List of My Favorite Holiday Movies/Specials 🎄🎄

Hello everyone, Junne here with another new post! Like the previous post with the African American holiday movies/specials, I decided to make another list of my favorite Christmas movies that I saw during my childhood and some I saw when I became an adult. These movies cherished my heart so much, that some of them even made me cry 😭😭. Lol, some of these movies you heard - But you probably haven't heard of most of them unless you watched channels like Smile of a Child or other channels like and vice versa. You don't have to watch all the movies on this list, you can just pick and chose which ones you wanna watch but I recommend that you watch the whole list even if you seen the movies before. Anyway, here's the list below, and hope you enjoy it to the fullest! 

#1: A Christmas Wish (2011): 

I first saw this on Smile of a Child and haven't seen it in like a couple of years (Yeah, I know that channel is for kids but it really makes you feel calm and appreciative of life 🤧).

#2: Angel in the House: 

(OMG, the minute I saw this movie, I fell in love and have been watching it ever since!! I highly recommend you watch this even if you chose not to watch every movie on the list!! 😭😭😭)

#3: Spunky's First Christmas: 

(They also made a camping movie if interested) 

#4: Christmas Oranges:

#5: The Christmas Box (1995):

(This movie is very hard to find but I wouldn't have known it existed until I saw it on the Smile channel. You can check the schedule to see when and if it's gonna come back on there). 

#6: Home Alone:

(Now you ALL know it would be a HUUUUGE disgrace to not add this movie and the sequel 😂😂).

#7: Home Alone 2:

#8: How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966):

(And this!) 

#9: How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000):

(And the live action version!)

#10: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer:

(And let's not forget about this one...Cartoon Network...WB...err I mean WGN....how come you stopped showing this? 😪)

#11: The Legend of Frosty The Snowman:

(And what happened to this too? It's been a whoooole minute.....(basically 14-15 years) since they showed this - I don't even know if people know that this exists).

#12: A Charlie Brown Christmas:
 

(Can't forget about o'l Chuck 😌). 

#13: Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas:

(😂😂 The segment with Donald Duck and his Nephews was always my fav). 

#14: Noelle:

(It's on Disney+)

#15: The Town Santa Forgot (1993): 

(OMG, I FORGOT ALL ABOUT THIS!! You all should watch it!!)

List of My Favorite African American Holiday Movies/Specials 🎄🎄🎅🏽🤶🏽

Hello everyone, Junne here with another new post! I am going to do something special this year that I have never done on this blog before and it's kind of similar to what I do every time it's Black History Month; I am going to provide you all a list of African American movies to watch during the Holidays! Some (or even most) of these movies you might not have heard of, heck, some of these movies don't even come on TV anymore - Which is why I decided to make a list! You don't have to watch all the movies on this list; you can just pick and chose which ones you wanna watch but I recommend that you watch the whole list even if you seen the movies before. Anyway, here's the list and I hope you all enjoy it to the fullest! 

                                 #1: A Christmas Blessing: It normally comes on TV One. 

#2: A Christmas Swap:  Comes on TV One as well. (Ignore the date on the poster lol)

#3: Merry Ex-Mas: TV One. (Ignore the date on the poster lol)

#4: Merry Wishmas: TV One 

#5: Coins for Christmas:  TV One

#6: Second Chance Christmas:  TV One

#7: Santa Baby (2001): (Haven't seen this since I was like 9 
😭🤧)

Link to watch: 

#8: The Kid Who Loved Christmas: 

Link to watch: 

#9: The Preacher's Wife:

#10: Black Nativity:

#11: This Christmas: 

#12: The Best Man Holiday:

#13: The Night B4 Christmas:

#14: Holiday Rush:

#15: Jingle Jangle:

#16: A Cool Like That Christmas:

#17: The Holiday Calendar:

#18: Santa and Pete: (I never saw it before but my mom has so it must be very cool lol)

#19: What She Wants for Christmas: (I only saw it once on Centric before it became BET Her and they haven't shown it since 😭)

#20: The Perfect Holiday:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! 🦃🦃

Happy November and Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!! I just came on here to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you enjoy it to the fullest - Especially with what's going on right now but I'm feeling like things are going to get better soon so don't worry! Anyway, my mom decided this year that we should order Popeyes for Thanksgiving and she suggested I make Seafood so I decided to make Lobster, Lobster Tails, and bake this Lobster Mac and Cheese I bought from the store. But anyway, I hope you all have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving! Have a blessed day! 

