henning love

Too Many Dress Choices

2012-02-23T21:35:00.001-08:00

Friday means fashion or glamour around here on henning love. I am alternating between the two because frankly, I don't feel my outfits are impressive enough to post each Friday and I don't have enough material for an outfit post each Friday. Since this Friday is fashion, next Friday will be glamour and I have a $50 giveaway for make-up next Friday so be on the look out for that!

With the Oscars coming on Sunday, this Friday Fancies' for sure is Oscar glam.

Looking up gowns on polyvore, there were too many beautiful choices, like I had a hard time narrowing one just one dress to style. I did manage but I also am posting some alternates I was looking at.

For my Friday's Fancies which I am linking up at over long distance loving, this was my pick!

These two dresses were very second contenders for me to style, ah like I mentioned there are too many beautiful gowns and I definitely had fun with this week's styling theme.

The lovely Caroline Herrera on the left and Monique L'huiller on the right.

Here are a few outfits I have been wearing lately. I posted the orange dress last week but this week I put the green jacket over it.

This was my Pinspiration for the outfit except add boots because it is warm in California but not quite warm enough for bare legs.

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

Another outfit.

If you read my guest post over at Leeann's blog, Join the Gossip, you will now blouses are my latest fashion must-have! The coral top and the turquoise wrap watch are a must go together combination.

A fun weekend outfit with a cardigan and scarf!

It may not be fashion but I thought it was cute. I gave Kip and Kimbia a rawhide bone yesterday and Kip dropped his within 5 seconds of getting it, rather rare for him. Kimbia snatched his up and was playing keep around from Kip all morning holding both bones in her mouth. It was too funny!

Have a happy Friday and a great weekend friends!

Hometown Series - Ashley of The Christian Wife Life

2012-02-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

So thankful this week is flying by, tomorrow is Friday already, yippee! I just wanted to quickly mention how much I appreciate all you followers give to my blog, you amaze me in so many ways and I am so thankful for the blessing of knowing you even here in bloggy land.

Another treat for you today, another hometown!! Tuesday we were in Florida with Krystal and now we are heading North to North Carolina to have Ashley talk about Raleigh. Now I have only been to North Carolina once, to Elon University to see my sister graduate. The only thing I really know about North Carolina is they are serious about bbq and glad to see Ashley mention that! There might be an opportunity for me and Sean to visit North Carolina this summer in fact, we are thinking of taking a grandparents trip and one set of grandparents live in North Carolina, Cornelius in particular.

So take it away Ashley!!

Hello, henning love readers! I'm so excited to be here for Meg's "From My Hometown to Yours" series! I've loved reading about the other hometowns through this series and I'm pumped to be able to share with y'all about my home sweet home - Raleigh, NC. :)

My name is Ashley Shelley and I blog over at The Christian Wife Life.

I've lived in our capital city of Raleigh always. I was born here, I grew up here, I went to college here, and now I live here with my husband. We're less than two hours from the beach and three hours from the mountains. It's safe to say that I LOVE Raleigh.

First I'm gonna take a second to brag a little bit and say that Businessweek named Raleigh the best place to live in the US. It's one of the fastest growing cities in America! But honestly, you wouldn't know it if you visited my parents' house which is next to this...

The beautiful, historic Yates Mill Pond. I'd probably take Meg on a stroll here. But first we'd need breakfast, which is also right down the road! We'd head over to the Farmer's Market. Along with having the best local produce, they have a restaurant that is oh so good.

from lifeincary.com

And what could you have there for breakfast? Well, a little bit of everything - bacon, eggs, sausage, pancakes, fresh fruit, and don't forget the GRITS. Oh, how I love grits...

*Warning: Meg, come on an empty stomach. There's way too much good food here.*

After we visit the Farmer's Market and their restaurant, we'd head downtown. Which is also right down the road - weird, right? You can go from open fields with cows to a bustling downtown scene in about one minute.

from backninehomes.com

If you're interested we could hit up the history and science museums, and then we'd HAVE to stop by the Cupcake Shoppe! Their cupcakes are amazing, and the shop is absolutely adorable.

