Where to go Apple-Picking Near Boston

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I love apples! I love fun outdoor activities in fall! Add one and one together and clearly I'm a big fan of apple picking.

For the past few years, however, I've been a city girl. Getting to an apple orchard was easy in high school, when I lived in (practically) rural New Hampshire, but now farms are fewer and further in between.

But never fear! There are still many great places to go apple picking in Boston. Here are a list of the top five!

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How to Make the Most of A Long Weekend!

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It's MLK Day weekend and, while the holiday doesn't generate the same enthusiasm in most as the recent holiday season did, it's still a nice three day weekend and a great break after readjusting to the 5+ day work week that makes most of our lives. Getting back into the swing of things after a long vacation can be tough!

It's easy for a weekend (or even a long weekend) to fly by before we even really realized that it arrived. Here are some fun ways to make the most of this long weekend and really enjoy it!

Have at least one cozy evening in with a book and a movie.

This can be lovely with a loved one or a good friend, or all by yourself. We all need some tranquility and it's important not to skip unwinding over the weekend. That way, we're all rested for the new week!

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Recipe: Better than Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

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I grew up in a suburb in North Carolina, so when the weather wasn't great outside, there were no good movies playing in the theaters, and our mothers were all tired out by one too many sleepovers, the fun thing to do with friends was go to the mall!

I tend to have sensory memory of things, so when I think back to those pre-teen afternoons spent walking around the mall, laughing, trying on clothes, and talking about anything and everything, I especially remember the sounds and smells (and, to a lesser extent, sights) of the mall.

Other than the amazing warm, sweet smell by the mall cookie shop during the holidays and the strong floral scent by the Bath & Bodyworks store, one of the smells that stands out the most is the buttery, spicy, sweet smell by the Cinnabon shop!

I was always more of an ice cream or cookies girl when it came to dessert, and more of a cereal or bread girl when it came to breakfast, so I'm not sure if I ever bought anything from the Cinnabon. I certainly remember enjoying the smell, however, so I was thrilled when I got to make cinnamon rolls for a roommate's potluck!

Pre-frosting, but don't worry - I frosted them!

Not only did these cinnamon rolls get rave reviews from his coworkers (not a single roll remained after the potluck) but our apartment smelled like a Cinnabon for hours!

The recipe is easy to make, sure to please, and both a lot more budget-friendly and brings you a lot closer to your food than a trip to a Cinnabon would, so enjoy!

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Things to Do On NYC's UES

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NYC is an incredibly colorful, vibrant city and I've been lucky to call it home for going on a year and a half now! The city is split into a number of different neighborhoods and, while the city isn't particularly geographically large, it feels enormous because of how many different cultures and subcultures it houses within its different neighborhoods!

I live in lower Manhattan and there is a huge difference between lower Manhattan and upper Manhattan. For the first year+ that I've lived here, I've stuck mostly to lower Manhattan. My favorite bits of the city are Union Square and below (though the Upper West Side is quite nice), so it just made sense. I've recently decided to branch out a bit, however, and took the time to hop on the 4/5 train to the Upper East Side.

Upper East Side

Surprise! It wasn't the stiff and boring home of elderly WASPs that I thought it might be. The UES is as charming as any other bit of NYC! Read on for some of my favorite things to do on NYC's Upper East Side.

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7 Reasons to See Pixar's 'Inside Out'!

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'Minions' comes out in just a few days! I'm not sure who among I, the 22-year-old, and my little sister, the 10-year-old, is the more excited one.

An accurate representation of how we're responding to the approach of the 'Minions' movie release

Still, before you rush to the cinemas to see 'Minions,' there is another movie that is already out in the cinemas that you should definitely consider watching.

Pixar's 'Inside Out'!

I had high hopes for this movie, because it's a Pixar movie and I love all things Disney, but it exceeded my already high expectations by far. I loved every moment of the movie!

If you haven't seen 'Inside Out' yet, here are seven reasons why you should!

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Better Brunching: Easy Spinach Quiche Recipe

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Brunch is a great social occasion and one of the best meals of the weekend!

But it can be pricey. And eating out requires you to get dressed and go out in public. That's generally a good thing, but let's be honest - after a Saturday night of hard partying, the last thing you want to face is the crowded NYC subway or slow LA traffic.

You just want food.

For Sundays when you'd like to save some money, get your food without leaving your house, or just show off your inner domestic goddess, here's a quick and easy quiche recipe!

