Black Friday

  It's Black Friday!  Time to exercise your credit cards -  Push them to the limit folks!  And, get in a big workout trying to snag that big screen TV before someone else grabs it.

Oh, yea, and it's also time for my world famous  usual Black Friday post.  

The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday and it is the biggest shopping day of the year.  For retailers, it marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. 

For those of us that are out there working on Black Friday, it's a crazy, long and tiring day.  Make sure you take those vitamins, drink lots of water, plaster a smile on your face and, well, just try to have some fun.

If you are out there shopping, it can get crazy, so, try to be safe.  Also, be nice to the store employees.  They don't make the rules or have any control over the amount of inventory the store has of that item you want to purchase.  So, go easy on them!

I'm not exactly sure how the day will go with the supply chain issues.  Some of the items that you want might still be on a ship, so, this should be interesting.

And now, what everyone has been waiting for, here is my famous Black Friday song playlist for your  listening pleasure:

Man in Black - Johnny Cash
Paint it Black - The Rolling Stones
Back in Black - AC/DC
Black Cat - Janet Jackson
Black Magic Woman - Santana
Black or White - Michael Jackson
Black Widow - Iggy Azalea
Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
Black - Pearl Jam
Blackbird - The Beatles
Black Betty - Ram Jam
Black Gold - Soul Asylum
Men in Black 3 Back in Time - Pitbull
Black Night - Deep Purple
Black Rain - Soundgarden
The Long Black Veil - Johnny Cash
Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
Black Velvet - Alannah Miles
Black Water - The Doobie Brothers
Men in Black - Will Smith

Blue on Black - Five Finger Death Punch

Now get out there and have some fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!

  In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast.  They invited the great Indian chief, Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food.  Governor Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests.  Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this;

"We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land.  We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice."

Linus Van Pelt
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

National Espresso Day

 This is it!  The day that my brother  everyone has patiently been waiting to celebrate....

 Happy National Espresso Day everyone!

What's the difference between espresso and plain coffee?  According to the professionals (the baristas), it doesn't matter what kind of bean you use (or how it was roasted) it's all how the beans are brewed.   How do you make espresso?  By forcing pressurized water through these finely ground coffee beans, it produces a concentrated brew with a delicate foam or crema.

The word espresso in Italian means "quick in time."   In the late 1800's, the espresso was made to order by using freshly ground roasted coffee beans and was freshly brewed right before serving.  The first espresso machine was invented in 1901 by the Italian inventor, Luigi Bezzera.  This machine produced a smaller, more concentrated cup of espresso than the traditional coffee brewing methods.  I'm sure RT is quite thankful for this invention.

Not an espresso or coffee drinker?

How about adding some espresso powder to your next batch of cookies?  The espresso powder can give your baked goods a tasty mocha flavor twist.

How about adding a shot of hot espresso to a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream?   Sounds strange but it's an Italian dessert called affogato.

Maybe you're more into latte's?  Why don't you try adding an espresso shot (or two) to your latte today.

Or, what about eating a chocolate espresso bean?  

Why do we love National Espresso Day?  It's a great way to wake you up!  A single shot of espresso can perk up the slowest morning person.  A few shots of espresso, and imagine all of the things you can get done today!?  Just ask RT, who is celebrating today and is probably on his fourth espresso right now.

How to observe the day?  Enjoy a shot of espresso and post it on social media using #NationalEspressoDay on your posts/photos.

Or, you can be like me.  Eat a handful of chocolate covered espresso beans and watching RT as he shakes from all of the caffeine he's had today.

Karen Stories

 Time for some more retail entertainment  Karen Stories.  This is where I get to share some of the weird  scary  strange  odd  interesting stories from my awful  frightening  fun retail job.

Today we start off with a customer asking an odd question.  I know, I know.  There are no stupid questions.  But, what do you say when someone asks you,  "Do your dressing rooms work?"  I wasn't exactly sure how I should respond to this question.  Is it a trick question, like the ones you use when you prank call someone, "Is your refrigerator running?  Better go catch it!"  ha ha ha.  Or is this question coming from a labor group wanting to know if the dressing rooms are showing up and performing their job?  Maybe the dressing rooms are going to form a union?  Do you see how this can be a little confusing?

