Ever since I went to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 on Thursday, my sleep schedule has been all kinds of thrown off. It probably doesn't help that, as I go to bed at midnight on the dot pretty much every night and wake up around 8 or 8:30am every morning, I a. didn't even get HOME until 4am Friday morning, and b. guzzled with L. a giant VESSEL of diet coke at midnight. Couple that with the ill-fated nap I attempted to take Thursday night before the movie, and, well, I've been positively loopy ever since.
I do have to admit something. Hi, I'm Michelle, and I think Rupert Grint it totally hot. I don't even know WHY; I understand that actually, he's pretty much got nothing going for him, with the goofiness and the freckles and the red hair and the gawkiness. But I don't know--something about the "goofy" thing really does it for me. My other celebrity crushes include Seth Rogen and Michael Phelps, who have got a whole lot of the goofy to offer.
I've been trying to get everything in order so I can go HOME on Tuesday for Thanksgiving, but I'm excited to have some (read: too much) downtime to put up some posts I've begun to write over the last week. I mostly just can't wait to RELAX. I'm feeling a lot of pressure this semester; I have no idea what for, and no idea from where, but I'm feeling it. Big time. I need to go home, shop and get manicures with my mum, and plop face down in my bed with my golden retriever, Abby, and sleep for a day. Sounds wonderful.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Spinach and Artichoke Dip Recipe
A few of you said you'd be interested in getting the deetz on how I made my "Applebee's quality" spinach and artichoke dip I mentioned in my Homecoming post (and also puppy chow, but that's another story/post!), so I thought I'd fill you in.
Disclaimer: I am not an exact cook. At all. I just wing it, taste it, add things if it needs it, sometimes awkwardly try to subtract things (trying to pour hot excess butter out of a frying pan mid-dish? Really hard!), and I never really measure how much of anything I'm putting in. So, I can tell you WHAT I used to make this delicious dip, but I can't really tell you how much!
You will need:
- Chopped spinach (I used frozen, it was much easier!)
- Artichoke hearts
- Garlic
- 8 oz. of cream cheese (but I think I ended up using 12 oz.)
- Alfredo sauce
- Mozzarella cheese
- And ignore the onions- those were actually for the spicy buffalo chicken dip!
1. Coat a pan with vegetable oil and set to medium-low on the stove. Peel as many cloves of garlic as you think you'll like (I used two cloves), press down on them with the flat edge of your knife to release the flavor, and toss them in the pan.
2. Once the garlic is browned and smells delicious, drain your artichoke hearts, separate them, and toss them in the pan.
3. Thaw your frozen spinach (I just zapped mine in the microwave for a few seconds), and break it up, then add to the artichoke hearts.
By now, your pan should look something like this:
4. Soften your cream cheese so that it's easily spreadable, and grab a foil baking pan. Pour the jar of alfredo sauce in and spread it out to fill the bottom of the pan, then add in your cream cheese, and mix it all up. Now, add in about a quarter of the bag of mozzarella.
5. When your spinach and artichoke mixture is warmed through and evenly mixed, add in a handful of mozzarella cheese, and then dump your entire pan mixture into the foil pan with the cheeses.
6. Pop the dip in the oven (I set mine to 350 degrees), and let it bake for about ten minutes, or until it starts to bubble, the cheese melts, and everything is evenly distributed.
7. If you're going to serve the dip immediately, do the following step after about ten minutes. Otherwise, you can do what I did and take the dip out of the oven now, refrigerate it, and do the following step in the morning. Distribute the rest of the bag of mozzarella cheese across the top of the dip, and do not stir! Bake for as long as it takes for the mozzarella cheese to turn a slight golden brown and form a very light "crust" on top of the dip. Note that I did this step the morning after (and was prevented from taking a final picture due to throngs of hungry boys), so my picture doesn't have the mozzarella cheese crust.
Enjoy! The boys are begging me to make this and puppy chow this weekend. Anyone else planning on enjoying some dip, perhaps along with a football game? I love warm comfort food in the fall!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Homecoming!