After that we'd go next door to my home for five years - NC State University, home of the Wolfpack. There's no way we'd have time to walk around the whole campus that's full of 33,000 students - but I'd show you the pretty parts. :)

This was my side of campus (the Language Arts side!).

For lunch we'd go over to Ole Time Barbecue. You couldn't be in North Carolina and not eat some barbecue - that's got to be against the law or something! This place has been featured on the Food Network for its amazing barbecue. When we talk about barbecue down here we don't mean grilling hamburgers or something - we mean PIG. Lots of yummy, vinegary, PIG. With hush puppies. Mmmm...

from twofatbellies.com

Now, if it were October, I'd definitely take you to the State Fair which is held here - but even though it's not, there's bound to be something happening over at the State Fairgrounds. On the weekends the flea market is there. :) I love a good vintage find! I'd rather go shopping there than in the expensive part of town which is North Raleigh - but hey, that's up to you!

At night we'd go to the RBC Center and see either a NC State basketball game or a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game. Hockey in the south?? No, we're not crazy - we actually won the Stanley Cup in '06! And I worked there on the Storm Squad for three years, so I'd take you behind the scenes of the game. :) We're known as the "loudest house in the NHL"!

That's me on the far left! GO CANES!

Afterward we'd get some delicious, homemade ice cream at Sunni Sky's. My favorite is to get one scoop of brownie batter and one scoop of cake batter. SO GOOD. But they're famous for having habanero pepper ice cream which sounds awful to me, but I guess some people like it!

Oh, and by the way, Meg, I forgot to tell you what to pack. But it doesn't really matter because this time of year there is NO telling what the weather will be like! On Sunday it snowed a little bit here, and today it was in the high 60's! So bring your winter coat and your tank tops - anything could happen. But if there's even a THOUGHT of snow here everything shuts down, just to warn you! Haha.
But definitely don't forget to bring a constant smile and a wave, because even though we're growing, Raleigh still has that old southern feel to it - the people will take you right in and offer you some sweet tea. :)
Thanks so much for having me today, Meg! I hope I gave you a little insight about my wonderful city, and I wish you really were coming over RIGHT now.
Ok I'm coming Ashley, I am coming to hang out with you, eat bbq, and go to that ice cream place but I don't know if I am brave enough to try that habanero ice cream :-) Oh and also you will have to teach me some of those routines when you were on the Storm Squad.

Red Velvet Cupcakes for a Bridal Shower

2012-02-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

I am also over at Leeann's blog talking about my favorite fashion obsession!
On Saturday, I attended my friend, Michelle's bridal shower and I was asked to make cupcakes and her favorite cake she said is red velvet so red velvet cupcakes it was! The colors of her shower were black, purple and silver and the theme was heels and the perfect fair. To decorate the cupcakes, I picked cupcake liners and I got some purple sprinkles. I wanted to do a chocolate high heel, I found a mold at my local cake decorating place so each of the cupcakes had a chocolate high heel for decoration!

For the red velvet cupcakes, which turned out light and not dense so this recipe is a winner in my book although it can be a little involved.

First, gather together your ingredients: 2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, 2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature, 1 teaspoon white vinegar
and 1 teaspoon baking soda.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and and put in the cupcake liners in your cupcake pan. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. In a shallow bowl, combine the cocoa and red dye into a paste and set it aside.

In your mixing bowl, cream the butter, then add in the white sugar and mix these two ingredients together for 3 minutes, it should be fluffy and creamy.

Add in the eggs, one at a time and do a beating of the batter in between each addition of egg.

Pour in the vanilla and the red dye/cocoa paste.

