Disney Vacation Countdown (Downloadable!)

I recently discovered an official Disney World vacation countdown and was so excited to see it since I'm currently planning two Disney vacations! They are for Disneyland, however, but I have no qualms using this countdown since it doesn't specifically say "Disney World" on the numbers themselves. The website has a link to print out the numbers and cut them out, however I was super excited to have a countdown lock screen on my phone, so I took to Pic Collage on my phone to create 91 days of pictures to use. They certainly aren't perfect, but they work perfectly on my iPhone 7, my mom's iPhone 6, and my best friend's iPhone 5s. They do have a "Pic Collage" watermark in the bottom corner which can easily be cropped out if desired but they are out of frame on my phone (I also made desktop ones since I obviously need even more constant reminders of how long it is until I leave). I created 13 files of "Weeks to Go!" for people who don't want to constantly change it.

I've compressed all 91 days into a zip file that's easily downloaded through this link for the phone backgrounds and this link for the desktop ones, but here's some examples that can be saved! I also created a folder of the phone backgrounds on Dropbox and of the desktop versions if that's more accessible.

If you want to stay updated with my Disneyland trips, feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter (both @hannahvanhoozle)! Hopefully this is helpful in everyone else's Disney adventures too. x

Are you planning a trip soon?

Hannah

P.S. Here's an example of the weekly ones:

Perfect and Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

I have loved chocolate chip cookies for as long as I can remember (like many people I assume), however since the thick and soft ones are my favorites, I hunted for a long time to find the perfect recipe for me. I found it through Sally's Baking Addiction and now it's my go-to! I do make them a bit differently than she does but the recipe is hers.

| Ingredients |

• 2+1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1+1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter)
• 3/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, cold
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract (or 1+1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp vanilla, butter, nut flavoring) 
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips

| Directions |

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, corn starch, and salt and set aside.
3. In a medium microwave safe bowl, heat the butter for 15-20 second intervals until it's about half melted. Using a whisk, stir until it is entirely liquid but still opaque yellow.
4. Whisk in the brown and white sugar.
5. Whisk in the whole egg first, followed by the yolk, and lastly the vanilla. The cold eggs and partially melted butter will create a thick wet dough that can bypass the refrigerating step!
6. Using a rubber spatula, add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until almost combined but small ribbons of flour remain. Add the chocolate chips and stir completely.
7. Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a silicone baking mat (or parchment paper) about two inches apart. Using a few extra chocolate chips, place them on top of bare areas on the cookies before baking (it makes them look super cute and fancy)
8. Bake for 13-15 minutes. The bottom of the cookies should not be much darker than the tops. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes on the tray to finish baking, unless the bottoms are golden and the cookies hold together well!

I love these cookies so much. They're soft but they hold up really well in cookie jar or in a lunch box ;) This recipe is also a really good base for other flavored cookies as well! I've used it to make banana chocolate chip ones, black forest, and double chocolate. Let me know if you give it a shot!

Thanks for reading! xo

Hannah 

P.S. Follow my blog with Bloglovin!

Chickpea Salad Sandwich Recipe

The amount of recipes I post isn't particularly representative of how much I bake and cook, however whenever I make a recipe I think other people might enjoy I try to share it! Yesterday I made a chicken salad sandwich for my dad and had forgotten how much I enjoy them. Using chickpeas I created a similar alternative that tastes great and is still a good source of protein. While this is a good alternative to chicken salad for vegetarians, it's actually pretty healthy for everyone! Here's a link to some dietary info on chickpeas. The gist is that one cup of chickpeas has 4g of fat, 12g of dietary fiber, and 15g of protein. This recipe makes at most two sandwiches or one sandwich and some cracker spread ;)

| Ingredients |

•  1 cup chickpeas, cooked and rinsed
• 2 tbsp diced tomato
• 1-2 slices of bread
• 2 tbsp grated cheese 
• 1 tbsp dill or sweet pickle relish
• 1/4 cup chopped spinach
• 1-2 tbsp light mayonnaise (less if you're using regular mayo!)
• salt and pepper
• optional: 1 tbsp diced sweet onion

 | Directions |

1. In a food processor, pulse the peas until they're about 75% smooth. This can also be done with a potato masher, fork, or mixer if that's more convenient.
2. In a bowl, add rest of the ingredients (besides bread slices) to the chickpeas and stir until combined. Sometimes I add a little garlic and onion powder as well to add a bit more flavor.
3. Spread a bit of mayonnaise (or flavored cream cheese!) on a slice of bread and pile on the chickpea salad. Finish off with the other slice or leave it off for an open faced sandwich.

