top 5 tuesday, january favorites

Once again I'm linking up with Rachel from Just Peachy for Top 5 Tuesdays. Hopefully later I'll remember to post about school so far, I have a lot to share today so be ready! For now, my January favorites.

1. Coffee

My daily coffee intake has almost tripled this month. Monday's alone I drink 3-4 16 oz cups. It's something I look forward to in the morning and late in the afternoon. Now on monday's I have a huge break between classes but don't have time to drive home between, so I sit in the local coffee shop and drink they're fabulous coffee. It's my new favorite thing.

2. Reading

While I haven't been able to read a whole lot, the few books that I have been reading/currently reading are so good! You should definitely check out Those Who Save Us and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close if you get the chance!

3. School

Although it just started last week, my Patisserie class has quickly become my favorite thing. I'll talk more about it later, but the energy and enthusiasm my chef has is contagious and I have never been more intrigued.

4. My job

Seriously this kid gets cuter and cuter everyday! We now play temple run and he calls it the monkey game. His sister and him are adorable and I love getting to spend so much time with him.

5. The Avett Brothers

Lately I can't get enough of their music and with the help of spotify I have found many new favorite songs.


What are some of your favorite things from January?

top 5 tuesday: Recipes

Today's top 5 theme was right up my alley! My top 5 recipes!

1. Appetizer

Blue Cheese and Walnut Dip, it is so easy and so so yummy!

2. Side Dish

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, I made these for thanksgiving and nixed the bacon because we have vegetarians in the family. They are amazing and addicting.

3. Main Dish

Tonight I roasted a chicken and it was literally the best idea I've had in a long time. It was sooo easy and super delicious. You all should try it some time! I based it off of a recipe from sparkling ink but didn't have any lemons so I just did with out them.

4. Dessert

If you make one of these recipes, it should be this one. These strawberry shortcake cookies are wonderful. Last summer I think I made these at least once every 2 weeks, I couldn't get enough.

5. Drink
I don't really have any good drink recipes. We usually drink sangria and don't really base it off of a recipe, just pour some wine in, add ginger ale and whatever fruit we have.

hope you enjoyed some of my favorite recipes. I would love to hear what some of yours are!

Top 5 tuesday: School Supplies

I think I got a little bit too excited when Rachel posted the topic for this week's Top 5. I have a bit of an addiction with school/office supplies and could not wait to share my favorites.

I apologize for the quality of the picture, it's on my to-do list to find my camera cord.


So I couldn't cut it down to 5, so I have six.

1. My new erin condren note pads, so cute and perfect for making longer lists for the future.

2. Erin Condren planner. I'm not really sure how I survived with out it. I used Vera Bradley planners all through out high school but this one blows those out of the water.

3.Le Pens.Perfect for writing in my planner without bleeding through the page. I mostly use these for color coordinating my planner and my to-do lists.

4. Post it notes. I just got this set of Vera Bradley ones and they are adorable. Usually I stick to bright yellow ones but any post-it notes are great in my book.

5. A notebook of index cards. For my classes, I have to have the recipes for what we're making with me and its so much easier to write on these then print out huge sheets of paper. I use one for each class I have in the kitchen.

6. Binders. I like using these for notes in class because I can add paper, dividers, any handouts theyre great.

top 5 tuesday

I could not resist linking up with Rachel of Just Peachy when I heard what the theme was this week. Lately I have developed a love for all jewelry, so narrowing it down to my top 5 favorites was pretty hard.

sorry for the crappy quality photo, I can't find my camera cord so I had to use my iphone.

1.My wishbone necklace I bought at a local store for myself for Christmas. It reminds me of the quote from Eat Pray Love; "Stop wearing you're wishbone, where your backbone ought to be."

2. A gold ring with an M on it. It was my mom's when she was growing up and she got it changed to have my initial on it.

3. My extremely dirty pandora bracelet. I love all of the charms I have and the things they remind me of.

4. My new Kate Spade bangle. The kids I babysit got it for me for Christmas and I have been wanting it for awhile. It has "hand in hand" on the outside and on the inside it says "there's strength in numbers"

5. Lastly a skull bracelet from Bauble Bar. Im not quite sure what it is about this bracelet but I really love it and wear it just about everyday.