Use your scraper on the ends of the bowl because you will need it to fully incorporate the red dye into the batter. Get the flour mixture and the buttermilk, and add in one third of the flour mixture to the batter then half of the buttermilk, another 1/3 of the flour, the rest of the buttermilk and following the remaining amount of flour mixture. Beat the batter in between each addition and again scrape around the sides of the bowl fully incorporating all the ingredients.

In another small bowl, add in the baking soda and the white vinegar, you are making a science experiment :-). Remember the vinegar will fizz up!

Add these ingredients to the batter and give it a final good mix, then fill the cupcake liners until they are 2/3rd full.

Pop your cupcakes into the oven and let them cook for about 15 minutes and test them with a toothpick at the 15 minute mark. If the toothpick comes out clean, then take the cupcakes out and let them cool. If a bit of the batter sticks to the toothpick, let them cook a bit longer.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, you are ready for your cream cheese frosting!

For the cream cheese frosting, you need 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened, 12 0z. of cream cheese, room temperature, 3 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

In your mixing bowl, cream the butter, then add in the cream cheese and mix these two ingredients until fluffy.

Add in the vanilla extract and mix. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing the ingredients together before the next cup of powdered sugar.

Once the powdered sugar is completely added, get the frosting one last good mix and then frost the top of the cupcakes and decorate as you wish!

Recipe and frosting found here and here

Hometown Series - Krystal of Krystal's Kitsch

2012-02-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday! Hope you all had great Mondays. Once thing I did want to mention about this past weekend was I did a lot of learning, particular marriage learning, it is a journey, always a journey and you have to continue learning all the time, it is part of the exciting part but also challenging part of marriage. More on that later :-)

Tuesdays and Thursdays I have dedicated to my series, From My Hometown to Yours. I should make up a map and place a star on all the amazing places you bloggers have posted about.

Take it away Krystal!

I loved that Meg was hosting a hometown series and I knew I had to join in. I've been feeling a little homesick and I knew this might cheer me up...perhaps even encourage me to make a trip back home!

I'm Krystal from Krystal's Kitsch and I'm a true Florida girl. I've never lived anywhere else (barely even visited other states!), and have spent my entire existence on the west Gulf coast of Florida. And, I wouldn't have traded it for anything else!

I was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area. Sometimes besides sports - I wonder what outsiders think of this city. I grew to love it and now I totally miss it. Tampa has everything that one could want.

Sports. From the Tampa Bay Bucs (okay, so MAYBE a winning football team night be nice) to the Tampa Rays (formerly the Devil Rays), we have sports covered. We have hockey (Lightning) and even arena football (Storm). If you're craving basketball, the Orlando Magic is just a two hour drive east.

My favorite weekend ever (besides my wedding of course!) was when the Super Bowl was in Tampa a few years ago. From stalking celebrities to free concerts, it was a BLAST. I have never seen so many famous people in one weekend!

Theme Parks. There's Busch Gardens in the city limits and TONS of other area attractions. From museums to aquariums, there is really no reason to ever be bored! The Disney Theme Parks are not a far drive (again, an hour or so east) and Universal Studios is also nearby in Orlando.

Beaches. Yes, the beach! I love Gulf Coast beaches. Clearwater is my favorite, but I'm a little biased. I had way too much fun there growing up. We even got married on this beach!

See pirate ship. Read on to learn why pirates are a big deal in Tampa.

Nightlife. Tampa is known for its adult establishments. I thought that was normal growing up -- that every town had a street in the middle of the city that had some...interesting places. That's definitely not the case! Besides those adult spots, there are tons of fun bars and clubs. We even got a Hard Rock casino. Like I said, there's really no chance that you could be bored around here. The diversity of nightlife is also apparent--beer bars, fancy wine lounges, crazy dance clubs--you name it, I'm sure Tampa has it.

