it's super clever and the perfect way to pass your time and keep your spirits high while you're waiting for the bus. From my own experience, I know how terrible it is to wait for one's bus on a dark, cold winter's night. Looking back on those frigid evenings, I now wish that the bus stop had been equipped with various sizes of bubble wrap for my popping pleasure. I got through those evenings (barely!), but bubble wrap would have made them SO much better. Way to go, Milan. Pretty awesome. :-) xoxo

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The Fetching Mrs. Hewitt's Molasses Crinkles

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Happy Tuesday! I hope you are all having a wonderful start to your week. Only three more work days left until this weekend...woohoo! Speaking of weekend, this past Saturday, I was at my parent's house and I was eating my oatmeal and reading the Wall Street Journal, when my dad slipped a few pieces of paper right in front of me. I saw him staple two pieces of paper together and then he walked over to me and said "Here's a recipe. I think you should try to make these." Immediately, I was confused by the Trader Joe's reference, and I still have no idea why the second greatest grocery store chain on Earth (Wegman's is numero uno!) is listed in the title, but I immediately put down the WSJ and picked up this sheet of paper.

Apparently, Hugh Hewitt always refers to his wife as the "Fetching Mrs. Hewitt" and never by her real name. These are her cookies and apparently they're awesome. I saw this recipe and nearly gasped at the inclusion of Crisco, but I knew that the basic elements included in the cookie dough would make for a very tasty treat. Eager to make this version of the famous molasses crinkles a little more figure-friendly, I opted to use "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter," whole-wheat flour, and Splenda brown sugar blend for baking. These cookies are by no means healthful, but they certainly do have fewer calories and fat than the Fetching Mrs. Hewitt's version. My family loved them and I'm sure yours will, too. I hope you'll make these soon. Enjoy! :-) xoxo

Molasses Crinkles
adapted from the Fetching Mrs. Hewitt's Molasses Crinkles Recipe

3/4 cup of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"
1/2 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend for Baking
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses 
1 and 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger

Instructions:
Cream faux butter, sugars, egg and molasses in a medium-size bowl until fluffy. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl and whisk. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Refrigerate dough for one hour. While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a medium-size cookie scoop, scoop dough onto lined baking sheet. Roll dough into balls and dip top side of balls into sugar. Place sugar-coated balls on baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes on cooling rack and then serve. This recipe makes 36 crinkles. 

The dough is stiff after chilling for an hour. 

After rolling dough into balls, they're ready to be dipped in sugar!

They look so pretty all sugar-coated!

Finished product! Yummers!

 I hope you'll try this delicious and super-easy to make molasses crinkle recipe. I promise that it will be perfect for the holidays!

xoxo