Twelve

I'm stealing this idea from one of my best friends Leanna. You can read her blog HERE.

But here are some things that I'm currently obsessed with.

1. Starbucks Ice Cream.

The perfect union of two of the worlds most perfect things. Ice cream and Starbucks coffee. My favorite is their Java Chip. However today I bought the Mocha Frappachino flavor, and its amazing. It's coffee and chocolate ice cream swirled together. It's pretty much perfection. Also if you're signed up for Starbucks Rewards you often get coupons for their ice cream emailed to you!

2. Fingerless Gloves.

These are the best invention ever. Perfect for when you need to check your cell phone, change the song on your ipod, or you're just sitting on the subway. I had a pair years ago, but it seems as though they've recently made a comeback.

3. Sparkling Wine.

I love wine. Wine with bubbles is a winner in my book. I also think it's the perfect festive beverage to bring to a holiday party. I suggest a blush wine or a shiraz. Or if you're looking for something with a sweeter fruitier flavor I would try Nuvo.

That's all for now!

What are some of your favorite things?

Eleven

This weekend is calling for dreary weather here in New York City. Sunday looks like the perfect day to stay in your PJs all day, eat junk food, and watch movies.

With that said I'll be watching some of my favorite Christmas movies.

Here are my top five!

5. The Holiday. In case you're unfamiliar with the film IMDB's brief description of the movie goes like this: "Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love. ". The movie is so much more then that though. Okay yes, this is a "chick flick". But it is also one of the best feel good movies. You can't watch this movie and be sad at the end. If you have tears they are happy tears. I'm also not one of the biggest Jack Black fan but I'm pretty much in love with his character in this movie. I think I might love him more then Jude Law in this film.

4. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. There is not much I can say about this movie except, CLASSIC. If you are going to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas, you have to watch the 1966, made for TV, cartoon version. I pretty much can recite the entire movie from memory.

3. Elf. I"ll be the first to admit to you. I hate Will Ferrell. I think he's too over the top that he comes off as obnoxious instead of funny. However, when you're playing the role of an over grown elf, that works. I can't imagine anyone besides Ferrell playing Buddy the Elf. Plus the fact that it takes place in NYC (and the North Pole) adds bonus points.

2. Love Actually. I watch this movie all year round. It is one of my all time favorite movies. I love stories like this where there are several different story lines and all of the characters connect in some way. This isn't quite a "chick flick", but again after you watch this movie you can't help but feel happy. Each story is different, some make you swoon, others make you laugh. And Huge Grant dancing to The Pointer Sisters should convince you to watch this movie if you've never seen it before.

Drum roll please....

1. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Simply, this movie reminds me of being little and the magic of Christmas. I will always love this movie. And I will always wait to watch it with my mom because she would let me stay up late to watch it with her every Christmas when I was little. Last night they did a song from the movie on Glee. It was one of my favorites from the episode. You can Listen to it HERE.



What are your favorite Christmas movies?

Ten

So I'm very pleased with myself that it didn't take me a month to update.

I come to you with another delicious recipe. Double Chocolate Cookie Bars. They are like little squares of heaven.

I made them a couple of weeks ago and my roommate ate most of the pan in a weekend.

I love this recipe because not only are they amazingly delicious they are really easy to make!



They are not brownies. They are fudgey bars with an oreo crust. I'm telling you bring them to a holiday party and everyone will love you.

24 OREO cookies
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set aside 6 cookies and grind the rest in a food processor or blender. IN a small bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs and butter until well blended. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Over a double broiler or in the microwave (for 1 minute), melt 1 cup of chocolate chips together with the condensed milk. Stir and add the vanilla. Stir frequently until smooth. Spread evenly over the crumb crust. Sprinkle the remaining cup of chocolate chips over the top. Break remaining cookies into pieces by hand and sprinkle over the top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven. Cool completely before cutting into the bars.

I didn't have a 9x13 pan so I used a smaller one. Next time I make these I'm definitely going to try and find a larger pan. They were amazing regardless.

I borrowed this recipe from Swanky Pear and here is one of her photos. Because I neglected to take a picture after cutting into them. We were too busy eating them.