Cafe #21: Cherry Pie

Ring ring! The Diary has another new recipe! Hello everyone, Junne here with a new recipe. I wanted to make this recipe last week but they ran out of Pie Crust on Amazon Fresh and the local grocery store I go to. Luckily, my mom managed to find some at this other grocery store in our neighborhood saving me a trip from waking there. Also, this Pie is gonna be easier than the first two I made because guess what? We're using canned filling this time! What type? Cherry! Cherry Pie is my top favorite, especially the Sara Lee ones and the one with the Cheesecake and another reason why I wanted to make this. Heck, my mom told me she had two slices last night with some ice cream and gained 2Ibs. Lol!😂😂 Therefore, in today's recipe, we are going to make Cherry Pie! Let's get started! 

Serving Size: About 4-8 people. If you're making it for more than that, double up the recipe and use more than one Pie Pan. 

Cooking Time: 30-35 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 Cans of Cherry Pie Filling 

3 Tbsps of Sugar

1 Tbsps of Vanilla

1 Pack of 2 Pillsbury Pie Crusts 

Optional: Melted Butter 

Seasonings: 

Vanilla Cinnamon

Optional: Cinnamon Sugar

Cookware: 

Oven

Can Opener (For the Canned Cherry Filling)

Pie Pan

1 Large Bowl

1 Large Spoon

Optional: 1 Rubber Bashing Brush 

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 450. 

2) Open the Canned Cherry Filling and pour it into the Large Bowl. 

3) Pour 3 Tbsps of Sugar into the Bowl and stir. 

4) Pour 1 Tbsps of Vanilla into the Bowl and stir.

5) Sprinkle some Vanilla Cinnamon into the Bowl and stir.

6) Follow the instructions on the Pie Crust box on how to put your first Pie Crust on the Pie Pan;If it's kinda hard for you, you can follow the instructions here: https://www.pillsbury.com/everyday-eats/desserts/pies-tarts/how-to-make-pie. 

7) Wrap the other Pie Crust on top and gently prick the top with a fork.

8) Optional: if you want, you can brush some melted butter on top. Melt some butter in the microwave for 10 seconds. Then, use the Rubber Bashing Brush to brush it on top of the crush. You could also sprinkle some Cinnamon Sugar in the middle. 

9) Place the Pie into the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the Pie Crust is golden brown. 

10: Enjoy! 

Cafe #20: Plant-Based Nachos

Ring ring! The Diary has another new recipe! Hello everyone, Junne here with a new recipe. The reason why I made this recipe is because it's been a minute...a whooole long minute...well actually weeks, months, years, you get me people? In other words, it's been awhile since I tasted this dish. I don't know why but I guess I didn't really bother to order any or as recently, it just crossed my mind to make it or something. Ironically, yesterday when I made it I heard it was National Taco Day...but by this dish being Nachos, I don't think it technically counts but it kinda does if you consider the ingredients used. But I don't know! Also, since I'm trying to cut down on meat, I was able to find some Plant-Based meat and it tasted just like real meat! Therefore, in today's recipe, we are going to make Plant-Based Nachos! Let's get started! 

Serving Size: I wanna say about 4-6 people but it really depends on how much Chips and Beef you use. As always, if you want to cook for more people, double the recipe and use more than one Pie Pan. 

Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes. 

Ingredients:

Chopped Green Pepper

Chopped Red Pepper 

Chopped Yellow Pepper

Chopped Orange Pepper

Chopped Yellow Onions

Chopped Green Onions

Chopped Tomatoes

Chopped Lettuce (I used Romaine)

1 Bag of Shredded Mexican Four Cheese Blend 

1 Can of Black Beans (I used Bush's Best) 

2 Bags of Gardein Plant-Based Beefless Ground Crumbles

1 Pack of Original Taco Seasoning (I used Old El Paso)

1 Pack of Mild Taco Seasoning (I used Old El Paso) 

1 Bag of Dorritos (Party Size) 

Seasonings: 

Black Pepper

Meat Tenderizer 

Salt

Garlic Herb/Black Pepper & Sea Salt 

Garlic Onion/Black Pepper & Sea Salt

Himalayan Pink Salt/Black Pepper & Garlic 

Cookware:

Large Frying Pan 

Medium-size Sauce Pan 

Microwave 

Can Opener (For the Canned Black Beans)

Large Stirring Spoon 

Instructions: 

1) Pour the Plant-Based crumbles into the frying pan and follow the instructions on the back of the bags. 

2) Follow the instructions on the Taco Seasoning packs and pour it along with the water into the frying pan. Also, sprinkle the seasonings in there except for the Garlic/Herb Black Pepper one. 

3) After a minute or two, pour some Chopped Onions into the pan and let it cook for 1 minute. 

4) Take the beef mixture off the stove and place it in a serving container. 

5) Pour the can of Black Beans into the Sauce Pan and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes or until it starts to boil. Stir occasionally and sprinkle the Garlic Herb/Black Pepper seasoning inside. 

