Love ya!

Good morning, snow bunnies!  How are ya?  Hopefully safe and warm and with power.  This latest winter storm largely missed Pittsburgh, but the rest of the northeastern part of the country can't say the same.  Looks like it's a good time to hunker down, bake something sweet, and watch a favorite movie (or three).

This week has been busy, tiring, and good all at the same time.  The lowest point was one sleepless night when I woke up at the ripe hour of 1:30am and couldn't drift back to dreamland.  The highest point was an impromptu weeknight trip to Sarris for an ice cream sundae.  I hope I never get to a point in my life when an ice cream sundae can't erase my woes.

I've left things undone in every part of my life -- nothing urgent, thankfully -- and they're just going to have to wait.  I had great plans for not one but two delicious recipes to photograph and share with you and... it never happened.  I'm human, but I'm still sorry.  Forgive me, will ya?

So today, instead of a lusciously simple new pasta recipe, I'm leaving you with one very important message: I love ya!  Without you, there would be no fun, no posts, no inspiration, and no heart.  Despite Valentine's Day being a goofy made-up holiday, it's a happy reminder to all of us to appreciate all kinds of love in our lives and the world around us.

That and it gives us an excuse to indulge in some of the best chocolate and candy of the calendar year :)  Happy holiday weekend, everybody!

6 Homemade strawberry desserts for Valentine's Day

Before you rush out and buy a heart-shaped box of chalky-tasting chocolates or some mega-overpriced chocolate-covered strawberries, check out these recipes for my favorite strawberry desserts.  Your wallet and your Valentine (that includes yourself!) will appreciate the thought and the effort, not to mention the delicious dessert itself.  All of them are easy and come together in minutes, so you can get out of the kitchen and make the most of the day/evening.  Cheers, lovers! :)

• Cheesecake-stuffed strawberries

• Marshmallow fruit dip & strawberries

• Homemade strawberry sauce -- use over ice cream, pound or Angel food cake!

• Individual flag cake cups -- use raspberries and strawberries for all pinks and reds!

• Classic strawberry shortcakes

Chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies

Are you a morning "news" show watcher?  For the past two years or so, I've been a loyal Good Morning America fan.  Robin, George, Lara, Josh, the departed Sam, and Ginger have become my breakfast buddies.

This week, Ginger and Josh have begun a countdown to the first day of spring.  That's all well and good, but I feel there are so many more important countdowns to feature.  Countdowns of national interest.  Like the countdown to Girl Scout cookies.

Now that's a countdown everyone can get behind, don't you think?  It's of utmost importance to our mini household, that's for sure.

Friday Five: Valentine's Day dinner recipes

I'm only going to say what I'm about to say because I can hide behind the protection of my computer and the interwebs:

I'm so glad it's colder again.

That's what I'm really thankful for today, in addition to the fact that it's Friday.  TGIF!  The relatively warmer temperatures made the city a slushy, impassable mess this week.  Say what you will about disliking winter, but I think we can all agree colder temperatures and drier roads and sidewalks are slightly preferable and much safer.  I've seen enough videos of sliding buses and spinning cars for a lifetime!

Hopefully all of you (and your vehicles) survived the week in one piece and can spend the weekend at home, snug as a bug in a rug.  Matt and I don't have anything big planned other than some cleaning for company next weekend.  Fingers crossed I can convince him to hit the furniture stores with me in search of a buffet cabinet.  I'm thinking it's a good weekend for a movie date and some baking, too.

Speaking of food, I'll also be planning our dinners for the week to come, which includes a special Valentine's Day home-cooked meal.  Looking through past blog posts, I picked five of my most favorite, special occasion-worthy dishes to serve yourself and your sweetheart, too.  (Hint: All look like a million bucks but are secretly much easier to make than you think.)  Enjoy and have a fanciful weekend!


1. Portobello mushroom lasagna - An upscale twist on the classic Italian casserole.  The meaty portobellos and rich white sauce make this dish feel so grown-up.