This would also be tasty with some diced bell pepper, cucumber, avocado, or any other veggies.
I've also posted an avocado chicken salad sandwich recipe!

Thanks for reading!
xo Follow my blog with Bloglovin

DIY ♡ Fall Wreath

I made a fall wreath for my bedroom door last year using solely supplies from Joann's after I noticed that pre-made ones were actually pretty expensive (unless they're on sale!). I also realized that they can be overwhelming and occasionally tacky so it was nice to personalize it to what I liked. I also made my sister a wreath for her house last year so by the time autumn rolled around this year, I knew what worked best for me and what supplies I needed. Amelia and I decided that we should make some again this year since you can't have too many wreaths and since she didn't get the opportunity last year.

 | Supplies| 

- wire bobbles (Joann's full price: $2.99)

- fake leaves ($1.99)

- autumnal ribbon (Michael's: $2.99-$4.99)

- wreath forms ($4.99 for 18")

- scissors

- hot glue + glue gun

- optional: mini pumpkins/gourds (Michael's: $4.99)

| How-To|

The first thing I like to do is sort the leaves into a few piles so I can easily grab for the ones I want. For reference, we used about two bags of leaves total on both of our wreaths.

Next I pick where I want my bow to go. If the wreath is a little oblong I'll pick where it looks most symmetrical and keep track of where that is. 

To start gluing leaves, I lay a few at a time down and alternate the colors and shapes so it looks unintentional but so there aren't any of the same color touching all over. Once I know where to put a leaf I glue a stripe of glue down the center of the leaf and press it into the wreath without flattening it. Be careful doing this, though, I usually burn my finger tips a few times unintentionally.

I like to start the pattern by gluing leaves all around the wreath first then filling in the biggest gaps and leaving some small spaces where the wreath form can be seen so it doesn't look too busy.

After I like how my leaves look, I like to tie my bow where I previously picked. I like really big bows on my wreaths but this time I ran a little short for that so makes sure you have enough ribbon for the size of bow you want.

Next I use these little bobble things I found at Joann's that are on brown-coated wire. I cut a strip about eight inches long and glue the ends on the inside or back of the wreath using lots of hot glue. Here I alternated using red, orange/red, and white bobbles to balance out the color pallet of my wreath.

Once I glued down the bobbles I picked out three pumpkins to put on my wreath and where to place them. These take a lot of glue to hold them down well. What we ended up doing is building up some glue where we want and letting it cool then squeezing more on top of the same spot and pressing the pumpkin into it for several minutes.

That's where I called it a day! I really love the way ours turned out. In the first photo, mine the far left with mine from last years in it and my sister's is the one on the right.

If you make a wreath inspired by this post, you can tweet me or tag me in it on Instagram, @hannahvanhoozle on both!

Thank you for reading!!

xo Hannah

Prepping for Disneyland ♡

I'm going to Disneyland! My best friend and I are graduating so Phoebe, her mom, my mom, my sister, and I are heading down to sunny SoCal in June to spend some time in the most magical place on Earth. ♡
My mom hasn't gone since 1985 so she's thrilled and I'm thrilled to see her experience Disneyland again for the first time in 30 years, especially since the 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration will be in full swing. I was lucky to go Disneyland last year with Andy and Amelia for her college graduation and it was incredible! It was the first time Amelia and I went and there are a few things I'm doing to prepare this year that I wish I would've done in addition to what I did well to prepare last year.

