Sweets for Your Sweet

Happy VD - um, well, I mean...Valentine's Day, all!

Last year on Valentine's Day, I posted a dessert recipe with booze and fruit...because, who doesn't need a little booze and fruit on the most-commercially-romantic day of the year, right? This year, I'm going back to an oldie but goodie: chocolate. Straight-up, pure, no-fuss chocolate.

The base of this sweet treat has only 3 ingredients. If you can work a microwave, you can make these, because it's all about the temperature. 

I adapted this from a recipe featured in Taste of Home. Instead of whipping cream, this recipe uses sweetened condensed milk, which I could just drink from the can because it's so thick and slightly sweet.

Fellow's Truffle Bites
YIELDS 12 - 16 TRUFFLES

1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract


In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Microwave for 15 - 30 second intervals, removing the bowl and stirring each time, until the chocolate is smooth and melted. (Do NOT overcook.) Stir in the vanilla and chill for 2 hours. Using a tablespoon, scoop out the chocolate and gently roll in your hands to make 1-inch balls.

To finish, roll the truffles in the ingredient of your choosing:

• CLASSIC: cocoa powder
• CRUNCHY: ground peanuts, pistachios or almonds
• SWEET: coconut flakes
• CARNIVAL: sprinkles (only if you're dating a clown)

Lots of love to you and yours this Valentine's Day.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Leaving too many walls in your home bare is like sending your child out into the streets naked. We all need a little accessorizing to feel pretty, and walls are no different.

Eek - I'm naked! Help!
Photo courtesy of fellow blogger Probably Not Martha

I'm not suggesting you crowd every available inch with a photo, frame or collection, but an artful installment of these items can make a great, eye-catching element of your home. I was recently inspired by a beveled mirror collection from Grandin Road, and along with that, I found some interesting examples of wall groupings.

A nightmare on a bad hair day but a great way to
use light & reflections to open up a space.
Photo courtesy of Grandin Road

Empty frames add interest when the background is bold.
Otherwise, frame a swatch of wallpaper, fabric or paper
with a bold print.

Because dogs are always in style. Woof!
Photo courtesy of Ballard Designs

Retailers like Grandin Road and Ballard Designs offer lots of options here, but keep your eyes peeled for vintage frames and prints on sites like Etsy and Ebay as well as local auctions or antique stores. It's likely you can score something just as chic on the cheap.

How great is this empty frame with photos on a
mini-clothesline? Super simple. I'm surveying walls in
my house to make one of these.

Deck the walls with what matters to you, whether that be photos of loved ones, art, mirrors or vintage frames. It's like giving your wall a new wardrobe. And don't you feel better when you're wearing something fabulous?

Super Bowl Party Confessions

I have a confession.
I've never, ever in my life made chicken wings.
(That is, until the Super Bowl came 'round.)

According to the Wall Street Journal, more than 1.25 billion chicken wings are eaten on Super Bowl Sunday. And I'm proud to say I made 16 of those.

My Super Bowl soiree was last minute and cozy. Regardless of size, I wanted to ensure the first impression of the food table would score a first down, so I covered my table in indoor outdoor carpet. A quick trip to the home store - in my case, Home Depot - was successful. The helpful staff cut a piece for me, right off the large carpet roll. After about $12, I had enough carpet to cover the table plus a fancy sharp utility knife for cutting it to the right size.

The grass IS always greener...especially when it's plastic.

 

And, after the Super Bowl party, I now have an affordable and really unique table topper I can use for a summer barbecue or any festivity where I want to bring the great outdoors in.

Korean BBQ wings, fig & sopressata pizza, chicken nuggets with
3 sauces, salty snacks and a goal post tower of sweets.
Touchdown!

As mentioned, I'd never made chicken wings before, and after poring over online recipes, I found one of the more simpler recipes for Teryaki wings with about 8 ingredients. I started in the Asian foods aisle to pick up soy sauce, and that's when it called to me: Bibigo Korean Sauces. Why buy 8 ingredients when one jar had it all?

I tossed the wings in a crockpot, added one jar of original Korean BBQ Sauce and cooked the wings on medium for 4 - 5 hours. Before serving, I put the wings on a baking sheet and put them under the broiler for about 3 - 4 minutes, just until the skin started to crisp. I was happy with the tasty results given how easy this was and imagine that any bottled sauce (BBQ, buffalo and more) would work well.  

A closer look at what's playing the field. This is the
half-time shot before all of the food was gone.

I even allowed a Papa John's delivery item to be served from my table (*gasp!*). Chicken nuggets were offered for those who like meat but don't like the bone. I added ramekins of honey mustard, ranch and BBQ sauce for dipping. When artfully arranged on a plate with the other homemade food, they fit right in with the theme.

Regardless of which team you're rooting for, everyone can agree a winning spread makes the game.

Cheers!