What are some of your favorite pieces of jewelry or places to buy jewelry from?

top 5 tuesday:2011

I haven't linked up with Rachel from Just Peachy in awhile so I thought I'd share with you some of my top 5 favorite things of 2011

1. Movie

The Help was hands down my favorite movie of 2011. It also maybe the only movie I remember seeing in theaters in 2011.

2. TV Show

This is a tie between New Girl and Parks and Recreation. Although Parks&Rec is in its 4th season, it is a new to me show as I just started watching it this year and I was instantly hooked.

3. Favorite Song

I can't exactly one song that was my favorite this year, but the band I probably listened to the most was either the Avett Brothers or the Civil Wars

4. Favorite Thing that Happened to me this year
This one is a toughy, this year was probably not one of my favorites nor my most memorable. However starting culinary school would have to be one of the high points of this otherwise unsavory year.

5. My favorite Christmas present

My favorite Christmas present is a tie. I bought myself a wishbone necklace, similar to the one posted around Christmas time and saved it to wear Christmas eve as a present to myself. And also every year my dad buys my mom, sister and I jewelry as a present. This year he bought me pearl earrings, which came in good timing because I recently lost my favorite pair of them.

Thanksgiving Plans

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and this year I convinced my mom it was my turn to plan everything for it and when I started planning it my little type A heart got all giddy. I mean I probably have about 5 different lists for Thursday. Theres a timeline of days leading up to Thursday of what I'm baking and cooking when, my grocery shopping lists organized by what to get at what store (it took over 4 hours to get everything) and maybe a drawing or two of how I'm designing pies. So after all this planning I thought I'd share some of the recipes I'll be making Thursday.
Firstly for breakfast Thursday morning I'll be making this cake with my leftover apples. These yummy parkerhouse rolls, coleslaw, succotash, stuffing, mashed potatoes (all simple not really recipe recipes from my mom and grandmom) those are sides we always include in our thanksgiving menu. I've decided to add to our normal sides and also make these carmelized brussel sprouts and glazed carrots (cant find the recipe online but if you all want it i'll post it later) and then mini pies for everyone in their favorite flavors. I think its been narrowed down to 2 pecan, 2 pumpkin, 1 cherry and my favorite 2 apple cranberry pies. Writing it all out makes it seem more daunting now but I think I'll be able to successfully complete everything with my awesome timeline and killer jams (ben rector, amos lee, avett brothers)

now onto just peachy's top 5 tuesday

1. The food
I dont know if you could tell from all the plans discussed above but I really love the food aspect of Thanksgiving. Like really love it. It maybe because I'm a culinary student but even before that I always looked forward to it.

2. The traditions
In my family we all have different things we make on Thanksgiving, my dad and I always make the mashed potatoes together and I always eat the most of them out of all my family, my mom always makes her stuffing and my brothers usually make broccoli and cheese which has sadly been cut this year. Also we have to have tomato juice to drink even though my dad is the only one who drinks it, its just something we always have. Lastly succotash which I thought was a universal thing on thanksgiving but after recent research which yes I did for fun, I learned its a north eastern kinda thing. It yummy and you should all check it out.

3. Being in the kitchen with my family
Yes this too probably has to do with the fact that I'm a culinary student,I love being in the kitchen, it's probably my favorite room in the house. Being in the kitchen cooking with my family is even more fun.

4. Post turkey naps
I probably take a half hour to hour nap between turkey time and eating dessert and its always the best nap I take all year.

5. Mouse on the Maylower
Mouse on the Mayflower is probably the best and only Thanksgiving movie out there. My children will watch this one day. We watched it every year when we were little and now have started watching it again.

Hope you enjoyed this excessively long post on Thanksgiving if youre still reading it after my crazed menu planning.

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