Wishing you a Merry Christmas filled with love, joy, and peace!
Love Lindsey & Miss Moxie
P.S. The all sun situation in California leads to less than green grass sometimes.
Category Archives: Random Goodies
The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Hey folks! Guess what? I survived finals. To celebrate I am sharing my recipe for THE Perfect CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (in my opinion) with you.
I might have whipped up a batch or two for an ugly sweater party, a movie potluck, and to share with my last class. I wish I could be humble about it but I can’t. They are just THAT good. Seriously. We’re talking chewy two days later delicious. It has taken me many disappointment batches of chocolate chip cookies to get to these babies so don’t think I just came up with them right off the bat. Oh, no.
Let’s get to business!
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Ingredients:
2 1/3 cup flour
1 Tsp baking soda
3/4+ Tsp course sea salt (depends on your preference)
Dash cinnamon
1 cup butter flavored Crisco
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbls vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup dark chocolate chips
2/3 to 1 cup milk chocolate chips
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Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper
2. Mix first 4 dry ingredients together in a bowl
3. Using a Kitchen Aid mixer, beat Crisco, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla in Kitchen Aid mixer
4. Beat each egg in one at a time
5. Gradually mix in dry mixture
6. Add chocolate chips
7. Drop by the spoonful- I just used a regular table spoon (DO NOT dough into balls)
8. Bake for 6.5 to 7 minutes
9. Let sit on cookie sheet for at least 2 minutes before placing on a cooling rack
10. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container with a piece of bread- this keeps the cookies from getting hard
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Tell us how this recipe works for you and don’t feel bad if you need to taste the dough. Sometimes we just need to taste the dough…
FRESHLY BREWED PHOTOS: Lindsey
Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.
This little set of instructions has been helpful over the past couple days.
Between cups of coffee, editing papers, and sharpening pencils (that’s right, old school writing with paper and pencil) I thought I’d take a quick break to say hello and give you insight into what my life is looking like right now.
It’s (not) very interesting.
1. Red cups are my favorite 2. Christmas lights are my favorite too 3. An encouraging (and humorous) text I received from a friend 4. My best friend (right now) 5. Another pic of my best friend. We’ve been seeing A LOT of each other 6. Best finals snack ever! 7. More Christmas lights 8. More Coffee
Well friends, I am half way done with finals. Wish me luck, please.
Excited to be back in full force very soon!
FRESHLY BREWED PHOTOS: Stesha
Six days, two flights, and an uncountable amount of excitement later… and the McMillen Fine Art Gallery is open.
We touched down in Vegas last night and after a whirlwind of a week in Park City, UT I’m in serious need of a warm bowl of soup and about three days of sleep. Thankfully Thanksgiving is only a few days away… until then – let’s warm up with some photos.
1. Arriving in Salt Lake City 2. Ryan decided to come along for the festivities 3. The Big unveiling 4. Classy Eats at Molly Blooms 5. 12x12s 6. Gallery Decor 7. Snow – and more snow 8. Home
Much love and well wishes to Trish and Jared McMillen on the opening of their first gallery! Park City is lucky to have you! Interested in learning more? Check out www.mcmillenfineart.com
Are you traveling for the holidays? Headed somewhere for a snow covered Thanksgiving? Bundle up!
Skydiving in Lodi
Like I said before, it was a good thing I conked out after Berkeley. Because we went SKYDIVING the next morning! Our alarms went off a bit too early for my taste, but our excitement made it possible to transition from sleep mode to adventure mode.
When Jennifer asked what I thought about skydiving I was stuck. You see, I have always said that I wanted to go and that I would given the chance. Skydiving was a high item on my bucket list. Well, my chance was upon me, and I was second guessing myself. After a day of waiting to hear back from everyone else, I told myself I would force a yes out of my mouth if necessary. If I was going to talk the talk, I had to walk the walk. Everyone was on board. I had to do it.
