Yummy Heart Chocolates - Makes A Great Gift!

I had SO much fun creating these heart chocolates. I made them in several varieties, and I am going to tell you how each one turned out! I used the highest-quality ingredients, mostly from the baking aisle and craft stores (for the heart mold and sprinkles). These turned out so well! 

 These would be the perfect Valentine's Day gift for someone who loves sweets but is hard to shop for! These aren't super expensive to make, like some seasonal recipes are, either! 

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INGREDIENTS:

Silicone Heart Mold - Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips - Ghirardelli White Chocolate Melting Chips - Andes Mint Baking Pieces - Chopped Walnuts - Heath Baking Pieces - Festive Sprinkles

*Note - do not use almond bark or candy melts for this method*

For best results, use a spoon to place toppings in heart mold. Let's begin the fun! 

Here are my "toppings" from left to right. 

Heath - make sure to only use a light, single layer of these or they won't all stick to the chocolate.

Andes - My favorite! Fill with Andes about 1/3 of the way.

Sprinkles - Look best on white chocolate, rather than milk.

Chopped Walnuts - Use only a light layer, similar to Heath.

Larger Sprinkles - use a single layer for best results.

*The prettiest ones were the little nonpareils (tiny ball sprinkles) in a single layer*

Now, melt the chocolate! I used a double boiler method (explained here - but do not add any butter). I used a shallow, medium pot and filled it about 1/3 of the way with water. I placed two 2 Cup Pyrex measuring cups in the water for a double boiler. Melt 1 package each of the milk chocolate and white chocolate in separate cups. Slowly melt the chocolates, and stir frequently. They should be smooth and move easily. 

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Once your melted chocolate is smooth, remove the cups with an oven mitt, and place them onto a towel near your work space. Get a little bit of chocolate onto a spoon, and begin adding milk chocolate to half of the hearts...

And, white chocolate to the other hearts. Be careful not to get chocolate everywhere, so your end result is prettier.

Carefully, slide the hearts onto a baking sheet or cutting board to transport them into the freezer. 

Here they are after being in the freezer for less than an hour! Make sure they are completely cooled and hardened before you move them. 

One of my favorite parts was removing the fresh chocolates from the molds and seeing my creations! I liked most all of them, and think they would look adorable packaged up all cute for Valentine's Day! 

A Bouquet Of Bacon Roses

These bacon roses are so great! You can't exactly surprise someone with them, as the smell of bacon does tend to be pretty prominent while you're baking these. 

But, you could definitely surprise someone when they got home from work with these for Valentine's Day!

Here is how you make them. They're pretty easy!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

Long skewers, green florist's tape, wired leaves, 1 package of thin cut bacon, waxed butcher paper (optional - to wrap bouquet), scissors, and toothpicks. (Also, a baking tray covered in foil and a wire rack to bake the roses on. I used the one from my toaster oven).
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1.) Preheat oven to 350* F. Spray non-stick spray onto your wire rack. Place rack onto your foil lined baking sheet.

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2.) Using a cutting board as your work surface, roll each piece of bacon into a "rose" shape and insert two toothpicks to hold the spiral in place. I use rubber gloves for this part! Roll the roses so the white, more fatty part is downward. Secure with 2 toothpicks.

3.) Place each bacon "rose" onto the wire rack and bake for 25-30 minutes. 

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4.) While the roses are baking, grab your skewers, green florist's tape, and scissors. Wrap each skewer with the tape, beginning at the pointy end. At first, wrap the tape around a few times and press to secure onto skewer. Then, at more of a diagonal, run tape the rest of the way down the skewer. Rip off the tape at the end of each stick, and use fingers to secure any loose ends. Repeat as many times are you have bacon slices.

NOW, add the leaves to the sticks by winding the wires around skewers and securing tightly.

5.) Carefully remove the bacon roses from the oven, making sure not to spill any grease. Let them sit until they are almost cooled. This won't take long. 

6.) Put your gloves on again, carefully remove the toothpicks, and stick each leafy skewer stick so the pointy end does not show.

That's it! You're done. And you have a beautiful bouquet of Bacon Roses. Aren't they amazing?!

To eat them, just use a fork to remove the bacon roses from the stems, and serve on a plate. 

Ghirardelli Candy Making Recipes

I love the Ghirardelli baking products! I only use their chocolate chips in my brownies or cookies, and I am now looking into making some candy SOON. I was super happy to find lots of gorgeous photos and recipes on the Ghirardelli website! 

Below, are their Chocolate Covered Strawberries - Football Themed! 

And, the No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Chocolate Covered BACON!

And, their Cherry Almond Cheesecake On A Stick!

Basically, everything is better when it's covered in CHOCOLATE! See all of their recipes HERE. 

Mixed Berries + Banana Smoothie Recipe

I have been wanting to jump into making smoothies for a long time now, and here is my first attempt! I learned a little bit and this tasted really, really good. Slightly Earthy, but in time I am sure these will only get better. I am trying to incorporate as many fresh ingredients into my days as possible. 

INGREDIENTS for about 2 smoothies:

1 Cup Ice - (blend this in the blender before adding fruits and spinach)

1/3 pint blueberries

1/3 C. raspberries

2 bananas - cut into pieces

A small hand full of spinach, chopped or ripped into small pieces

1/4 - 1/2 Cup Pineapple Juice (or any juice you have on hand)

HOW TO:

Crush ice in blender. Add fruits and spinach, and blend for about 30 seconds, or until completely combined. If you want a thinner smoothie, just add more juice. 

This smoothie was very tasty. You get a nice taste of each of the ingredients, without tasting the spinach too much :) I am sure you could use frozen fruit as well. 

I hope you enjoy these, they kept me more full than expected!

