Chocolate...nuff said

We've all heard of the Pampered Chef and Mary Kay parties.  But have you heard of a Chocolate Party!!??  Well, don't worry, I'm here to enlighten you!!  Just like those personal business companies (Lia Sophia, Scentsy, Michebag, etc.) you have a company rep come to your home & show you the products, and we all place our orders.  However, this type of party is a little different.  Why you ask...UMM, HELLO! IT'S CHOCOLATE!!!  Who doesn't love Chocolate? Actually, me...I don't care one bit for Chocolate...usually.  But this isn't your typical Hershey bar!  About a week ago, I dropped my boy off at a friend's home so I could do a photo shoot.  When I returned to pick my boy up, she convinced me to sample some of the chocolate that she sells.  IT WAS AMAZING.   She had mentioned several times off and on that I should host a party for her, but considering I'm not that into chocolate and I'm on a diet, I kinda put the idea on the back burner.  That was until I she tortured me with a single taste! I was SOLD!  Within a week, my Dove Chocolate Discoveries Party was underway.  My turnout was awesome, considering I had only planned it 5 days earlier.  I also was amazed at the amount of sales we got, considering the lack of success from my previous Lia Sophia and Pampered Chef parties.  I believe 2 girls booked their own parties from mine, and I plan to have another one around Christmas (I smell presents!)  I'm also considering a blog giveaway, because 1: you all NEED to experience the sheer bliss my tongue experienced and 2: It'd be nice to give my friend a little networking boost.  However, I'd like to get at least 50 followers before I do it, so send your bloggy friends my way.  In the meantime, feel free to check out my friends' website and definately look into hosting your own Dove Chocolate Party in the near future!

Laces Out, Dan!

So I've been holding onto this box for a while, patiently waiting for football season to begin.  I sent it out a little early still, but I have already passed the official cut off date for packages, so it's now or never.  Well anyhow, I had a lot of ideas for cookies, but I thought I'd again mix it up and throw in something new...so this week I made Rice Krispie Treats with chocolate peanut butter coating and vanilla bean icing for laces.  This recipe was sort of made up on the fly...so I'll give this tutorial a (pathetic) shot.

1) Make your Rice Krispie Treats
-Melt 3 TB of butter over medium
-Add 4 cups of mini marshmallows and stir until melted
-Mix in 6 cups of cereal
-Spread into a pan coated with cooking spray.

Sorry I have no photo of this. But if you don't know what Rice Krispie Treats look like then you probably aren't getting enough electricity in that cave of yours to turn on your oven anyhow.

2) Make a sinful coating
-While the treats cool, melt 4 squares of bakers unsweetened chocolate in the microwave (about 1 min).
-Remove and stir in 1 cup of peanut butter (preferably smooth and/or creamy...the peanuts in the chunky don't make for a pretty surface for these footballs) and heat for another 30 seconds in the microwave until soft.
-Once the treats have cooled to a room temp, spread this dangerous mixture of chocolate and peanut butter over the top.
-Cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour (until the chocolate mix is hard to the touch)

I didn't have a pan that was an appropriate size so I improvised...deal with it.

You can stop here and cut squares later, but If you want footballs...continue on...

3) Make the footballs...
-Use a football shaped cookie cutter and cut them out
-Smack yourself in the forehead for needing a tutorial for this step


4) Lace it up
-Combine 6 tablespoons of milk with 6 tablespoons of corn syrup in a mixer.
-Add in a tablespoon of Williams-Sonoma's Vanilla Bean Paste (if you don't have this, run out and buy it now!!)  If you aren't fortunate enough to get your hands on this paste, just bust out the regular old blah vanilla extract. *WARNING* It won't taste nearly as awesome. ;)

Legal Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for any damage caused to your wardrobe, taste-buds, or kitchen in the baking of these footballs.  They are extremely rich and not recommended for the amateur eater. 
 

Finger Foods

Tonight I made up 2 batches of cookies, one for taste, one for fun.  The first batch I'll tell you about is the batch for show. They are just your basic run of the mill sugar cookies with some food coloring and a pumpkin seed.  They are zombie fingers.  Yes, I know there's still 2 months before halloween, but I'm not sending my husband a halloween themed box, so back off!  I am sending him a zombie themed box :)  My husband oddly has a major interest in the idea of zombies taking over the earth one day...it's a joke people, don't get your panties in a bunch.  Anyhow, so in honor of my husbands love for the zombie scene, I've centered this week's box around zombies (Jeez, I know I already said it, I'm just making sure you're paying attention.)  Anyhow, when doing a google search for zombie cookies I came across the idea of green fingers (yes, I know zombies don't have green fingers, witches do...big deal, they looked cool.)  Anyhow, so I figured the idea was pretty simple and quick so I went with it.  The recipe called for pistachios but I thought pumpkin seeds looked more like finger nails (yes I'm aware they wont taste that good on sugar cookies, but who cares, they are for show anyhow...jeez you are so rude tonight).  Well, like I said the recipe was pretty cut and dry, but if you really must have a step by step (mr. pushy pants), here ya go...

Step 1: Add green coloring to your sugar cookie mix

Step 2: Roll into log shapes, add knuckles by using a toothpick, press seeds in for fingernails and bake.

Take out of oven.  Turn the tables for once and eat a zombie :) 

My son wouldn't eat one, he said it would make him a zombie too. HAHA

Now I'm going to tell you about cookie #2 for the night.  These are chocolate chip peanut butter cookies.  You can find the recipe here. They looked and smelled yummy, but because I'm on a diet again, I can't tell you for sure.  Anyhow, I made up enough to place 3 in individual baggies for disbursement in the hubs care package.  I also left out a handful to give to the man at the post office who always teases me about not saving him any cookies.  Just a hint to my fellow army wives, when sending out multiple packages a week to go overseas, it's always good to have the postal employees on your side.

I want s'more...lot's more.

Let me begin by saying OH MY GOSH!!!! These were the yummiest smelling cookies I have ever baked up.  I was drooling the entire time.  This way by far the worst idea I ever had, baking cookies like this while on a diet.  I had to bake them, they were perfect for the box theme, plus my husband's last batch arrived un-edible and I had to make up for that. Throughout the preparation there was this strange force drawing my lips closer and closer to the batter-filled spoon...but I successfully fought the urges.  When the warm steamy cookies came out of the oven, my toddler ran into the kitchen, his nose sniffing in full force and a smile on his face, "MOMMY! What's that smell!?"  Oh he has no clue how lucky he is, I think as I pass him a cookie.  Well, here's the devil looking innocent in the form of a tasty desert...

If you would like your own taste of temptation, you can find the recipe here.