little letters

dear leko,
it's cute how much you love lounging underneath the christmas tree on the tree skirt.  it's not so cute how much you love climbing the christmas tree and knocking ornaments all around the house.  i'll let it pass because you were such a good boy at the vet this week for your check up.

dear vet,
thanks for taking it easy on my wallet this time . . . not.

dear balanced diet,
there are weeks when we have tortellini for dinner three nights in a row because i just can't seem to get my act together, but then there are weeks like this when i actually get my act together.  high five!

dear crock pot,
thanks for the most amazing chicken that feed us all week!

dear department christmas party at work,
a-w-k-w-a-r-d.  i swear sometimes work is just like high school.

dear ryan,
sometimes in the afternoon you send me pictures of kittens that you find on pinterest just to make me smile and to give me an afternoon pick-me-up.  i love this.

dear weekend,
hello!

love, laurie

holiday gift guide: for him

my first holiday gift guide featured gifts for the ladies in your life.  for my second holiday gift guide, i've rounded up a few fun gifts for the guys in your life: your dad, your brother, your best guy friend, or your significant other.  here are some of my favorite picks . . .

1. four port usb hub for macs - $27.99
2. 27 ounce stainless steel water bottle - $15.39
3. argyle dress socks - $10.90
4. bendable phone cable and tripod in one - $30.00
5. mustache mug - $15.95
6. starbucks christmas blend coffee - $14.95
7. aero press coffee maker - $29.34
8. leather bifold wallet - $30.00
9. custom leather luggage tag - $8.50
10. personalized photo puzzle - $24.99

happy shopping!

love, laurie

holiday gift guide: for her

christmas is quickly approaching, and holiday shopping can be stressful.  at our house, we are huge fans of shopping online.  it's a nice way to avoid the crowded stores, and there are tons of discounts and online coupons available.  of course, we always love finding a deal for free shipping too.

for my first holiday gift guide, i've rounded up a few fun gifts for the ladies in your life: your mom, your sister, your best friend, or maybe even something for yourself.  here are some of my favorite picks . . .

1. monogrammed mugs - $6.00
2. silver glitter iphone 4 case - $22.50
3. gold initial necklace - $37.00
4. the smitten kitchen cookbook - $19.75
5. wireless remote for cannon digital slr cameras - $21.70
6. zoya nail polish - $8.00
7. white owl pencil holder - $16.00
8. luggage tag - $12.00
9. farmers market basket - $20.00
10. bake even strips - $8.78

happy shopping!

love, laurie

olive garden's zuppa toscana soup

we really enjoyed the copy cat recipe for olive garden's pasta e fagioli soup that we made a few weeks ago. so, we were really excited when we found a copy cat recipe for olive garden's zuppa toscana soup too!  we made this soup over the weekend, and it turned out great!  it is the perfect soup for a cold day, and it tastes even better than the original.  we took leftovers of this soup to work for our lunch yesterday and it was great reheated too!

olive garden's zuppa toscana soup
prep time: 15-20 minutes
cooking time: 35-40 minutes
yields: 6 servings
adapted from cooking classy

ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. (4 links) mild italian sausage, sliced
5 slices low-sodium bacon, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
32 oz. unsalted chicken broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, diced
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup skim milk
1 1/2 cups kale, chopped

directions:
in a saute pan, over medium heat, cook the sausage in the olive oil until browned.  once the sausage is completely cooked, remove the sausage from the pan and place it on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess grease.  set the sausage aside.  add the diced bacon to the pan and allow it to saute for about 5 minutes.  then, add the diced onion to the pan with the bacon and saute until the bacon is cooked throughout and the onions are tender.

in a large pot, over medium heat, combine the cooked sausage, bacon, and onion.  add the chicken broth, water, diced potatoes, fennel seeds, pepper, half-and-half, milk, and chopped kale.  bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce the heat.  allow the soup to simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are tender.

season with salt and pepper to taste.  serve hot with freshly grated parmesan cheese and a slice of italian bread.

enjoy!

love, laurie

scenes from the weekend

{lazy morning pancakes and clementine slices}

{sorting through bins of christmas lights}

{right in the middle of the action}

{picking out his favorite strand of lights}

{decorating the dining room with snowflake lights}

{supervising}

{very serious squirrel watching}

{more squirrel watching with daddy}

{homemade soup}

{his and hers hot chocolate}

{festive christmas sweater themed nails}

. . . 

hope your weekend was a good one!

love, laurie

cappuccino ice cream pie

last night after work, we got together with my parents to celebrate my mom's birthday.  for her birthday, ryan and i made a cappuccino ice cream pie.  making this dessert for my mom reminded me of making the homemade ice cream cake for ryan's birthday this past summer.

ice cream pies are so incredibly easy to make.  however, they do take a little bit of patience.  after all, it's hard to wait for desserts to freeze when you just want to dive right into them!  for this ice cream pie, you could use any flavor ice cream you like.  you don't even have to make homemade ice cream, store bought ice cream would work fine too.

my mom's birthday ice cream pie had a chocolate graham cracker crust, a layer of chocolate fudge, and homemade coffee ice cream.  the pie was topped off with frozen whipped cream, dusted with cocoa powder, and decorated with chocolate shavings.  it was absolutely delicious!