Small Towns. Tampa is a HUGE city for some people. There's a lot of traffic, a pretty big population, and naturally, crime. With any big city, crime is a given. However, what is awesome about the Tampa area, are the cute little town that lie on the outskirts. My favorite, Dunedin, is nestled on the water and is a family & dog friendly city. It boasts local breweries (The Dunedin Brewery is one of my favorites -- craving an Apricot Wheat Ale now!) and beautiful views. Other small towns include Tarpon Springs, Safety Harbor, and Oldsmar. Tarpon Springs is best known its Greek population (apparently the largest amount of Greek Americans live there!) and tourist attractions.

Dunedin Brewery's Oktoberfest beer mugs.

Dunedin, also known as DOGedin, is a great place to hang out with (or without!) your pets!

Pirates. This entire area has a fascination with PIRATES. It's kind of amazing. Every year Tampa hosts a Gasparilla parade--basically an excuse to dress up like a pirate, indulge in some adult beverages, and watch a crazy parade. And, this isn't just a small city event. About half a million people head to Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa each year to watch the mayhem.

I recently moved two hours south -- same vibe, different crowd! I still have a nearby beach with a variety of neat restaurants, but nightlife is a little nonexistent. At least Tampa is a short drive north!

Though, I shouldn't complain about my new digs. Being a bit more south, we are a LOT more warm!

Christmas Eve on the beach? Done. And... it was HOT out.

Ft Myers Beach Pier -- my new beach!

I hope you all started mentally booking your Florida vacation as you read this! If you have any questions be sure to ask! I love where I live and I love to encourage others to come visit. I've been quite the beach expert lately so if you're looking for warm weather and good times, head on down to Florida!

I blog pretty much daily at my site and hope you stop by and check it out!

Thanks for having me, Meg!

I love those Christmas hats at the beach, you definitely can't do that in too many locations, celebrate Christmas at a beautiful beach. I appreciate you writing for this series Krystal and showing me about Florida.

Sun Babies and Guest Post

2012-02-20T09:28:00.000-08:00

What a fun weekend and I am glad that I have today to rest up, relax a bit before I officially start my work week tomorrow. For those who have today off, enjoy it and I'm sorry for those who don't ;-) Keep working hard! Hope you all had wonderful weekends as well.

As I mentioned, I made cupcakes for my friend's bridal shower on Saturday, photos and the recipe up later this week. In the mean time, just a few photo of my sun-loving babies and then find me over at the daily dani today for a Q&A post about my fashion sense.

I've learned lately that if it is just too quiet and I think the dogs are up to no good, lately I have been finding them in this post chilling and making sure they fill up their Vitamin D levels.

Glamour at the End of the Week

2012-02-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

One thing that blogging has given me is the courage to find new hair curling techniques, hair products, nail polish and make-up. I will alternate on Fridays between fashion and glamour and for this first Glamour at the End of the Week is a hair straightener review.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Misikko to see if I would be interested in doing a flat iron review. Of course I couldn't say no! I pretty much always curl my hair but I couldn't turn down the opportunity to do a review. I received the HANA Titanium Flat Iron 1.5" and a whole bunch of other goodies.

I couldn't believe the size of the box when I received it and saw that the extras the people at Misikko stuffed into the box.

This is the box I got!

The beautiful straightener with its case

And everything else that came with the flat iron.

A towel

This is a heat shield solution I put on my hair prior to straightening

I can now try elf makeup

A plastic mat to lay the straightener on so protect your counter from the heat

I asked my friend, Laura to be my test subject on the straightener. In roommates, when we were roommates I would straighten her hair usually while watching Sex in the City or Friends. Plus Laura would be perfect because she has naturally curly hair and I think you would be able to tell the difference of the before and after photos.

Here is Laura before with wet hair.

Then she blow-dried her hair. Craziness!

Now we were ready to straighten! I divided her hair into sections and was amazed how smooth the hair glides through the titanium plates.

You can tell the difference, the left side is has straightened and the right hasn't.

I finished all the underneath hair.

Her hair is really shiny

I finished the top layer of her and asked for a full rotation of her straightened hair!

Here is the after photo with straightened hair using the HANA Titanium 1.5" straightener.

