Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

I know I already complained on Monday, but (and Michael will vouch for this) I'm a bit of a whiner.

So excuse me while I whine about the fact that I STIIIIIL DO NOT HAAAAAVE THE COOKIE DOUGH LOVER'S COOOOKBOOOOOOK! It's not faaaaair! whyyyy?! WHY DON'T I HAVE IT?!

I love the blog Love & Olive Oil and when I found out Lindsay (the lady behind L&OO) wrote a cookbook ENTIRELY ABOUT COOKIE DOUGH it became my #1 must have item. 

Then time passed. More time. And then some more.

And I still do not have it. It's like...probably a crime against nature.

I mean, I've been pretty clear about my cookie dough obsession, yeah? Remember that recipe for eatable cookie dough? Or those peanut butter cookie dough brownies? MMm or those chocolate chip cookie dough balls. The only reasons more of such recipes haven't graced this site is because I'm just so depressed over my lack of cookbook.

Luckily, a few of the recipes from that much desired cookbook have found their way onto the internets. This recipe is one of those recipes. Cookie dough truffles. Oh yeah. 

As I was just typing that line...I had major deja vu. Have you ever had that? So crazy. I literally dreamed like a whole moment of time, and I dreamt it last night and it happened today! Weeeird. 

Anyway, sorry, back to cookie dough. These truffles are great for multiple reasons.Obviously...they're cookie dough...covered in chocolate. WIN. And, no bake, awesome for summertime! And they're so little you can just sit down and pop them in your mouth one by one and then you look down and....

...oops, they're all gone. :)

Skillet Breakfast Potatoes

I'm going to share a tale of food blogging/photography woe.

I know my food photos could be better. I look at other photos and read tutorials and tips and tricks, because I want to improve. And I'm getting better, but I know I'm not doing a lot of things I need to and the photos are still not as good as I'd like for them to be. But, I have a few things working against me.

1. I don't have like...a real camera. I've got a point and shoot. Now...it's a good point and shoot, and I like it, and it's easy to use (which is part of what scares me about DSLR's) But I've seen the photos those good, like...actual photography cameras can take. And they're just...so good.
2. Space....I have none. I literally can only photograph in the tiny corner by my kitchen window and my oven. A lot of food styling tips are difficult for me because I can't use a table or a counter, I use a stool. Yepp...a stool. I set a stool up in that corner and put stuff on it. Gettin' creative in this tiny apartment.
3. I think my brain is just broken when it comes to food styling. I think it's the same reason I suck at scrapbooking. I dunno.

Anyway, the point of this story is...in spite of all this...I really really really like these photos.

Also send me a DSLR :P

Now that I've complained, let's chat about potatoes, hm?

I love em. LOVE EM. These especially.

It was morning when I made these, and I was busy washing dishes and such, but I wanted to get on these so I asked Michael to play sous chef and chop up the potatoes for me. Poor dear...it took forever. He did such a good job, though! What a champ! After all that hard work, I think these potatoes had extra pressure to be so delicious, so that they were worth it.

Uh yeah...consensus says worth it.

These potatoes are perfectly seasoned (ok...you'll realize when you scroll down I didn't write down amounts for seasonings that's because...I just used my instincts. That's part of what makes them so great, right?!) and wonderfully crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Seriously...don't just eat them for breakfast. They're too good to be relegated to only one meal. Eat em for lunch. With dinner. 

Really all that matters is that you eat them.

Something Saturdays (7/27/13)

Hiya! I now have a snazzy new button to go with the new blog design (big thank you to Jennie, The Messy Baker, for helping me out with this!) If you want to share the button just copy and paste that code below. What do you think? Do you like it?   <center> <a href="http://cookingactress.com/"> <img src="http://themessybakerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/buttonnew.png" border="0"/> </a></center>

ABC's of me

Does anyone else remember when surveys like this were rampant on myspace and facebook? I loooved em, so when I saw this had been making the bloggy rounds on Olives 'n' Wine I mean...I had to do it!