I answered the phone at work the other day.  The caller was looking for children's snow pants.  I explained that we had quite the selection on the floor.  He told me that he would come in and have a little "looky loo."  

Let's not forget about my credit card inquiries.  We are told to ask customers to sign up with the company credit card.  Nothing like asking someone if they would like to add some debt to their life.  I don't get many people who willingly sign up for the card.  I get quite a few "No" answers.  Some are short and sweet and others a little rude.  The perk of signing up for the card is you can save money on that day's purchase.  When a customer has a large purchase, I do ask and let them know their savings for that order.  One day I asked a customer to sign up, the husband's response was, "We're not credit card people."  When I gave them the total dollar amount for their order, the wife whips out her credit card to pay the bill.  

And, one more story to let you know that retail people have a sense of humor.

My coworker realized that she was going to be sole cashier after I left for the day.  She asked me to cover the register while she takes a quick bathroom break.  Unfortunately we had a real long line of customers.  My coworker was getting uncomfortable and the line was getting longer.  I suggested she call up a back up and have him take her place.  When the back up appears, the line was gone and my coworker tells him, "I have to pee."  Without missing a beat he says, "I'm so glad that you called me up here to tell me that information."  

National Homemade Bread Day

 Today is National Homemade Bread Day.  It's a great day to make a loaf of your famous homemade sourdough bread and give it to your favorite sister.  

This day was created to encourage families to come together and enjoy making homemade bread.  It has been celebrated since the early 1980's.  Making bread is a great way to slow down and spend time with one another as we knead the bread dough, wait for it to rise or bake in the oven. 

There are many varieties of breads you can make today.  From Sourdough, rye, wheat, white and cheddar jalapeno.  To sweet breads, pretzels, buns, muffins, donuts and biscuits.  

Now is the time to brush off those breadmaking skills you learned during the pandemic quarantine and put them to good use.  Bake a loaf of bread and give to your sister  your friends and or neighbors.  Make a loaf or two just for you and your family to enjoy.   Don't forget to snap a few pictures for social media using #HomemadeBreadDay 

What kind of bread will you make today?

World Kindness Day

 World Kindness Day is an international holiday that was started back in 1998.  It is a day dedicated to large and small acts of kindness to bring us all together.  The World Kindness Movement states that the purpose of this day is to "highlight good deeds in the community" and to focus "on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us."

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you know that I'm BIG on Kindness and  have many posts dedicated to Random Acts of Kindness.  It's great that we have a day dedicated to Kindness and being kind to one another.  I just don't understand why we can't do this everyday?  This should be a normal, daily thing for all of us.  There really is no reason not to be kind.

Did you know that people who are constantly kind produce less cortisol (the stress hormone) and age slower than the rest of the population?  Another reason to be kind to others!

How can you celebrate World Kindness Day?

Do three Random Acts of Kindness today.  

Smile at someone, give compliments, hold the door open for someone.

Hug your loved ones and friends.

Write a love poem to yourself and read it aloud.  (You should be kind to yourself today, too)

If you need some other ideas, you can find more on this post or you can search "kindness" on the blog.

Here are some Ways to make Kindness a norm in your everyday life, taken from Randomactsofkindness.org :

1.  Send an uplifting text to a friend
2.  Let that car merge in front of you with a smile and a wave.
3.  Go out of your way once a day to make someone smile
4.  Compliment a friend or coworker
5.  Reach out to a family member you haven't spoken to in awhile
6.  Treat someone to a cup of coffee or tea (friend, coworker, stranger or even yourself)
7.  Add intentional moments of kindness, laughter and delight to your everyday routine

Don't forget to post your support of kindness on social media today by using #worldkindnessday

Have fun today!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

 I received a request for my Red Velvet Cupcakes from the birthday child.  The problem?  I could not remember where I placed the recipe.  I searched high and low until I finally stumbled upon the recipe (stuffed away in a recipe box that never sees the light of day).   I decided that it was time to put this famous recipe on the blog so I can find it when I need it.

