Literary Junkies

1. What are you reading right now?

 - Well as fun as it sounds, I've been reading "The Essentials of Abnormal Psychology" for a few months now. Obviously for school. For funsies I'm just about to start reading "Saint Anything" by my fave Sarah Dessen. 

2. What was your favorite book you had to read in school? Which was your least favorite? 

- I really liked "Lord of the Flies" when I read it my sophomore year. In senior year we read bits and pieces of Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried." I ended up reading the entire book and I was just...blown away and I loved it so much. I still reread it occasionally. 

- I absolutely hated reading "The Odyssey" and "The Magnificent Ambersons." Soooo boring. 

3. What is your favorite book that was turned into a movie? Were you happy with the movie? 

- I was sooo excited to see "The Giver" turned into a movie. Until I saw the movie. I absolutely hated it! I loved the Harry Potter movies. I think they were true to the stories. Oh and I actually loved the movie ending of "The Fault in Our Stars" more than the book ending. 

4. Which book do you wish could be turned into a movie? 

- Any of Sarah Dessen books would make a cute but not-so-cheesy romantic movie that I would squeal to see. 

5. Did you start/have any reading goals for 2015? How are you doing with them? 

- I did have a goal to read 40 books by the end of the year. With school books and their 80 page chapters taking over my life...I am currently 13 books behind schedule. I've only read 19 books this year so far. Yikes! 

If you're interested in reading any of these books or watching the movies - check them out on Amazon.com!

              


            


            

Rinse Made Rad

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinion are mine alone. #RinseMadeRad #CollectiveBias

When I was in high school I used to wear a plaid flannel shirt as a sweater. (No, I wasn't a Nirvana fan.) It was the perfect easy-to-throw on clothing accessory. The fabric wasn't so thick that I would burn up outside but it was good enough to keep me warm in the over zealous air-conditioned classroom. John has since brought it to my attention that I didn't look very cool.

I beg to differ.

However, since the late 90s plaid has come back in style.

 

Oh wait, what? It never went out of style you say?
I just wore it incorrectly? Whatever.

Since my apparently tragic high school days, I've gotten better at picking my plaids. Now I pick LISTERINE® in their limited-edition plaid bottles. With four different refreshing flavors to choose from, you can pick the one that best highlights your bathroom décor:

• LISTERINE® Zero: Red Plaid
• LISTERINE® Cool Mint: Blue Plaid
• LISTERINE® Original: Yellow Plaid
• LISTERINE® Fresh Burst: Green Plaid

I saw Target's awesome LISTERINE® end cap while we were shopping for puppy Halloween costumes, foodstuffs, and dollar treats.

They were so cute that I just had to have some. We chose Cool Mint (blue) and Zero (red) because John and I use mouthwash daily. I've been going to the same dentist since I was a baby and he told me that one of the easiest things you can do to keep your mouth healthy is to rinse with a therapeutic mouthwash. Using LISTERINE® twice a day can make your gums five times healthier in just two weeks!

And who doesn't want a healthy mouth?

Okay, so you've bought your LISTERINE® your mouth is feeling so fresh and so clean, clean. Your bathroom is looking plaidtastic. Now what? Well, if you want some inspiration just head over to Target. They are in a plaid frenzy right now and letmejustsay, I'm loving it.

I decided to spread the plaid-love around by writing some letters to friends. Which is always something I try to do and always find something else to do instead. But isn't it great to get something handwritten and personal in the mail?

Are you ready to rinse rad? Go pick up one of these outfitted plaid bottles at Target. But hurry! They'll only be on the shelves until October 31.

Also, be sure to use the Cartwheel Offer for 10% off each bottle. The offer is valid from 9/13 - 10/31.


Tell me about all the ways you're going to incorporate plaid into your life. Also, which LISTERINE® made it to your bathroom? Let me know in the comments!

ABUELITA Chocolate Cake with a Kick

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CelebrateLosMuertos #CollectiveBias

I admit that my family didn't really celebrate Dia de los Muertos when I was growing up. Halloween I knew about, but Day of the Dead was just some weird Mexican holiday where skulls were more cute than creepy.

Well, now that I'm older and I actually researched the celebration I am in love with it. Dia de los Muertos is how I think death should be celebrated: with parties, loud music, colorful flowers, and food. The entire premise of Day of the Dead is to celebrate the lives of those who you've lost, not to wallow in sadness. It's a whole day to remember those who you loved in the way they were before they were gone. So for instance if your grandma died of cancer - you'd probably only remember her as sick; Dia de los Muertos is a time to think back to the things she liked to do in life. To remember all the activities she enjoyed because that's what life is about - enjoying it!

I have to say - that's a pretty badass way to think about death.

For the last couple of years John and I have gone a little sugar skull crazy and bought a lot of decorations for the celebration. We put them up towards the end of September and leave them up until the middle of November (though that may just be my laziness showing).

 There are some traditional Day of the Day foods that I think of when I think of the holiday. Chicken caldo (soup), and some mole are delicious and using some Maggi Chicken bouillon makes the process so much easier. Then there's my favorite coffee/condensed milk drink! When making it, I prefer La Lechera condensed milk because it has the best flavor.

But today, I'm going to show you how to make an ABUELITA Mexican chocolate cake.

They infuse the chocolate with cinnamon and other spices. You'll find the cute little abuelita (which means granny in English) in the hot chocolate section of your grocery store.

They have different varieties of ABUELITA chocolate: powder, syrup, and bars but my personal favorite are the ones in little disks. My dad and my grandma used to buy that version so I've always bought the same type.

So you've gone out and bought your ABUELITA chocolate. You ready to make a cake?

ABUELITA Chocolate Cake with Cayenne

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

• 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 circles ABUELITA chocolate

• 3/4 cup butter

• 2 eggs

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp milk

• 1/4 tsp cayenne

• 1/4 tsp salt

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grate or finely chop the ABUELITA chocolate.
3. Melt the butter & ABUELITA chocolate in a pan until they mix together. Set aside.
4. In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt.
5. Whisk the sugar and the butter/chocolate mix.
6. Add the milk, eggs, and vanilla to the butter/chocolate mixture.
7. Mix in the dry ingredients until everything is incorporated.
8. Pour the batter into your pan and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool before frosting.

I really like the way the cake turned out in my skull cake pan. It looked awesome! The taste of ABUELITA makes this cake delicious. Also, don't worry about the cayenne, it doesn't add flavor so much as a little heat at the back of your throat. 

John and I ate our skull cake on our Day of the Dead plate by Dia de los Muertos candlelight. I think it was a pretty good way to get into the festive spirit. 

Want more recipes for your Dia de los Muertos fiesta? Visit El Mejor Nido to get some great recipe ideas that incorporate some Mexican flavors with some American twists for really delicious treats. Let me know which one you plan to make!