A. Attached or Single? 
If you've read this blog and are familiar with me, you know about how very attached I am to my boy (of 4 years!) Michael. :)

B. Best Friend? 
(Other than Michael): Alex. I've known her since she was born and we lived 3 houses down from each other until I moved to NYC. She is my sister and we've been through so much together, I love this girl. For truth.

I'm in the center of the 2 photos--so the right on the first photo and on the left in the second one. The first photo is from Halloween, she was a Native American and I was a brunette Barbie-very appropriate for our personalities. Plus, how cute are we?!

C. Cake or pie? 
Generally speaking, pie. For one thing: crust. Yum. For another, I'm really picky about cake, and the cakes I tend to really like are like on the border between cake and torte lol. I don't do fruit pies, however, just sweet  ones (or pumpkin) like Oreo, peanut butter, chocolate...

...Nutella Crack Pie, etc.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Banana Pops

I love summer, ok? I do. I wait for it all year round.

But it has been HOT! 

Last week I had to walk for a half hour, dragging a bag with 4 wine bottles, to work, in 100 degree heat (wearing all black). I WAS MISERABLE. Oh sweet lord it was awful. Luckily, it's cooled down a bit since then but...still...hot. And while we're still in the midst of this heat, let's get the most of the frozen treats that both refresh us and make our hearts and tummies happy.

Like with these popsicles.

Do you all remember when I talked about my Zoku Quick Pop Maker? Well, this is another popsicle I made using my beautiful little pop maker. But I made it up. Soo...sorry for the lack of actual written down ingredient amounts...this is sort of a make it up as you go kinda recipe. It's cool though, we don't need to be completely structured here, right?*

*(omg I'm so control freak-y, planner, type A, that just typing that sentence made me feel wrong.)

Growing up, my house was the only house in the neighborhood (in which children lived anyway) that had A/C. My grandpa owned (and my dad worked at) a heating and cooling company so...I mean obviously we had to have a good system. Anyhow, because of this fact, all the neighbor kids congregated at our house to make the most of the cool, cool, air conditioned air. One of those kids, my (still) best friend Alex, who is living at home for the summer, just tweeted at me that I need to move back home so she can come over and bask in the air conditioning...like old times.

Another very strong summer memory I have is of frozen chocolate covered bananas. They were one of my mom's summer staples and I was always clamoring for them, I LOVED em! Couldn't get enough. They were one of my favorite parts of summer.

So, these pops are sort of meant to emulate those flavors. And...I added peanut butter...because...it's never not a good idea to add peanut butter. Plus some people have peanuts on their frozen chocolate bananas (something I never experienced until trying one at a fair) and so you could say the peanut butter adds that flavor element there.

See? Perfect sense. Eat some popsicles, yo' while we still can!

Whole Wheat Brown Butter Pancakes

These are some of the best pancakes I've ever made. Certainly the prettiest.

I'm pretty sure they're Michael's favorite too (even though he's not generally a big pancake fan). He's totally on the browned butter bandwagon.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

My girl, Kristin, of Baker Bettie, (remember her?) has this amazing Back to Bake-sics series that is just...revolutionizing how I make things. I suck at science so making my own recipes has always seemed confusing/intimidating but she breaks it down in a way that makes SO much sense and it has taught me SO much! Anyway, as soon as I saw her basics recipe for pancakes I knew I had to use it immediately. Wanna know why? She said I could use any liquid fat...which made my brain go: BROWNED BUTTER PANCAKES ARE HAPPENING! And I knew brown sugar would be a perfect partner, and I thought the nuttiness of whole wheat flour would complement the recipe too. So that is what I did.

Such a great idea.

These pancakes had such a great, different, flavor. They were soft and fluffy. Pretty much overall deliciousness in pancake form. You can also get crazy and throw in some fruit or chocolate chips or whatever (which of course I added chocolate chips to mine, but I actually think they distracted from the delicious browned butter flavor. Michael's were chocolate chip-less). Whatever. Bottom line is you just need these in your life. For breakfast. Or dinner, hey, whatever floats your boat.

