Top 10: My Favorite Phone Apps

Hey everyone! Welcome to the first re-installment of my top 10 lists! I used to do this on my old Youtube channel, and it was always a favorite between my viewers and I. Everyone is encouraged to share their favorites with every list that I make.

For the first list, I wanted to keep it simple and do my top ten favorite phone apps. I have to admit, I didn't get my first phone until I was 18, and I've only had a smart for for a couple years. That being said, my phone is definitely one of my go tos to cure boredom on my breaks at work or when I don't feel like firing up my laptop or doing something productive. I definitely go back and forth between my favorites, but these are my top ten of all time.

These are in no particular order, aside from how they are displayed on my phone. All of these apps are free, by the way!

(source)
1. Instagram

This is probably the first app I check every morning when I'm waking up and trying to motivate myself to get out of bed. I love posting pictures, liking my friends pictures, and going through different tags for inspiration.

2. Facebook

This is definitely one of my favorite apps to check when I'm on a fifteen minute break at work. I don't always check Facebook on my laptop, so it's convenient to have the notifications sent to my phone when one of my best friends posts something.

3. Pinterest

I've noticed that a lot of apps kind of suck in comparison to the actual website, but sometimes I actually prefer the Pinterest app to the website. It's so easy to use and I love the (semi) new feature of being able to send pins to people, because my friends and I used to always have to send each other separate messages via text or Facebook when we found a pin that we thought they would like.

4. Snapchat

Not to toot my own horn, but I have been called "The Queen of Snapchat" on multiple occasions. Seriously, you get to make ugly faces to amuse your friends, and after ten seconds it's gone forever. Best. Idea. Ever.

5. Pyramid Saga: Solitaire

I don't remember why I downloaded this app, but I'm really glad I did. It's basically solitaire with a twist. Each level has a different layout, and as you level up there's different obstacles to overcome and power boosters and you can use.

6. Candy Crush Soda

I honestly didn't get into the original Candy Crush game until most people were already "over it." When Candy Crush Soda came out, my mom kept telling me how she liked it a lot more than the original, and after downloading it-I have to agree. There's more ways to make combos, the characters and backgrounds are cuter, and the levels are challenging without being obnoxiously hard to beat.

7. Sudoku

I've loved Sudoku since I was a little kid and even own a wooden Sudoku set, but sometimes I like to just play it on my phone so I can relax in bed while doing it. There's multiple Sudoku apps, so I downloaded a couple and played around on each one to decide which one was the best for me.

8. Bingo Pop

This is another app based off of a pre-existing game. I've had a couple other bingo games before, but the Bingo Pop one is definitely my favorite. You play the round, and can win little prizes and helpful boosters for the next time you play. If you get a bingo that round, you get to pull a slot machine that gives you another prize as well. You can also buy boosters with "money" you earn from each round to help you win.

9. IMDb

Almost every time I'm watching a tv show or movie, I see someone who looks familiar, but I can't place their name or figure out what else they were in, so I go to the IMDb app to figure it out. Before my boyfriend told me to download the app, I would get so annoyed trying to figure out who certain people were in because I don't always have my laptop turned on.

10. Gmail

This app isn't very exciting, but I love being able to access my e-mail on the go. I also get notifications if someone in my contact book sends me an e-mail, which is really convenient. I also love that I can jump from my personal account to my business account with the press of a button.


Well, that's it for my first re-installment of my Top 10 series. What other Top 10 lists would you like to see and what are your favorite apps?

Until next time...

Stay Stellar,
Paige Elise

Cinnamon Honey Almond Spread

While I was at Whole Foods the other day, I was trying to find a decent almond butter that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg. No such luck. So, I decided to make my own, which meant I got to control the flavor and ingredients while saving money. The cheapest almond butter I saw there was $13 for a jar. I made two jars for the price of a bag of almonds (just under $12) and some stuff I already had in my kitchen. In about half an hour, I had my own delicious almond spread that I can't wait to use in as many ways as possible!

INGREDIENTS

(this recipe is done per cup-to make enough to fill a medium mason jar, you're going to want to double the recipe below)
1 cup almonds
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1-1 1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
almond milk (this get drizzled in, so there's not an exact measurement)

EQUIPMENT

baking sheet
food processor
rubber tipped spatula
mason jar (or any jar with a lid)

DIRECTIONS
Start by preheating your oven to 350F and spreading the almonds out evenly on the baking sheet.
Bake for 3-5 minutes. You don't need the almonds to be super toasted, you're basically just "waking them up."
Place the almonds, cinnamon, salt, honey, and vanilla in your food processor and puree for about five minutes, stopping to scrape the sides with your spatula once or twice.
The mixture will be grainy at first, and almost powder-like. Don't worry, this is normal.
Scrape the sides of the food processor again and then turn it back on.
Slowly drizzle in the almond milk, about a tbs at a time, until the mixture is spreadable without being runny. Make sure to add the almond milk very slowly to avoid making the mixture too runny.
Store the spread in a mason jar and refrigerate in between uses.