Laura commented that her hair felt really soft, softener than any other straighteners she has used before. The hair glides very smoothly between the two plates and I didn't have a snag once with her hair.

Misikko has sells the HANA hair dryer which I have noticed a lot of other bloggers got to review as well.

If you are in the market for a new hair dryer or straightener, I would definitely recommend the HANA titanium 1.5" straightener!

Thank you Laura for being my hair model and thank you Misikko for giving me the opportunity to review one of your products.

*I was not paid for this review, other than the box of goodies I received, that was my compensation for writing this review. These reviews are entirely my own.

Hometown Series - Liz of Becoming

2012-02-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday! The weekend can't come soon enough, Sean is putting on a 5K as a fundraiser for his team, my parents-in-law are coming down for that and then I have a bridal shower in the afternoon, which I'm making cupcakes for AND also it is a 3 day weekend for me!
Today the hometown series is continuing and Monday we were in Houston and today we are heading north to Nebraska to a town of 300 people! Take it away Liz!

Hey readers of Henning Love.

I'm Liz of Becoming , and this is my hometown. Actually it is a 'village' according to the state. The village of Nehawka, Nebraska. :)

About 300 people live in Nehawka, I think. Its pretty much your typical tiny farm town. It has a post office, and a bank, and a co-op (which includes the grain elevator, gas station, convenience store, and crop stuff like huge tanks of anhydrous ammonia). It has a bar, a community building, a trucking company, a ballfield, and a log cabin library. Plus houses.

It is indeed a real log cabin, and quite old.

Everyone knows everyone else. Like all small towns. And this of course is a good thing and a bad thing. Its pretty much impossible to live a nice private life. o_O Seems like there rumors are always going around ... though really, where do you not run into that? No big deal, right ... well, sometimes it is, but we survive. And for that downside, there are lots of good sides to people :) Basically you have 300 next door neighbors, and all of them would do anything for you, from babysitting, to lending tools, to driving your paper route for you in the dead cold winter. (True story.) Not to mention the folks who live outside town, who dig your little old car out and drive you places you need to go in their huge pickups, during crazy blizzards. (Also true.)

In summertime the town pretty much centers around baseball and softball. It makes good memories. When I think of summer in Nehawka, its all warm sunset evenings and dusty kids everywhere and funnel cake smell and grilling hamburger smell and the baseball popping in the catchers mitt.

There is a legend and some kinda cool history surrounding Nehawka. The history first: it was just about the first town in the area (1855) and it survived a lot of other little towns close by which had lame names like Stringtown, Waterville, Mount Pleasant, and Factoryville. And the town was a bit bigger deal back in the day. It had 2 newspapers once. And a manufacturing company, as seen below.

An old ad for a Nehawka business. I think the Sheldon mixer mixed cement ... ? Not sure.

However, for moi, the most fun is the legend of the Weeping Water, the creek along which Nehawka is situated. A long long time ago, centuries probably, two Indian tribes were deadly enemies. They fought a battle right along the banks of a creek. Apparently it was a very brutal battle which ended in the men of the one tribe being pretty much annihilated, and only a sorry handful left of the other. And all the women and babies and old folks from the losing side came out to bury the dead, and of course there were many tears.

The people left of the losing tribe decided to return to that place every year and mourn their losses. And, all of this weeping and moaning, and all of their many tears, over the years, eventually led to a little stream, which grew to a brook, which grew to a good size creek. It runs over a rocky bed, and is twisty and uneven and steep on the sides, and (legend says) if you listen closely, you can hear the murmuring and crying of the Indian women. A very old French map, probably one of the first ever made of the place, calls that creek "L'eau qui pleure", water which weeps, and the name of Nehawka is the Indian word for "rustling water".

(Nehawka probably would've been called Weeping Water, except that the town 10 miles up the creek had already taken that name. Phooey.)

Thank you for reading :) I had fun putting into words how I felt about my town. I wasn't sure how many people would be interested in reading about a town of 300 people ... but then I thought, shoot maybe it'll be good for a laugh at least. :D

Yes, that is a flagpole in the middle of the street. It's a small town thing don't you know.

