What I Love Wednesdays

I want you to do something for me. Can you just close your eyes for a second and repeat this phrase 10 times? I mean, I really want you to go all out and truly believe the words, not just say them. Okay? Cool? Here we go:

"Today is Wednesday. Today is Wednesday. Today is Wednesday..."

Did you do it? Are you convinced? Not even a little bit? How about we just pretend it's still Wednesday, so I don't feel bad for making you wait an extra day for this wonderfully exciting post? Hooray! Happy 4th, America!


1. I love this article about the "perfect" body, because nobody's really perfect! Being healthy is what matters, yo. :)

2. Here are some neat ideas for using up any old maps you may have laying around the house.

3. Don't let the word "vegan" put you off: these sandwiches can be enjoyed by veggies and omnis alike!

4. This applies to everything in life, but what does it apply to for you? Do you have a specific goal in mind?

5. We often spend time focusing on plenty of other healthy habits, but sleep is one that needs practice and attention too.

6. What an awesome spice chart to help you figure out which spices go best with certain foods! You could even print it off and laminate it for your fridge!

7. Hilarious books to brighten your day! (Especially if the list of sci-fi/fantasy ones I posted doesn't tickle your fancy.)

8. Cool idea! Bring your lunch to school or work in a mason jar! Reusable, easy, and helps control portion sizes too!

9. Try this workout if you're looking for a new way to get active and tone up some trouble spots this summer.

10. It may be a little late for this year's celebration, but you have plenty of time to hone your skills on this cake for next year's Independence Day!

What I Love Wednesdays

Oh man... two weeks in a row of late "What I Love Wednesday" posts! Sorry, guys. Life is crazy these days, especially when you start having to wake up at 4am for your my new job. It is a lot of fun, though; I get to make coffee! Nevertheless, I realize that's no excuse for waiting until Thursday for a weekly Wednesday post. Forgive me?

I do have some awesome news about last week's giveaway: we have a winner! SlimKicker has chosen Mitch's challenge idea, which was: "My challenge idea is to do stand up and stretch every 20 mins during the workday. Sitting for long periods of time can kill you." Mitch, please send me an email (trebletart at gmail dot com) with your contact information, so you can receive your awesome new crock pot! Thanks to everyone who entered! Stay tuned for the next opportunity to win something (as I guarantee there will be one).

And now, without further ado, I give you this week's "What I Love Wednesday Thursday" list.


1. These are some pretty cute cakes! Are there any that particularly inspire you?

2. What a great compilation of things everyone should know how to do. Summer goals, maybe?

3. I know I included a link for foods that cure common ailments last week, but I couldn't resist adding an addendum to that sentiment: here is a great list of "Eat This, Not That!" suggestions.

4. Looking for some great books to delve into this summer? Even if sci-fi/fantasy isn't your cup of tea, many of these hardly even fall under that category. Give 'em a try!

5. I'm always on the lookout for delicious smoothie recipes, and this "Happy Shake" looks like a wonderful addition to my collection! What about you?

6. This is a very inspiring short story/quote. It would be a good one to print out and tape on your mirror!

7. Are you bored of camping in "normal" tents? I think this might rekindle your love of the outdoors!

8. Here is an interesting article about diet vs. exercise and their roles in weight loss.

9. Wow! Some crazy cool pictures here!

10. July 4th is coming up! Do you have any delicious dessert ideas to help you celebrate? I think you should try these out.

Blast From the Past

I am going to blame my infrequency in blogging on the fact that I am a full-time student. Yep. That's it. Not because I'm lazy or I forgot to bring my camera back to school with me... again. I hope you understand that these things happen.

Nonetheless, I'm prepared to share a lovely recipe/experience with you from this past summer: 4th of July Sugar Cookies!

Back in July (which seems like such a long time ago, now that I'm thinking about pumpkin-related items -- yum), I did a little internet sleuthing to come up with some fun ideas for Independence Day desserts. Fruit seemed to be a popular theme, I noticed, ranging from Fruit Pizza (a recipe for another day, I promise) to Pavlova to Shortcake. I do love me some fruit, but I decided I wanted to branch out (in?) and stick with some good ol' fashioned sugar cookies.

The recipe I ended up using for the cookies themselves was a cross between Betty Crocker and Martha Stewart. They were thick, but not too thick, and chewy -- just the way I like 'em. As for the icing, I opted to try a recipe I found on one of my favorite food blogs. I have to admit I didn't like it at all, though, so I won't divulge whose it was. It tasted too much like powdered sugar and not enough like icing, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not get it to thicken up (without risking it tasting even more like powdered sugar). All in all, it was a nice try, but I think I'll see if I can find a different recipe next time.

I also realized halfway through decorating that I had made quite a lot... These cookies lasted for weeks. Probably a few weeks longer than they should have. Oh well! They were good.

When it comes down to it, however, the thing I really love about these cookies is how versatile they are. You can decorate them however you want, you'd just have to change the colors of the icing to suit your needs. The holidays are just around the corner!

Sugar Cookies

3/4 C unsalted butter, softened
1 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1. Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together before adding to wet. Mix until incorporated.
2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface and use fun-shaped cookie cutters to cut shapes out (I made squares, circles, stars, and rectangles).
3. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place shapes on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 6 minutes. Let cool before icing.

Icing

1 C powdered sugar
1 Tbs light corn syrup
1 tsp milk
1 drop lemon juice

1. Cream all ingredients together in a stand mixer until desired consistency.
2. Add milk if too thick. Add powdered sugar if too runny.
3. Divide the icing into desired amount of bowls (one per color). Dye each bowl with gel food coloring until desired hue.