Something Saturdays (7/20/13)

*Phew* I'm finally all back and settled into my normal routine guys, yay! I want to send out another BIG thank you to the 3 amazing ladies I had guest post for me while I was a busy bee: Kristin/Baker Bettie, Hayley/The Domestic Rebel, and Stephie of Eat Your Heart Out! Love you girls!

Ok let's sum up my trip, shall we? I found out a few days before flying out that I was going to be on the same flight as one of my childhood best friends (who recently moved to NYC), Molly. So we made sure we booked seats next to each other and we had such a fun flight because of it! Then I went to my mom's house with her and a bit later my brother and his new girlfriend came over so I could meet her, and we all got some lunch, ran an errand, then came back and proceeded to play Super Nintendo and watch home movies. Good times. We finished the night with dinner with my dad and his parents (hooray steak!) Wednesday was doctor's visits, a haircut, and general running around/bonding time with my mom (and she may have bought me some new clothes from Plato's Closet XD) Then I got to meet up with my best friend Alex and go get dinner with her, then we just hung out a bit. Thursday was lunch with my 3rd cousin Kayla, then another doctor's appointment, then going to my grandma's to see my mom's side of the family (and hold my ADORABLE new 3 week old 2nd cousin-cousin's daughter-, Sophia!) Friday I hung out at Michael's mom's with her and Michael's best friend, David, and his twins Kate and Evie, and then I spent the rest of the time just being with my mom :) Saturday I rode up to Lake Conneaut with Michael's stepmom Jeanne and we met up with his other family members (and, once his dad had picked him up from the bus, Michael too). It was a whirlwind of fun and traditions and I loved every second of it--I haven't been on this annual family vacation of theirs since Michael and I had just gotten together, so 4 years ago (I know, he asked me to go after only like a week or so of dating! We're crazy like that). Then on Monday night we took the 11:45 PM bus back to NYC, arriving at 8:30 AM (WHICH WAS THE WORST IDEA EVER! Ugh it was freezing and uncomfortable and we just did not sleep so well). AAAnd yeah. That about sums it up. I love our families and friends and had an awesome time. :)

Actors That Should Play Disney Princes In Real Life-YESS. Especially for Prince Eric and Beast (OMG DROGO AND BEAST AS THE SAME PERSON??! <3 <3 <3)

OMG you guys...have you tried these Girl Scout cookie flavored Nestle Crunch Bars yet??! They're my 3 fave girl scout cookies, (Peanut Butter Patties, Thin Mints, and Samoas) made into wafer/candy bars. And they are PHENOMENAL! Seriously...the flavors are spot on. I'm in love. (P.S. thanks mom for buying these for me from Rite Aid when we were out and about...love you! :P)

Easy Tacos

Still recovering from vacation (and the horrendousness of an overnight bus ride-NEVER AGAIN) sooo let's just make something easy for dinner tonight, mk?

I'm picky. And that can be annoying for everyone involved.

People get legitimately annoyed/mad with me because of it. Whenever I'm at the mercy of someone else's food, I dread the moment where I look at everything, and am forced to admit that "I don't like it." I get glares, I get sighs, it is the reason so many of my childhood friends' mothers despised me (I'm 90% sure they despised me). And I feel terrible. It's nothing personal, I say. It looks great! It's me. I'm weird. I know it. I'm sorry. I wish I wasn't like this. And I mean it. I do. Being picky is no fun. It is so not a choice I've made. I'll try virtually anything. I've gotten much better and have expanded my flavor horizons but...end of the day...

I'm still picky. I still am a "super taster" (long story short, my taste buds are extra sensitive so foods others think are bland I tend to love, but I have very little tolerance for bitter or spicy foods, etc.) And this unfortunate reality sometimes means those close to me miss out.

So, I've been making a real effort to make things for Michael that he likes and I don't, because it's not fair to subject him to my limited food choices.

