dark chocolate cherry oatmeal cookies

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I'm on a cookie kick lately. My sister will try to tell you that I stole this recipe idea from her, but it's not true. It just happens that we had the same great idea (!) around the same time. Maybe it's because our mother sent us dried cherries, dried apricots, and banana chips for Valentine's Day. That's right, not a single ounce of chocolate. Is she trying to tell us something? Thanks, Mom. I'll start that healthy eating/diet thing asap. Right after I eat a cookie...

Anyway, on to the good stuff. This is just an adaptation of the oatmeal raisin recipe that is on every canister of Quaker Oats. Another classic. You can't go wrong with oatmeal raisin, but I didn't have raisins, just the cherries my mom sent me for Valentine's day. And I'm an adventurous sort of gal, so cherries it is. Dark chocolate is just an added bonus. It's good for you, don't worry about it.
Dark Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies (adapted from here)
makes about 4 doz. cookies
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks), softened
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups old fashioned oats (uncooked!)
1 cup dried, tart cherries, coarsely chopped (I used Montmorency cherries)
3/4 - 1 cup dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 350°F.
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer (medium speed) until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
Add combined flour and mix well. Add oats, cherries, and chocolate; mix well.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack to cool completely. Store tightly covered.

falling up

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Have I ever told you how I have a habit of falling while walking up stairs? Most people have the opposite problem or they don't have any problem at all and have fully mastered walking both up and down stairs.


I also run/walk into things. Thinks that I know are there. Like door frames.

One time I walked into a telephone poll. Another time I walked into a telephone booth - face first. I don't know how that happened! Apparently, telephone related objects and I do not get along.

Be careful. It's a dangerous world out there. You never know when you might run into an ordinary household object and get a bruise the size of a tangerine.

preparing for a royal wedding

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With less than two weeks until "the wedding of the century" you best be getting ready! It's also known as the Royal Wedding or, my personal favorite, Will and Kate are finally getting hitched (the queen prefers this terminology). I think calling it the "wedding of the century" is quite an underwhelming statement seeing as we are only 11 years into the current century; there hasn't been much competition so far.


Royal Wedding cupcakes!
All good things involve cupcakes.
(via)

Nevertheless, I think it is crucial, as an American, to be fully prepared for the nuptials of our British brethren. That's why I've compiled this (semi-) comprehensive guide to getting yourself ready for the royal wedding:

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green thumb? maybe!

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As I've mentioned before, I've slowly been turning into a crazy plant lady (it's a level below crazy cat lady and two below crazy bag lady).


Welcome to my miniature herb garden. I don't have any outside space to plant a garden (so sad), hence the windowsill garden. You can kind of see the mountains out of my window- it's a better view in person, I swear.

I'm growing:

Basil - homemade pesto here i can!
Chives - all purpose herb
Mint - for mojitos in the summer...

I really wanted to grow mint because of Budapest. Everything can be traced back to Budapest... All the bars that I went to had outdoor areas/terraces and they grew their own mint. The mint was picked to order and so you always had a fresh drink. Perfection. This herb garden is an attempt to recreate that.

I might grow more, but first I'll see if I can keep these alive!

Any indoor gardening tips/advice?

bust a move

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Sometimes I'm very glad I live alone. Why? Because I like to dance around like a crazy lady to euro dance music and it is not a pretty sight. For those lovely ladies who have had the privilege of living with me, they have also had the privilege of seeing me dance. I am sure they have only the nicest things to say about me.

You know the end scene in Napoleon Dynamite when he's dancing on stage at school? That's what I look like- except not as cool. (My roommate and I may have attempted to learn this dance at one point in time...maybe.)

I've taken years of dance lessons- ballet, jazz, and irish dance- yet dance I cannot. It is such a shame.

If you want to dance like me, give my Bust a Move playlist a listen and let loose!


yoga goals

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Last quarter I was doing yoga 2-3 times a week, but the end of the quarter/finals screwed that up. Then my friend came to visit and left me with her cold and I haven't been able to get back on track since.

Well, now it's the third week of my final quarter of grad school (can you believe that? I can't!) and I need to get back on top of this whole yoga thing. Why? I'm a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding in just over 2 months and I need to look my best! So I've set a few yoga goals for myself:

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