1. External Batteries

My sister was totally ready for the 16-hour day we spent in Disney and purchased a power bank from eBay before our trip. The vacation was over a week of sight-seeing in San Diego and L.A. as well so we were never near a place to charge our phones. Clever Amelia, however, carried this guy around every day and saved my and her husband's butt a few times! This year I decided to pack my own and happened to find one that looks like a banana. Phoebe, my mom, and Amelia all loved them also so we're all going to have matching bananas to pack around like Disney-bound chimpanzees. These hold 2600mAh (milliamp hours). For reference, an iPhone 6 needs about 1800mAh to charge so this will charge my phone almost one and a half times. YAS

2. Backpacks

I carried a small cross body purse from Forever 21 around the park and although I didn't mind it, I sacrificed not bringing in my Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 to take pictures with. I have a granny back so I knew that a mini backpack would be best for me so when I found this cutie on ASOS I was thrilled. I think the overly large handle is my favorite part.

Anyhow, this will perfectly fit my camera, extra film, a thin wallet, my banana battery, and some snacks because this girl gets hungry then wants to nap. NO NAPS IN DISNEYLAND, YA'LL!

3. Savvy Hotel Booking

• We're not staying on-site, although if that's a viable option for you, definitely look into it! The hotels have some pretty good perks. Being a group of five, Disneyland does not have any hotels with one room big enough for the whole group. Other hotels can be kind of tricky as well since "five adults" usually translates into "two rooms" and doubles the cost of staying; look for websites like Hotels.com which can search for hotels with single rooms that accommodate up to eight people! This way, we were able to book one room for five people which was definitely cheaper than having to split up and book two rooms.

• Another option to consider is booking an off-site "good neighbor" hotel through Disneyland. For us, this wasn't an option since they only allow four people per room, but if you can book a good neighbor hotel through Disneyland, they also include your tickets! *Keep in mind though that you can save about 5% on tickets if you look at a few different companies (more on that soon)*

• Staying close to the resort is also a lifesaver. This opens up a mid-day break opportunity during the lunch rush for eating, swimming (if you're determined), or cat napping. Last year Amelia got a headache so we walked back to the hotel and she slept for an hour or two before we raced back into the park to use our Fastpasses for Splash Mountain. Our hotel is close enough that we're going to walk to Disneyland instead of paying to park on site for $17 a day. Bonus: Downtown Disney has free parking for three hours!

• Keep in mind that some hotel rooms have fridges and microwaves which are great for storing food for breakfast or lunch and can save you some money! If the room itself doesn't have a microwave, the lobby area likely will but double check! Since our room doesn't have a coffee maker, I'm going to be bringing my Keuirg mini with us to Anaheim. Not only is the coffee and tea really good, cheaper than Starbucks, and fast, it also makes hot water that can be used for other things like oatmeal, tea bags, or sanitizing toothbrushes. A plug-in tea kettle would also work but I don't own one so this will work wonderfully also.

4. Research Ticket Prices

I do not recommend second-hand ticket buying/selling or using Craigslist to do Disneyland on the cheap. There are a few options to save some money on tickets without being worried about being scammed!

• For limited times, many Costco facilities sell slightly discounted tickets for 2-day (and up?) park hopper passes. My Costco was out, but it was worth a shot!

• I'm a AAA member which is exciting since I saved about 5% on our tickets, or $13.75 per ticket. That's more than a Grape Soda club pin so I think it's pretty dang good.

• We're doing 3-day park hopper passes which is already a bit discounted since the price per day decreases for each additional day and it includes a free Magic Morning for an hour early entry into Disneyland! Yes please! Keep in mind, however, that Magic Mornings are only redeemable on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

5. Flying vs. Driving

• Since we live in Oregon and my mom has a fuel-efficient car, driving is the best option for us! Although it's going to be about a 13-14 hour drive both ways, it's only going to be about $45 per person for gas which is almost $100 less each than flying. Plus, since we will have driven down, we're going to have a car so we can do some sightseeing the day before we go to Disneyland!
• If flying is a better option, it is nice that it's substantially faster. Last year we flew with Virgin America and the short trip was really nice and we were lucky to have relatives loan us a car! If that's not an option, look into rental cars which are anywhere from $20 a day for an eco-friendly sedan or more expensive for nicer, larger vehicles. Through some websites, like Hotwire, they can bundle hotel, cars, and flights together!

If you want to keep updated, you can follow by blog on Bloglovin, follow me on Instagram and Twitter (@hannahvanhoozle), or just here on Blogger!

