Runs on Coffee and Cream

Happy Halloween! I don't have much planned for Halloween. I'll be handing out candy to trick or treaters this evening while I watch Hocus Pocus and play Animal Crossing. Fun, right? Then I have a date with Adam, some horror movies, and leftover Halloween candy later tonight. I'm actually looking forward to my Halloween night.

Now, if I was feeling the motivation to dress up tonight or even to find an everyday cosplay look, Ms Marvel aka Kamala Khan would be one of my top picks to dress up as.

Last week we finally went for our annual Fall hike at Laurentian Conservation Area. It's an absolutely gorgeous area and each time we've gone we take a different trail. This time we actually combined two smaller trails and we were not disappointed with the views.

The weather was absolutely perfect for hiking. It was a little cool but the exercise warmed us up. Plus, the sun was out and the clouds looked incredible.








I'm really hoping to go back again, maybe once we get a little bit of snow. I think everything would be so pretty covered in a dusting of fresh snow.

xo Jen

I opened a can of pumpkin puree recently which means I was committing to making all the pumpkin things to use it up (it's a big can).

What I've made (click to find the recipe):

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (I omitted the chocolate chips and used all raisins)
• Pumpkin Loaf with Maple Glaze

All of these recipes turned out really yummy! My favourite was the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. They had a soft texture and reminded me of the Chips Ahoy! Chewy cookies.


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together in a medium bowl until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla and pumpkin until smooth.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together. Fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Cover the dough and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Take the dough out of the refrigerator and roll dough into balls and place on greased baking sheet. Flatten the dough balls because they won't spread too much in the oven.
4. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. Move to a cooling rack.

The cookies almost looked under-cooked and very much like raw cookie dough. But I believe that's the pumpkin giving it that smooth, soft look. Plus, with no eggs in the recipe, you don't have to be too worried about this. The cookies definitely came out soft and chewy.


If you're a fan of pumpkin, I recommend trying out this recipe. I'll make it again the next time I have pumpkin puree to use up.

I still have a tiny bit of pumpkin leftover that I might use in a baked oatmeal recipe. Do you have any favourite pumpkin recipes?

xo Jen

It seems this is the 'audio books I'm loving now' edition. I've been on a kick lately and I've flown through two audio books pretty quickly over the last couple of weeks.

Mosquitoland

This book was fantastic! It was recommended to me by a friend and I'm so happy I read it sooner than later. The narrator was very engaging and reminded me very much of Kristen Bell/Veronica Mars. The lead character had an attitude and sass that reminded me heavily of Veronica Mars so that clearly made me a little bias about the character. But it really is a fantastic story.

The synopsis from Goodreads:
"After the sudden collapse of her family, Mim Malone is dragged from her home in northern Ohio to the "wastelands" of Mississippi, where she lives in a medicated milieu with her dad and new stepmom. Before the dust has a chance to settle, she learns her mother is sick back in Cleveland.

So she ditches her new life and hops aboard a northbound Greyhound bus to her real home and her real mother, meeting a quirky cast of fellow travelers along the way. But when her thousand-mile journey takes a few turns she could never see coming, Mim must confront her own demons, redefining her notions of love, loyalty, and what it means to be sane."


Why Not Me

Of course I moved Mindy Kaling's new book to the top of the list as soon as I got the audio book. I enjoyed this book almost as much as her first book. Hearing about how she fought for The Mindy Project, her body and confidence struggles, and also her advice and how she deals with these things was very inspiring. I've yet to encounter anything about or from Mindy Kaling that I don't love.

From Goodreads:
"In Why Not Me?, Kaling shares her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life, whether it’s falling in love at work, seeking new friendships in lonely places, attempting to be the first person in history to lose weight without any behavior modification whatsoever, or most important, believing that you have a place in Hollywood when you’re constantly reminded that no one looks like you.

In “How to Look Spectacular: A Starlet’s Confessions,” Kaling gives her tongue-in-cheek secrets for surefire on-camera beauty, (“Your natural hair color may be appropriate for your skin tone, but this isn’t the land of appropriate–this is Hollywood, baby. Out here, a dark-skinned woman’s traditional hair color is honey blonde.”) “Player” tells the story of Kaling being seduced and dumped by a female friend in L.A. (“I had been replaced by a younger model. And now they had matching bangs.”) In “Unlikely Leading Lady,” she muses on America’s fixation with the weight of actresses, (“Most women we see onscreen are either so thin that they’re walking clavicles or so huge that their only scenes involve them breaking furniture.”) And in “Soup Snakes,” Kaling spills some secrets on her relationship with her ex-boyfriend and close friend, B.J. Novak (“I will freely admit: my relationship with B.J. Novak is weird as hell.”)"

Halloween is around the corner and I'm getting into the Halloween mood! Between TV shows, video games, movies, and activities, Halloween is everywhere.

It's been quite cold recently. We had to turn on our heat and I'm bundled in sweaters constantly. This is not me complaining though. I like snuggling, I like sweaters, and I like when the air is chilly. I'm finding myself wanting to nest at home right now and surround myself with cozy and comforting things. These are a few items I'd love to pick up.