One of the things Michael misses the most from home that his mom would make for him, is tacos. He was always lamenting how he could really go for a taco. So I called his mom and found out, oh hey, her recipe is ridiculously simple. I can do that. So I did! Season some ground turkey, cook it up, throw it on a tortilla and top it. Michael was happy. And I was happy because he was happy. Everyone wins :).

Mexican Style Quiche-Guest Post with Stephie of Eat Your Heart Out

Hey! Remember on the first when I did that post on Stephie's blog, Eat Your Heart Out? (Sum up: Stephie is the sweetest girl ever, super fun and cool, and she writes on of my favorite blogs! I especially love her back to basics series and OMG best post over about pie crust!) Well now my girly is returning the favor! Since I'm just coming back from vacation and getting life all normal-y again, she has me covered with a super amazing recipe for you all! Stephie is a genius with food, and I know she can make some kick butt savory dishes, so when she proposed this recipe for you all, I knew it would be a hit (give you all a little variety in your lives ;P). Anyway, I'll leave the rest to her...Stephie, take it away!:

Hello, darlings! I am so excited to be posting over here for Kayle today. I think Kayle is just such a sweetheart, don’t you? 

I know y’all see a lot of chocolate recipes around here, but I have a confession to make: I don’t like chocolate. At all. 

I know. I must be crazy. Sometimes I look at all of Kayle’s lovely-looking chocolate desserts and think the same thing. But, alas, chocolate has just never been on my list of favorite foods. 

Since I clearly can’t compete with Kayle’s dessert-making prowess, I thought I would change things up today with a fun quiche recipe. I personally love a good quiche. I get to combine two of my favorite things – pie crust and cheese – into one dish. And really, who doesn’t feel a little bit fancy when eating quiche? There is just something about it that says “fancy tea room” to me – and you don’t even have to tell your fancy-pants friends how easy it was to make.

For this quiche, I went with some fun Mexican flavors with some chorizo (or, for a vegetarian-friendly version, you could use your favorite soyrizo – I personally like the Trader Joe’s brand), onion, red pepper, and a blend of Mexican cheeses. The chorizo pairs well with the eggs in the quiche base and gives the whole thing a nice hint of spice without being too overpowering. This fun twist on a traditional quiche would be a great addition to a brunch, or perfect for a light lunch with friends. And make sure to save the leftovers for the next day…it’s just as good straight from the fridge while you’re still wearing your pajamas. Not that I’d know or anything.

For the skinny on how to make a perfect pie crust, check out my pie crust tutorial! And for a more traditional quiche, check out my Sweet Onion, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese Quiche.

