Flourless Chocolate Cake | Practical Magic

Welcome to the first edition of the (Vampires, Witches, and Zombies - oh my!) Book and a Movie Challenge of 2017!  Last year, I joined my friend Kimberly of Coffee and Casseroles in her monthly pursuit of exploring vampires through books and film, this year she's expanded to add witches and zombies to the mix, with posts being every other month. We're kicking off a new year with the book Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, and its movie adaption.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Streusel Coffee Cake

Are you ready to make the most insane, over-the-top coffee cake in the history of ever? We're talking a super thick layer of streusel sitting boldy atop a sour cream cake swirled with a spiced cocoa and walnut mixture and dotted with chocolate bits. You'll have no less than 5 dirty bowls staring you in the face once you slide the pan in the oven, but every single one is worth it.

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix

Growing up in the Midwest, I've drunk my fair share of hot cocoa. I mean, there's nothing like coming in from a hard day of trudging up a snowy hill (after the fun sliding down part) over and over again, or building a snow fort, or having a snowball fight, to a mug of steaming chocolate. It's a winter time staple!

But the thing is, ours always came from a round, lined cardboard canister of Swiss Miss. Well no, sometimes we had the boxes with individual packets. And I won't lie, I always liked the kind with the crunchy, dehydrated marshmallows. Or, if somebody didn't get to the bag, we'd pile on soft mini marshmallows—and that was good, too.

Caramel Shortbread Squares, guest post by author RaeAnne Thayne

Please help me welcome bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne to the blog today as part of the Winter Holiday Recipes (and reads!) event with TLC Book Tours. RaeAnne will be introducing her new release and sharing a recipe inspired by her latest Haven Point book. Plus, enter for a chance to win a baking-inspired prize pack further down in this post!

Easy Beetlejuice Truffles | #FoodnFlix

This month's Food 'n Flix pick is the kooky 1988 Tim Burton flick, Beetlejuice! It's a perfect choice for Halloween month, which also happens to be the Fandom Foodies #Burtoween event, hosted by Carrie at Witchy Kitchen. Beetlejuice was released when I was in 7th grade and was my introduction to the dark and magical world of Tim Burton. I mean, aside from Pee Wee's Big Adventure, which I never even realized was TB until recently.

If, for some odd reason, you're not familiar with Beetlejuice, it's the story of Adam and Barbara Maitland, a young couple who dies after their car goes off of a bridge not too far from their home. At first, they don't realize that they've died, since they wind up back in their beloved home. That is, until they realize that nobody else can see them and they stumble upon the Handbook for the Recently Deceased in their attic.

Hot Cocoa Ice Cream inspired by The Branson Beauty

The book tour stops here today for The Branson Beauty, the debut novel by Claire Booth. The first in a planned series, this mystery is set in the Ozark region of southern Missouri, during the wintertime. Recently appointed sheriff Hank Worth responds to an emergency call, where a popular local attraction The Branson Beauty, a showboat, has crashed and its paddlewheel has been wedged into some boulders.

In a county that's low on both fund and resources, rescuing the 100 people on the boat, most of whom are elderly (some in wheelchairs) in freezing weather conditions proves to be a challenge...which turns out to be minor compared to the dead body of a beloved young local track star he finds locked in the boat's private dining room.

Frozen Mexican Hot Chocolate with Liquefied Prom Queen Brains inspired by iZombie

I've been wanting to do an iZombie-inspired post for quite some time now, and with tonight being the 2-hour season two finale, I figured there was no time like the present. If you're not familiar with iZombie, you might be thinking "oh no, not another zombie show". But it's so different from all of the others out there right now, that I recommend not dismissing it before you've watched a couple of episodes (because then you hopefully won't want to).

iZombie airs on The CW and is based on the DC Comics' Vertigo imprint I, Zombie that was created in 2010. I've ever read the comics, but the title sequence and some scene openers throughout each show are in "comic form". Our lead character, Liv is scratched at a party in the first episode and wakes up a zombie. In this show you can recognize zombies by their white hair and skin—initially, as some choose to die their hair and visit a tanning bed.

Buttermilk Biscuits w/ Chocolate Gravy (inspired by Last in a Long Line of Rebels)

I always find it funny that as somebody a little older than the recommended age for a book, I can enjoy it so much. Such is the case with Last in a Long Line of Rebels. Recommended for ages 9 to 12, 5th grade and up, I'm slightly out of that age range...and  yet, I enjoyed every last page. I'd say that's a credit to the well-written story infused with mystery, history, intrigue, and a cast full of fun characters.

This is the story of 12-year old Lou Mayhew and her quest to save her 175-year old family home. With the help of friends, family, and a whole lot of gumption, she dusts off old family secrets and legends in the hunt to find some gold that's been long rumored to be buried on her family's land. It was a quick read from front to back that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Bars

Thank you to Meijer for sending me a box of essential health products to kick-start my health, fitness, and diet goals in the new year! All opinions shared in this post are my own.

Well friends, we are officially into the third week of 2016. I meant to share this post with you in the first week, but this year started off very rough for my family. It's not something that I'm ready to talk about yet, but I will be soon. So, I apologize for starting the year a couple of weeks late.

Tell me, did you make any resolutions or set any goals for yourself this year? I've never been big on resolutions, since any I set seemed like things I should always be striving for anyway. So, I tend to call them goals instead. But really, I guess they're just the same thing—changes, improvements, and things I want to accomplish going forward. One foot in front of the other seemed like a good place to start recently.