This past month I was introduced to two comic book series. I'm so in love with them and I need to share!

Alex + Ada
"From JONATHAN LUNA (GIRLS, THE SWORD, Spider-Woman, ULTRA) and SARAH VAUGHN (Sparkshooter) comes ALEX + ADA, a sci-fi drama set in the near future. The last thing in the world Alex wanted was an X5, the latest in realistic androids. But when Ada is dropped into his life, will Alex keep her? This will be JONATHAN LUNA's return to comics after three years off since the end of THE SWORD!"
This comic book series was recommended to me numerous times by a friend and it's like it kept following me around because I kept hearing about it. So I finally got my hands on volume 1 and, oh man, I couldn't stop reading. I read through the first volume in one sitting (which I typically don't do) and I had to get Vol. 2 and 3 right away to finish off the series. It's amazing and heartbreaking and real and I cannot suggest this title enough!

*All quotes are from comiXology, where all these comics are available in digital format*

We had a gorgeous drive one day that we went out of town. The sun was out and the sky was so blue. I've learnt to love these giant rock walls that are everywhere here. Ignore the inside of the car reflections in these pictures...



On a different drive we encountered the most incredible sky at sunset. I really wish we could have stopped to take more photos. The sky was insane.


How's October been treating you? We still have a few more things planned for this month that I'm looking forward to.

xo Jen

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians! It's been a chilly month so far and we've had more rain than sunshine. Which means I've been indoors keeping busy and getting through a lot of TV and books.

Isla and the Happily Ever After

I flew through the third book in the Anna and the French Kiss series, Isla and the Happily Ever After. I really, really enjoyed it. This book takes place back in France, and a little bit in NYC. I really love the descriptive setting Stephanie Perkins writes. I really get a visual of where the characters are. Isla and Josh have become my second favourite couple from this series (Lola and Cricket still top the list). I found Josh to be the most likable male character of the three books. He seemed the most real and his emotions caused emotions in me. There was only a small bit in this book where all three couples collide and reside in the same space. I'm really hoping there's a fourth book planned so we can see what the future holds for these couples.


Kate Spade & Magnolia Bakery Collection

I received the email for this collection this morning and instantly my mouth dropped. I've visited NYC four times so far and I was completely swept away by Magnolia Bakery. Yes, the first time I checked out the bakery was because of its appearance on Sex and The City. But man, their cupcakes are incredible. So sweet and creamy and buttery. Their cupcakes are classic. So to combine that with Kate Spade, you have the sweetest collection in my opinion. I'd be incredibly happy to own anything from this collection. These are some of my favourites though.



What's grabbed your attention lately?
xo Jen

Tomorrow, October 11th, is the season 6 premiere of The Walking Dead. The season 5 finale kicked things up in high gear and I'm incredibly excited to see what happens in this new season.

In celebration of the premiere I made up a batch of Carol's Cookies. By the way things ended in season 5, I'm doubting we'll see more of Carol's cookies. I think her nice demeanor has disappeared.


I followed this recipe:


The cookies actually taste pretty good. They're a little plain, but perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. I wouldn't be opposed to making these again, but I feel like chocolate chips, rather than melted chocolate, would make them better.


Either way I'll be snacking on these while we watch the season 6 premiere!


Are you looking forward to the new season? I can't wait!
xo Jen

With Fan Expo being over, my sewing has slowed down a bit. However, I know Christmas is around the corner so I need to keep my Etsy shop updated and there's the possibility I might do a couple of smaller holiday craft shows too.

I've been slowly adding new items to my Etsy shop. Keep checking in randomly for more new items!


I've also bought some new craft supplies which is always such a lovely feeling. Receiving an envelope stuffed with zippers in all the colours of the rainbow makes me happy. Plus, the new fabric I ordered is too amazing!



Keep checking my Etsy shop and Facebook page for updates!
xo Jen

Season 2 of iZombie starts tomorrow night (Oct. 6th) and I'm SO excited for it! I loved the first season and I'm very interested in seeing how the story continues and the characters evolve.

For tomorrow's big premiere I decided to make some cupcakes for us to snack on while watching the show - brain cupcakes! I cannot claim that I came up with the idea myself. I saw this on Pinterest and thought it was a great idea for iZombie and that it'd be somewhat easy to do. 

I made a batch of chocolate cupcakes and then whipped up some light pink buttercream. Ignore the sprinkles in the picture, I made some non-brain cupcakes too. 

Decorating Steps in Photos:




I think they turned out alright. Making the wavy brain was actually a touch more difficult than I expected. I kept squishing it. I cannot wait to eat these while watching the iZombie premiere.    
Have you seen the promo for season 2 yet? It looks like Liv is a touch more put-together and comfortable in her zombie skin. 

Will you be tuning in? xo Jen

This week the weather turned to Fall. The last couple of nights have dipped to the negative temperatures and the daytime highs have been quite chilly. We went outside a couple of days ago in jeans and sweaters and we were both still cold.

I'm not complaining though. I love snuggling up in giant sweaters and blankets when I'm at home. And using the cold weather as an excuse to drink as many hot drinks as possible makes me happy.