My favorite weekend of the (school) year (obviously Christmas is first!) has come and gone. Homecoming is always the best weekend at Williams for many reasons:
-You can eat as many hot dogs as you want
-You're allowed to partake in...traditional beverages...before 9am.
-You literally see every single person you know (including alums!) and it's wonderful.
-FOOTBALL.
The list goes on and on.
Friday night before Homecoming I hunkered down in the kitchen to cook enough food to feed an army...or L.'s a cappella group. They're basically the same thing. On the menu were:
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Buffalo Chicken Dip (Appropriately named "Crack Dip")
Spicy Queso Dip (the picture came out looking really gross...trust me on this. It also involves a shot of Velveeta in a pan full of butter. Not sure you guys need that.)
Puppy Chow
If you haven't had puppy chow...we can't be friends. But really. It's only the best and easiest to make treat you will ever find. EVER. All it takes? Chex mix, chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar. That's IT.
If you guys are interested in how I made these scrumptious treats, I'll post some recipes and instructions next week. They all came out DELICIOUS, if I do say so myself, based on the glowing reviews I got from throngs of hungry boys the next day.
Homecoming morning is like Christmas morning. The feeling of absolute excitement is in the air, you're actually excited to spring out of bed at 8am, and it's totally appropriate to eat and drink everything you want, as early as you want. I got up super early and played Homecoming Santa, aka drove to Dunkin' Donuts and bought food, coffee and hot chocolate for my suitemates (who were also a group of hungry boys...I guess I like to mother.)
We had some delicious homecoming morning beverages, including Bailey's and Hot Chocolate, Amaretto Coffee, and Vodka Cider.
After we were full, warm, and happy, we headed down to the tailgate. The tailgate is quite possibly the best part of Homecoming (as if you could only pick just one).
We ended up pummeling Wesleyan, with a final score of 45-7.
As fun as the day was, instead of being as in the moment as I thought I would be, it only served to further drive home the fact that in seven mere months, I'll be leaving Williamstown and moving across the country. There will be many, many more Homecomings in my future, but I don't know that they'll be as special as the ones I've had actually going here. And, though you'd think my senior year Homecoming would take the cake for best one ever, nothing could beat freshman year, when ESPN College Gameday came to cover the Williams-Amherst game, "one of the biggest least-known rivalries in college football."
We got to shoot a commercial for Gillette and everything! Oh, the glory days.
Do you still go to your college's Homecomings? Are they not as big a deal as they are here at Williams? (Unless you went to, you know, Ohio or Michigan. In which case, you're laughing at my definition of "a big deal.)
-You can eat as many hot dogs as you want
-You're allowed to partake in...traditional beverages...before 9am.
-You literally see every single person you know (including alums!) and it's wonderful.
-FOOTBALL.
The list goes on and on.
Friday night before Homecoming I hunkered down in the kitchen to cook enough food to feed an army...or L.'s a cappella group. They're basically the same thing. On the menu were:
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Buffalo Chicken Dip (Appropriately named "Crack Dip")
Spicy Queso Dip (the picture came out looking really gross...trust me on this. It also involves a shot of Velveeta in a pan full of butter. Not sure you guys need that.)
Puppy Chow
If you haven't had puppy chow...we can't be friends. But really. It's only the best and easiest to make treat you will ever find. EVER. All it takes? Chex mix, chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar. That's IT.
If you guys are interested in how I made these scrumptious treats, I'll post some recipes and instructions next week. They all came out DELICIOUS, if I do say so myself, based on the glowing reviews I got from throngs of hungry boys the next day.
Homecoming morning is like Christmas morning. The feeling of absolute excitement is in the air, you're actually excited to spring out of bed at 8am, and it's totally appropriate to eat and drink everything you want, as early as you want. I got up super early and played Homecoming Santa, aka drove to Dunkin' Donuts and bought food, coffee and hot chocolate for my suitemates (who were also a group of hungry boys...I guess I like to mother.)
We had some delicious homecoming morning beverages, including Bailey's and Hot Chocolate, Amaretto Coffee, and Vodka Cider.
