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Thursday, December 12, 2019

Holiday Gift Guide #3: For the Ultimate Bagel Connoisseur

BagelI love bagels, but then again, that’s no secret. I could probably eat a bagel every day for the rest of my life and be perfectly content. I like my bagels like I like my life — plain, simple and uncomplicated. Nothing fancy for this gal. There’s something to be said for simplicity, don’t you think, friends??

When I came across this adorable plush for extra comfort ($43.99), I realized something pretty extraordinary: There are far more things to love about bagels than the actual food itself! Can you believe it??? I mean, isn’t that just the best thing EVER??

Here are eight more perfect gifts for the bagel fanatic in your life…

BagelThis necklace, which just might make the biggest fashion statement of the year, $14.95

BagelA throw pillow to proclaim devotion to your favorite carb, $26.39

Bagel BagelTwo cute enamel pins so they can wear their love for bagels on their sleeve (err, shirt…or bag), $10 each

BagelA funny mug just so there’s no misunderstanding about how you feel when it comes to bagels, $15.95

Socks that just scream quirky and cool, $9

A card with a funny pun for extra laughs, $3.70

And, of course, what bagel-themed list would be complete without FOOD?!?!? When in doubt, you can’t go wrong with a gift card from world-famous Einstein Bros. In fact, it just might be the best holiday gift you could ever give someone… xoxo

P.S. The 2019 Holiday Gift Guide so far and more food fun!!!

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2 Comments Filed Under: comfort food, food, Holiday Gift Guide 2019

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

5 Holiday Recipes to Share With Loved Ones

Holiday RecipesDuring the holidays, indulging in delicious seasonal desserts is a must. Baking or experimenting with holiday recipes for friends, family or colleagues is even more fun and can be quite meaningful. Sharing the holidays with family—whatever definition of family that is for you—is truly what makes the season special. This is what really defines “being home for the holidays.” Whether you’re trying out something new or perfecting an old favorite, guests are sure to enjoy the care you put into making something scrumptious. Get inspired with these five delicious holiday recipes…

Gingerbread Shake

Holiday desserts don’t have to be complicated, and they don’t always have to be baked goods either. A milkshake is the perfect choice for a middle-of-the-day indulgence or for those who are celebrating the holidays in a warmer climate. Milkshakes can be made with nearly any flavoring so making them seasonally appropriate is simple. Spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg can be added for a festive flare. Specialty syrups can also be used to create nearly any flavor combination. Syrups such as gingerbread or pumpkin pie by Monin can elevate a normal milkshake into something spectacular.

Eggnog Snickerdoodle Whoopie Pies

These sweet treats are a combination of two classic favorites. The snickerdoodle cookies offer just enough spice to balance out the sweetness of the cream cheese eggnog frosting. Start the recipe by baking your favorite snickerdoodle recipe. Make sure you choose a recipe that makes soft cookies. You can also add eggnog to the recipe, replacing some of the other liquids, to tie all of the flavors together.

While the cookies are baking, mix up your frosting. Choose your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe. Something that includes milk in the ingredients is perfect. Replace the milk with a quarter cup of eggnog for a richer, creamier flavor and texture. Once the cookies have cooled completely, spread a layer of frosting on the flat underside of one and make a sandwich for the perfect holiday dessert.

Holiday-Themed Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies remain a holiday favorite for good reason. They’re versatile, easy to make, and they can suit nearly any occasion. For the perfect seasonal cookies, first whip up your favorite sugar cookie dough. Choose something that’s firm enough that it can be rolled out. Then choose some of your favorite holiday cookie cutters and start making shapes. Larger, simpler shapes, such as stars or Christmas trees, often present better after baking. If you’re careful, nearly any shape can turn out well. After baking, the cookies can be decorated with frosting. Add a few drops of food coloring to add different colors. Use small candies or sugar sprinkles to adorn. These cookies are also a great activity to do with kids or any other family members that happen to be there.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies

Peppermint and hot chocolate are two of the most beloved holiday flavors, so combining them seems like an obvious choice. Bakers can choose any chocolate-based cookie recipe they like to make this dessert. Adding in peppermint extract and mixing marshmallows into the dough is perfect for tying together flavors and boosting the hot chocolate idea. Alternatively, large marshmallows can be placed on top of each cookie before baking. Once they heat up, the marshmallows will be soft and gooey.

