Pardon My French

Have you given up on your new years resolutions already? If so: eat this. If not: read this, drool, and consider a cheat day. 

Hot Chocolate French Toast. Not one or the other. Not one with the other. Both. Combined into one delicious breakfast (or brunch, lunch, dinner...because breakfast is good at any meal). Zack and I first tried this recipe out on Christmas morning, and it was love at first bite. All you have to do is add a packet of hot chocolate powder to the egg/milk/cinnamon combination and you're ready to go. Our hot chocolate had mini marshmallows in it, and I think that only made it better! (Think of all the hot chocolate variations there are out there. We have Sea Salt Caramel Hot Chocolate in our pantry right now too, and I'm dying to try that one out next time.) Finally, top it off with syrup and a little whipped cream (as you would your favorite cup of cocoa) and enjoy!

XO – Courtney

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Hot Chocolate French Toast

INGREDIENTS

· 4 Slices of Bread

· 3 Eggs

· 3/4 Cup Milk

· 1/2 t Cinnamon

· 1 Packet Hot Chocolate Powder

· Syrup (Optional Topping)

· Whipped Cream (Optional Topping)

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk eggs and milk together.

2. Slowly pour cinnamon and hot chocolate into egg and milk mixture.

4. Pour mixture into a shallow bowl or dish. Take bread slices and soak both sides in the mixture.
5. Place bread slices on frying pan over medium-low heat and cook until browned on both sides (about 2-3 minutes per side).
6. Top with syrup & whipped cream. Enjoy!

Makes 2 servings.

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Turn of the Century

I've officially joined the 25 club. You never know what each year has in store, but for some reason, this year seems even more mysterious...in a good and exciting way. Last year I made a list of 24 things I wanted to do while I was 24. I managed to cross of half the list, and I don't feel defeated that I didn't accomplish all 24 because I know I did so much more than what made the list. I'm in the process of creating one for my 25th year now; however, this might be a shorter list with bigger goals (like planning a wedding for starters).

Another thing on my list: not to neglect this blog! I've been pretty terrible this month, but I explained myself a little in my last post. I promise (again) that I'll be back on track soon, but I did enjoy a great (and much deserved) vacation with my family, and I DID drive across the country (again) remember?

Never in a  million years would I have thought that I would drive cross-country less than a year after doing it for the first time, and surprisingly, it wasn't as terrible as I thought. I'm not going to lie, I love to travel and explore new places, so I was excited to see new places BUT the long days in the car...dreaded it.

3 days and over 2500 miles. 

I-40 is definitely pretty boring at times, but it's still pretty amazing to me how big and how different our country is. Car games and smartphones deserve a round of applause as well. And now that I'm basically a professional roadtripper, I'm hoping to make some more (shorter) road trips in the next year and explore all there is on the west coast (add that to the "25" list too).

XO – Courtney

and then this happened...

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Sweater Weather

In case you haven't noticed, 2015 is in full swing. 16 days in and I already feel like I need a vacation (says the girl who is currently unemployed and on vacation). I feel like I haven't posted in forever (it has been since last year, after all), and we've got some catching up to do.

December 31 marked not only the last day of 2014, but the last day of my job as a CAD Artist with Kellwood. I'm not sure how much I've diverged on that job, but it was a great experience and really bumped up my resume and experience to where I wanted/needed it to be...BUT...it was only temporary. I knew from the beginning that there could be an end. There was a small chance it would turn full time but it just wasn't in the books. But that 2 month temp job did turn into 5 months, so I can't complain about that. So along with 2014, I say goodbye to Kellwood. And with 2015, I say hello to all the new and exciting opportunities ahead! And 2015, you have yet to disappoint me. Zack and I have both already had some really unexpected and exciting doors open for us in these first few weeks of the year. Some of those doors have just been cracked open for us and we're working on kicking them open and seizing those opportunities. 

Along with the unemployment, I've had time to reflect and renew and do some preparation for the upcoming year for myself and for the blog. I mentioned it in a past post, but I've got some new things planned for 2015. Not everything will be happening all at once but along with the food and fashion, I'm going to start sharing some DIY posts, wedding posts, and more. I guess I'm turning this into more of a "lifestyle" blog..if you want to give it a name. 

But right now I'm laying on a bed in my family's house in Wake Forest, NC enjoying some much needed time with friends and family on the east coast. My week here is almost over, and it has been a whirlwind of fun, food, and friends...and the early stages of planning a wedding (more to come on that in a future post!). NC has also been so friendly to welcome me home with highs in the 30s almost every day, along with a little mid-week ice storm. 

Loving my time in NC, but I can say with certainty that I cannot wait to get back to the west coast when a 60 degree day is considered chilly (and having my fiance there waiting for me is a plus too)! However, even though my days left in NC are numbered, my days until warm and sunny Los Angeles are a little more distant. I told you guys, January isn't messing around. I'll be making another venture across the good ole' US of A. Zack and I decided to buy a car, and of course we chose one that's located in NC so...here I go again! This trip will definitely much faster than the last, but I still plan on making it an adventure and taking in all the new sights I will see and places I will be.

And when to going gets tough, I'll just look at these pictures of last week's beach day, and look forward to another day of longboarding, when a sweater is the only thing I'll need to stay warm (if that!). 

XO – Courtney

weather [madewell] // pants [target] // hat [target] // 

shoes [adidas] // sunnies [raybans]

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