Happy VDay to My Geeky SEM Friends!
Ahhh! I had way too much fun making these! Happy Valentine’s day to my fellow nerdy Online Marketing friends! Hope your ROI is high and your excel isn’t crashing.
hahaha
Grapefruit Sandwich Cookies
They’re refreshing with a zing- Thanks Peter for the intro! and guess what I posted the recipe! It’s here! It’s here! hi Peter Hi!
You know how you can make cookies/cakes/baked treats with lemon zest- well you can do the same with grapefruit! All you need is one grapefruit, a zester, and a delicate/decisive touch (but that just sounds wrong).
Don’t have a zester? Check out your cheese grater and look for the side with the smaller holes. That works too!
My coworkers think I have a thing for zesters and I don’t quite blame them after incessantly talking about them and after bringing one to work last week in my gym bag. I did have a perfectly acceptable excuse though- we were making strawberry shortcakes over lunch and zest from a lemon makes such a great addition to the strawberries!
What is zest? Is it your zest for life? kapow! Most definitely. I think of it as a concentrated flavor of a fruit (most usually citrus) that you’re adding to a dish. The word is French and was first used in 1674. Magnifique! It’s the outer skin of a fruit. You’ve probably seen it in different jams like marmalade. It’s edible and a great edition to any treat. When you are grating it off, be sure not to grate down too far. The pith which is the white part directly under the skin can be bitter and not the most pleasant to eat.
Valentine’s Day Baking Ideas
Valentine’s Day is one of my absolute favorite days to bake. There’s so many cute themed treats! Also I get to dress Peanut up like this:
or this…
He loves both outfits, can’t you tell? haha
Baking Ideas for Valentine’s Day from my Blog:
Strawberry and Rosemary Scones (cut in heart shapes!)
Cranberry Orange Nut Bread (wrapped up in a big pink bow!)
Classic Chocolate Cake (w/ raspberry filling and Valentine’s day sprinkles!)
Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter (everyone loves some chocolate on Vday!)
Salted Nutella Fudge (use heart shaped cookie cutters and a dash of pink sprinkles!)
Lava Cookies (easier than lava cakes and portable for a Vday Picnic!)
Ultimate Ginger Cookies (oo baby they’ll love you for-ever!)
Carrot Cake Cookies (unbelievable.)
The Best Rolled Out Sugar Cookies (Go to town with Valentine’s themed cookies!)
Valentine’s Day Themed Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Raspberry Frosting (yum!) + a tutorial on Chocolate Hearts!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Applying for a Student Visa in France Part 1
ai! As of this very second I am printing out my acceptance letter from the Cordon Bleu- a little less than 2 months from my start date. eek! Super exciting and nerve raking especially because of how long each step has taken so far. You might think applying for a visa is easy? oh no. Not so much. Expect a couple hours sitting in front or a computer staring blank at the screen or a step by step instructional video to be played along with printed instructions (and that’s if you’re lucky).
I was listening to a podcast today, Katia and KylieMac.. oh wait! first sidetrack! I’m working on a post on learning french and expat blogs/podcasts to check out and I absolutely love these girls! So sad they aren’t doing it any more! One is from America and the other, Australia, and they talk all about their life in France. I love that it’s day to day mundane stuff! Well Kyliemac was taking classes at a university in France, complaining about how difficult it is not knowing the language to a French girl. The French girl says, well you pretty much have to figure it out yourself, you ask questions and get no where, that’s just how France is. And yes, so far that has been my experience too. Made me giggle.
But anyways!
What do you need to get a student visa in France as of 2013?
#1 Allow LOTS and Lots of time (2-3 months before you leave) and try to move as quickly as you can from step to step. Most of the time is spent waiting.
#2 Consult your closest consulate (all of the required docs are different, even though we’re all coming from the same country…). My closest consulate is Houston.
#3 Fill out an application on Campus France. (This is the pre-visa step to legitimize your school acceptance? I think?)
