Just A Little Red

Christmas: The 2014 Edition (Let’s Make Chinese Desserts!)

Posted on December 26, 2014 by DMW

This is the best Christmas that I have had since… well I don’t know. I think it was better than 2011 and 2012 (but those were pretty great) and it definitely kicks every Christmas’s ass before 2011 and last year, so at least top three. Anyway, Roy’s aunt did a Chinese Christmas meal. I was pretty psyched when I found out, because I love Chinese food. It was what I used to order every night around 2:00am when I lived in Los Angeles and worked 40+ hour weeks at a bank, did another 15+ hours of odd jobs, went to graduate school full-time, basically when 2:00am was dinner because if you think I ever slept, go through my weeks again (to show my priorities were in order, in all fairness I also didn’t date or have any kind of social life). So, anyway Chinese food is my favorite food in the universe. And knowing Roy’s aunt, she was going to go all out (and she did, but I am getting ahead of myself).

So Roy (my husband) and I were tasked with the desserts. I don’t know if this was a favor to us, because I love baking, and the holidays truthfully aren’t the same if I don’t bake something, or if it just worked out that way. But I didn’t care – I was just glad we were doing it. We looked up a bunch of dessert ideas. Roy’s aunt said it should be a Chinese dessert, and who were we to argue. There were so many wonderful choices; the only sad thing was that we actually had to make a choice. Among the desserts we hating turning down, but ultimately did were: ginger ice cream, some type of almond cookie confection, sesame balls (I love making peanut butter balls, they’re one of the few traditions I have from my family that I hold onto, and I make them every year – this year we made them for Roy’s family in lieu of gifts), and chocolate spring rolls. We ultimately decided on two confections: Roy made these coconut balls filled with sweet red bean paste and I wanted to do homemade fortune cookies, so we did both. (Roy suggested both because he’s sweet. He would normally insist on not going overboard, but I detest coconut, and he really wanted to make those balls.)

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Posted in Christmas, Family, food, Holidays, home, Personal, recipes, Relationships | Tagged "Chinese desserts", "Chinese food", "family get-together", "fortune cookie", "peanut butter balls", baking, chocoholic, chocolate, fortunes, holiday, party, tradition, traditions | Leave a comment

Confessions Of A Bookaholic – Guilty Pleasures Edition #51 – Sweet Valley High #53 – Second Chance

Posted on December 22, 2014 by DMW

The very first book in season 4 of Sweet Valley High (the book series) is the first of its kind! A girl who doesn’t lose herself over a guy. What makes it even better is that the guy in question is Sweet Valley’s most hated egomaniac Bruce Patman! You seriously have to see how she puts Bruce in his place – it gives me chills. 😉

“Second Chance”

Sweet Valley Scale: 4 out of 5 Twins

Quiet and determined Kristin Thompson knows exactly what she wants from life. Ever since she was little, she has had one goal – to become a world-class tennis player. Now all she has to do is win one more tournament and she’ll qualify to turn professional. Then handsome Bruce Patman invites her out and sweeps her off her feet. But there’s not enough room in her life for a boyfriend and professional tennis. Kristin begins to wonder if a romance with Bruce will make her happier than winning the tournament ever could. Will Kristin give up her lifelong dream for the chance to live like a normal teenager?

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Posted in Book Reviews, Books, fiction, Guilty Pleasures, Reviews | Tagged "big sister program", "book review", "Bruce Patman", "girl power", "professional sports", "reading list", "sweet valley high", book, egomaniac, sweet valley, tennis | Leave a comment

‘Tis The Season: Getting Ready For Christmas

Posted on December 21, 2014 by DMW

We’re only four days away from Christmas. But this year it’s weird. Normally my husband and I are busy, scrambling to finish Christmas cards or wrap gifts, or get the last few for the people who are impossible to get gifts for (we make some of the gifts, so I didn’t want to just say buy) or decorating our tree, worrying about Christmas lights… you know the normal holiday routine. But this year, we’re not doing any of that, and part of me is kind of sad, and the other part kind of glad (sorry I suddenly felt like doing a rhyme thing, I’m over it now).

We haven’t suddenly gone Scrooge or Bah Humbug, but circumstances as they are – none of these things were feasible and/or appropriate. So let’s start with the gifts. I take pride in giving gifts, because I put so much thought into everything we get someone, my husband is either amazed, or annoyed. For me, it really is the thought that counts, and I have done everything from comical scavenger hunts complete with fake gifts that are interactive (and with a live audience!) for someone who loves games (I think this was better than the actual gift) or just thinking of how to put the most personal touch on something not-too-personal. And I love making gifts when we can.

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Posted in Christmas, Family, Holidays, home, Life, Personal | Tagged "hard year", "home repair", "unexpected expenses", gifts, giving, money, receiving, tradition, traditions | Leave a comment

Sweet Valley High (The Book Series): Season 3 – The End And All Of Those Fun Extras! (Part 5)

Posted on December 18, 2014 by DMW

This is it! Only two short episodes left and then all of the fun bonus features that hopefully makes up for the onslaught of book/episode recaps. I mean the books are getting more involved, so the recaps are getting more… wordy. 😛

Season 3: The Perfect Size 6 (Continued)