Here we all are, sporting our North Face gear, before the jump.
I’m stoked to say I forced a yes and followed through! I jumped out of a plane. Actually, my instructor jumped out of a plane. I was just attached to him.
I thought my stomach would be in knots and I would scream my voice away. Nope. Once we were out of the plane, I screamed with excitement not bloody murder. My screaming was quickly replaced with banter between my instructor and myself. Then there was quiet as we floated down to the ground. The entire experience was peaceful.
Falling from 14,000 feet does some crazy things to your face. I’m just sayin’.
I would have done it again, right then and there. Hopefully I will someday soon.
Is skydiving on your bucket list or have you already been? Maybe you want to crawl into a ball just reading about my adventure. For those people, what is the craziest item on your bucket list?
Happy Monday! Go out and be adventurous…
Berkeley
My dearest friend Jennifer, who you met on Sunday morning, is leaving the country for way too long and committing her life to the Peace Corps. Yay for her! Not so much for me. So, it was imperative that a trip up north be squeezed in between observing high school classrooms, living in the library, midterms, and way too much coffee drinking. WAY too much. Thankfully our friend Jesse felt the same way.
So last Friday, with thoughts and tasks of grad school left behind in SoCal, we headed north. Not as early as I wanted because of a new little thing called “Do Not Disturb” on the iPhone. Yep. If you turn it on, your alarm will fail to go off. I learned that the hard way.
We cruised up I-5 with nothing but coffee and country music to keep us going. After what seemed like forever and a day, Jennifer’s humble abode was upon us. We dropped our bags, pillows, electronics (who travels light these days?), and festive beverages off and immediately started our adventures. Where’d we go first? Berkeley of course!
Whenever I find myself in Berkeley, as if it just happens without any effort on my part, I feel a bit of Portland and Seattle. The air fresher, the people friendlier, the coffee tastier, the food varietal. It’s like a nice big hug from the universe. I close my eyes and let out a sigh of relief. My soul is refreshed.
Rebellious we were! Dessert before dinner. We hit up Ici, a cute little ice cream shop that creates crazy but stupendous flavors. I indulged in a scoop of Candied Orange with Nutmeg after sampling half a dozen flavors like, Horchata, Pumpkin, Salted Caramel, and Mocha Cardamon. Mmmm. Good.
Once our sugar high subsided and our shopping bug wore off, we got a table at Jupiter. This little jewel is not your average pizza joint. The brick entry way lined with kegs and firewood led to an open patio with round white lights hanging every which way and a stage for live music.
Over fancy beer (yes, there is such a thing) and pizza doused in garlic, ricotta cheese, bacon, and other yummy things we laughed about the past, enjoyed the present, and wished Jennifer well for the future.
Apparently we claimed our spot right in time, because 3 hours later, when we were ready to leave, there was a swarm of people ready to jump our table or fight us for it. How did we decide who to pass it on to? Our table’s new residents paid us in photo taking. We were quick thinkers that night!
The moment my head hit the pillow, I was out! It was a good thing too, because Saturday got cray-cray. For real! I will tell you all about those adventures on Monday.
Do you have any favorites in Berkeley you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments below.
Happy Friday my friends,
An Autumn Mantel Makeover
With Christmas decorations popping up in stores, I have an urgency to appreciate, to fully take in fall, while I can. Although I am not sold on this fall California is giving me, I refuse to let it stop me from wearing scarfs, drinking hot beverages, and twirling in the rain, which sadly, has only happened once.
How can any season or holiday be honored properly without an appropriate mantel? I simply believe it isn’t impossible. Now, if you don’t have a mantel there are ways to still accomplish this large feat. I’m sure you have a side table or empty shelf somewhere. If you don’t, then clear a space off.
My mantel went from this to this.
I’m happy to inform you that I only went out to buy the sunflowers and pumpkins (thank you Trader Joe’s). Everything else I just made over to have an autumnish feel to it.