Easy Spinach Quiche

Serves Six

* 2 Tbsp Margarine
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 10 oz bag frozen spinach
* 1 unbaked pie crust (I used a Harris Teeter brand 9" deep dish frozen crust)
* 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
* 5 eggs, beaten
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
* 1/4 c. fresh grated parmeson cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350F.

2) Melt margarine in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and frozen spinach, stirring occasionally. Cook until all the water from the frozen spinach has evaporated.

3) Mix 1.5 c. of the cheddar cheese with the eggs and spices in a large bowl. Add the vegetable mixture from the pan, mix well.

4) Pour eggy filling into the crust.

5) Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese and the parmesan cheese on top.

6) Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until center has set.



7) Cut into sixths and serve warm - or cold! This is also great as leftovers later on in the day, so it's perfect for a Sunday.

Brunching out is fun now and then, but it's just as fun to try doing it yourself sometimes!

What's your favorite thing to make for brunch when you have guests?

What percentage of the time do you go out vs. stay in for brunch with friends?

What's your favorite kind of quiche?

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Five Facts Friday

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Happy Friday! Friday is definitely one of the best days of the week (though Saturday gives it a run for its money, Sunday is Fun Day, and Thursdays are pretty great for me this semester, too).

Anyway, this post isn't about ranting about how great over half of the weekdays are. It's a holiday-themed Five Facts Friday!

Why? Because holidays are AWESOME and it's finally that time of year again!

Fact #1: Starbucks is not losing the holiday-themed beverage market anytime soon.

Have you heard of the new Caramel Brulee flavor? It comes as both a latte and a frappucino (but why would you ever choose a latte when you could have a frappe? Even in winter?) and is already climbing to cult status. Maybe it's the next pumpkin hit?

They also have Peppermint Mocha, Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte, and the usual creamy hot chocolates, so they're not going anywhere fast.

Fact #2: Dunkin' Donuts still can't hold a flame snowflake to Krispy Kreme. 

Okay, so I'm a little biased. What can I say? I'm a southern girl and Krispy Kreme is just better than the Yankee alternative. But seriously!

The new Snowman Doughnuts are adorable, y'all.

Also, slightly related request - can we please, please, pretty please have a white Christmas this year? Living in NC, I haven't had one in ages. But even in the north, snow always seems to come after (occasionally before, but sadly generally after) Christmas. I love snow in December, but snow in January and February is often just cold and wet. Bah-humbug!

Fact #3: There is entirely not enough Home Alone in the ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas Line-Up

So I've already checked out the schedule.



What can I say? I'm a tad Christmas obsessed.

Or maybe more than a tad.

I love the new Christmas movies as much as the next girl, but the Home Alone movies (yes, all of them) are such a part of a traditional Christmas for me! Why is there barely any Home Alone on the schedule? WHY?

Fact #4: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is still going strong with the 87th annual parade this year!

It's a lovely tradition and the lineup looks pretty great this year, as usual. 

From the 2012 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

For the sake of the parade alone, I hope the department store stays in business for a long time!

Fact #5: Time is flying this semester!

I've said it before and I'm saying it again - this fall is passing in a flash! I'm not sure why it's going by so fast, but I can't say that I mind. It's been really fun (if fast!) so far!

What is(are) your favorite day(s)  of the week?

Have you started your Thanksgiving prep yet?

Is anyone else already elbow-deep in Christmas movies and music? #sorryimnotsorry since October

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Snarky Stylist: Sweet Summer Look!

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It's approximately mid-summer (at least for those of us who count seasons by academic breaks) and the perfect time to asses whether you're getting everything out of your summer that you want.

But it's also Saturday - so use at least part of the day to relax and enjoy a DIY pedicure and fun summer fashion!

summer by lle-schreiber featuring a cross-body

Desigual
$140 - zalando.co.uk

Wedge shoes
$750 - thenandnowshop.com

Forever 21 cross body
forever21.com

Aldo
aldoshoes.com

Brooch
topshop.com

Necklace
modcloth.com

Philosophy body moisturizer
philosophy.com

Philosophy beauty product
drugstore.com

ULTA beauty product
ulta.com

I think that should be on everyone's summer to-do list, anyway.

What are you doing this summer?

How do you determine seasons?

What is your favorite Saturday tradition?

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Friday's Fabulous Five!

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I'm still riding high on summer happiness!

Will it ever wear off?