2. Sun-dried tomato parmesan salmon - There are two food groups that folks think of for special occasions, and seafood is one of them.  Even if salmon is part of your everyday diet, dressing it up with sun-dried tomatoes and nutty parmesan cheese will surprise your taste buds. 

3. Herbed chicken in puff pastry - Chicken's answer to traditional beef wellington -- and way more delicious, in my opinion!  Flaky and buttery pastry purses are bursting with juicy chicken, fresh spinach, and creamy garlic and herb cheese.  This is the very first dinner I made for Matt, so you know it's magical.

4. Steaks with creamy blue cheese onion sauce - The second of the aforementioned special occasion food groups is most definitely steak.  I made this for Valentine's Day last year, and it made Matt want to marry me all over again... at least that's what I imagine he was thinking as he mmmed his way through dinner.  Heads up steak novices, which includes yours truly -- this is so easy and so divine.  The blue cheese onion sauce is decadent with a capital D.

5. Shrimp & asparagus risotto - My friend, Val, was telling me yesterday how much she loves risotto, which reminded me of this exact recipe.  Great timing!  Risotto gets a bad rap for being fussy and difficult to make when, in fact, it's actually really easy and just requires a little patience and time.  Tweak the ingredients to your liking, be it shrimp or scallops or even chicken, and whatever vegetables you like.  Just don't forget the cheese -- it adds a creaminess to the final dish.

107 ways to treat your lover!

Fifty bonus points (or I'll make you cookies if you live nearby... seriously) to whoever can name what song I'm referring to in this blog post.  I've already given too many clues! ;)

Update: Natalie was the first to correctly identify the song as Paul Simon's 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.  Unofficial contest officially closed.

In case you've been living under a rock since January 1st and missed the parade of red and pink decorations, Valentine's Day is just around the corner -- 2 days and counting!  While I've never been one to make a huge deal out of 2/14 and I'm not a jewelry/flowers/fancy schmancy kind of lady, I have learned to celebrate and enjoy the day in other ways.  For example, I love sending Valentine cards in the mail, making Matt's card by hand, and wearing an uncharacteristic number of red and/or pink clothing items.

And, last but not least, I pounce on the opportunity show the people in my life how much I love them with food.  Say it with me now: dessert!  Is your sweetheart is a brownie fanatic?  Are your coworkers powerless at the sight of fluffy cupcakes topped with mountains of frosting?  Is your best friend a self-proclaimed cookie monster?  Regardless of their (and your!) tastes, I promise I've got a recipe for every kind of sweet tooth you imaginable.  Whichever of the 107 ways you choose to treat your Valentines, may they be delectable, indulgent, and full of love :)  XOXO!



Bar cookies/brownies
Butterfinger caramel bars
Chocolate chip cookie cake
From scratch "box" brownies
M&M blondies
Peanut butter and jelly bars
Peanut butter cup crunch brownies
Peanut butter cup fluffernutter blondies
Platinum blondies
Pretzel bottom Snickers blondies
Pumpkin gooey butter cakes
Pumpkin spice cheesecake brownies
Salted brown butter Rice Krispie treats
St. Louis gooey butter cakes
Trail Mix Rice Krispie treats

Friday five: February fun edition

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Happy February, loves!  After saying, "This month just flew by!" for the past few months, January seemed to take it's time, and that was just fine with me.  It's been nice to slow down, take a look around, and enjoy the snowy winter we're having so far.  I know not everyone loves snow nearly as much as I do, but I would bet that everybody enjoys cuddling up inside with thick fuzzy socks, a mug of hot chocolate, and a a great DVD.  Cozy and happy weekends are the best!

With January in the books, some folks seem to start feeling a little stir crazy in February.  I'm here to banish those feelings with things you can plan and look forward to in the next few weeks.  Fun things on the calendar always make me happy and giddy with anticipation!

Here's this week's Friday five: upcoming fun things in February!