After we were full, warm, and happy, we headed down to the tailgate. The tailgate is quite possibly the best part of Homecoming (as if you could only pick just one).
We ended up pummeling Wesleyan, with a final score of 45-7.
As fun as the day was, instead of being as in the moment as I thought I would be, it only served to further drive home the fact that in seven mere months, I'll be leaving Williamstown and moving across the country. There will be many, many more Homecomings in my future, but I don't know that they'll be as special as the ones I've had actually going here. And, though you'd think my senior year Homecoming would take the cake for best one ever, nothing could beat freshman year, when ESPN College Gameday came to cover the Williams-Amherst game, "one of the biggest least-known rivalries in college football."
We got to shoot a commercial for Gillette and everything! Oh, the glory days.
Do you still go to your college's Homecomings? Are they not as big a deal as they are here at Williams? (Unless you went to, you know, Ohio or Michigan. In which case, you're laughing at my definition of "a big deal.)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Halloween...Mario Party Style!
You never know who your true friends are until you all agree to dress up as a themed group for Halloween. Really, it's true! L. and our friend Zeb had decided they wanted to be Mario and Luigi (which actually makes a lot of sense, if you know them), and so Momo decided he wanted to be in on the fun, and be Yoshi. Except Momo didn't want to spend a lot of money to order a costume online. Enter me.
I constructed only what could be described as the best Yoshi costume ever made. It had three-dimensional orange spikes coming out of the back of a green sweatsuit, with yoshi-googly-eyed visor. I was incredibly proud of my handiwork. In fact, I was so proud that when I saw the three boys all dressed up Saturday night, I wanted to be in on the fun too, so I quickly impromptu-ed a Princess Peach costume. And thus, Mario Party was complete!
Is Momo not the cutest Yoshi you've ever seen? I'm sad we didn't get any pictures of the orange spikes! And if Zeb looks indignant, it's probably because we didn't find a Princess Daisy for him. Poor Luigi is always playing third wheel!
Prior to getting dressed up and going out (and by "going out" I mean we stood outside the party waiting to get in for about two hours and never actually got in), we all decided to order pizza and cuddle up and watch a scary movie. Momo and I are HORRIBLE with scary movies...like, if we watch them, we can't sleep for days. But it was Halloween and the occasion totally called for it, so we all agreed to watch Paranormal Activity. Funnily enough, even though that's considered one of the scariest movies in recent years, I wasn't all too affected! Momo, on the other hand, did not fare so well...
Staying in and watching movies was so much more fun than waiting around in the cold to go to a party. I'm beginning to really enjoy staying in weekend nights and just hanging out with my suitemates, or maybe going to the bar and getting a drink. The party scene just feels really young to me. I guess ::sniff sniff:: I really am ready to be leaving in seven months!
This upcoming weekend is Homecoming, aka only my FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR. Besides Christmas. Morning "traditional beverages," hot dogs, football...some of my favorite things!
I constructed only what could be described as the best Yoshi costume ever made. It had three-dimensional orange spikes coming out of the back of a green sweatsuit, with yoshi-googly-eyed visor. I was incredibly proud of my handiwork. In fact, I was so proud that when I saw the three boys all dressed up Saturday night, I wanted to be in on the fun too, so I quickly impromptu-ed a Princess Peach costume. And thus, Mario Party was complete!
Is Momo not the cutest Yoshi you've ever seen? I'm sad we didn't get any pictures of the orange spikes! And if Zeb looks indignant, it's probably because we didn't find a Princess Daisy for him. Poor Luigi is always playing third wheel!
Prior to getting dressed up and going out (and by "going out" I mean we stood outside the party waiting to get in for about two hours and never actually got in), we all decided to order pizza and cuddle up and watch a scary movie. Momo and I are HORRIBLE with scary movies...like, if we watch them, we can't sleep for days. But it was Halloween and the occasion totally called for it, so we all agreed to watch Paranormal Activity. Funnily enough, even though that's considered one of the scariest movies in recent years, I wasn't all too affected! Momo, on the other hand, did not fare so well...
