Love You S'more

The first year my husband and I were dating, I knew I didn't want to go overboard with gifts for Valentine's Day since our relationship was still fairly new.  Instead, I wanted to put together a fun and delicious dessert activity for us post dinner.  While on Pinterest, I came across the idea of "Love You S'more," a DIY Valentine's Day S'more bar.  I absolutely loved this concept and immediately got to work prepping this sweet Valentine's day surprise.  The end result was a rather large cellophane bag filled with marshmallows, graham crackers and Hershey chocolate bars, tied up with cute ribbon and 2 roasting sticks attached to the bow.  My husband absolutely loved the gift and we had a great time making s'mores on our first Valentine's Day together (complete with roasting marshmallows over a hot coil stove….it's all we had at the time and all I can say is that it definitely worked!).

In an effort to be thoughtful and romantic this year, I have decided to recreate the dessert from our first Valentine's Day together.  However, this year I am putting a little spin on my "Love You S'more."  Instead of sharing a romantic moment roasting marshmallows over a coil stove, I have decided to create a s'more dip to be served with a side of graham crackers.   This is super easy to make, absolutely delicious and perfect for sharing.   Here is how I went about making this delicious treat: 

Ingredients

• 1 Jar of Coops Hot Fudge
• Jet Puffed Marshmallows
• Graham Crackers
• Mini Chocolate Chips

Instructions

1. Turn your oven on to "Broil"
2. In a 6.5 inch skillet, heat 1 jar of Coop's Hot Fudge over medium-low heat stirring intermittently (approx 3-5 min)
3. Once hot fudge is heated throughout, remove from stove and sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top of the hot fudge
4. Then stand jet-puffed marshmallows on top of hot fudge mixture, making sure to cover the entire surface (about 21 marshmallows)
5. To achieve the charred look, I used a kitchen torch to lightly singe the tops
6. Once tops are slightly singed, place skillet under the broiler for approximately 2-4 minutes, until marshmallows are puffed and tops are golden brown
7. Remove from oven and serve along side a dish of graham crackers

**Note- To take this dessert to the next level, I recommend pairing this "Love You S'more" skillet with a bottle of Napa Cellars V Collection Carneros Pinot Noir.  Red wine is notorious for pairing beautifully with chocolate and the lighter fruit of this Pinot Noir grape will accentuate the chocolate flavors, but won't overpower the other s'more flavors. 

A few other accessories to consider when serving this spread: 

• CB2 Cheval Clear Wine Glasses
• Caspari Zebra Placemats
• CB2 Bento Matte Black Appetizer Plates
• World Market Heart Chalkboards, Set of 2
• Caspari Jute Charcoal Cocktail Napkins
• An abundance of red roses makes for a great finishing touch

Happy Valentine's Day!

Chocolate Covered Brownie Hearts

I love gifting my friends with fun treats on Valentine's Day.  Just some small token of appreciation, wrapped up in cute paper with a thoughtful note.  Last year I must admit that I was a little overwhelmed with the blog launch + Super Bowl Party + Valentine's Day.  So in an effort to save time, I ended up buying pre-made chocolate covered heart brownies for my friends for Valentine's Day .  While they were certainly delicious, they were really expensive and way more than I should be spending on little Valentine's treats.  

In an effort to be a little more financially prudent this year, I have decided to make my own heart-shaped brownie bites.  These bites are delicious, easy to make, economical and so flipping cute!  Definitely a unique and delicious treat that almost any Valentine would love to receive. 

Ingredients

• Box of Brownie Mix (Recommend Ghirardelli Double Chocolate)
• 1 pkg White Chocolate Chips
• Red Food Coloring
• Nonstick Spray

**You will also need an assortment of heart shaped cookie cutters and a jelly roll pan

Instructions

1. Make the brownie mix per the instructions on the back of the packaging
2. Pour batter onto a jelly roll pan that has been lined with aluminum foil and greased with spray cooking oil (ex. PAM)
3. Bake for about 20 min at 325 degrees fahrenheit or until toothpick comes out clean
4. Once baked, remove from oven and flip onto a cooling rack removing aluminum foil carefully
5. Once cooled, transfer brownie sheet to a large cutting board
6. Use the heart shaped cookie cutters to create mini heart brownies and set aside
7. In a microwave safe bowl, melt white chocolate chips (stirring contents every 30 seconds until melted)
8. Add 3-5 drops of red food coloring to the melted chocolate and stir until desired pink color is achieved
9. Dip brownie hearts in melted pink chocolate and set on a cooling rack to harden
10. Serve and enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili Recipe

Often I find myself stressing over what to serve guests with dietary restrictions.  I want to make sure that they enjoy their meal just as much as those guests who are eating my regular menu, but in the same breath, I also don't want to create oodles of additional work for myself in an effort to accommodate an array of dietary needs.  My solution?  Vegetarian Chili!!  This recipe is the perfect Super Bowl dish to serve your gluten-free, vegetarian and/or vegan friends.  Heck, even meat eaters love this dish!  My recipe for vegetarian chili is super easy to make, very healthy, packed with flavor and inexpensive.  Here is how I made this delicious dish.