Probably not until September, when school starts again!

Since it's summer, it doesn't really matter (at least not to me) that it's Friday. Still, what better day to celebrate the fabulosity that is life?

In honor of Friday and the weekend, here are this Friday's fabulous five - five things that make today (and other days) fabulous!

1) NYC is full of all sorts of frozen treats.

Not mine (yet) from Holey Cream

Frozen yogurt, ice cream, vegan ice cream, frozen bananas, soft serve, hard hand dipped, ice cream stuffed doughnuts - any kind of icy sweet treat that you could want! And the best part? A lot of them even deliver!

2) The NYC Public Library system. 

It has tons of great fiction titles and allows 15 holds at a time, to be requested for pickup at any of their libraries!

3) Summer means more fashion freedom and more time to put together cute outfits!

4) Apples.

Recycled photo. Yum.

5) Apple.

I can't believe I was a PC girl only five years ago. Luckily, I have grown to see the errors of my ways.

What are your Fab Five?

What are you up to this weekend?

What is your favorite frozen treat?

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Survey Time

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I saw this survey over at Better With Sprinkles and it looked like a lot of fun. Since I haven't done a survey in a while, I've decided to make this post really light-hearted and fun.

List time!

5 Things I’ve Eaten Lately:

1. Frozen Girl Scout Cookies. Does anyone else like buying way too many, so that you can pull a box out of the freezer sometime randomly in the year and be like 'YAY, GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!'

If you think Thin Mints are better than Caramel Delites, we can't be friends.

Just kidding (kind of).

2. Greek yogurt. I'm still obsessed. I don't think I'll ever get over my obsession. 

I eat a lot of non-vegan things (I'm definitely not vegan), but that's the one that makes me go 'no waaaay would I ever give up dairy.'

3. Apples. When do I ever not eat apples? I'm kind of obsessed with those, too, they're too delicious to be real. And yet they are.

Mind = blown.

4) Random chocolate bakes and microwave cakes, especially frosted with more chocolate.

5. Chocolate. To follow from the above item, I have been all over chocolate lately. Yummy? Yes. And an excellent jolt of caffeine, which may partly explain why the chocolate kick got really intense over finals.

Or just that chocolate beats chem, any day.

5 Favorite Summer Treats:

1. Ice cream/frozen yogurt. 

Massive Scoops = AWESOME.

Wait, hold on - that's an all-year-round favorite.

2. Watermelon. I like it really chilled (near frozen) and it's even better on the beach!

3. Barbequed vegetarian bratwurst. There's nothing that screams German summer more than grilling bratwurst!

My condiments of choice are mustard and curry ketchup (it's a thing, I promise, and quite popular in Germany). 

4. Tofu Dogs. I don't know why, but somehow oblong soy protein is a summer food for me. 

Yum, it's been too long!

5. Random salads. Like the one above with the tofu dog! I don't eat salads as much during the rest of the year, but crisp, fresh salads are awesome in the heat of the summer. Followed by ice cream, of course!

5 Places I Want to Live Someday:

1. New York City - and yay, I'm living here again this summer!

Only in New York

2. Somewhere in Germany. I spent 3 months living there a while over a year ago and I just really love the culture! Being so close to my extended family would also be nice.

3. Los Angeles. Sunshine, palm trees, and Hollywood - what else could an aspiring actress want? I hope to move there after graduation! Which is still a while for me, but at least this year's finals are over :P

4. London. Again, it would be fun to be closer to extended family. And between the awesome accents, fabulous fashion, and streets full of history, what's not to love?

Um...so how long do I have to live there to get one of those snazzy accents myself?

5. Paris. I've never actually been to Paris, so I don't know if I actually ever want to live there (maybe not) but I'd definitely love to visit sometime!

It sounds amazing.

Do you like combining flavors, or keeping foods separate? I used to keep all of my foods separate as a kid, but in the past few years I've started loving complex flavors more and more. Now I barely ever eat just one flavor at once!

What's your favorite summer treat?

What's one place where you want to live, but haven't lived yet?

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Healthy Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

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Instead of a recipe round-up this week, Friday Foodie Finds style, I have a recipe that I made up just for y'all!



And, um, my crazy chocolate sweet tooth...



But seriously, two new recipes in a week - whaaaaat?

These chocolate peanut butter cups are healthy, natural, made of just a few ingredients, and are 100% vegan to boot!



