10 Things that make me happy

Yesterday, I had so many thoughts about How I Met Your Mother that I forgot about the topic for the Blog Every Day challenge. I obviously haven't been doing every prompt, but I had been planning on doing the happiness one all along because duh, happiness is kinda the theme of this whole blog. And I'm a rule-breaker and stuff, so I'm posting it today.

10 things that make me happy:

1. Macaroni and cheese. You guys, I eat a lot of mac and cheese... like... a lot. It's my favorite. Hands down. 
2. Buying new fingernail polish. Garrett thinks that I already have every color and I don't need more, but you can never have too many colors, right? Right. 
3. Stripes. I love stripes, you guys. On anything. Phone cases. Shirts. My fingernails. Scarves. Anything. My closet is so stripe-heavy. You guys would laugh. 
4. Hugs. There are few things better than a big hug from someone you love. 
5. Sending and receiving mail. I love writing letters and notes to people. And if you've ever sent me a card, I promise I still have it. 
6. Pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. You can ask anyone that knows me in real life. I start counting down to PSL day months in advance. They are my favorite thing in the entire world. 
7. Inside jokes. I don't have too many friends anymore (you know, adulthood), so I treasure the friendships that I have very much. Having secrets and inside jokes is silly, but they're special to me. 
8. "Just saying hi!" texts. Knowing someone is thinking about me always makes me all warm and fuzzy.
9. The Backstreet Boys Pandora station. I'm known for blasting boy band music all the time. I'm also kind of known for being perpetually stuck in 1999. Not sorry 'bout it.
10. My iPhone. Sometimes it still blows me away that I have a tiny device in my hand that can connect me with my fiancé 4.5 hours away, teach me about the Great Wall of China, identify the new song on the radio, and keep me updated on news all around the world. It's crazy, right?

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On Spoilers and The Internet

So, last night on How I Met Your Mother, we met.... the mother! I was going to post a picture of her, but decided against it because.. well, that's what this entire post is about.

One thing I love about social media is how I can watch my favorite shows and immediately discuss it with all of my blog/Twitter friends. I don't have to wait till I see my friends the next time. They're right there, ready to discuss. It's the best. Right, Emma?

When I signed onto Tumblr at approximately 8:32pm EST (two minutes after the show had gone off), there were at least ten pictures of the mother's face. I obviously didn't care, because I had been watching. But there were some angry, angry Tumblr-ers, let me tell you. Some were west coast people, some where cable-less people, and some just hadn't seen it yet. 

This is pretty common though, right? The night that Ben and Leslie got engaged on Parks and Rec, the internet went nuts. But it was the same issue that night. People were mad that the internet spoiled the show for them.

So what are your thoughts on this? I've always been solidly in the "if you don't want to be spoiled, don't get on social media" camp, but lately I've started to change my mind. If I have thoughts I want to share, but they're spoilery, I try to put them under a 'Read More' option, so people can avoid them if they choose. But is there a window of time that you should wait before you post your thoughts on the internet? Does it vary by website? I don't want to give up discussing my shows on Twitter, but I'd be willing to wait a few days before I posted something on Tumblr or Blogger.

Also, is it different for movies? When The Dark Knight Rises came out, I narrowly avoided spoilers a lot. I rarely see movies the weekend they come out (crowds? no thanks.), but by waiting, do I open myself up for it to be spoiled for me? How long should a movie be out before it's okay to discuss it openly? The weekend? A week? A month? I'm not sure.

So what are your thoughts here? Is there a window where it's considered courteous to keep your mouth shut? Or is it your responsibility to avoid spoilery things as much as you can?

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Last week, I posted that I made a chicken and rice casserole that I found in the March 2013 issue of the Food Network Magazine. As promised, here is the recipe, along with my thoughts/advice/commentary.

FYI: This recipe is supposed to be made in an ovenproof skillet. You prepare all the ingredients in the skillet, and then put the entire thing into the oven. I don't have one of those (note to self: add to wedding registry!) so I just prepared everything in my nonstick skillet and transferred it to a glass baking dish. Both should have walls at least a few inches tall, as there are lots of ingredients to throw in!)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 scallions, sliced (I used onions since I already had them at home)
2 cups broccoli florets (frozen is fine)
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, skin removed
1 cup medium grain rice
1 plum tomato, chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup grated dill havarti cheese (the recipe calls for diced, but it's easier to spread around if it's grated)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Prepare

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet (see above) over medium heat. Add garlic and scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about two minutes.

2. Add the broccoli, chicken, rice, tomato, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.

3. Whisk the chicken broth and sour cream in a bowl. Pour into skillet and bring to a simmer. Add half the havarti. Stir to combine. Let simmer for three to five minutes, until the rice has just started to cook.

4. If you've prepared everything in an ovenproof skillet, simply cover tightly with aluminium foil and put it in the oven to bake. If you've used a regular skillet, SLOWLY pour the ingredients into your baking dish. After you've poured, stir briefly to make sure all the ingredients (especially the rice) are spread evenly through the dish. The first time I made this, the rice all got piled up in one corner, and didn't cook properly.

5. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the rice is soft and most of the liquid is absorbed.

6. Uncover, add remaning havarti and parmesan cheese. Broil for about two minutes, until the top starts to turn brown.

7. Serve and enjoy!!

If anyone makes it, let me know what you think! It takes a long time to prepare, but it's SUPER easy. I think you guys will like it!

Happy Mother's Day (a mostly pictures post)

It was a beautiful day

for lots of food

and lots of sunshine

 

and lots of fun.

I meannnnnnnnn....

We ended the day at my aunt's house for homemade strawberry ice cream and some quality time with my two favorite teenagers.

And since I looked really freakin' cute, here are some pictures. The detail on the back of this top may have solidified it as my Favorite Shirt Ever. And I got it from Kohl's for $11.99. So that's awesome.

 

I'm a fashion blogger now, right?!

And finally, some comedy:

Hope everyone had a great day!!!!!

(For the record, this post went up at 11:59pm. Still TOTALLY OWNING this blog every day challenge.)