i heart blizzards...

And no, I do not meant that I love huge snowstorms. In fact, given the choice I would always choose summer over winter. Always. I do on the other hand heart blizzards from Dairy Queen. Outside of the TCBY shiver which is the best ice cream treat on the planet, the blizzard is my most favorite dessert. The only reason TCBY tops DQ is my love of the white chocolate mousse that is part of their shiver. But other than that, they are the same. I have always been a lover of blizzards but lately I feel like I have become a connoisseur. I am in pursuit of finding the best blizzard. I was always a fan of the usual peanut butter cup or Butter finger blizzard. Then my boyfriend changed my world. He was sweet enough to introduce me to the peanut butter sauce they have at Dairy Queen. Now from my last post, we all know that I love love peanut butter. I have tried the peanut butter sauce with many toppings: peanut butter cups, oreos, m&ms, brownie bits, but lately my go to blizzard has been peanut butter sauce and cookie dough. I know - we are seeing a patter here. But two weekends ago, I tried a blizzard that I think has surpassed them all. Unfortunately I can not take credit for this creation. That I will have to give to my boyfriend. But this blizzard was so delicious I had to share: peanut butter sauce, Butterfingers, and crunch coat. It was delicious. I recommend everyone try it.

And to make it even better, last night I was watching tv and saw a DQ commercial. From now until Sunday, if you buy one blizzard you get an additional one for $0.25. Enjoy :)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/19/dairy-queen-blizzard-turn_n_543489.html

the perfect food marriage

For me, the most amazing "food marriage" of flavors is the one between chocolate and peanut butter. There really is nothing better. I love any food that combines these two flavors - especially ice cream. Lately, I have found a new passion for testing recipes that involve combining these two delicious flavors. Over Thanksgiving, I made a seven layer bar dessert that had peanut butter as one of the layers. I must say it was a hit and they were devoured by my family. Yesterday I was watching the Food Network while I was doing some studying and I saw this recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/peanut-butter-cookie-dough-brownies-recipe/index.html

I didn't think there was anything better than peanut butter and chocolate, but this recipe seems to top that delicious marriage by adding in another favorite - cookie dough. I am yet to meet a person who doesn't love cookie dough. The best part about this recipe is it doesn't have eggs in it so there are no worries about eating the dough. I haven't tried it yet but it is definitely on my list of things to do once moving and this quarter are over. What is your favorite chocolate and peanut butter food? Or do you disagree and think there is another "food marriage" that tops this one? I am always interested to hear!

motivation...

My training is in full swing. Currently my goal is to try to run 15 miles a week in addition to one "long run" a week. The long runs will obviously increase in distance from now until August. So far it is going well, but I decided I need a reward. It is not necessarily that I need motivation to finish but I want a little something to work towards. So I think I am going to get a new cell phone. My contract is up so I have an upgrade available but rather than getting it now I am going to wait until after the race. So I decided that I not only have to finish but I have meet the goal of finishing in under 2 hours. So what do you think? Any other ideas on motivation/reward for finishing under 2 hours?

long lost relative???

“Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that'd make me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name.” - Holly Golightly

For my accounting class this quarter (integrated decision making) we had a creative writing assignment to do this week. Don't ask me what creative writing has to do with accounting because I have no idea. I am just going with it. As part of the assignment we had to write about a person with whom we have no obvious relationship and list ways that character is like you. I chose Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Here is a little excerpt of what I wrote...

Holly Golightly, played by Audrey Hepburn, is the main character in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s which was adapted from a novel by Truman Capote. This character is someone I can relate with in my life almost 70 years after the movie takes place. Now just to be clear, I am not a prostitute nor is that a career goal of mine. I do not get paid to go on dates with men and I do not get paid to carry information for a narcotics ring from a man in prison to his contacts on the outside. I do have an affinity for Tiffany’s and I get a little smile on my face every time I see one of those special blue boxes. Parting, socializing, shopping, a love of Tiffany’s and some general flightiness are just some of the characteristics that are typically used to describe Holly Golightly. But there is so much more to the character and I think she and I share a lot of similar qualities.

Holly Golightly is a complicated character; she isn’t just one thing. Publiclly she portrays herself as a party girl – beautiful, fun-loving, mysterious, confident, witty and self reliant. But on the inside she is shy and scared and really trying to find herself. She is constantly battling within herself. There is a part of her that longs for a simple existence but there is another part that loves money and everything that money brings to her life. And I think that is where I relate with her the most. There is a part of me that is still trying to discover who I am and the direction that I want my life to take. I am hoping people won’t judge me and the person I am without really taking an opportunity to get to know me. At the end of the movie, Holly finds love and finds herself. She learns that she can be a little bit of both sides of her personality. She can love the finer things in life but appreciate sentimental value. I see a little bit of myself in all of the character traits she portrays. I love having fun and I try to be confident (although that is something I am definitely still working on) but there are parts of me that love simplicity as well.

the last song

As I said before, I love reading. I don't discriminate in genres. In fact I like trying all different types of books - mysteries, chick lit, non-fiction...I just finished The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. I am truly a girly-girl at heart so I can't resist a good love story. And Nicholas Sparks is always good for a good love story. This particular story follows Veronica "Ronnie" Miller and the summer she spent before her 18th birthday. Her life was turned upside down when her parents divorced and three years later she still has a strained relationship with both her parents. Her mother decides to send Ronnie and her younger brother to spend the summer with their father. So Ronnie makes the journey from New York City down to Wilmington to spend her last summer of "childhood". What follows is a story of love, coming of age, heart break and self discovery. The story is told from many points of view and the end left me in tears. It was a quick read (I read it in less than a week) but the story was amazing. I am looking forward to seeing the movie (even if Miley Cyrus is in it)...

and the running has commenced...

It is going to be a very busy summer so I am starting to train now for the half marathon. According to the research I have done online, most people can train in about 12 weeks. But between weddings, moving and various trips planned for the summer I wanted to start now. Last night was my first run outside and it was amazing. The weather was perfect for an outdoor run (although it was a little windy). I am definitely looking forward to lots of evening runs while I get myself together for this race. I did decide I am going to need to purchase a watch. I am planning on using my treadmill runs to work on my speed and pacing but once I get past 8 miles I can no longer do that on a treadmill. Those runs will have to be outside for sure but I want a watch so I can make sure I am maintaining my pacing so that I can finish the race in under 2 hours (which is my goal). Other than that I am all set to get to work. I have a new pair of shoes that I am going to break out in June (thank you Santa) and other than filling the ipod I am all set. Wish me luck :)

in your easter bonnet...

Is there such thing as being too old for Easter baskets? My mom emailed my sisters and I to ask what we wanted in the Easter basket. Is it crazy that I am 27 years old and I am still really excited about the Easter basket at my mom's house. Easter baskets at our house have certainly changed over the years. As little kids they were baskets with some candy and a little stuffed animal or maybe a "beanie baby". As we got older (and were usually in Florida for Easter) we got new purses instead of baskets but they were still filled candy and gum and usually other fun things like make up and some cool "hair stuff". We always fought over the best candy and who got the coolest new purse. As we got older it was no longer Easter baskets and just one giant basket for everyone to share. So now I am looking forward to heading home and getting to enjoy lots and lots of delicious candy - peanut butter cups, and milk chocolate eggs, carmel filled Cadbury eggs, jelly beans... I can't wait! What's your favorite Easter candy tradition??