The Dark Knight Rises

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I really liked this movie. I even liked this movie despite the fact that it was almost 3 hours long and I had a headache...ha ha. Now some of you might think "how could she like it? it didn't follow the original story line!" Well I don't know the original story line...therefore I didn't have a problem with this one.

There were a few things that didn't quite add up...like how can you be in a pit somewhere that looks like Egypt and make it back to Gotham in a day to save the world?!?! Or how can you break you back and recover within days?!?! But hey...it's all a make believe world so who am I to judge.

The acting in this movie was way better than expected. When I heard Anne Hathaway was cast as Catwoman I was in shock. BUT I actually liked her in the role...sometimes I surprise myself. And Tom Hardy was unrecognizable as the villain. It's amazing how actors can transform themselves for certain roles...

Overnight French Toast Casserole

For all my peeps that have a huge sweet tooth like me...this breakfast is for you! It was the perfect mixture of gooeyness and toastyness. I found the recipe over at Pearls, Handcuffs & Happy Hour (click here to view pictures of each step)

What you need:

1 stick of melted butter
1 cup brown sugar (I packed mine)
1 1/2 round loaves of sweet Italian bread (my mom found it at Kroger)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of milk (I actually used real milk, but I'm sure almond milk would have worked as well)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 T of powdered sugar (plus extra for dusting)
White sugar (no more than a cup)
Cinnamon

What to do:

Melt your butter and stir in brown sugar. You will want a very gooey consistency. Pour this mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 dish. (I used a glass dish.) In a bowl whisk your eggs and then add in the milk, vanilla and powdered sugar and whisk a little more then set aside. Cut your bread into whatever size pieces you want and place on top of the brown sugar and butter in your dish. Try and fill in any holes between your bread slices with small pieces of bread. Pour half of your egg mixture over the bread. Sprinkle however much you would like of brown sugar and cinnamon on top of this layer. Add one more layer of bread and pour the rest of the egg mixture over it. Top this layer with cinnamon and white sugar. Cover your dish with cling wrap and set in the fridge overnight. Bake it at 350 the next morning for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you so desire. I was almost finished with my piece when I realized I didn't top it off with powdered sugar.

This is very sweet so you won't need syrup...unless you absolutely love syrup then pour some of that on as well. If you have any leftovers, it re-heats pretty well in the microwave and only take 30-45 seconds. Enjoy!

p.s. sorry about the picture with a Styrofoam plate I ate it too fast the morning I made it so that's a shot from my desk at work...perfect way to start a Tuesday...ha  ha

Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

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It may not be my actual b-day, but I'm not at work today so it still works :)

I have awesome friends...

who take me out for an early birthday lunch and feed me things like this...


 A slice of pink velvet cake and a spinach salad that I didn't get a picture of because it was already in my belly.

I have awesome friends who bake me double chocolate chocolate chip cookies...

I have awesome friends who indulge my sweet tooth with even more sweets...

I have awesome friends who decorate my cube and leave me messages from Edward Cullen and Christian Grey...haha

Overall my friends are awesome :) I couldn't have asked for a better pre-birthday celebration! Thank you all so much!!

Enemy Of The State

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So what if this movie was made in 1998, I had never seen it before therefore I think it deserves a review...don't you?!?!

This was gooooood. It had conspiracy theories, suspense, back stabbing, explosions...you name it, it had it! I've probably said it before (if not shame on me), but I think Will Smith is a great actor. He can do the funny stuff as well as the serious stuff (The Pursuit of Happiness, Seven Pounds).

This movie wasn't so much the government spying/going after/framing someone as much as it was just one greedy S.O.B wanting his bill to be passed and killing to do so. Then he goes crazy trying to make sure no one finds out what really happened. But the movie does make you think about how much/when and where the government is really spying on us.

Think about that next time you web chat, face time, play with your kinect. Kind of creepy.

If you haven't seen this movie or don't remember it, I would suggest renting it. If nothing else you will get a kick out the old school movie intros. Oh how times have changed.

S'more Cookies

A friend at work sent me this link one morning to Pillsbury.com and I knew right away I had to make these cookies! I absolutely love s'mores! Maybe it's because I was in a father daughter camping group when I was younger, but s'mores just remind me of good times. These s'more cookies were a lot less messy than regular s'mores which was a nice change of pace and saved me from having to change shirts (what can I say...sometimes I can be a mess).

What you need:

1 pkg break and bake chocolate chip cookies (I guess you could make your own but this is faster)
1 bag normal sized marshmallows
1 pkg of chocolate candy melts (I used the Kroger brand)

What you do:

Bake cookies 2 minutes less than the instructions say. While they are baking cut the appropriate amount of marshmallows in half. When your timer goes off, take cookies out and place your cut marshmallows on top of the cookies cut side down. Place cookies back in over for 2 minutes. Take cookies out and let cool a few minutes while you heat your chocolate candy melts. Drizzle one spoonful of you melted chocolate over each cookie. If you want the chocolate to run down the sides, move your spoon back and forth and side to side as the chocolate runs off. Once chocolate has cooled...enjoy. Of course you can eat these while the chocolate is still wet, but it gets messy...trust me...ha ha.

The Hunger Games Trilogy

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I loved this trilogy! I knew I would like the first book since I had already seen the movie, but I hadn't expected to become so engrossed in the other two to the point where I never wanted to put them down. I honestly don't think I can pick a favorite. There were things in all of them that I really liked. Overall, I'm really happy I jumped on the bandwagon and read these. Can't wait for the other movies!