Happy vacationing! Do you have any tips?
xo Hannah

Healthy Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe

As I mentioned in my last healthy lunch recipe, I eat avocados almost every day. They're such a versatile food; I put them in everything I can (within reason). A few weeks ago I had leftover roasted chicken that I wanted to use to make a chicken salad sandwich, one of my favorite lunches. I spontaneously added some avocado and spinach (I live a wild life) then slapped on a piece of bread and I basically fell in love and eat it all of the time now. I don't really measure when I make this but I used the ratios given and it turned out like usual!

This recipe is great for leftover chicken, grilled chicken, roasted chicken, or basically any other type as long as it's completely cooked. The time I made this specific batch, I had just grilled a tenderloin until well done and slightly crispy. I omitted any kind of seasoning or marinade besides a little salt and pepper thrown on it while it was cookin'. I personally make this as an open faced sandwich to increase how much chicken salad I can pile on it but it's up to you!

 
| Ingredients |

- 1/2 cup chopped, cooked chicken
- 1/3 cup chopped baby spinach 
- 1-2 tablespoons diced sweet onion
- 1 tablespoon sweet or dill relish
- 1/2 an avocado
- 1-2 tablespoons light mayo
- 1 slice 100% whole wheat bread
- salt and pepper

| Directions |

1. Mash together the mayonnaise and avocado until small chunks of avocado remain.
2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients together and stir until combined.
3. Add extra mayonnaise if needed; the mixture should make a kind of gross squishy noise.
4. Pile the whole thing onto a slice of bread and top with a dash of salt and pepper for taste and aesthetics and it's done!

And you're done! Let me know what you think if you try this out.
Here's a downloadable and printable PDF. If you want to, check out another easy recipe with avocado and also a hair recipe with avocado.
Thanks for reading! xo Hannah

Winter Vacation ♡ Puget Sound

My grandparents live in a cabin up in Washington by Puget Sound and my family and I visit them every winter break. Every picture anyone takes looks like it belongs in a calendar since the beach looks right at the Olympic Peaks. It was 25-40 degrees the whole time causing crisp, fresh air an amazing pictures I figured I would share a few that I took! We were there for New Year's Eve, which was perfect since we were able to watch fireworks over the water. Port Gamble went all out, ya'll. It was great to get away for a while even though the five hour road trip was over twice as long. Apparently a chicken truck tipped over, but no hard feelings since it gave me so much time to listen to Lana del Rey with my sister. Speaking of, we may or may not be seeing her in May during her Endless Summer tour. Eep!

How was your winter break? xx

Halloween Lush Haul ♡

I love Lush year round but particularly around autumn and winter. Their Halloween collection was released at the beginning of this month around the 3rd or 4th so I took a trip to Lush with my sister that weekend to get my hands on some of it!

| Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb | $6.95

On the Lush website this green guy's scent is described as "a spicy herbal blend of patchouli and black pepper oil" and it says that as the green outer shell is fizzing away, a silver luster swirls out followed by a red wine-colored center and popping candies. This sounds so fun and festive. I'm elated to try it out since I missed out on "Lushoween" last year. To me this smells like a creamy, herbal spice with an incense-y tone. I love the scent since it's not too strong or pungent.
Update: I used this and it was incredible! The water looked like blood and how Halloween is that!? I posted a video of it on my Instagram if you wanna see it in action.

| Sparkly Pumpkin Bubble Bar | $7.95

This is one of my new favorite bubble bars. Granted, I haven't gotten to pop it in my tub yet, but it is so cute. It's so glittery and orange and it smells amazing. I prefer the way bubble bars smell over the bath bombs probably just because they're much sweeter. Sparkly Pumpkin smells rich, citrus-y, and sweet. The citrus comes from the juniperberry, grapefruit, and lime oils. Yum.

| Northern Lights Bath Bomb | $5.95

This purple bath bomb is speckled with adorable stars and has a blue and "neon green" center. I originally bought this simply because I heard that the inside was multi-colored. Online it says that the ends "crack and fizzle away" to allow the middle to the blue, neon green, and purple that slowly fizz. This is one I've used once, as you can tell by the picture, and I wasn't as impressed as I expected but I think I was supposed to use it all at once which probably would've given a better effect. Personally, the neon green looks more yellow. It smells floral, from the Jasmine, and a little spicy as well, which I assume is from ylang ylang. I don't actually know what that is, but I think I like it.