Creme Brulee Cookies-Guest Post with Hayley of The Domestic Rebel

Right now I'm having a total ball in Pennsylvania at Michael's dad's side of the family's annual get together, and you're about to have just as much fun because today we have the hilarious, incomparable, Hayley guest posting! Yayyayyayyayy! I learned the awesomeness of Hayley the moment I laid eyes on her blog, The Domestic Rebel. But I really fell in love with her bright, cartoon-y, personality when she spent 3 days staying with me. Best foodie days EVER! Anyway, the girl is like a mad scientist when it comes to sweet treats, and today she is sharing some of her masterfullness here!
Hi there! I'm Hayley from The Domestic Rebel, and I am so excited to be on Kayle's blog today! Finally, my dreams of being an actress have come true!! Kayle and I are bloggy besties. In fact, after falling in love with her infectious, bubbly personality and of course, food like this, I knew I had to meet this cooking actress/goddess. So I visited her in New York this past March and LOVED every single second of it. In fact, Kayle showed me how to be a true New Yorker. Like, first thing I did was buy a MetroCard. It's what all the New Yorkers use to take buses and subways. And the first thing I ate in New York was appropriately, New York Cheesecake. Now, I have had cheesecake before -- and mind you, good cheesecake, too. But my unrefined, California palate hadn't ever tasted a true "New York" cheesecake. Ordering it made me feel like I'd passed some kind of 'Refined Food Finish Line' and entered a new dimension where any old cheesecake wouldn't cut it. Also, I was told by my father that if I came home without having a cannoli, I'd be homeless. So in order to survive, I basically had to find me a cannoli. Also a fancy, shmancy refined dessert. Done and done. And theeeen Kayle took me all around New York City and we ate anything we could get our hands on. I had my first gourmet hot chocolate at Max Brenner's, a liege at the seriously-addicting Wafels and Dinges truck, and my first-ever macaron! Well, actually I had about nine macarons in the four days I was there, but that's not really the point. The point is, Kayle taught me the importance of being a true New Yorker by eating true-New-Yorker ritzy-kinda food. Over-the-top, decadent, and elegant desserts that fit so well in the glamour and beauty of New York. I mean, New Yorkers are totally the kinda people who eat creme brulee with their pinkies up, am I right?! Californians aren't nearly as classy. That's why we don't have a truck that sells waffles. Because we're inferior. Anywaaaays, when I got home I was all hell-bent on making some delicious, elegant New Yorker kinda food, but of course with my rebellious twist. So when I spotted some Creme Brulee Truffles on the shelves at Target, I KNEW I had to incorporate them somehow into something ritzy and delicious. Thus, these tasty Creme Brulee Cookies were born! These are your ticket to awesomeness!

Something Saturdays (7/13/13)

Right about now I'm on my way to PA to start my part of the vacay with Michael's fam. I hope you liked the first guest post I had for you, and we've got 2 more coming! Woot!

Ohio has been great. I saw my best friend, some family, met my brother's new girlfriend (so sweet), held my cousin's little (nearly 3 weeks old) baby (I DIE OVER THE CUTENESS!), and have spent some awesome time with other people and of course, especially, my mom :)

Oh yeah, also-don't forget to enter this giveaway for a bunch of Ghirardelli goodies!! You have until July 22nd to enter, and 7 chances to win, yay!

And finally--27 life hacks girls need to know (#1 is esp. exciting to me). You're welcome.

Blueberry Lemon Sour Cream Quick Bread-Guest Post with Kristin of Baker Bettie

Hey there world! I'm still hanging out in Ohio, but don't fret, I have left you all in capable hands! Today you get the utmost honor of a guest post by Kristin, AKA "Baker Bettie". I was lucky enough to hang out with the amazing lady last month, and I love her even more now (didn't know that was even possible!) Not only is she all cool and pin-upy, and a fabulous photographer, and a genius about the science of baking (I have learned so much from her blog!), and a girl who makes me laugh out loud with the stories she shares, she's also just a cool chick who is super nice and sweet and fun to hang out with! We declared ourselves best bloggy friends. Hooray!

Hello lovely readers of The Cooking Actress! My name is Kristin and I am the lady behind the blog/food/camera over at Baker Bettie. I know, I know. If my name is Kristin what is up with the Bettie thing, right? I often refer to Baker Bettie as my more confident pinup baking alter ego. But over time, the blog has transformed Kristin and Bettie into one and the same.

I am so excited to be guest posting here on Kayle's fabulous blog. I believe Kayle and I first became blogging friends way back in 2011. We immediately bonded over our love for vintage fashion and, of course, our mutual food obsession. We finally got to meet in person a few weeks ago and spent a fantastic day in the city exploring a bunch of foodie sites.

I have only a handful of very close friends. You know the kind. The ones that you know you will stay close to for the rest of your life. The ones that you are truly deep down excited for when big life events happen to them. I made these friends when I was young and they have stuck around. It is difficult to make those kinds of friends once college ends. It is just hard to make that kind of connection again. But Kayle and I hit it off right from the start. And once I figured out her name is pronounced "Kay-lee" and not "Kale" it has felt like we have known each other for years. She is just about as sweet as they come!