1. Fat Tuesday & Mardi Gras celebrations - Fat Tuesday falls on February 12th this year.  NOLA is #1 on my list of cities to visit, but I think I'd rather pick another time to visit the famous city.  That being said, I'm not going to let geography keep me from celebrating this year!  I'm planning to take a crack at making a quintessential southern dinner -- red beans and rice -- using the slow cooker.  Any other, PG-rated ideas for how to celebrate?

2. The Happiness Project -- I've been making a conscious effort to read more because, as it turns out, I enjoy it!  Plus, having something besides Scripture to read in the evening before bed really helps my mind "power down" and makes sleep more satisfying.  I've heard good things about this book for a while and moved it to the top of my must-read list after I finished my most recent book club selection (bizarre, in case you're wondering).  A long distance friend and I have decided to read this "together", and I'm really looking forward to sharing the experience with her!

Mexican chocolate shortbread cookies

After a weekend of total decadence -- hello, champagne, lobster macaroni and cheese, steak, and to-die-for chocolate hazelnut cake at Capital Grille -- what's one more day?  After all, it's St. Valentine's Day!  A Hallmark-dominated day filled with flowers, jewelry, fancy dinners, and romantic gestures of all sorts.  Hopefully that doesn't sound too jaded (does it?).  It's not that I'm not against a day filled with expressing love for friends, family, and sweethearts in one's life... it's just that I think every day is a perfect day to share love!  (Gag, I know, I know.)

So what do I see in Cupid's holiday that makes it worth celebrating?  The fact that it encourages everyone everywhere to eat copious amounts of chocolate!  Not just chocolate, but sweets of any kind.  For me, it all started at grade school Valentine's parties.  You'd turn a plain shoebox into a mailbox fit for royalty, plastered with construction paper, stickers, and hearts of every shape and size.   And then the afternoon is spent sifting through cards from classmates to find the ones that have a Hershey's kiss or box of conversation hearts taped to them.  What?  Oh, come on, everyone did it.  At the age of 8, I hardly expect anything more :)

From sugar-craving kids grow adults who believe in real love, rooted in substance and companionship and all of those admirable traits you find in someone's personality.  They're in it for deeper reasons... or are they?  Take a quick look at restaurants' menus for today or what the commercials or grocery store flyers are advertising: chocolate-covered strawberries, boxed chocolates, brownies, molten chocolate lava cakes, chocolate chocolate chocolate!  Point taken, world.

Valentine blondies

Okay, first things first.  How awesome was The Office last night?  I won't spoil it for those of you who depend on your DVR, but ahh!  Finally!!!

Now, a super quick and easy sweet treat to make for friends, family, or you and yourself this weekend: Valentine blondies!

**Note: Let them cool completely and THEN cut.  I waited about, oh, 5 minutes because Thursday night TV was about to begin, and I wanted a snack.  The blondies, however, were not ready to be cut (they were still hot) and the force from the knife caused the M&Ms to crack and the chocolate inside the candies was still mushy... it wasn't a pretty sight, so this is as far as we go.  However, they were absolutely dee-lih-shuss.  Oh my word.  In conclusion, you might think that I learned a valuable lesson about patience -- wrong!  I was basically rewarded for my inability to follow instructions and wait.  You, however, have learned that I have the patience of a 4 year old child.  Did I get that right?

Have a wonderful weekend... get out and stock back up on groceries and, goodness, good luck trying to find a gallon of milk anywhere!  Oh, and happy love day!


Valentine Blondies
(adapted from a recipe in Everyday Food)
-makes 16 2x2 inch squares

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 teaspoon salt
Festive M&Ms, chocolate chips, Kissables, or candy of your choice

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugars until smoothe. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt and stir with spatula until just moistened. Transfer batter to 8 inch square pan and smooth top. Arrange candies in rows or whatever pattern your little heart desires.

Bake until top of cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, roughly 45 to 50 minutes. Set pan to cool completely on wire rack. Cut into 16 equal squares and serve to the hungry loves of your life. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, if they manage to last that long.