Episode 60 – “Against The Odds”: Ronnie Edwards is tired of being poor, which is why he started betting on high school sports. Now he has so much money he can’t help but show it off. Jeffrey French, Elizabeth Wakefield’s boyfriend, is on the Sweet Valley High soccer team and he makes the winning goal and is hailed a hero. At the Dairi Burger, Ronnie is offering to buy everyone’s food while waving around a large wad of bills. Some goons see him and trick him into going outside with them, planning to rob him. Jeffrey goes out to the parking lot and scares the guys away, and suddenly Ronnie is Jeffrey’s shadow. A few days later this bookie, Big Al, decides to collect on Ronnie’s debt of $2,000, but he doesn’t have any money left. Big Al says he can make his debt go away if he rigs the upcoming soccer championship. Ronnie begs Jeffrey to make sure his team only wins by two points, but Jeffrey tells him to get lost. Big Al sends two of his guys to rough Ronnie up and once they do, Jeffrey realizes that he has to help, because Ronnie’s life is more important than a soccer championship. Jeffrey confides in Elizabeth before the game and she tells him that a college scout from the school Jeffrey is dying to go to, is coming to watch him play, and now Jeffrey’s future is in jeopardy. Elizabeth decides to talk to Ronnie before the big game, and sees a rough guy forcing Ronnie into his car. She follows them and once they stop, she goes to a nearby payphone to call the police. But the thug abducts her before she is able to say where they are. As he is tying Elizabeth up, Ronnie grabs an empty glass bottle and smashes it over the guy’s head. They both escape and call the police once they’re a safe distance and then go to the game to let Jeffrey know he can play his best and they’re both safe. Big Al is arrested and so is his thug. Meanwhile, Jessica has been making these ridiculous earrings and tries to sell them to a local boutique. Amy Sutton and Lila Fowler act like they’re just shopping and don’t know Jessica and demand to buy the earrings she brought as samples. The boutique manager asks Jessica for all of the jewelry she has so that the store can sell them. Jessica convinces her mother to loan her some money, and then spends twice as much on her credit card maxing it out. At the last minute, the boutique manager calls to back out of their deal. Corporate has ordered some changes and they will be cutting back on jewelry sales. Jessica’s parents get the credit card bill and now Jessica has to get a job to pay it off – looks like she’ll be working at the very same boutique that got her into the mess in the first place.

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Posted in Book Reviews, Books, fiction, Guilty Pleasures, Reviews | Tagged "book reviews", "personality transplant", "reading list", "super thriller", "sweet valley high", "time travel", entertainment, fiction, guilty pleasure, reading, sweet valley | Leave a comment

Sweet Valley High (The Book Series): Season 3 (Part 4)

Posted on December 17, 2014 by DMW

While this post is the longest it has the BEST episodes of the entire season – I promise! 😉

Season 3: The Perfect Size 6 (Continued)

Episode 56 – “Slam Book Fever”: Amy Sutton tells the girls of Sweet Valley High about slam books and soon it is the newest craze at Sweet Valley High. All the girls buy the same notebook, put their name in it and make up categories like “Biggest Flirt” or “Biggest Jock” and pass them around before getting theirs returned at the end of the day. Who writes what is completely anonymous. Elizabeth Wakefield warns everyone that someone might get hurt, but no one listens to her or cares. Roger Patman and Olivia Davidson break up – no one knows why. Jessica is the first one upset with the slam books when she is named as “Biggest Flirt.” She meets the new boy at school, A.J. Morgan, who is the most gorgeous guy (and a redhead!) that she has ever seen. She becomes shy, quiet and tongue-tied around him and it isn’t an act, but Jessica’s friends think she is just acting this way because of the “Biggest Flirt” thing. The girls create a new section in the slam books called “Crystal Ball” about where and with who they think people will end up. Olivia is starting a school literary magazine to take her mind off her recent breakup, but she needs help and enlists Elizabeth’s boyfriend, Jeffrey French, because of his work as a photographer. Soon people find that Olivia and Jeffrey are paired up as “Couple of the Future” and Elizabeth tries to laugh it off, but she secretly resents all the time Jeffrey has been spending with Olivia. Then Elizabeth is paired up with A.J. Morgan in the same category and Jessica is furious. When Jeffrey breaks a few dates with Elizabeth she begins to lose patience, but then Cara Walker tells her that she saw Jeffrey holding Olivia and leaning in close and that does it. Instead of confronting Jeffrey, Elizabeth decides to move on, and she moves on to A.J. Morgan! Elizabeth starts flirting aggressively, and acting just like Jessica usually does, and A.J. seems intimidated by this. Jeffrey is upset and tries to explain – Olivia just had something in her eye and he was helping her with it. But Elizabeth won’t listen and she starts to go out with A.J. with Jessica secretly miserable about the whole thing. Olivia goes to see Jessica and is trying to find out who started the rumor about her and Jeffrey in the slam books so they can try to fix things between Liz and Jeffrey. Meanwhile, Lila keeps taking Jeffrey out to dinner to strategize how to win Elizabeth back, and spending all this time with him. Olivia and Jessica realize the only person who could have a motive to start the rumor, besides Olivia, was Lila. Jessica poses as Liz and collects everyone’s slam books because she and Olivia reasoned whoever started the rumor would not have written it in her own slam book. They find out it was Lila and tell Liz, who apologizes to Olivia, makes up with Jeffrey and then starts a new category in the slam books “Class Sneak” and writes Lila’s name in all of them before giving them back to people. Lila is embarrassed and won’t tell anyone why she is in that category. A.J. finds Jessica and asks her out. Jessica is surprised since he was with Elizabeth, but A.J. admits he doesn’t like aggressive and flirty girls. He prefers serious, studious, sweet girls who are on the shyer side. Jessica smiles and decides she is going to change for good, so that she and A.J. can be together, because for the first time in her life, Jessica Wakefield is really in love.