The Broke and the Bookish host a weekly Top Ten meme dedicated to mostly bookish pursuits.

This week's meme is a Holiday Gift Guide!  I've chosen books for some of the hardest to shop for people in life and made a few suggestions.  Hope you enjoy! :)

It was a brutally cold fall evening--the first of it's kind in 2016.  I wanted to attend this monthly festival in the worst way.  Live bands in the street, food and drinks lining the sidewalk.  I'd missed the previous monthly events since moving into the city and I thought I would be able to wrangle this event because it was so close to my birthday and I could guilt people into tagging along.

What I didn't take into account was the possibility that the ridiculously unusual beautiful fall weather that ruined my gorgeous maxi pink skirt birthday outfit (far too warm for pairing that with a black sweater!) just days before would suddenly up and disappear.

The Broke and the Bookish's Weekly Top Ten Tuesday is based on my favorite ten movies of all time!  Have you seen any of these?  Or maybe have a suggestion on ones I should watch if I liked these?

Sure, November is most widely known in the States for Thanksgiving and *sighs* Black Friday.  But there's an incredibly important holiday that I've been missing out on for the past 28 years...National Vanilla Cupcake Day.

Screw you chocolate cupcakes!  Step aside!  Today is dedicated to delicious, mouthwatering, fluffy VANILLA CUPCAKES!!

I've always, always loved vanilla cupcakes.  I was never a huge chocolate eater as a child.  I remember standing in my backyard as a child and my mother's best friend telling me I couldn't be American if I didn't like chocolate (she quickly recovered when she saw my whimpering face and told me that liking Cheese Doodles would save me).  It's always been vanilla cake for me!

As I've grown older, I've been able to incorporate chocolate more often and can stomach a slice of chocolate cake, but there is still nothing in the world like a vanilla cupcake.  It's so wonderful that there is a whole day devoted to it's beauty.

You can celebrate by baking (here's a yummy basic recipe and a yummier vegan one) or be realistic like me and chomp into someone else's creation (like the local bakery's).

Happy National Vanilla Cupcake Day!  May your cupcake never grow stale.

So, News Flash--I'm cheap.  Like super cheap.  I don't really think you get the picture, but imagine the cheapest person you know...I'm lower than that.  I'm probably one step above Extreme Cheapskates.

Hi my name is Jen and I like to eat.  I just wish I was good at making that food to eat.

Aaannndd after a ridiculously extended delay...I'm back!  Bring back the challenge my friends!

Another month has come and gone!  October felt like quite a whirlwind.  Family came into visit.  I turned 28.  My mom, Dad, and I visited my grandpa in New York and climbed the Fire Island Lighthouse for the very first time.