I made a sign out of scrapbook paper, vintage buttons, and hemp that says, “autumn is here.”
The sign is attached between two glass bottles filled with the leftover vintage buttons, and the vases are just mason jars with hemp ribbon tied together with a vintage button. The Autumn cookbook from Williams Sanoma gives it the perfect orange punch. In my opinion anyway. What would a fall mantel be without pumpkins? Of course there are pumpkins!
How have you added a touch of fall to your life? Pumpkin spiced lattes perhaps?
I’m in pumpkin mode. I made pumpkin black bean soup the other day. Oh yes, I’m serious.
Send us your recipes, crafts, or traditions that make fall, well fall, to you…
FOUR YEARS
Four years ago today – to the hour – I was sitting amongst 120+ mini cakes watching the Sex and the City movie. Classy, I know. Although I was surrounded by close family and friends, they apparently didn’t feel the need to wake up at 4:00am… but I did.
I knew that within 24 hours my entire world would be flipped upside down. That night I went from I to We, from Miss to Mrs., I got a new last name and a new partner in crime. The last four years have been amazing, stressful, exciting, frustrating and every other emotion under the sun, but we’re still here, together.
Yesterday a friend of mine (who happens to have the same anniversary), shared that in her household their wedding anniversary was a time for a, “State of the Marriage” review. Albeit a bit logistical, I absolutely love the idea. Marriages are a lot of work, and you have to be dedicated to their health in order for them to succeed. So whether your anniversary is today, tomorrow or six months from now, I encourage you to take the time to determine what’s working, what isn’t and just how lucky you are to have each other.
Because if there is one thing that’s certain, it is just how grateful I am for my husband.
And my favorite part of our wedding celebration? Not the cake, the dancing, the amazing flowers or the beautiful dress. My favorite moment, hands down was the morning after all the candles were snuffed out. I was running late, naturally, when I heard my new husband yell, “Mrs. White, time for breakfast!” It may not be the most romantic thing ever, but still thinking about that moment makes me smile. I was so happy to be his’ Mrs. White and I still am.
Thoughtful Thursday: UP
Sometimes the hardest part about accomplishing a goal or moving forward is understanding where you’re trying to go.
It’s easy to get lost in the appointments, holidays, or school schedule and forget that the best part about a goal or a destination is the process it takes to get there. You can’t have chocolate chip cookies without licking a little batter off the mixing spoon.
I’m not recommending you throw caution to the wind, sell your possessions and move to a European country… although I would be incredibly jealous.
After all, who am I to talk … I’m completely guilty of over planning. I was describing an upcoming vacation to a friend when I heard myself utter the words, “Then I scheduled an afternoon to explore the city before cleaning up for dinner” … all while referencing my vacation matrix. Yeah – That’s a good one. Schedule free time.
I need to remember that the destination isn’t always the important ingredient. Sometimes you just have to pick a direction and go on a journey.
So be brave and I hope you have safe travels no matter which way you’re headed,
FRESHLY BREWED PHOTOS: Stesha
I’m scared to jinx things…
But it looks like our lives are slowly returning to normal. After a whirlwind weekend in Pasadena, I’m home with my Boo and relishing in our daily routine. But just when I find myself getting comfortable I remember that fall is right around the corner… so there are decorations to unpack, book club to host and a whole slew of other projects practically beating down my door.
See – I opened my big mouth too soon. Again. Let’s just start with some Fresh Brewed Photos…
1. Guacamole Table side – The Only Way to Guac 2. Pasadena in the Evening 3. Although not flattering, totally indicative of my weekend 4. Cheers! 5. The most GORGEOUS hydrangea I have ever seen 6. Jess and I at a Junior League conference 7. Making good use of our Menu Board at home 8. I found a Madewell – and my new favorite sweater! Sheep People! Sheep!
Hope you’re Wednesday is full of colorful surprises,
