Awesome Cooking Playlist - Soothing Winter Songs

It's cold in Michigan right now.  I mean really cold.  The type of cold that tempts me to turn my living room into a fort of pillows and blankets and hibernate for the next month or two.  Instead of doing that though, I've been turning to music to get me by.  One of my favorite artists to listen to mid-winter is Gretchen Parlato.  She's a fantastic jazz singer with breathy vocals that soothe and have the ability to make my house feel cozy and warm.  And, as Michael Scott says, there's nothing classier than boring jazz music.  (although, I'd hardly call her music boring)

I snuck in some extra songs at the end that aren't of the "jazz" category but I think help nicely round out this playlist.  Included is a great Michigan-native band that Anne Marie introduced me to called Breathe Owl Breathe.  I also threw in a little Mumford and Sons, Paolo Nutini, and a few other miscellaneous artists.

I like to enjoy this playlist while spending a chilly evening cooking in a warm kitchen and sipping a glass of wine.  I can't think of a better way to relax!

Awesome Halloween Ideas - A Great Playlist and Great Crafts!

We interrupt this food blog to bring you....

HALLOWEEN!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  It's one of the few holidays that really inspires my creativity and that I have always loved.  Even though most trick-or-treating nights throughout my childhood entailed wearing a winter coat over my costume or begging my mom to let me be the Little Mermaid but instead having her dress me up as a clown, I still have fond memories of Halloween.  Perhaps this is because Hocus Pocus is one of my favorite movies, or maybe all the sugar induced comas I put myself in after eating half a pillowcase worth of candy helped block out any bad memories.  Either way, I freaking love Halloween.  Since I enjoy Halloween so much I decided bring you a mega-sized post dedicated to Halloween themed ideas.

To get started, turn on this Halloween playlist: (please note that some of these songs might not be suitable for children)

Awesome Cooking Playlist: Quartetto Cetra spiced with Rodrigo y Gabriela

I love to cook to music.  Usually I just listen to whatever music is on my current playlist.  Occasionally though, I take a little more time and put some thought into my cooking music.  This weekend I cooked up the fajitas Anne Marie posted last week and found myself completely engulfed in a 1940’s Italian jazz band called Quartetto Cetra.

Summer Cupcake Baking with Boy Bands

 
Anne Mari and Sarah indulge their inner child during a summer BBQ circa 2007.

Recently, Anne Marie and I spent some time trading stories of our youth (as we sometimes do over GMail chat in the late afternoon of a workday when our minds can no longer be bothered with work-related thoughts).  This particular conversation centered on our youthly affection for pop music.  More specifically, boy bands.

Anne Marie admitted her desire to mmmbop Taylor Hanson and having been forced to feign love for *N Sync at the risk of being an outcast in middle school.  I wanted it that way for Brian Littrell, of the Backstreet Boys notoriety, but also found myself pressured to jump on the *N Sync bandwagon.  We both agreed, however, that they just don't make boy bands like they used to.  As a tribute to our youth, I put together what I call the Essential 90's Boy Band Playlist.