Staying in and watching movies was so much more fun than waiting around in the cold to go to a party. I'm beginning to really enjoy staying in weekend nights and just hanging out with my suitemates, or maybe going to the bar and getting a drink. The party scene just feels really young to me. I guess ::sniff sniff:: I really am ready to be leaving in seven months!
This upcoming weekend is Homecoming, aka only my FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR. Besides Christmas. Morning "traditional beverages," hot dogs, football...some of my favorite things!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Happy Two-Year Anniversary, L.!
I can't wait to post my Halloween re-cap tomorrow, but today is devoted to wishing my wonderful boyfriend of two years a very happy anniversary!
L.--
You've been my very best friend in all the time we've known each other, and it's only relatively recently in that time I've been lucky enough to know you that you've also grown to be the greatest boyfriend I ever could have hoped for. Before then, you sat with me while I cried about my first big breakup, you watched me rebound with people you knew were terrible for me--but you never judged--and you cuddled with me when none of those other guys would have cared. It seemed for awhile that we would never quite get our timing right, and sometimes it's scary to think how close we came to missing out on what has become two of the most exciting, challenging, growth-filled years of my life. You make me feel loved each and every day with the tiny things you do for me, such as getting me surprise small presents like my Aaron Rodgers jersey (even though you're a Patriots fan!), pretty rings from Etsy, flowers, and dvds of my favorite shows. Sometimes you go all out, like planning surprise birthday parties or flying me to Santa Barbara with you for my 21st. I think our relationship is best summed up by the impromptu, spontaneous, and very crazy trip I took from New Hampshire to Santa Barbara to be with you for New Year's only two months after we had started dating. No one could understand why after only two months I needed to fly 3,000 miles to spend a few days together, but you and I both knew from the beginning--even though we agreed to "take it slow" and "keep it quiet" that now that we had finally gotten our timing right, we were in it for the long haul. And now we're planning our cross-country move together in only seven months! I can't wait to pack up my childhood room, throw some things in your Subaru, and embark on our next new great adventure together. I'm sure life in a new city and a new (our first!) apartment will include some downsides (and possibly some cockroaches?), but I can't wait to experience it with you.
I love you Lucas!
xoxo,
Michelle
L.--
You've been my very best friend in all the time we've known each other, and it's only relatively recently in that time I've been lucky enough to know you that you've also grown to be the greatest boyfriend I ever could have hoped for. Before then, you sat with me while I cried about my first big breakup, you watched me rebound with people you knew were terrible for me--but you never judged--and you cuddled with me when none of those other guys would have cared. It seemed for awhile that we would never quite get our timing right, and sometimes it's scary to think how close we came to missing out on what has become two of the most exciting, challenging, growth-filled years of my life. You make me feel loved each and every day with the tiny things you do for me, such as getting me surprise small presents like my Aaron Rodgers jersey (even though you're a Patriots fan!), pretty rings from Etsy, flowers, and dvds of my favorite shows. Sometimes you go all out, like planning surprise birthday parties or flying me to Santa Barbara with you for my 21st. I think our relationship is best summed up by the impromptu, spontaneous, and very crazy trip I took from New Hampshire to Santa Barbara to be with you for New Year's only two months after we had started dating. No one could understand why after only two months I needed to fly 3,000 miles to spend a few days together, but you and I both knew from the beginning--even though we agreed to "take it slow" and "keep it quiet" that now that we had finally gotten our timing right, we were in it for the long haul. And now we're planning our cross-country move together in only seven months! I can't wait to pack up my childhood room, throw some things in your Subaru, and embark on our next new great adventure together. I'm sure life in a new city and a new (our first!) apartment will include some downsides (and possibly some cockroaches?), but I can't wait to experience it with you.
I love you Lucas!
xoxo,
Michelle
Monday, October 25, 2010
Dancing the Night Away
First Chance ended up turning into a weekend-long event. Friday night L. and our friend Steve and I drove an hour to Albany to go dress-and-suit shopping (Albany is our nearest big mall...we really are in the middle of nowhere!) When we stopped at dinner, I accidentally locked my keys in the car (I do this ALL THE TIME...three times in the last three months), so once we arrived at the mall around 7:30 (it closed at 9:30), the rush was on.