Thank you Liz for showing us around Nehawka and participating in this series. Living in a town of 300 would definitely be a change if I did it and that legend was really neat to read about.

Check back next week for two more wonderful hometowns you will get to read about!

Homemade Reese's Hearts

2012-02-15T06:00:00.001-08:00

As mentioned I will be sharing what I made Sean for Valentine's Day and here is that promise!
The first Valentine's Day that Sean and I celebrated when we were dating, I made him these peanut butter hearts, you know a Reese's peanut butter cup in the shape of a heart. I continue to make these hearts each year to keep up with the tradition. It is a very simple recipe and I would recommend using a stand mixer if you have it, I have mixed the peanut butter with the powdered sugar by hand and my arm got quite the work-out.

For these peanut butter hearts, first, gather together your ingredients. 1 cup peanut butter (creamy is preferred but I used chunky because it is what I had on hand), 1/4 cup butter, softened, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 bag 11.5 oz chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon shortening.

Cream the softened butter in your mixer, then add in the peanut butter.

Mix the peanut butter and butter together very well.

Once the two ingredients are mixed together, slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time and mix in between additions of powdered sugar.

When the powdered sugar is fully incorporated into the peanut butter, take out the peanut butter mixture and pat it out until it 1/4 thick.

Then using a heart cookie cutter, cut the dough and place the hearts onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. I put my cookie cutter into powdered sugar first to help prevent sticking. The dough will be sticky so watch out.

Freeze the hearts for at least 20 minutes.

In a double boiler, add the chocolate chips and the shortening.

When the chips are completely melted, dip in the frozen hearts, completely covering the peanut butter heart in chocolate.

Place the hearts back into the freezer and then before you serve them to your loved one(s), allow the hearts to come to room temperature. Then eat and enjoy!

For yesterday morning, I wanted Sean to come back to some Valentine's Day treats and this is what he saw on our kitchen counter. Unfortunately, my plan of setting these out the night before didn't turn out so well because he went to bed an hour after me. He usually gets up 30 minutes before me so I wouldn't have time in the morning. To solve this dilemma, I woke up at 4am to set out his Valentine's Day breakfast treats.

I bought the mug at Michaels which came with permanent markers and wrote Good morning, Handsome and there was a box of donut holes behind that sign.
Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day and felt loved by those closest to you.

The story of us...

2012-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

*Enter my speakpeeq giveaway for a $25 giftcard, it closed tonight at 5pm PST. Click on this link to enter the giveaway http://bit.ly/AjpwQX

I thought it would be appropriate on Valentine's Day to share the story of Sean and I and how we met and hope you feel the love on this day. Tomorrow I will be sharing what I did for Sean for today! I am also linking up to share this story over at Blonde Episodes.

Back in June 2008, I decided to check out a new church that had a young adults group that was for people specifically out of college. Not a lot of churches had such a group but once I heard, I knew I would make the commitment to go to make friends Being a bit shy, I prayed that God would have some people prior to the service ask me to sit with them. So I went that Tuesday and was standing outside the room where the service was held and was talking to this girl, Nicole, and at the end of the conversation, she asked me to sit with her and her friends, answered prayer! During the service, another guy named Sean joined the rest of the people I was sitting with After the service, we all hung around talking and then I departed to go home.

The rest of the summer I continued to go to the Tuesday night service but I sat with different friends. In September, Sean and I saw each other in passing on a Sunday and I remembered there was a guy in the group named Sean but I didn't think that was him. I went home that day and Facebook-stalked him. Hey a girl has to do what a girl has to do. I found him pretty easily because he went to Azusa Pacific University too, where I graduated. Just in case, he was curious, I had a back story of a mutual friend I found him through, we did have several mutual friends on Facebook but the truth is I straight up did a name search for him.

