Nailed It, haha

Trying to make homemade Bon Bons sounded like a great idea in this weather but it turns out dipping ice cream in chocolate is pretty much impossible in the biggest heat wave we've had in years, in a house with no AC.  I saw Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere do it and it just looked so easy.  Haha ya right.

That being said they were the best tasting thing EVER!  I will be trying again until I can get them to look as good as they taste :)


I used mint chocolate chip ice cream but any flavor would be good.  Scoop them out with a melon baller and put on a cookie sheet covered in waxed paper and back into the freezer.

1 1/2 cups of mini chocolate chips to 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening melted in a double boiler.  This was one of my major problems.  Melting chocolate is always a pain but if anyone out there has any advice, I need it bad.  I went slow and didn't over cook it and it worked for dipping about the first 2 ice cream balls and then it completely changed texture and hardened up in like 10 seconds.  What did I do?  Do I need more shortening to make it smoother?

To put this in perspective, here is a picture of the Cupcakes and Cashmere version next to mine :)

Hehe no contest, but at least they tasted good and I will keep trying :)

New Dining Room Chairs

My new chairs from Target came!  I'm so happy to finally have somewhere to sit for meals.  No more eating at the coffee table.  We can act like civilized grown ups :)  They were super easy to put together and I think they really add something to the room.  I could have gone with plain chairs, just in case, which is always my first instinct but it really pays off sometimes to go with the riskier choice.

This little bud vase was such a good find.  Clearance rack at Bed, Bath, & Beyond for $1.99.

And a picture of my fur baby because he's just so darn cute!!

And finally this is Kyle's "seriously Mara put the camera down and get in here and relax" face.

Lemon Garlic Aioli

Super easy aioli dip for artichokes.  I just mixed together mayo, crushed garlic, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper.  That was all I had on hand but some shallots or scallions would probably be good too :)

Green Juice

The new juices at Starbucks are packaged just like Naked Juice although when you read the label, they are a lot healthier.  They taste really good and are not nearly as sugary.  I tasted about 5 while I was there and came home with the green one.  

They also claim to have a special pasteurization technique that involves pressure not heat so that it does not kill off the vitamins in the veggies :)

Wedding Gift

I know I'm bias but my hubby really is the best one out there :)

For our wedding he got me this Kate Spade "mrs" necklace that I now wear everyday.  It's tiny and feminine and exactly what I would have picked for myself if I had been able to choose.

Someone must have been looking at my Pinterest boards.  

Thanks mom if you had anything to do with my hubs being so insightful ;) 

Caprese!

It's so good, isn't it?  Such an easy and fresh tasting salad.

All you need for this bite-size version is:

• cherry tomatoes, I cut in half so you don't have to chase them around your plate :)
• ciliegine "cherry-size" fresh mozzarella
• fresh basil
• salt & peper
• olive oil & balsamic vinegar

A Wedded Weekend

We had back-to-back weddings this weekend.  

Friday...

Saturday...