What would you pair with almond butter besides cinnamon honey?

Until next time...
Stay Stellar,
Paige Elise

Southwestern Frittata

Last night my boyfriend and I were looking through a cookbook I received from a friend for Christmas (Thanks Bernadette!) and came across a recipe for a tomato and asparagus frittata. Since our weather is still transitioning into spring here, our fruit and vegetable selection is really hit or miss right now, so we decided to use the instructions, but with whatever veggies we could find at the store that didn't look questionable. We decided to go with a Southwest theme and it was so good Bart is already on his second helping and asked if I could make it again soon.

I was only able to get one picture of it because we wanted to eat it before it got cold-and eggs can get cold pretty fast, but you can still see the veggies poking through and the yummy, bubbly cheese on top-and that's all that matters, right?

INGREDIENTS
*8 large eggs
*4 oz pepperjack cheese
*1 yellow onion
*2 green peppers
*4 tomatoes (I used Roma-if you use a larger tomato, use 2-3 instead)
*1 medium can of corn
*1 medium can of black beans
*salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and paprika
INSTRUCTIONS

*Start by preheating your oven to 350F and cutting the veggies. You'll want the onions to be smaller and the peppers and tomatoes to be medium sized.
*Once the veggies are cut, melt 2-3 tbs of butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the onions and spices in. I didn't measure the spices at all, so you'll just want to add them to taste.
*While the onions are caramelizing, rinse the corn and black beans so they don't add unnecessary starch to the frittata.
*When the onions are about halfway caramelized, add the green peppers in. Sautee for about five minutes and shred the cheese while you stir occasionally.
*Crack the eggs into a large bowl with 1/4 cup water and half of the shredded cheese. Beat until fluffy.
*Add the corn, black beans, and tomatoes into the skillet and cook for about a minute before pouring the eggs over the top. Make sure the eggs evenly coat the veggies. It's ok if a little bit pokes out of the top, but you want them to at least be mostly covered.
*Cover the skillet and cook for ten minutes or until the eggs are fluffy and cooked all the way through.
*Top with the remaining cheese and bake in the oven for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
*Serve immediately with avocado, sour cream, and/or salsa.

This was honestly one of the easiest dishes I've made in awhile and definitely the tastiest dinner we've had in weeks.

Let me know if you make this and if you used any substitutions or add ons!

Until next time...

Stay Stellar,
Paige Elise

Pumpkin Chai Scones

I know it's been awhile since I've posted, so I decided I needed to come back with something really good to make up for the lack of posts.

For those of you who don't already know, I'm in the process of opening a delivery based bakery. I'll go into more details about that in another post when I'm closer to "opening" though. All of my days off from my day job have been spent doing legal work or perfecting new recipe ideas.

I decided to treat myself today as I finish up my business plan and cost confirmation layouts. It's a little gloomy outside-my favorite type of weather-so I'm spending all day in my pajamas in bed finishing some stuff up.

Since I'm going with a comfort theme today, I decided to combine two of the first foods that come to mind when I think of comfort: pumpkin and chai spice. Thus, my pumpkin chai scones were born!

(as always, click on the pictures to make them larger)

The recipe is super simple and you probably have most of your ingredients in your cupboard already. As for the chai spice seasoning, I got mine from a specialty spice store in town. If you can't find chai spice seasoning, you can substitute with cinnamon to still add a warm undertone to the scones.

Scones
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chai spice seasoning
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/8 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter-diced

1 large egg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 tbsp half and half
1 tbsp honey
splash of vanilla extract


Glaze
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp+1 tsp pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp chai spice seasoning
splash of half and half

Preheat oven to 425F

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, chai spice, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add in cold butter pieces and work in with your hands until the butter is completely incorporated and mixture resembles corn flour.

In a separate bowl combine egg, pumpkin, half and half, honey, and vanilla. Create a well in the middle of the dry mix and use a rubber spatula to get as much of the wet mix as you can into the larger bowl. Use the same spatula to combine the mixes by folding the dry mix into the wet mix while turning the bowl. After the mixes are completely combined, use your hands to knead a few times. You want to use the spatula at first to prevent yourself from getting pumpkin Hulk hands.

Put a decent amount of flour onto a clean, flat surface and place the dough on top. Pat a tiny bit of flour on the top of the dough and then press into an eight inch circle. Cut into eight pieces like a pizza and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 13-16 minutes until thoroughly cooked through. If you want the scones to be more crunchy than soft, just leave them in an extra minute or so.

While the scones cooling, combine all the glaze ingredients in a small pot with a whisk over low heat. Heat for about two minutes, but do not boil. Drizzle the glaze over the scones and enjoy!

I hope you all enjoyed this post and I'll try to make time for some more posts soon. Until next time...

Stay Stellar,
Paige Elise