6) Chop up the Peppers, Onions, Tomatoes, and Lettuce. 

7) Place the Dorritos into a serving dish like a plate, bowl, etc and you can pretty much layer the nachos however you want as long as you sprinkle the Mexican Four Cheese as the last topping. For example, I put the beef on the Dorritos first, then the Peppers, Onions, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Black beans, and the Cheese so you can do that or your own thing. 

8) Place your Nachos into the Microwave for 1 minute. 

9) Enjoy! 

Cafe #19: Caramel Apple Pie

Ring ring! The Diary has another new recipe! Hello everyone, Junne here with a new recipe. The reason why I wanted to make this recipe is because the last one I made was Apple Pie....and...well...let's just say at least I tried. If you made the recipe, I am so very sorry. Lol so since that happened, I decided to upgrade the recipe a bit and remove the milk. But this time, I am going to make Apple Pie but with caramel...basically Caramel Apple Pie! And after I tried it, I knew it had to be posted and was a huge step above from my last creation. Heck, another reason why it was better because of the Apple Peeler I purchased! Therefore, in today's recipe, we are going to make Caramel Apple Pie! Let's get started! 

Serving Size: Like the last time, it should be about 4-8 people. As always, if you want to cook for more people, double the recipe and use more than one Pie Pan. 

BY THE WAY, as I mentioned last time use caution when cutting the Apples or else you will cut yourself. I highly recommend you use the Apple Peeler I bought in the link below or find someone who is a professional at peeling Apples. Also when I use the Apple Peeler, I noticed that a small amount of the skin was still on the Apples and decided to use a regular one to cut it off. If you don't have a regular one, then just use a fork or a knife and remember...BE VERY CAREFUL! Here's the Apple Peeler I used: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EYV7PPI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A14HNAUEYEQ3HP&psc=1

Cooking Time: Maybe about 30-40 minutes. 

Ingredients: 

1 Box of 2 Pillsbury Pie Crusts

6 Apples (I used 2 Red Delicious, 2 Gaia, and 2 Granny Smith Apples because I wanted a mix of sweetest. to neutral, to tardness) 

1/2 Cup of Flour

2/3 Cup of Brown Sugar

2/3 Cup of Regular Sugar 

1 Bag of Kraft Caramel Candy

4 Cups of Water

Optional: Melted Butter

Seasonings:

2 Tablespoons of Vanilla Flavor

Apple Pie Spice

Ground Nutmeg

Ground Cinnamon

Vanilla Cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar 

Salt 

Cookware: 

Microwave

1 9 Inch Pie Pan (I used a Stainless Steel one again) 

1 8 Quart Stock Pot

1 Apple Peeler (Again, use caution) 

1 Large Bowl 

1 Rubber Spatula 

1 Regular-sized Spoon

1 Measuring Cup

Optional 1 Rubber Basting Brush 

Instructions: 

1) Peel your Apples and then cut them into slices. 

2) Boil 4 Cups of Water into the Pot and sprinkle a tiny bit of salt in it. Once it starts boiling, place the sliced Apples into the Pot and let it boil for 5-8 minutes. 

3) Take the Apples out and place them into the Large Bowl. 

4) Pour the Flour, Brown Sugar, and Regular Sugar into the Bowl and mix them together with the Spices.  

5) Pour the Caramel Candies into the Measuring Cup and put them in the Microwave for 1:20 minutes or until they start melting. Also, preheat the oven to 450 F. 

6) Follow the instructions on the Pie Crust box on how to put in your first Pie Crust on the Pie Pan; If it's kinda hard for you, you can follow the instructions here: https://www.pillsbury.com/everyday-eats/desserts/pies-tarts/how-to-make-pie. Pour half of your Caramel into the Pie Pan and place your Apple Batter on top of it. Then place the other half of your Caramel Batter on top of it. 

7) Wrap the other Pie Crust on top and if you want, you can brush some melted butter on top of it. 

8) Place the Pie into the oven for 30 minutes. If you want, you can sprinkle some Vanilla Cinnamon and Cinnamon Sugar on top. 

9) If you want to get fancy, cut some Apple Slices and place them on top of the Pie. 

10) Enjoy! 

Cafe #18: Apple Pie

Ring, ring! The Diary has another new recipe! Hello everyone, Junne here with a new recipe. The reason why I decided to make this recipe is because there was a Verzus battle yesterday with Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle and I decided the best food to eat while watching this would be soul food. So not only did I order some Popeyes, but I also decided to make Apple Pie. Not only was this my first time making Apple Pie, but this is also my first time making pie. I kinda wanted it to taste similar to the ones from Popeyes but it didn't turn out to be like that. I was also working so hard on making sure I did not mess up and went by the schedule, that I cut myself and chipped 2 nails while making this....mhm. Therefore in today's recipe, we are going to be making Apple Pie! Let's get started. 