If you are looking for an easy, delicious cupcake recipe, then check this one out.  No odd or unusual ingredients and very easy to make a batch.  The addition of the chocolate chips at the end makes them extra tasty.

This recipe has not been veganized.  I will work on that at a later time and update you with the results.

Here is the recipe:

Red Velvet Cupcakes

ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour

2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

2 TBSP red food coloring

3/4 cup low fat buttermilk

1/2 c butter, room temp

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp white distilled vinegar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Easy Frosting ingredients:

1/2 cup (vegan)  butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 TBSP non-dairy milk

For the cupcakes:

Oven 350F.

Line muffin pan and set aside.

Whisk together flour and cocoa powder and set aside.

In a glass measuring cup, add vanilla to buttermilk.  Mix.  Add in the red food coloring.  Mix and set aside.

Whip butter until soft.  Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Put eggs in one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  

Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk until just blended.

In a small cup, combine vinegar and baking soda, then add to the batter.  Add chocolate chips.

Put batter in muffin cups.  

Bake for 15-18 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean).

Let Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

Cream the butter until it appears whipped.  

Add powdered sugar, vanilla and non dairy milk.

Mix until frosting is light and fluffy.

Frost completely cooled cupcakes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*I use vegan butter when making these cupcakes.

*If you do not have buttermilk on hand, it's pretty easy to make.  Mix together I TBSP of white vinegar and 1 cup of milk.  I used oat milk for this recipe and it worked perfectly.

*I used 1/2 cup sugar and you could not tell the difference.

*The frosting recipe is vegan.  I'm sure it will work the same if you use regular butter.

If you try making the Red Velvet Cupcakes, let me know what you think in the comments.

Enjoy!

National Harvey Wallbanger Day

  Happy Harvey Wallbanger Day!

I wanted to make sure that everyone out there is celebrating today with me.  Of course, I'm starting early this morning, so I might be a few drinks ahead of you.

A Harvey Wallbanger is a fruity cocktail made with vodka, Galliano and orange juice.    It's basically a screw driver, but, a little fruitier.  Galliano is an Italian liqueur that contains Juniper, Anise, Mint and Vanilla.  If you are unable to locate Galliano, you can always substitute Kahlua, Triple Sec or peppermint Schnapps. 

Harvey Wallbangers originated in the sixties.  The story behind the drink goes something like this:  A bartender named Donato Antone created the drink and served it at a party.  The one person remaining after the party, Harvey, was banging his head against the wall.  There are a couple other stories floating around, but, I like that one the best.  The drink made it's debut to the rest of the world in 1968.  Galliano used Harvey in their marketing campaign in 1969 with, "Harvey Wallbanger is the name and I can be made."  The drink's name also became a metaphor to describe someone who goofs off or makes mistakes.  Harvey Wallbanger was also a frequent write in vote during elections.  

How can you observe Harvey Wallbanger Day?  Meet your friends at your local hang out and order a Harvey Wallbanger and toast good ol' Harvey (just don't be the one banging your head on the wall at the end of the night).  You can use #HarveyWallbangerDay when posting on social media.

How to make the perfect Harvey Wallbanger? 

1.5 oz Vodka
4 oz Orange juice
.5oz Galliano
cherry or orange slice for garnish

Mix vodka and orange juice.  Pour Galliano on top and don't mix it in the drink (you can pour over a spoon).  Garnish with a cherry or orange slice and serve.

Cheers!

Belly Ache Day

 Another Halloween has come and gone.  How much candy did you eat?

My Dad always called the day after Halloween, "Belly Ache Day."  The belly ache came from eating too much candy the day before (Halloween).  I never suffered on Belly Ache Day.  I was allowed a few pieces of candy on Halloween, and then the rest of my candy was squirreled away by my Mom.  Never to be seen again.  I think she probably threw it all in the garbage.  (Thanks, Mom)

If you have some energy and are looking for some ways to use up that Halloween candy (besides hiding it or throwing it away), check out my recipe for Halloween cupcakes.  You can make a few batches and give them out to the neighbors.   You can always donate some candy to a food pantry or bring candy to a nursing home (the seniors love getting the candy as a bingo prize!).

Here's hoping that you aren't suffering too much on this Belly Ache Day!