The cookies can then be frosted with a simple icing of powdered sugar, butter, milk, cocoa, and peppermint extract. Drizzle the icing over the top of the cookies, and don’t worry about being messy. Before the icing cools, sprinkle some crushed peppermint pieces over each cookie for a beautiful garnish and delicious crunch.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky toffee is a well-loved favorite because it’s warming and filling. It makes the perfect choice for a cold winter evening. Truthfully, almost any dense cake can be used to approximate this incredibly sweet dessert. However, a fruit cake or, according to Good Housekeeping, a date cake is more traditional and suits the dessert well. Date cakes can be made by creating a date puree—blending soft, warmed dates, espresso, and vanilla together—and folding that into the cake’s batter. To create the toffee sauce, melt butter in a pan, add brown sugar, then stir in lemon juice, cream and finally pecans. Cut the cake into square pieces and drizzle the toffee pecan sauce over it.

Try some of these holiday recipes or create your own. This is definitely the season for all kinds of delicious flavors.

Holiday Recipes–Sara Stringer is a freelance writer who most enjoys blogging about lifestyle, relationships and life as a woman. In her spare time, she enjoys soaking up the sunshine with her husband and two kids. Compensation was received for the editing and publishing of this article.

[Photos via Unsplash]

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Leave a Comment Filed Under: family, food, holidays

Thursday, October 31, 2019

An Ode to Candy Corn: Halloween’s Most Controversial Candy

Candy CornThanks to my awesome mom, I got to indulge in my first taste of candy corn earlier this month!! Well, not my first, first taste; I’ve been a longtime connoisseur! But it was my own version of Candy Corn Kickoff 2019…

Happy Halloween, friends!! So after I wrote about those little Conversation Hearts for Valentine’s Day, you know that I had to follow it up with the Halloween equivalent: Candy Corn — and, yes, Candy Corn is a proper noun to me!

In all my 38 years, I’ve never understood why it is such a polarizing candy. People either love it or hate it about as much as vampires hate garlic. I mean, people hate the stuff. On a visceral level. Even bringing up the words “Candy Corn” is sure to elicit powerful reactions — go ahead and try it at your next dinner party. I dare you!

As you can tell from the title of this post, I’m forever and always Team Candy Corn!!! Frankly, it’s the best candy ever invented. It’s small, adorable tri-color scrumptious goodness!!! I ask you: What’s not to like? You can keep your big Hershey bars and your Reese’s and your Almond Joys. Yes, I may enjoy those sweet treats every now and again, but they always leave me wanting more. Unsatisfied. Sad. Dejected.

But these small candies, on the other hand, are the most delectable treat in the entire world. So you can imagine my sadness when I came across this poll in which it ranked as America’s LEAST FAVORITE Halloween candy. Can you believe that? I can’t even with this nonsense!!!

Candy CornBUT, on to something sweeter — see what I did there?? Behold, it’s my new friend. When I saw this at Walgreens today, I just couldn’t resist…it’s a plushie!!! What’s not to love??

Plus, while we’re on the subject: WHY isn’t there a candy corn emoji yet? I ask this every year and my wish always goes unfulfilled.

I mean, using 🍬 + 🌽 just isn’t cutting it anymore!! It’s 2019, people!!! Why are we forced to still live in a world where a cute yellow, orange and white triangle emoji doesn’t exist yet?

I will stan this teeny tiny triangle treat until the end of time!! The. End. Of. Time. Someone on Twitter recently dubbed me the Candy Corn Queen, and, honestly, that was the best title I could ever receive!! It fits my personality quite perfectly! I’m small, sweet and always leave people wanting more. In other words, I’m JUST like candy corn!

Candy CornSo, go on, friends!!! Enjoy some deliciousness and come on over to the dark side!! There’s plenty to go around and I promise I’ll share some with you!!! Tell me: Are you a fan of the candy? What’s your all-time favorite Halloween candy?? xoxo

[Last photo via Unsplash]

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6 Comments Filed Under: food, halloween, holidays

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

My Essay on Adweek: “Burger King Started a Flawed Conversation Around Mental Health, But…”

Burger KingWell, friends, it looks like I’m one step closer to becoming Peggy Olson!! How, you ask? I scored my first byline with Adweek last week!! It’s an op-ed, naturally, about Burger King and their new Real Meals campaign and how brands can better approach the topic of mental health.

This was a piece that just sort of happened spontaneously. I usually spend quite awhile crafting pitches and deciding where to send them — sometimes, it feels like the pre-writing process takes longer than the actual writing of the piece once it’s accepted. But when I heard about Burger King’s ad for Mental Health Awareness Month, there was an icky disconnect that just wasn’t sitting right with me. So, of course, I took fingers to keyboard and penned my thoughts.