Recently I started a series on my blog called Back to Bake-sics. In each post I broke down the science of various different baked goods to create very simple and adaptable recipes. One of my favorite basic baked goods is quick bread. I make it frequently in all kinds of ways. It is so easy to make it savory or sweet and flavor it with pretty much anything you imagination can come up with. Check out this post for the basic recipe and to understand how it can be easily adapted.

There are few flavor combinations I love more than blueberry and lemon. Especially in the summer. These flavors just feel like summer. I like to think of blueberry and lemon as sort of a lifelong friend of flavors, as silly as that may sound. It just always comes through for me. In muffins, or biscuits, or cookies, or of course bread.
This bread is ready to go into the oven within 10 minutes and comes out incredibly moist and flavorful. I also think this would be awesome with raspberries, blackberries or cherries. Or a combination sounds pretty awesome too! You could even pair it with a different citrus. Orange, lime, or grapefruit?! Oh, the endless possibilities!

Ice Cream Round Up (Easy, No Ice Cream Maker, 2+ Ingredient Method!)

Hi guys! I'm in Ohio right now, being busy as all get out, but I had to give you a post anyway!

Sometimes certain posts that are older, don't get quite the attention they deserve (largely my fault due to the subpar photography/promoting skills at that time). That is the case for my post about making easy, no ice cream maker, 2+ ingredient ice cream. You guys...I make this ALL THE TIME. Michael virtually always has ice cream waiting for him in the freezer because this is so gosh darn easy, why not? Plus-it's fun! We can sit down and talk and be like "Hmm...what flavor combo should we try next?" So anyway, today I'm re-sharing the method (especially since I just shared that FABULOUS recipe using it on Friday), and telling you about some of the different flavors I've made with it (and tell you how you can make them too! Although bear with me, all the amounts are approximates because I tend to just add things until they taste how I want) Seriously, this one is a game changer.

Easy-NO ICE CREAM MAKER-2+ Ingredient Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• Whatever add-ins you desire 

Preparation:

• Whisk condensed milk with whatever add-ins you may have.
• Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
• Fold whipped cream in to the condensed milk.
• Transfer to an airtight container and store in freezer (at least 6 hours)

Triple Threat Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies-Ghirardelli Review

You guys, I dropped everything, changed around my entire post schedule, and did some very last minute things (which usually makes Kayle hyperventilate) so I could make this post happen. Because I was contacted by Ghirardelli about attending a party they are holding here in NYC tomorrow--and, as you may know, tomorrow I'm leaving for Ohio--but I love Ghirardelli and I was so sad I was missing the party but they told me I could try their new new line anyway! So I got my exciting package on Wednesday and used the sweet ground cocoa powder to throw together these cookies on Thursday. Then I wrote this post on Friday. *whew*. Anyway, let's discuss Ghirardelli, shall we?

I'm going to assume you know about Ghirardelli. They make amazing chocolate and I am OBSESSED with their chocolate chips, they're all I use. Today we're talking about something new: they're unveiling a new line of premium baking, hot cocoa, candy making and dipping products with zip-up pouches that are easy to open, use, reseal and store – perfect for frequent bakers and entertainers. (I LOVE THE RESEALABLE POUCHES!) Also, the new products make it easier to take advantage of the small bites/desserts trend that is super fun! Ghirardelli wants to inspire bakers to host a “small bites” party, where friends and family can bring various smaller versions of desserts and cocktails and share! Check out their small bites site for ideas!

What, specifically, are the products we're talking about?

Candy Making & Dipping Wafers

These come in easy-to-use wafer form, ensuring smooth & even melting-and no need to break/chop up bars! It can be microwaved (and even reheated!); and hooray-no tempering is needed, it'll set up perfectly and make amazing candies, dips, fondues, etc. Comes in white or dark chocolate varieties.

Premium Hot Cocoa

The newest flavor, Ghirardelli Chocolate Caramel, joins Double Chocolate and Chocolate Mocha-all made with real Ghirardelli chocolate, vanilla extract, and no hydrogenated oils. These cocoas dissolve easily and have a rich flavor (my kind of hot cocoa!) The Double Chocolate powder can (in addition to hot cocoa drinks) also be used to sprinkle over everything from coffee drinks, iced cocoa to desserts. 