And they're just ridiculously delicious. So that's pretty awesome.



You can whip them up in five minutes (less if it's hot out and your coconut oil is already melted) and they are ready to eat after an hour in the freezer.

Healthy Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

Chocolate -
* 1/3 c. coconut oil (I used Tropical Traditions), melted
* 0.5 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's baking)
* 3/4 c. Cane Sugar (I used Alter Eco Organic Mascobado Cane Sugar)
* 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Filling -
* 1/3 c. creamy peanut butter (I used Earth Balance)
* 8 Ritz Crackers, crushed
* 1/4 c. Cane Sugar (I used Alter Eco Organic Mascobado Cane Sugar)

1) Mix all of the chocolate ingredients together in a medium bowl.

2) Distribute 2/3 of the mixture among 7 cupcake liner-lined cupcake/muffin cups.

The finished chocolates, after freezing

3) Mix the peanut butter filling ingredients together in a small bowl.

4) Distribute the peanut butter filling between the seven cups. Smooth it out over the chocolate layer.

5) Fill the rest of the each cup with the remaining chocolate mixture.

6) Cover and freeze for approximately an hour, until hardened.

ENJOY!!

You can store the chocolates (if any are left) in the fridge or, even better, the freezer.

I'm not sure how long they last in there, because mine were all gone within three days. 

Yum!

Have you ever made your own chocolate? This was my first time, as I'd always been intimidated by the idea before. It sounds way tougher to make chocolate than it really is!

What's one recipe that intimidates you, but you want to try?

What's your favorite kind of chocolate?

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It's Tea Time!

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There are many great things that we just don't do often enough - lighting candles, having brunch with the girls, spending quality time with our families, wearing our favorite outfits, being grateful for the things that we like about ourselves, and...having tea parties!

It's the weekend, spring is arriving, and the weather is improving. No excuses! It's tea party time.

Tea parties are a great time to break out the cute dresses and wear something cute and fresh.

Tea Time by livelearneat featuring round sunglasses

Monserat De Lucca bracelets bangle
monseratdelucca.com

Mink Pink round sunglasses
$42 - theiconic.com.au

Vintage Victorian Era Parasol Tea Party Flowers
etsy.com

Reed & Barton Burgundy 5-Piece Tea Set
reedandbarton.com

MOR Cosmetics Tea Cup Candle 256g
zappos.com



Tea parties are also a great time to try out some fancy new teas. One of my favorite splurges is Guayaki chocolate tea. And though they're ridiculously overpriced, Yogi teas are also generally pretty delicious!

Seriously, Yogi. $5.99 for 20 tea bags? What do you put in there, flecks of gold?

If it would knock a little off of the price tag, I could go without the canned zen sayings on each tea bag's tag.

While Madelines and Lady's Fingers are classic tea snacks, making your own cucumber sandwiches and scones can be much more delicious and budget friendly!

If you make your snacks yourself, you may even have money left over to get a second box of Yogi tea.

Plus, you can make them just as you like them - like making them crispy and with hummus, like with this (sure to be yummy) Crispy Cucumber Sandwich recipe from PETA.

Now those look even better than the others to me. And I bet you could cut them into triangles if you really wanted to!

Do you actually like the Yogi tea tag sayings?

What's your favorite tea? I appreciate recommendations!

What's your favorite way to celebrate spring?

DISCLAIMER: All photos in this post are from the internet.

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Happy Easter!

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HAPPY EASTER!!!

Wow, is this a great weekend. It was my 20th birthday yesterday, it's Easter today. How fun, how could this weekend be better?

Well, Harvard could give us Easter Monday off from classes.

I'm C'MON, guys!

Anyway, here's a cute Easter Sunday outfit I've put together.

Easter Sunday by livelearneat featuring a high heel

Nina ricci dress
$1,210 - brownsfashion.com

Alexander McQueen high heel
alexandermcqueen.com

Stud earrings
$63 - pearlescence.co.uk

Kate Spade bracelets jewelry
katespade.com

Gorgeous Cosmetics pink eye shadow
nordstrom.com

Yves Saint Laurent yves saint laurent
yslbeautyus.com

Of course it's pastel pink. Why pass up an opportunity to wear pink?

I wish we had tomorrow off, so that I could visit my family and have spent my birthday with them (and watch my little sister go Easter egg hunting today)!

Oh well.

Do you have Easter Monday off?

What are you doing today?

What's your Easter Sunday outfit?

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