The application you do depends on what program you’re doing. You can apply to a French institution through Campus France (either undergrad or grad) or you apply to the school independently and then come back to the site to fill out paperwork. This would be for studying abroad, or like I’m doing, taking a class independently of a US institution. The actual application is incredibly convoluted. I was gnashing my teeth thinking up ways of how I could improve the process. This is the process where you watch a video and follow instructions all while filling out screen after screen of different things. I would allow a full afternoon for it. Everything you need to fill out is super easy things you already know but it just takes time to get through.
After you fill that out, you need a copy of your final acceptance letter from your institution. This along with $100 money order (not a check or credit card payment) :-) has to be sent to the Campus France office in DC to be processed? No idea what they’re doing that requires $100. Then you wait- up to three weeks – for a confirmation email through the Campus France email system.
*This is the step I’m at soooo I will be checking it every day starting about a week after I mail my letter. Because! Until I receive my confirmation email, I can’t sign up for an interview at the consulate and you can’t sign up for a interview any sooner than 90 days before your term starts. Lots of dependencies on previous steps. Super fun- in a geeky/I like to be organized kinda way. haha
Just think good thoughts about how soon, you will be here:
Champs Elysees, Paris France {credit}
Part 2 ~ When I get my confirmation email from Campus France. :-)
My Favorite Sites for Healthy Eating & Fitness
New years are such a good time to get back on the healthy eating track after lots of treats over the holiday. Some people are pro-resolutions, some are not! I’m neutral. If it motivates you to make a change, I say go for it! Mine oo I hate to say it because it’s so typical, is to drop a couple pounds. I’ve always had a belly (must be the butter in those treats I like to make?) and I’d love to lose it! Not a bad jig especially since I’m leaving for pastry school here pretty soon. So goal- drop a few before the new move so my pre-pastry school weight isn’t quite as bad as my post. :-) :-)
We’re almost to the end of January! and now’s the time when it gets so rough to keep on to those goals. Here’s my tips for you! Hopefully they help a little bit.
1. Stick to it! Weight loss is hard, and takes consistency. But also remember that no one is perfect. One day won’t ruin your good strides but also don’t take it as an excuse to go all crazy for a couple days. Acknowledge it, then jump back in the next day.
2. Find an exercise that you like! Groupon is perfect for trying out different things in the fitness realm. I’ve gone from running, to yoga, to Camp Gladiator. It can also be as simple as walking around the block.
3. Exercising doesn’t mean you eat back those calories you burn. *this one is SO hard for me!
4. Drink lots and lots of water and get lots of sleep. I totally just ordered this water bottle that tracks how much you drink~so excited! I don’t care how much the guys at work make fun of me. ;-) haha
5. Eat well. Weight loss is 80% nutrition/20% exercise. Meal planning really helps.
A couple of my favorite healthy eating & fitness sites:
- Pinterest! Look in the Health/Fitness category. I also have a Healthy Food board. oh my gosh I have so many recipes I want to try!!
- Tone it Up! I LOVE Tone it Up. Katrina and Karena~the Tone it Up girls! The site is geared toward women. They release workouts every Tuesday, healthy recipes a couple times a week, and do nutrition/fitness challenges. I love how they promote healthy eating and are so positive. There’s also a great community full of supportive people. They also work with Self and LiveStrong Woman.
- Blogilates - She’s so peppy and passionate about health. Great workouts! They’re short and kick your butt!
- Rabbit Food for my Bunny Teeth – Healthy recipe ideas.
- Skinnytaste - a new favorite! A mecca of healthy recipes. Can’t wait to try the Sweet Potato Turkey Shepard’s Pie. I also like how she includes calories and WW points on all her recipes.
- The Clever Carrot – I like the focus on seasonal recipes. Everything looks so tasty. On my list: Sweet Chili Shrimp Stir Fry
Other great resources: Cooking Light, Whole Foods, Self, Fitness Magazine, Eating Well
What are your favorite health and fitness sites?
I’m also looking for guest post-ers! If you’re interested, shoot me an email at toffeebitsandchocolatechips@gmail.com.
