Simple Dinner Recipes for March

Posted in Devilishly Delicious, Dinner Made Simple by

It’s been crockpot central in my new apartment! Between the ribs we loved last month and the recipes I have to share this month, it seems like that’s all we’ve been doing! 

But seriously, crock pot meals are just so simple! Most take 15 minutes or less to prep and then they cook while you work, do your errands, clean the house, etc. I love it! 

I have two recipes to share this month that were very easy but with delicious results. Check them out and let me know what you think!

Easy Crockpot Carnitas – Or as my boyfriend calls them “real tacos”. (Apparently to him, ground beef doesn’t constitute real tacos. Pshaw). But I will say these were so yummy! A nice citrus flavor that’s filling and refreshing. There were no good avocados at the store so we swapped it out for corn and shredded cheese. I’d also suggest squeezing a little extra lime juice when assembling your taco – a great kick of flavor! 

Cider Soaked Pulled Chicken – We’ve been on a cider kick lately so I was really excited when I found a recipe that incorporates the delicious crisp flavor. We used a more watery BBQ sauce than recommended so ours came out a little soggy, but we’re excited to try it again with a little less sauce! 

What recipes have you all tried lately? I’ll be sharing one of my own soon! 🙂 

Post Interview Thank You Notes

Posted in In the Real World by

Over the past few weeks, I’ve gotten the opportunity to interview potential new team members. Remembering how much I hated interviews in college, this has been an interesting experience. I’ve been working to find the balance between not being too harsh but being able to really tell if the candidate would do well on our team. 

One aspect of interviewing that has a bigger impact than I realized is the post-interview thank you note. We recently interviewed someone we really liked, but his thank you emails were full of typos which immediately raised a red flag. Since these notes or emails could make or break you as a candidate, I thought I’d share my advice:



Be Prompt – a note should be sent within 24-48 hours. Most initial hiring decisions are made within that timeframe. 

Keep It Simple – No one wants to read a novel! Get to the point – thank them for their time and ask any questions. 

Reiterate Your Interest – Even though your interviewer knows you’re interested in the position emphasize how the interview with them increased your desire to working there. 

Personalize It – Sending a generic email is almost as bad as having typos or grammar mistakes. Touch on something you discussed with that specific interviewer. If they’ve interviewed multiple people that day, it’ll also help jog their memory. 

Proofread!!! – No typos or mistakes should make their way into this email. Even if you have to have a friend read it over, take the time to make sure it’s perfect before hitting “send”. 

What is your Thank You advice? Have you ever received a poorly written email from an otherwise excellent candidate? 

Choose Your Groupons Carefully

Posted in Besting Your Budget by

When Groupon first gained popularity, it seemed like such a great concept. An easy way to save money on something you already wanted to do while also helping businesses attract new customers, right?

In some cases, yes. I’ve had Groupons that are easy to redeem and the service or product is of great quality. But I’ve had just as many, if not more, where I was really disappointed. I’ve been to restaurants where the servers are quite rude once I let them know I’m using my Groupon. I’ve not been able to redeem some because the company becomes inundated with appointments and can’t handle the volume. Bought products that break or don’t work properly within a few uses.

So now, I’ve learned my lesson. And hopefully you can learn from my experience as well!

I only purchase Groupons now if:
•I know I’ll be using the product or service in the near future. For example, i bought a Groupon for a Paint Nite I could redeem the same day when I signed up for the event.
•Someone I know has used the same Groupon successfully.
•The Q&A section of the listing answers any questions or concerns, such as those listed above, I may have about redemption.

What had been your Groupon experience? Do I just have bad luck or is it really a hit or miss kind of thing?

Why I Love Hulu Plus

Posted in Besting Your Budget by

Earlier this month, I switched my hours at work so I could be in and out earlier, so that the traffic on my commute wouldn’t be as bad. Overall, it’s pretty great. I feel more productive and I’m home by 4:30 just about every day.

As a result, I now wake up much earlier and since I’m one of those people who needs at least 7 hours of sleep to be a functioning human, I’m in bed super early most nights. It’s not so bad, except for one downside: I’m missing out on all of my shows!!!

Thankfully I have had a Hulu Plus account for a few years now. I used it a lot senior year of college but haven’t made the most of it since then, until recently. I’m now taking full advantage of it and loving it!

Here’s why I love it, and a few areas for improvement:
•Most major channels have their shows available. Some channels (like CW) only have a certain number of episodes though, so it’s not as great for binge watching seasons. CBS is another major channel whose shows aren’t always available.

•Autoplay is great for lazy people like me – you can have it automatically play the next episode once the one you’re watching finishes. If there aren’t any more episode it’ll play an episode of a similar show

•You can access your account through apps on your phone/tablet, computer and devices like Apple TV or XBOX. Lots of watching options! I could be wrong, but sometimes the computer version has more episode options (at least it did a few years ago!)

•Even with Hulu Plus, there are commercials which is annoying since you’re paying for it. But there’s less than if you were watching it live (or even on demand sometimes) so it’s not as bad as it could be!

•The price might seem steep but it’s $120 total for the year ($9.99 a month) and you get a lot of features for it. If it’s something you’d use frequently, I’d definitely suggest it

My boyfriend has a Netflix account as well but I honestly find myself using Hulu a lot more. I love catching up with my shows – NBC #WCW and ABC #TGIT, anyone??