What's For Dinner Tonight? Caesar Salad + Onion Ring Chicken Fingers Recipe

Let's start with the Caesar Salad! Check out my favorite ingredients, below.

CAESAR SALAD INGREDIENTS:

Organic Romaine Lettuce, Marzetti Supreme Caesar Dressing, Hormel Bacon Pieces, NewYorkBrand Texas Toast Cheese & Garlic Croutons and Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese. This has been my go-to recipe for a few years now, and it's so good! Mix all ingredients, adding dressing last. Top with a little bit more cheese. 

TIP:

Use the dressing sparingly at first, stir salad with a large spoon, and then see if you need more. The dressing is pretty strong, so you don't need much!

Next, is one of my favorite new recipes! Onion Ring Chicken Fingers. These are good beside the salad, or cut up inside of the salad. 

ONION RING CHICKEN FINGERS INGREDIENTS:

6-8 Organic Chicken Tenders

1/4 Cup Dijon Mustard (I mixed two types together)

1 1/2 Cups Regular Bread Crumbs

1/2 Cup French's Fried Onion Pieces (That's why I call them Onion Ring Chicken Fingers)

And to season breadcrumbs, I added a bit of garlic powder, salt, and pepper. 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.) Preheat oven to 450F. Spray metal rack with non-stick spray (I use the rack from my toaster oven). Set the rack onto a foil-lined baking sheet.

2.) In one shallow baking dish or Pyrex, add mustard. In a second dish, mix bread crumbs,  seasonings, and French's onions. 

3.) Prep the chicken. Dip each side of the chicken into mustard. You want just a light coating of mustard, or the breading will end up squishy instead of crisp, so use a fork to remove any excess. 

5.) Next, coat each side of the chicken tenders in the breadcrumb mixture. Transfer to metal rack. Try to leave a little bit of room between each piece.

4.) Bake 12-15 minutes, flip and then bake another 5 minutes or until done and crispy, with no pink inside of the chicken. 

Serve with ketchup or BBQ sauce. These are so good! 

Quick & Easy Glitzy Tree Earrings - DIY Tutorial - Make For Under $2.00

These festive earrings are so super easy! You could use any sort of fun mini ornaments! My Glitzy Gold Tree Ornaments came in a pack of four from The Dollar Store, and were 2" tall x 1.25" at the bottoms. 

HOW TO:

UPPLIES INCLUDE : 2 Ornaments, 2 - 10mm Jump Rings, 2 Earring Hooks, and Needle Nose Pliers.

1.) Here are your supplies! 2.) Cut off any ornament hangers or ribbons. 3.) Use pliers to open your jump rings, and attach the ornament and earring hook to the rings. 4.) Close the jump rings back up securely, and enjoy! These are very lightweight and above all, sparkly! Happy Holidays!

Black Bean and Bacon Chili Recipe

This is my absolute favorite chili recipe ever! Bobby's mom gave it to us a few years ago. She also adds some mushrooms, for added taste and lower carbs.

Here are the ingredients:

3 (28 ounce / large) Cans of Diced Tomatoes - do not drain

2 Lb. ground beef (the more lean, the better)

1 Lb. Bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

2-3 Onions, diced

4-5 Cloves of Garlic, chopped

2 Cans Black Beans, drained

1 Can Kidney Beans, drained

2-3 packets of chili seasoning

Small amount of olive oil for sautéing onions

HOW TO:

In a large (approx. 7 quart) stock pot, over medium heat, sauté onions until almost soft in just enough olive oil to coat onions. Pour about 1/4 of the seasoning packet to coat onions. Stir. 

Add garlic.

Add ground beef and the rest of the first seasoning packet. Cook until browned, draining is optional. 

Add tomatoes, (drained) beans, last seasoning packet, and any other ingredients you would like. 

Simmer for 30 minutes - 1 hour, as long as you can stand :)

Stir and serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and oyster crackers and enjoy!

You will definitely have lots of leftovers, and may want to cut this recipe in half. The chili stays good in an air tight container in the fridge for about 5 days. 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy this tasty recipe! 

The Best Banana Bread Ever!

I absolutely love how this banana bread recipe turned out! Super moist, lots of walnuts, nice and sweet! I used this recipe, and made a few small changes to make my life easier. This recipe makes a 9 x 13 cake pan, or two loaf pans.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. table salt
5 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1-2 cups walnuts (opt.)
1/2 cup milk
5-6 bananas (ripe to overripe)

ALSO:

Large mixing bowl - this recipe is rather large. 

Spatula to scrape bowl. 

BAKE 

350 degrees for 

45 minutes in a 9x13 pan

(or) 50-60 minutes in 2 regular loaf pans (or) mini loaves for about 35 minutes. 

This is how you will make the delicious bread:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use non-stick spray in 9x13 pan, two regular loaf pans, or approximately 18-20 mini loaf pans. Cover with foil the last 10-15 minutes so edges don't burn. 

Melt butter and let cool slightly, so eggs aren't "cooked" when added. Mash bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla, and beat until fluffy and well-combined, about 2 minutes. 

Next, add flour one cup at a time to reduce any possible mess. Add baking soda and salt, and continue to mix until well-combined, and no flour lumps are visible, while scraping sides of bowl. Lastly, add walnuts and beat a little longer until well-combined. That's it! 

Throw that bread in the oven and bake as directed above, depending on what pan(s) you use. This would be amazing for giving as gifts in mini loaf containers, since the recipe makes so much. 

This bread was SO good! 

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I had an awesome time creating these Fall and Halloween Recipes for a Pinterest Potluck. 

If you enjoy these creations, click the images to find them on Pinterest and click LIKE to vote for my recipes. I really appreciate it!!