That’s the thing about op-eds. They force you to write fast. To outline your thoughts quickly, choose your words carefully for maximum impact and work ahead of the clock because you’re always in a constant race with time. Because time is definitely not on the op-ed writer’s side; the worst feeling is missing that timeliness window and having your piece become irrelevant. Like I’ve said many times, the news cycle is unforgiving.

Anyway, here’s an excerpt of the piece, in which I couldn’t resist using the pun “food for thought” in the first paragraph…

“As someone who has battled mental health issues in the past, I applaud Burger King’s intention. People are talking, especially on social media, which means that the campaign is making an impact and is clearly a conversation we need to be having.

Was the campaign executed perfectly? No.

In the end, it’s important to remember that mental illness isn’t a gimmick. It’s not a marketing ploy. It’s a complex issue that is relevant for more than one month every year in May. Discussions on mental illness certainly don’t end here, but Burger King is at least starting a conversation; I’d take the beginnings of a conversation over silence any day.”

You can read the full piece here and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to email me anytime at mellow1422@aol.com and let’s chat! And of course, feel free to share my essay on Facebook, Twitter or even your local refrigerator. If you share on Twitter, be sure to tag me @melissablake so we can connect! I can’t wait to hear from you! And here’s to us going home for the holidays, wherever that may be! Love you all… xoxo

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Leave a Comment Filed Under: Adweek writing, Disability, food

Thursday, February 14, 2019

An Irresistibly Sweet Ode to Conversation Hearts

Conversation HeartsMmMmM. Yummy. De-li-cious. Happy Valentine’s Day, friends!! And, yes, get ready!! Why?? Because this ENTIRE post is dedicated to the almighty allure — and now impossible-to-find — classic Conversation Hearts!!!

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard the sad news, which I’m sure is, ironically, breaking actual hearts across the country. For the first time since their debut in 1866, the the New England Confectionery Company (Necco) will not be delivering on their trademark Sweethearts Conversation Hearts. This year, the store shelves were bare. They were no longer lined with that pastel-colored candy confection known as Conversation Hearts (and, yes, I’m capitalizing those two words because that’s just how important this is to me; proper noun, people!). For this year’s Day of Love, we were forced to settle for heart-shaped Reese’s peanut butter cups (thanks for the treat, Janelle!) and the random stuffed teddy bear because Necco has ended our conversation.

Maybe you’re just as sad about this as I am? When I saw the headline, I actually let out an audible gasp of despair.

“Oh my gosh! No, not those sweet Conversation Hearts! Is nothing sacred anymore?”

I know, it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, but those little nuggets of sweetness were certainly something to behold. For an introvert like me, they were perfect. Buy a big bag of them and it’s like you’ve got your own private date whispering all kinds of sweet nothings in your ear.

“Be mine!”

“Love!”

“Call me!”

“Email me!”

See, these candies were timeless AND modern at the same time! I’m sure if they were continued, then we’d also get phrases like “Swiped right!” and “Shook!” That’s how hip these things are!

But, sadly, we’ll never know, will we?? We will never know what our future could have been, so I’m left feeling like things are very unsettled. It’s like that guy you have a great connection with on a first date and then he ghosts you for the rest of eternity — or, you know, that’s what I hear!

So, please, let’s take a moment of silence on this most loving, heart-filled, candy-filled day to honor good old Conversation Hearts for all the sugary richness they added to our lives. They will definitely be missed. We will mourn them. Just like the great ’80s pop icon Tiffany once sang, “Could’ve been so beautiful…Could’ve been so right…”

Conversation HeartsHow very true! Indeed, it could’ve been so beautiful. But, there IS a silver lining! When I got home from a rather stressful day, what should be waiting for me on our kitchen island?? Another brand of Conversation Hearts from Ms. Bear!! They may not be the classic kind, but I’ll enjoy them just the same!

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends!!! I hope you spent it with the ones you love most!!! I love you… xoxo

P.S. How cool are these Krispy Kreme Valentine’s Day treats?

P.P.S. Ms. Bear is off tomorrow (Friday) and Monday, so I’m taking the time off with her!! I’ll see you back here next Tuesday!! Feel free to connect with me on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bloglovin! See you there, friends! And enjoy the happy weekend!

[Photo via Unsplash]

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1 Comment Filed Under: food, Heartbreak, valentine's day

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So About What I Said is a daily blog that covers relationships, disabilities, lifestyle and pop culture. I love to laugh and have been known to overshare. I also have an unabashed obsession with pop music, polo shirts, and PEZ dispensers. Read more...

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