I only got three things. How well behaved am I? I am going to resist buying anything Christmas-themed until around Thanksgiving though. The Christmas Hedgehog is about the cutest thing ever. Have ya'll tried Lush?

Thank you for reading! xo

"Ratatouille" Inspired Ratatouille Recipe

I absolutely love the Disney Ratatouille movie. It's not only really cute, but the food looks so good. How do they do that to you with animated movies?! When it came out in theaters I was young enough that my mom had to drop us off and pick us up again. I watched it again about a year ago and I so badly wanted to eat the Ratatouille that Remy prepares. I went immediately to Google and searched all over and some of the recipes looked nothing like Ratatouille's and were almost more like a soup. I eventually stumbled on Smitten Kitchen's "Ratatouille's Ratatouille" recipe that's supposed to be like Remy's. Not only does it actually look like the movie's, but it's so darn good. It's become a staple for a dinner side dish. This is my recreation/slightly altered version of Smitten Kitchen's!

| Ingredients |

-1 eggplant (I use the Italian ones since they're skinny)

-1 large yellow squash

-1 cup tomato puree 

-1 large zucchini

-1/2 an onion

-2-3 cloves garlic (I use 3)

-1 bell pepper

-2 tbsp. olive oil

-Salt and pepper

-Fresh thyme

-Parchment pepper

-Goat cheese (optional topping)

| Directions |

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Cut off the ends of the eggplant, yellow squash, and zucchini. Using a thin blade on a mandolin slicer (not to be confused with the instrument), slice all of them and set them aside. Cut off the top and bottom of the bell pepper and clean out the middle to make it like a tube. Also slice this on the mandolin then cut in half.
3. Finely chop the half onion and mince the garlic.
4. In a 2 and a half quart oval Pyrex dish, add the tomato puree, onion, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Heavily salt and pepper.
5. In whatever order, layer the yellow squash, eggplant, zucchini, and bell pepper in an oval around the outside. Sometimes if I don't get a lot of pepper I'll layer them every other vegetable pattern instead. I always fill in the middle with a small row.
6. On top of the ratatouille, drizzle the other tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle more salt and pepper. Holding the sprig of thyme at the top, strip off the leaves and add them onto the ratatouille as well.
7. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit right on top of the ratatouille to avoid any burning. 
8. Bake for 45-55 minutes. When done, the vegetables should be mostly translucent and the tomato mixture should be bubbling.
9. Serve with a dollop of goat cheese and more salt and pepper if desired. 

Let me know if you guys try this out! Also, be really careful with mandolin slicers because when I was putting my blade in my new one I cut completely through my thumbnail and into my nail bed. Yikes! I couldn't wear nail polish for about two months..

Thanks for reading! xo

(Partial) Summer Reading List

It's officially summertime and that (hopefully) means plenty of time to curl up outside in the garden, on my couch, or on vacation with a good book. I haven't had much time to read at all recently, so I'm ecstatic to start up a new novel! I recently watched Essiebutton's video with Sanne (booksandquills) about their favorite easy reads and I'm definitely going to tack a lot of those onto my list. Several of these have been on my mind for quite a while but  I ended up getting into the Divergent and Maze Runner series' however, and right before the movie news got out so I happened to have good timing with those ones! (Don't hate me for any over simplified descriptions, please!)

1. The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, and Kill Order by James Dashner (The Maze Runner)

I have to read these before I feel I can move on to other book adventures. Luckily I'm a pretty fast reader so hopefully I can finish them within the next week or two! The Maze Runner is about a kid who wakes up in a pitch black elevator and is lifted into a concrete world filled with teenage boys and surrounded by a chance to escape through a maze that becomes infested with deathly and grotesque creatures at night. Run-on sentences are okay if they're descriptive right?

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This book is about two teens who meet at a cancer support group. I was recommended to read this over a year ago and I really want to see the movie, but I'd prefer to wait until I've read the book since I know the ending already and I'm not prepared to cry in a movie theater. Commenters on Youtube videos can be downers sometimes, right?

3. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

I've heard this is a great book from many bloggers and Youtubers and it's a bit off my beaten path of young adult post-apocalyptic novels. It's a suspense-mystery book about a post psych ward patient that goes back to her hometown to investigate two pre-teen murders. That sounds pretty intriguing, right? I think I'm not doing the description justice..

4. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

Set in Michigan, five sisters who are watched closely by the neighborhood boys commit suicide one by one over a year. The book is told by the boys' point of view as the whole ordeal unfolds. The way Sanne described this book in Essie's video made we want to read it ASAP. It sounds wonderful and captivating.

5. The Husband's Secret by Cecilia Fitzpatrick

A book about a wife who finds a letter from her husband meant to be opened after his death that could tear apart their family and do much more damage than even that. I need to know what it says! The suspense is already killing me. 

6. Across the Universe by Beth Revis

A teenager and her family are on a space ship and have decided to be frozen for 300 years until they get to their destination. However, she wakes up 50 years early and ends up romantically involved aboard the ship. It sounds fantastic. I love sci-fi books as well, and I can't help but want to read this!

I honestly have so many more, (like Eleanor & Park and The Giver) but I don't want this post to get too long. I think I'm going to start doing book reviews on here so I can give feedback on the ones I get through this summer. Who else is really excited to be a bookworm over the next three months?! 

Thanks for reading! xo

Orange Creamsicle Cupcake Recipe!

I'm an avid baker and since springtime is finally here, fruity baked goods are a necessity to me. I first made these cupcakes about over a year ago (maybe two?) at my grandparent's cabin over vacation and I've made them several times since. The original recipe is from this blog if you want to take a look. I hope you guys like these; they are so dang good!

| INGREDIENTS |

 Cupcakes:

-2 cups all-purpose flour

-1/4 teaspoon baking powder

-1/4 teaspoon baking soda

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/2 cup softened butter (1 stick)

-1 cup granulated sugar

-1 1/2 tablespoons orange zest (I used 2 oranges)

-2 eggs

-3/4 cup heavy cream

-1/4 cup fresh orange juice

-1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting: 

-1 stick softened butter

-1 stick softened cream cheese (I use the 30% less fat hard-to-pronounce stuff)

-2-3 cups confectioner's sugar

-1 teaspoon vanilla

-1/4 teaspoon orange extract (optional)

 

| DIRECTIONS |

 

| CUPCAKES |

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a bowl using a whisk, combine 2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

3. In a relatively large mixing bowl (you'll be adding dry ingredients and cream to it) blend together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1 and a 1/2 tablespoons orange zest using a medium-high setting on a mixer. Mix until pale and fluffy. (it will smell delicious!)

4. Mix in an egg, incorporating completely. Mix in the other egg the same way.

5. In a large liquid measuring cup, stir together the 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (you can use the same oranges from the zest!), 1 and a 1/2 teaspoons orange extract, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. 

6. Using a low setting, start with the flour mixture and combine. Alternate with the cream mixture 3 times, also ending with the flour mixture. The batter should look something like the picture above and will be very thick.

7. Line muffin tins and fill 3/4 of the way with batter. (I used Wilton's "Color Cups" in a rainbow polka-dot pattern) Cook in the oven for 23-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. For even baking, rotate when halfway through the cooking time.

| FROSTING | (this is my go-to for every cupcake recipe I bake)

1. With a mixer, whip together a stick of softened butter and softened cream cheese until completely combined.

2. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 2-3 cups of confectioner's sugar to taste. I know that's a large margin, but it really depends on your preference! I just taste as I go until it feels like the right balance. You can also add 1/4 teaspoon of orange extract if you want some extra orange flavor.

That's all you have to do! It's pretty easy, and they are delicious. Like Cooking Classy said, if the taste is too heavy you can substitute half and half in instead of the heavy cream. For my liners I used Wilton's Color Cups in a really cute rainbow polka dot pattern. If you haven't tried any foil-lined cupcake liners, do it! They're awesome especially for chocolate cakes.

Thanks so much for reading! xo

April Favorites 2014!

Welcome to my first monthly favorites, guys! I'm not sure if this will actually be monthly or bi-monthly, but we'll see in the end of May if I have enough favorites to write a whole post about it. You may notice (if you've read my haul) that several products are from it, which is awesome! This post is rather long, my apologies, I promise my next one will be shorter!

| BEAUTY |

 

Market Peach Hand Sanitizer:

I love the Market Peach scent. It smells so dang good, I just want to inhale it all of the time. I've been using this since I bought it a month or two ago, and I'm obsessed. My friends always ask for hand sanitizer and comment on how great it smells. I'll have to make a trip to Bath and Body Works sometime soon to buy a bunch more of them before they bring in their summer scents.