cappuccino ice cream pie
prep time: 20-30 minutes
baking time: 8-10 minutes
freezing time: 8 hours
yields: one 9-inch round pie

crust ingredients:
9-10 chocolate graham crackers
2 teaspoons decaffeinated instant coffee
5-6 tablespoons salted butter, melted

ice cream ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons decaffeinated instant coffee
3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

whipped cream topping ingredients:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sour cream

directions:
to make the crust: preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  in a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they are the consistency of fine crumbs.  in a separate bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the instant coffee and the melted butter.  mix well, making sure that all of the graham cracker crumbs are evenly coated with the butter.  press the mixture into a 9-inch round pie plate.  bake the crust for 8-10 minutes, then remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely.  once the crust has cooled completely spread chocolate fudge evenly over the crust.

to make the ice cream: in a large bowl whisk together all of the ingredients with a hand mixer on low speed for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sugar dissolves.  using a 2 quart ice cream maker, turn the machine on and pour the mixture into the freezer bowl.  (the freezer bowl must be already pre-frozen.)  let the mixture mix in the ice cream maker for about 25-30 minutes, or until thickened.  transfer the ice cream to the chocolate crust (there will be some extra ice cream left over that will not fit in the crust).  cover the top with plastic wrap and freeze for about 4-6 hours, or until the ice cream is completely frozen.

to make the whipped cream topping: in a large bowl combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla.  whisk together with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  gently fold the sour cream into the whipped cream, being careful not to deflate the whipped cream.  spread the whipped cream topping over the frozen ice cream.  allow the whipped cream topping to freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

once the pie is completely frozen, dust the top of the pie with cocoa powder.  optional: add chocolate shavings to the top of the pie for additional decoration.

enjoy!

love, laurie

snapshots of life lately, according to my iphone pictures

{iphone pictures via the instagram app}

happy birthday, mom!

happy birthday today to the world's greatest mom!

love, laurie

xoxo

andes mint chocolate cake with peppermint buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache

when we visited ryan's brother and sister-in-law this weekend to celebrate christmas a little bit early we made dessert (of course).  i always crave the combination of peppermint and chocolate during the christmas season, and i love any dessert that combines these two flavors.  so, we decided to make something that was both minty and chocolaty for our early christmas celebration dessert.

what we ended up with was the perfect holiday dessert: andes mint chocolate cake with peppermint buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache.  this cake was a huge hit with everyone, and we definitely will be making it again.

this three-layer cake bursts with flavor in every bite.  the chocolate cake is moist, and the peppermint frosting is sweet, yet refreshing.  the chocolate ganache on the top of the cake is reminiscent of the chocolate on andes mints.  if you have any holiday parties or holiday gatherings this season, i highly recommend this cake.  it is a crowd pleaser, for sure!

andes mint chocolate cake with peppermint buttercream frosting 
and chocolate ganache
prep time: 30 minutes
baking time: 20-25 minutes
yields: one triple layer 8-inch round cake
adapted from bird on a cake

cake ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup water
1 cup andes mints, finely chopped

frosting ingredients:
16 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3-4 teaspoons pure peppermint extract
1/2 cup milk, divided
6 cups powdered sugar, divided
4-5 drops of green food coloring (optional)

ganache ingredients:
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions:
to make the cake: preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  grease and flour the sides of three 8-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.  in a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa powder to remove any lumps.  in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sifted dry ingredients with the sugar, eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.  beat until combined.  in a saucepan, bring the water to a boil.  carefully add the water to the batter, and stir until it is completely combined.  beat the batter for 1-2 minutes on high speed.  fold the chopped andes mints into the batter, and distribute the batter evenly among the three prepared cake pans.  bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.  once done, allow the cakes to cool in the cake pans for 10-15 minutes.  remove the cakes from the cake pans and allow them to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

to make the frosting: in the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the butter, vanilla, peppermint, 1/4 cup of the milk, and 3 cups of the powdered sugar.  gradually add the remaining milk and powdered sugar until you reach your desired frosting consistency.  optional: add a few drops of green food coloring to the frosting and mix well.  once the cakes have cooled completely, spread the frosting evenly on the bottom cake, then place the second cake on top.  repeat with the next layer.  spread the frosting over the entire cake, covering the top and the sides of the cakes.

to make the ganache: pour the chocolate chips into a metal bowl, then set aside.  in a saucepan, over low heat, heat the heavy cream.  stir constantly, and remove from the heat when the cream starts to boil.  pour the cream over the chocolate chips.  gently stir the chocolate mixture until all of the chocolate chips have completely melted.  stir in the vanilla.  allow the ganache to cool before drizzling it over the top of the cake.

optional: decorate the top of the cake with additional andes mints.

enjoy!

love, laurie

celebrating christmas a little bit early

this week, ryan's brother and sister-in-law are in town visiting from north carolina.  this is the first time they have traveled to pennsylvania since they had their baby in the spring.  since we won't be able to see them for christmas this year, over the weekend we went to ryan's parents' house and celebrated christmas a little bit early . . .

merry (early) christmas!

love, laurie