We started chatting on Facebook and after several conversation, I asked him out for a cup of coffee. We met up at 7:30pm on a Wednesday and before I knew it, the employees were coming over to tell us the shop was closing, it was 10pm. Well the next night, I had another date planned and later come to find out Sean did as well. We met up for a movie two days after we met for coffee and continued to meet up after that! The thing I liked most about Sean was he didn't play games, he would ask me out and stick to the date. He wasn't flakey and he was consistent in hanging out and 10 months later, he proposed!

Here is our first photo together, at a wedding he invited me to one month after dating.

The stats:

We both went to APU, I graduated in 2006, he graduated in 2008 although we are the same age. He ran in college, was a applied science major and I was a political science major.

We have a lot of fun together, just have a look!

And just for some more grins and giggles.

Hope you enjoyed our story! Happy Valentine's Day friends!!

p.s. for some of my newest followers, you might not know that I spent all four years of high school in Japan because my dad was in the Air Force, as well as I was born in Okinawa. One aspect of my blog I want to concentrate more on is sharing more of the Japanese culture and some traditions. Since today is Valentine's Day, I will explain how the Japanese celebrate Valentine's Day. Today only the girls give chocolates or other gifts to the guy in their life, just the girls. Then in one month, on March 14, what is called White Day then the boys return the favor to that special girl who gave them chocolates on Valentines' Day.

As more holidays and other significant days in Japan pop up, I will be sharing them with you all. Hope you will enjoy this and get to learn a bit more about the Japanese culture.

From My Hometown to Yours - Allison of Moments Like This

2012-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

*Enter my speakpeeq giveaway for a $25 giftcard, it is open until tomorrow. Click on this link to enter the giveaway http://bit.ly/AjpwQX

Ah Monday, you always coming rolling around again, just to make your presence known. Well to deal with the Monday blues, my series, From My Hometown to Yours is back in full force. I have appreciated everyone who has written for this series and for all the upcoming awesome bloggers who are participating.

Today I have Allison of Moments Like This showing us her hometown of Houston. Allison is still a newlywed and always so sweet. So grab your cowgirl boots, your hat and let's have Allison talk about Houston!

Hello Everyone!! My name is Allison and I blog over at Moments Like This. I have followed Meg’s blog for a while now and I love this series that she is doing. My husband and I love to travel so learning about everyone’s hometown is awesome!! My husband and I live in the Dallas area now but are both originally from Houston. I really consider both these cities home but I will show you around Houston.

Houston is where I was born in raised. It will always have a special place in my heart because I spent the first 17 years of my life here! I’m sure there are a lot of readers from Houston so let me know if I leave out any of the important parts! The first picture I want to show is the Houston skyline.

Near downtown is one of my favorite places to shop! I would definitely take anyone that visits Houston to the Galleria. The mall has it’s own hotel and you definitely need more than a day to see it all!

Another place near downtown is the very famous water wall. A lot of couples get engaged at the water wall. My husband and I actually took our prom pictures in front of the water wall but unfortunately I cannot find any pictures on my computer!

One of my best memories growing up as a child was the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. My family had season tickets to the rodeo and I have probably been over 100 times. This is definitely a much see during the Spring time. Some of my favorite shows I went to were Clay Walker, Reba McEntire, and Brooks & Dunn. It is awesome! The picture below is taken in Reliant Stadium. It used to be held at the Astrodome but that is now an after party dance hall during rodeo time.

The last place I am going to talk about it the Kemah boardwalk. It is not in the heart of Houston like most of the other places I have talked about but it is a lot of fun!! Kemah has a variety of restaurants and different activities to do. My favorite part is the ferris wheel.

There’s definitely a lot more to Houston than what I posted about but these are some of the special places to me! Meg, thank you so much for letting me take over your blog for the day! I would love for you to come visit and let me show you around!!

Texas is one state I am dying to visit and hope to soon. Thank you Allison for talking about Houston!