Plus White 5 Minute Whitening Gel:

I bought this a few months back at Walmart along with two mouth guards so I could start whiteneing my teeth at home. I naturally have off-white to yellowish teeth and I thought that I would try out Kandee Johnson's method of doing it at home. It's so easy and it definitely whitens teeth! It does take several times of doing it before a significant change, but I'd rather have a gentle lighten than murder my weak-enameled teeth.

Not Your Mother's Way to Grow Long & Strong Shampoo and Conditioner:

I bought these in the haul I mentioned and I've only used them four or five times, but I love them already! They smell like candy apples and I love that the scent lingers while my hair dries. It does go away once it's completely dry, though. I have naturally moderately frizzy hair, and it's much shinier and smoother with this conditioner than most others I've tried. It really works well for my hair type, and I'm so glad I found it. One of the best parts is that it's sulfate free! Yipidoo!

O.P.I. Nail Envy:

I've only been trying this for a few months as well, but I really like it so far. I can't say I've noticed a significant difference in my nail health or strength, but it makes my nails stiffer while I'm wearing it and that allows my nail polish to last for much longer! I've gotten five days out of all of my recent manicures, which is kind of crazy. That long of wear used to be a once in a while, luck-of-the-draw kind of thing, but now it's pretty normal for me.

Burt's Bees Natural Acne Solutions Spot Treatment:

I used to use this in middle school, and I'm so glad I finally went back to it. I have really sensitive skin. Sensitive enough that benzoyl peroxide gives me slight chemical burns in red patches that last for two or three days. This doesn't have any negative effect on my skin! I put it on with a q-tip every night all over most of my face, and I notice a significant difference in the morning. 

Maybelline Color Elixir in Radiant Bloom:

I'm working on an in-depth review of this product. I actually have two of them; Radiant Bloom and Hibiscus Haven. I haven't gotten much use from Hibiscus Haven since I don't wear mascara or anything usually, but I've been using Radiant Bloom a lot. It's a pretty natural looking color, so I think it could easily be worn on a daily basis. I will say that it looks better with my teeth now that they're whiter since it's a cooler toned pink.

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB in Light:

I also used to use this a while back, but it got too dark for me once I got into fall. I think my problem was that I was using too much though, not that it didn't match my skin. Now I can wear it and it matches my skin perfectly and looks really natural. It is pretty light coverage, so any bad blemishes (the little devils) can still be seen. I also love that it has enough SPF but doesn't smell like sun screen or look shiny. 

Elf High Definition Powder in Translucent:

I've been using this for probably about eight months and I really like it. I don't like wearing powders with color in them since most of them tend to look orange or too dark on me even though it doesn't seem like they should. This is absolutely translucent, but it doesn't seem to leave a white cast on my face. Maybe it's because I'm really pale? ;) I use this to set my BB and it keeps any shine away for hours. 

H&M Baby Kabuki Brush:

I bought this last year with my sister in August and it's so soft. I didn't think I'd like a brush from H&M, especially since it was only two or three dollars. It evenly applies the Elf powder to my face and doesn't allow it to get caked up anywhere.

| NON-BEAUTY |

 

Cafe Escapes Chai Latte:

This is the first K-cup I bought for my Keurig, and I'm so glad I did! Did I mention that I got a working Keurig mini at Goodwill for $25? No? Be impressed, ya'll. Anyway, I got a 12 pack of these on sale at Safeway for $7 and they are delicious! It comes out of the Keurig all creamed and sweetened and ready to drink. Booyahhh.

Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry Filled Squares:

I've been so into fruity chocolate lately and these are awesome. They're filled with raspberry that's not creamy but also not a jelly. I'm not a jelly fan unless it's on bread, and these are so good. The best part is that they only have 10 carbs and one is enough since they're so rich.

That's all of my favorites! Sorry it's so many, next time there will definitely be less. I kind of threw in older favorites with newly discovered ones to catch up.
Thanks for reading! xo