Premium Ground Cocoa

Ghirardelli Unsweetened and Sweet Ground Cocoa have Ghirardelli’s intense chocolate taste in the new re-sealable pouches. The Unsweetened Cocoa Powder is made from non-alkalized cocoa powder and perfect for all your baking needs where you need unsweetened cocoa powder! The Sweet Cocoa Powder has been alkalized using the traditional Dutch process and has the perfect blend of sugar, vanilla and real Ghirardelli chocolate to create a well-balanced chocolate taste. This is great for frostings and brownies etc. etc.--and you can sub it in for unsweetened cocoa powder, just take out 1/2 cup of sugar from any recipe where you do so!

I cannot wait to try out all of the new products!!! EEEE so exciiiiited!!

Wanna try out the new Ghirardelli goodness, too?? Scroll down past the recipe to find out how to enter to win it!

Speaking of the cocoa powders, I've never used a sweetened cocoa powder before, so I thought I'd play around with that a smidge! I used it in these marvelous, fudgy, rich, cookies. The recipe called for "dark cocoa powder" which...I wasn't sure if that meant sweetened or unsweetened, so I took 1/2 cup of sugar out of the recipe and am glad I did because these were perfectly mellow, definitely not too bitter or too sweet!

And why are they called triple threat? Because chocolate is incorporated in 3 ways: cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and chocolate chips! YUM.

What we have are intensely fudgy, chocolatey cookies with a hint of peanut butter, and studded with gooey chocolate chips and, in my case, the perfect bite you get from flakes of sea salt on top. Do you know how I know Michael liked these, too? He tried one and then said, "Oh these are awful. You shouldn't eat any more of them." Ha ha. Nice try bud. Plus he said, "I like sea salt on cookies." Yes honey, me too.

These cookies are not sturdy, they are melt in your mouth, fall apart, delicious. If I drank milk, I would have a big glass with these cookies, because they are quite rich. Which is exactly how I like it :D

(yes...I poured a glass of milk solely for the photos. Then I poured in back in the carton. I dirtied an extra dish so you could have some pretty pictures to look at. That's love. You're welcome.)

Something Saturdays (7/6/13)

Ahhhhh!! Ok! So much to talk about!

Summer Fancy Food Show-SO MUCH FUN! Seriously....I ate ridiculous amounts of food and I met a lot of people and made some awesome connections. This means we will hopefully be seeing some pretty cool new stuff on the blog.

Michael's and my anniversary-last Tuesday Michael and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary. I simultaneously can't believe it's been that long but also it feels like we've been together forever. It's funny like that. Anyway, we had a super nice night and went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner (his choice, but YUM) and then came home and watched our brand new copy of Warm Bodies. Tomorrow we're going to the Bronx Zoo as our final bit of celebration. :D ((well...we might...if it's not too hot))

This coming week-Ok guys, starting Tuesday, I'll be pretty out of commission. I'm flying to Ohio for a 4 day trip and then afterwards am driving to PA with Michael's step-mom for his dad's family's annual kind of reunion/get together thingy. However, the blog will not be sleeping on the job. I've got some AHHHMAZING guest posts lined up from some epicly awesome bloggers (who are not only sweeties and my pals, but also seriously FAB bloggers). So anyway, stay tuned for greatness!

Reasons this picture is awesome: bunny + cookies=epic cuteness

(source)

Oh and finally--there's gonna be a SUPER SWEET super amazing giveaway on the blog on Monday, so make sure to check it out!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream (EASY method!)

You know what's hilarious?

I didn't even like chocolate ice cream growing up.

I know you're all like "Kayle, it's like we don't even know you."

I totally have an explanation though!

You see, chocolate ice cream was never chocolatey enough. I'd never had any that fit the bill. Now, as an adult, I've had a few kinds of chocolate ice cream that were enough to please my taste buds, but my absolute favorite is Ben & Jerry's chocolate peanut butter swirl. Because...you know...peanut butter is always a welcome addition to chocolate.