Serving Size: Since I used an 9 inch Pie Pan and an average pie serves about 8 slices, I wanna say maybe 4-8 people. As always, if you want to cook for more people, double the recipe and use more than one Pie Pan. 

BY THE WAY, use caution when cutting Apples because if you're not careful you could cut yourself. If you're too scared, have someone to help you or buy a Professional Apple Peeler. I'll list it below. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EYV7PPI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A14HNAUEYEQ3HP&psc=1 (Heck, I was thinking about buying one of these. lol)

Cooking Time: Maybe about 35-40 minutes. 

Ingredients:

1 Box of 2 Pillsbury Pie Crusts

5 Apples (I used 3 Fuji Apples because they're apparently they're the sweetest Apples and I also used 2 Red Delicious because they're my fav with some Caramel Dip lol)

2 Cans of Carnation Milk

1 Cup of Regular Milk

1/2 Flour

2/3 Brown Sugar

1/2 Regular Sugar 

4 Cups of Water

Optional: Melted Butter or Ghee 

Seasonings:

2 Tablespoons of Vanilla Flavor

Apple Pie Spice

Ground Nutmeg

Ground Cinnamon

Vanilla Cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar 

Salt

Cookware:

1 9 Inch Pie Pan (I used a Stainless Steel) 

2 8 Quart Stock Pot 

1 Large Pot 

1 Knife 

1 Apple Peeler (As I said above, use caution or buy a Professional one online)

1 Large Spoon

1 Small Bowl 

1 Measuring Cup

Optional: 1 Rubber Basting Brush 

Instructions:

1) Peel your Apples and then cut them into slices. 

2) Boil 4 Cups of Water into the Pot and sprinkle a tiny bit of salt in it. Once it starts boling, place the Sliced Apples into the Pot and let it boil for 5 minutes. 

3) Take the Apples out and place them into the Large Bowl and let them dry for 5 minutes. 

4) While they are drying, use the second 8 Quart Stock Pot and pour the 2 Cans of Carnation Milk and 1 Cup of Regular Milk into the Pot and let it boil. Stir it occasionally. 

5) After the Apples finish cooling, pour the Flour, Brown Sugar, and Regular Sugar on them as well as the Spices and stir it all together. Place your Apple Batter into the pot with the boiling Milk. Let it boil for 10 minutes and stir occasionally. 

6) Optional: You can pour another 2/3 Cup of Brown Sugar into the pot. 

7) Sprinkle some Apple Pie Spice and Vanilla Cinnamon into the pot. 

8) After the 10 minutes is up, take the Apple Batter off the pot and follow the instructions on the Pillsbury Pie Crust box. Pour the Apple Batter into the Pie Crust Pan and place the Pie Crust over the Batter and Pie Crust wrapping the crust as according to the box. If it's kinda hard for you, you can follow the instructions on this website: https://www.pillsbury.com/everyday-eats/desserts/pies-tarts/how-to-make-pie. Optional: Use the Melted Butter or Ghee with the Rubber Bashing Brush and rub it around the top of the Pie before you put it into the oven. 

9) Let it bake for 27-30 minutes. Optional: After you take it out the oven, sprinkle some Vanilla Cinnamon and Cinnamon Sugar on top. 

10) Enjoy! 

TEA TIME PART 2! HOW ELLA MAI SAVED MY LIFE FROM DEPRESSION!

Come one, come all! Big and small! Short and tall! Welcome, welcome, welcome all! To the Diary's 6th Tea Time of all! Hellooooo readers, Junne here with a new post! If you read the Tea Time from before, here's some good news for you: this is part 2! And here's some even more good news: this part is waaay super-duper better than the first part! Why? Well, you'll get a chance to see as you scurvy through this post. After you read this post, you might think of it as an example of a "Fall and Rise" type of thing. But enough rambling for now, let's continue with the Tea Time from the other day! And again, if you want bring out a teacup or coffee cup since it is running like the roadrunner from Looney Tunes! 

Also if you hadn't read part 1, here's the link: https://www.junnesdiary.com/2020/09/tea-time-part-1-going-through-emotional.html

February 2019:  

Still depressed about what Lucy did, I decided to just slowly go back on Instagram and continue doing my favorite activities like play Nintendo, go online, listen to music, etc. So one day when I went on IG, I noticed a post by someone that kinda blew me away and I had to "heart" the post. I saw a woman with a large blue dress on and what appears to be a red carpet. I didn't really know who it was until I saw the @ of the user on top of the photo and....it said it was Ella Mai! Omg, she looked like Cinderella or a typical princess that you imagine or dream about from a fairy tale.