I had a pretty exact idea of a dress I wanted in mind already (royal blue, beaded neckline, knee-length, not too fitted) so it was definitely a challenge to meet all my criteria. I had originally wanted to live-blog the dress shopping experience and ask for your opinions on the ones I was finding, but I had SO LITTLE time as it was that I just rushed through. I whizzed through Burlington Coat Factory, JC Penney, Forever 21, Banana Republic, J. Crew, Express, Ann Taylor, and STILL hadn't found a dress that I liked! By this point it was 9:15, and I was convinced that I would be leaving the trip dressless. I dashed into Macy's for one last try, and finally found a dress that I liked...in both purple and black! I rushed up to the counter at 9:29 to buy it, but I found out that though the mall itself closed at 9:30, Macy's was open until ten. So I got to have L. come by and check out my selection. When I walked out of the fitting room and he said "wow," I knew it was a good dress.
It had the EXACT neckline I was looking for, and though I wasn't expecting to wear purple, I was really happy with it in the end.
Saturday afternoon I had to run out AGAIN to buy silver heels, which I've been needing for quite awhile. And then I finally got to relax with my free trim and blowout from my stylist! Some of you guys wanted the scoop on how I scored that...at my salon, every hair color treatment (did you notice it was darker? I hope it stays this way--this is closest to my natural color. I hate brassy brown!) comes with a free trim. During my coloring a couple weeks ago, my stylist ended up running late--partially because she gave me a free polish change while we waited for my hair to set (isn't she the best?) Since she had some clients waiting, I told her not to worry about the free trim. She was so grateful she said I could schedule it for any other day and she'd do it, for free! I had wanted a blowout before First Chance anyway, so it worked perfectly. Plus, while she cut my hair, she gave me the tester bottle of polish to touch up my nails. So basically, I got a cut, blowout/style, manicure, and eyebrow wax for a grand total of...$12! Not too shabby.
Moyukh (Momo) went with Rachel, even though she doesn't go to Williams. It was so fun to have a mini "summer crew" reunion. Also--she made her dress! How amazing is that?
Also, please ignore the decidedly unclassy beirut activity in the background of the otherwise-classy pictures.
Sara predicted this one would make it onto the blog. (Hi Sara!)
L. and I didn't coordinate our outfits at all. Do the purple and blue look awful? I loved my dress so much I just didn't care!
Ariel and I lived together freshman year. I can't believe that we're already seniors!
The party itself was super fun...until I sprained my ankle and limped home to put ice on it. But all in all, it was a worthy casualty for a perfect inauguration to senior year!
And of course, the perfect end to a perfect weekend was last night's win against the Vikings. Momo and I are diehard fans, and it was so fun to watch the game together and yell/throw things. But the sweet taste of victory was almost ruined for me by just feeling overwhelmingly sad for Favre.
...Just almost.
I had a pretty exact idea of a dress I wanted in mind already (royal blue, beaded neckline, knee-length, not too fitted) so it was definitely a challenge to meet all my criteria. I had originally wanted to live-blog the dress shopping experience and ask for your opinions on the ones I was finding, but I had SO LITTLE time as it was that I just rushed through. I whizzed through Burlington Coat Factory, JC Penney, Forever 21, Banana Republic, J. Crew, Express, Ann Taylor, and STILL hadn't found a dress that I liked! By this point it was 9:15, and I was convinced that I would be leaving the trip dressless. I dashed into Macy's for one last try, and finally found a dress that I liked...in both purple and black! I rushed up to the counter at 9:29 to buy it, but I found out that though the mall itself closed at 9:30, Macy's was open until ten. So I got to have L. come by and check out my selection. When I walked out of the fitting room and he said "wow," I knew it was a good dress.
It had the EXACT neckline I was looking for, and though I wasn't expecting to wear purple, I was really happy with it in the end.