Ingredients

• 3 Tbs Olive Oil
• 6 Cloves Fresh Garlic (minced)
• 1-2 Yellow Onions (diced)
• 2 Red/Yellow/Orange Bell Peppers (Diced)
• 1-15oz can Black Beans (drained)
• 1-15oz can Kidney Beans (drained)
• 1-150z can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1/2c Vegetable Broth
• 1 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tbs Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Smokey Spanish Paprika
• 2 tsp Kosher Salt (plus more to taste)
• 1/4 tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper

Instructions

1. In a large sauce pan heat olive oil on medium high
2. One olive oil is hot, add minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until just starting to turn brown
3. Add the diced onion and diced peppers, stir and allow to sweat down until onion begins to look translucent 
4. Add the broth, black beans, kidney beans, crushed tomatoes, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, paprika and cumin
5. Stir until well combined, cover and simmer on low for 30-40 minutes
6. Add more salt and pepper to taste

How do I serve vegetarian chili? 

I love to serve this recipe with sides of both light sour cream and shredded cheese.  To bring this dish to the next level, I also like to include a side of freshly made gourmet cornbread and a really delicious glass of red wine (*Note- Napa Cellars Zinfandel pairs beautifully with this dish).

Winter Gin Sparkler

I have never been a huge fan of gin.  I don't know if it's something about the flavor or maybe it just tasted stronger than vodka, but there was something about it that never quite agreed with me.  Of course, now you're probably wondering why the heck I'm sitting here writing  a post about my new favorite gin cocktail recipe! 

WELL, let me just start by saying that my feelings about gin have completely transformed thanks to my recent discovery of One Eight Distilling.  One Eight is a local DC distillery specializing in Vodka, Gin and an array of whiskeys.  Every Saturday from 1-4pm, they open their doors to the public and offer free tastings of their liquors as well as a menu of specialty cocktails to purchase for $7.  In addition, they also offer free tours of their distillery.  

Naturally, as soon as I learned of their Saturday open house, I had to go and experience it for myself!  So my husband and I ventured over to the distillery a few weekends ago where we enjoyed the most delicious "Kumquat May" Cocktails (Ivy City Gin, Kumquat Syrup, Lime Juice and Bitter Lemon Soda) and took the fabulous distillery tour.  It was so much fun, the cocktails were absolutely delicious and definitely an activity that I would recommend to anyone in the DC area (age 21+ of course!).

So now onto my latest cocktail creation!  This is an easy to make cocktail, filled with delicious seasonal ingredients and of course my favorite local gin label!  Here's the scoop on how to make this flavorful and refreshing cocktail:

Ingredients

• High Quality Gin (I highly recommend trying Ivy City Gin)
• Grapefruit Juice
• 2 pkgs Fresh Rosemary 
• Sparkling Water (ex. Perrier)
• Fresh Ruby Red Grapefruit for Garnish
• 1c Sugar
• 1c Water

Rosemary-Infused Simple Syrup

1. In a small sauce pan combine 1 cup of water, 1 cup of Granulated Sugar, 3 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary and about 1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Rosemary
2. Heat on Medium-High until sugar is dissolved 
3. Reduced to a simmer for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool
4. Pour syrup through a sieve to remove all rosemary pieces 

To Make the Cocktail

1. Fill a low ball/double old fashioned glass with ice
2. Add 1-2 shots of Ivy City Gin
3. Add 1 Tbs Rosemary Simple Syrup
4. Fill the remainder of the glass with equal parts grapefruit juice and sparkling water
5. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary and slice of ruby red grapefruit that has been speared with a knotted cocktail pick
6. Serve and Enjoy!

Super Bowl Caprese Skewers

Over this past weekend I received some beyond exciting news (no, not Winter Storm Jonas).  The Carolina Panthers are going to the Super Bowl!!!  For those of you who know me, you know that I love the Panthers and am anything but a fair-weather fan.  I still remember the last time they went to the Super Bowl, as if it were yesterday.  I was a freshman in college and had been invited to watch the game with a group of friends in a dorm room down the hall.  The Panthers were playing the Patriots, which unfortunately resulted in a loss.  Despite the loss, the silver lining was that I was introduced to one of my closest friends at this party.  Years later, we are still the best of friends and I am still a major Panthers fan! Naturally I plan to celebrate their achievement this year in a big way…by hosting a Super Bowl Party!!

I am still working on finalizing my menu for the party, but one thing I can say with certainty is that I plan on serving football-themed caprese skewers.  There are so many heavy dishes that are traditionally served during a super bowl party (all delicious of course), making it a nice change to serve a bit of lighter fare.  Here is how I make these delicious and festive skewers. 

Ingredients

• 1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes (sliced in half crosswise)
• Fresh Basil
• Mini Fresh Mozzarella Balls (aka Ciliegine)
• Balsamic Glaze

Instructions

1. Using a Pick on Us Football Skewer, spear half of a tomato approximately 1 inch up the skewer
2. Roll a medium leaf of basil (loosely in thirds) and skewer
3. Then spear a piece of mozzarella, followed by another loosely rolled basil leaf and set skewers aside
4. Drizzle balsamic glaze onto a serving platter and position the remaining tomato halves (flat side down) onto the platter
5. Spear the caprese skewers into the tomato halves on the platter, garnish with a good olive oil, salt and pepper (if desired)
6. Served and Enjoy!