Anyway, usually when I make homemade ice cream (sans ice cream maker, since I currently don't have one) I make whatever Michael wants-because he's the major ice cream lover and it's not usually my fave dessert.

But it's summer, people, and even I want some nice, cold, ice cream.

But...it's me...so obviously I'm not gonna eat the fruity "refreshing" stuff I make for Michael.

I wanted something like that wonderful chocolate peanut buttery goodness from Ben & Jerry's.

Is this ice cream exactly the same?

No.

Is it pretty close and super duper delicious?

YES.

Dark chocolate ice cream with chunks of rich, delicious, salty peanut butter....mmmm. This was an ice cream both Michael and I could love, and seriously, it is so simple to make. It's like crazy. So really what I'm saying is you have 0 excuse as to why you shouldn't just make this as soon as possible. Come on, it's hot out there, make some ice cream!

Nutella Stuffed, Brown Butter, Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

First of all: oh my God, you guys, words cannot describe how amazing the Summer Fancy Food Show was! I got to eat so much incredible food and was able to make connections with some really amazing brands. I am really looking forward to sharing with you guys a lot of my new finds! YUMMINESS overload!

Speaking of yumminess overload...

Something funny happened with this recipe. Something that never happens. Once we finished eating them?

I made a second batch.

I know I know, I sound like such a piggy, but I swear it wasn't just that I was addicted! My first batch of these beauties, while delicious, were sort of flat. So, second time around, I changed a few things (and unfortunately...I'm not sure which thing it is that made the difference, perhaps all?). End of the day it might have just been that my baking soda had gone bad, but regardless, I liked my changes so they're reflected in the recipe here, because omg THE COOKIES ARE SO GOOD!

These amazing cookies have already earned a bit of a rep around the food blogs. Some people have put their own spins on them, but everyone seems to agree that they are PHENOMENAL.

What makes my cookies so special (aside from my tested and true results that I'm giving you after my failure)? Nothing really. They're pretty much the same as the original recipe. One thing that I did differently, however, is I used homemade nutella. And oh man, that was a great choice. Because the hazelnutty flavor is so much more present than in normal Nutella, and that pairs with the browned butter and dark brown sugar flavors in like...such a fantastic way. *sigh* I get all gooey just thinking of em. They're like the Channing Tatum of cookies.

And now I'm thinking of this silly video from Jimmy Kimmel.

That song's in your head now, huh?

Sorry I'm not sorry.

I'm also not sorry about that above picture.

With the ooey, gooey, chocolate hazelnutty center.

You know what I'm talking about. The one that will be haunting your every waking thought, and then show up in all your dreams. Taunting you, teasing you, begging you to BAKE THESE COOKIES.

You're not going to rest until you do, so, come on, you might as well just do it.

Guest Post at Eat Your Heart Out (Friends First Series)

Hey guys!!! So something super cool is happening today!

The beautiful, smart, talented, funny, and insanely sweet Stephie, over at Eat Your Heart Out, is doing this very cool "Friends First" series where, on the first of every month, she features one of her bloggy friends. Well, this month is ME!

Stephie is awesome for a lot of reasons. Only one of which is the fact that we both like to full out laugh in photos while looking off someplace.

Did you know she sent me the CUTEST Christmas card this year? 'cuz she did. AND she designed my business cards for me, just because she's nice and a sweetie pie n stuff! Plus we're like around the same age n junk so we understand the same things (young but not young enough to be sayin' YOLO or swag all the gosh darn times.) And, ya know, obviously, we love food. She needs to get her adorable skinny butt to NYC to see me so I hug her to pieces and we can talk about everything and become best friends forreals forreals forreals.

Anyway, go check out her fab. blog (and maybe follow her on facebook and twitter and pinterest and instagram too?) and see my post over there all about my favorite movies, tv shows, and some of my favorite recipes (so far)!!