Saturday afternoon I had to run out AGAIN to buy silver heels, which I've been needing for quite awhile. And then I finally got to relax with my free trim and blowout from my stylist! Some of you guys wanted the scoop on how I scored that...at my salon, every hair color treatment (did you notice it was darker? I hope it stays this way--this is closest to my natural color. I hate brassy brown!) comes with a free trim. During my coloring a couple weeks ago, my stylist ended up running late--partially because she gave me a free polish change while we waited for my hair to set (isn't she the best?) Since she had some clients waiting, I told her not to worry about the free trim. She was so grateful she said I could schedule it for any other day and she'd do it, for free! I had wanted a blowout before First Chance anyway, so it worked perfectly. Plus, while she cut my hair, she gave me the tester bottle of polish to touch up my nails. So basically, I got a cut, blowout/style, manicure, and eyebrow wax for a grand total of...$12! Not too shabby.
Moyukh (Momo) went with Rachel, even though she doesn't go to Williams. It was so fun to have a mini "summer crew" reunion. Also--she made her dress! How amazing is that?
Also, please ignore the decidedly unclassy beirut activity in the background of the otherwise-classy pictures.
Sara predicted this one would make it onto the blog. (Hi Sara!)
L. and I didn't coordinate our outfits at all. Do the purple and blue look awful? I loved my dress so much I just didn't care!
Ariel and I lived together freshman year. I can't believe that we're already seniors!
The party itself was super fun...until I sprained my ankle and limped home to put ice on it. But all in all, it was a worthy casualty for a perfect inauguration to senior year!
And of course, the perfect end to a perfect weekend was last night's win against the Vikings. Momo and I are diehard fans, and it was so fun to watch the game together and yell/throw things. But the sweet taste of victory was almost ruined for me by just feeling overwhelmingly sad for Favre.
...Just almost.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
First Chance Dresses
This upcoming Saturday, we're having our first Senior event of the year- First Chance! We all dress up in formal attire, relish in a cash bar that's cheaper than the bars in-town, and get a chance to start our senior year by spending time with current friends and possibly making some new ones.
I ALSO managed to score a free trim and blowout from my stylist the afternoon of the party. I'm so glad I don't have to worry about blowing out my hair, because honestly I'm terrible at it and can never do it well!
Of course, now comes the universal problem of senior year. With so many class events...I need more dresses! What should I wear?
I could do something simple, sexy, and formal like this black strapless dress from Zara.
Or I could so something sweet, frilly, and feminine like this J.Crew ruffled cotton dress.
Royal blue is one of my favorite colors for dresses, and I LOVE the neckline of this Banana Republic piece. I wouldn't even need jewelery!
Sequins and belted waists are super big right now, and I've always wanted to try a one-shoulder dress, like this one from Forever 21. But maybe the fact that it looks like two separate pieces is too casual for a formal party?
I don't know if I could be bold enough to don this slinky cutout halter from Arden B. It looks super sexy, but is it too much?
I'm heading to the outlets this weekend, to look for dresses like each of the different types I've listed above: simple LBD, feminine and flirty, statement necklines, sequins or one-shoulder, and cutouts. What kinds do you guys like best? I promise pictures of the winner!
I ALSO managed to score a free trim and blowout from my stylist the afternoon of the party. I'm so glad I don't have to worry about blowing out my hair, because honestly I'm terrible at it and can never do it well!
Of course, now comes the universal problem of senior year. With so many class events...I need more dresses! What should I wear?
I could do something simple, sexy, and formal like this black strapless dress from Zara.
Or I could so something sweet, frilly, and feminine like this J.Crew ruffled cotton dress.
Royal blue is one of my favorite colors for dresses, and I LOVE the neckline of this Banana Republic piece. I wouldn't even need jewelery!
Sequins and belted waists are super big right now, and I've always wanted to try a one-shoulder dress, like this one from Forever 21. But maybe the fact that it looks like two separate pieces is too casual for a formal party?
I don't know if I could be bold enough to don this slinky cutout halter from Arden B. It looks super sexy, but is it too much?
I'm heading to the outlets this weekend, to look for dresses like each of the different types I've listed above: simple LBD, feminine and flirty, statement necklines, sequins or one-shoulder, and cutouts. What kinds do you guys like best? I promise pictures of the winner!
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