Thirsty Thursday - Let's Get Chocolate Wasted!

Today is the first day of our Fall break and most of the college students have packed up and headed home for the weekend. Then, there are the rest of us who are sitting around wondering what to do on a Thursday night in a small college town. Typically, "Thirsty Thursday," is practically a holiday for college students, but I don't join in on those festivities - I'm a homebody! Tonight feels like a movie night cuddled up to a wonderful boyfriend and a fulfilling cup of hot cocoa. 

Instead of the, "Swiss Miss," instant pack of hot chocolate mix, I wanted to give homemade hot cocoa a try. After all, I did I sucker my boyfriend, Ryan, into watching the movie, "Chocolat." So naturally, I felt even more inspired to make homemade hot cocoa! (If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend that you do. It's absolutely wonderful!) 

(Dun-Dun-Dun-Dunnnnn!) Pinterest to the rescue!

I came across an interesting take on hot cocoa... 

Spanish Spiced Hot Cocoa!

Here's what you'll need to make this Spanish Spiced Hot Cocoa:

NOTE: These ingredients make 6 cups!

1. 6 Cups of Skim Milk

2. 3 tbsp cocoa powder (I prefer Ghirardelli)

3. 3 tbsp white sugar

4. 1 tsp vanilla extract

5. 2 tsp cinnamon

6. 1/2 tsp chili powder

7. 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 

8. Fat free cool whip for topping

Pour all of the ingredients into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the ingredients are fully combined and the milk is hot.  Pour your cocoa into a crafty mug. Add the cool whip on top to make it cutesy, and a pinch of cinnamon for style!

Enjoy!

There's nothing like homemade hot cocoa. It's rich, creamy, and has a nice little kick from the chili powder. I absolutely love it! Give it a try! I promise you'll love it!

It's Thirsty Thursday! Grab a blanket, your favorite movie, and a loved one.... because we're getting chocolate wasted!

Sunday Fun with Minions!

It's a beautiful Sunday morning. The Autumn leaves are changing colors, the neighbors are decorating for Halloween, and to top it off, it's my little brother's birthday party! Well to be honest, he's not so "little," anymore. Today, we are celebrating his 17th birthday. 

Sadly as many of you may know, buying a 17-year-old boy a gift can be a challenge. Not to mention the little amount of money I have being a full-time student. 

LIGHT-BULB

PINTEREST TO THE RESCUE!

Personally, I prefer homemade gifts. I believe that homemade gifts are the most favorite of them all because they come from the heart. What better to explore your creativity than to search for "pinteresting" ideas on Pinterest!

Inspired by last year's Halloween costume my roommates and I made, I decided to look for a gift filled with Minions. Why not?! Everyone loves the Minions from "Despicable Me," I don't care what age you are.

Finally, I found a crafty gift: 

MINION BALLOONS!

Here are the materials you're going to need for your minion project:

1. Yellow Balloons (and purple if you want to create an evil minion) - I got mine at Bart's Party Store. 

2. Scotch Tape

3. Scissors

4. Black and purple ribbon

5. A reasonable sized box for your balloon to fit

6. Minion face cut-outs (optional - you can make your own, of course)
          --> Here's where I got my cut-outs from: http://despicableme.com/goggles/DM2_goggles.pdf

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Let's create a Minion!

1. Cut out the minion goggles and mouths 

2. Tape them onto your balloon with your scotch tape

3. Take your pieces of black ribbon, and tape the ribbon on top of the minion's ballon head to create wacky hair

4. Depending on how big your box is, take all of your minions (in my case, one minion balloon) and tape the bottom of the attached string of the balloon, to the INSIDE of the box at the very bottom

5. Tape money on the back of the minion's head, as a gift

6. Close the box and secure it with tape

7. When the birthday boy/girl opens the box, they'll get a minion surprise floating toward them with their gift attached!

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Evil Minion - SURPRISE!

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My brother LOVED this idea, rather than the typical card and money!

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Total Cost of the Project: $6.77 + $10 (Gift Money)

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BEE-DOH-BEE-DOH-BEE-DOH!!

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Hahahahahaha... Butt. 

Sunday Fun(fetti)day!

Sunday is the day of relaxation; An afternoon full of our favorite television shows, football games, hot tea with honey, and a bundle of our favorite snacks to share with loved ones. Inspired by the Autumn weather, I decided to search for tasty treats on Pinterest to enjoy with my cup of tea!

My guinea pigs for this recipe experiment were my boyfriend and his roommate. Because they left for the weekend from our ghost-like college town, I figured I would surprise them with a treat when they arrived back to their apartment.

.....What did I make?

FUNFETTI CAKE BATTER DIP!

ALL YOU NEED ARE 5 INGREDIENTS:

- 2 Cups of Plain/Vanilla Non-Fat Yogurt OR Plain/Vanilla Greek Yogurt

- 1 1/2 Cups of Lite Cool Whip

- 1 Full Box of Funfetti Cake Mix

- Sprinkles for fun!

- 1 Box of Vanilla Wafers for dipping

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1. Mix the yogurt, cool whip, and cake batter mix into a large bowl. 

2. Add the Sprinkles. 

3. Let it chill in the fridge for 3-4 hours. 

4. Grab your vanilla wafers... and ENJOY! :)

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Total Calories per 1/4 cup serving: 100 Calories

(Wee! Eat yourself skinny!)

Total Cost: $5.77

SUNDAY FUN(FETTI)DAY!! <3