Friday's Fashions - Bring on the Red

2012-02-09T22:12:00.000-08:00

Enter my speakpeeq giveaway for a $25 giftcard, it is open until the 14th. Click on this link to enter the giveaway http://bit.ly/AjpwQX

Friday is here, thank you for finally making your grand entrance upon my week, Friday!!

Weekend plans, what are yours ladies? I need some relaxation, after a busy but awesome weekend last weekend, I need just a bit of down time. Seeing some of my friends this weekend is definitely on the agenda, making Sean's Valentine's Day present. We aren't huge Valentine's Day people but we certainly celebrate and I won't reveal what he is getting until after Valentine's Day.

Until only a few years ago, I didn't own a single red item in my closet, now I love the color although I don't think I own a single pink item. I wasn't much of a pink girl growing up, but since Valentine's Day can either be red or pink, I selected red items for my Friday's Fancies outfit this week, and I do love a good polka dot too!

I hope you like the outfit.

Onto some real outfits I wore this week. I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this before but the outfits I do post is what I wear to work each day. On the weekends I'm not too creative with my outfits and when I get home from work, I usually put on leggings and my husband's sweatshirt (am I lazy?)

This first outfit I wore I had to attend a funeral and was gone from work all day, so this is what I selected. Anyone recognize the beautiful THEIT bag?? Um..hello, gorgeous! Thank you again Nicole for the awesome giveaway at last week's blogger meet-up. Your bag design is absolutely beautiful.

The following day I wore this fun orange dress from Old Navy and when I got home I ripped the black tights I was wearing, just ran up against a cinder block, and into the trash those tights went!

Here is another outfit I wore this weekend and again the grey pencil skirt, which my Sean bought for me as a Christmas gift, great taste he has doesn't he?
I love the asymmetrical top, a beautiful find at Anthropologie. I also love those Target wedges, a great find too.

Hugs and Kisses XOXO

2012-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Be sure to enter the giveaway for $25 to sneakpeeq by clicking on this specific link, this is the only entry http://bit.ly/AjpwQX (well besides following henning love)Did you know there are actual physical effects your boy gets from a hug? Whether it is your mom who gives you a hug, your dad or your spouse, there is no doubt that a hug does improve your mood overall. God designed us to be social creatures to have relationships with others and hugging is part of those social relationships, when it is acceptable of course. A few effects that hugging provides I found are:

Boosts your immune system

Builds self-esteem

Fosters self-acceptance

Alleviates tension

via

I remember when I was single, had a long hard day at work and I would just go to my empty apartment. I remember longing for that hug, for that embrace that would just seem to melt all my frustrations of the day away, and because I didn't, I would carry it around on my shoulders and that was a heavy weight to carry. Even being married, however, I sometimes find it hard to ask for a hug sometimes, for an embrace from my husband. I will be working on that to be more open with embraces, to accept physical touch more easy.

For today, I found some beautiful images that hope to remind you to go hug your loved ones, hug your friends and let them know how much you appreciate them and I am also posting this because Valentine's Day is on the brain!

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Meg on Pinterest

You know the saying, an apple a day keeps the doctor away,

I think the same true can be true for a hug.

With Valentine's Day next week, make sure you stay in a hug just a little bit longer, find an extra reason to give someone a hug, or just give a hug for no other reason than to express I love you. Your happiness and health will thank you!

Pink Lemonade Bars

2012-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

*enter my giveaway for a $25 gift card to sneakpeeq by clicking in this link http://bit.ly/AjpwQX. That is all you have to do, how easy is that. Oh you have to be a follower too.
I know everyone loves lemon bars, those delicious bars of a shortbread bottom layer filled with a gooey lemon topping. I have found a recipe to amp up the lemon bar or maybe even rival it,the pink lemonade bar! I bit into these bars and all I said was wow, there was just something about these bars that make me want to eat a whole pan to myself but I won't... unless these bars have negative calories in that case I will. Drop everything you have planned tonight and make these bars because you will thank me later. Or maybe if you aren't interested, maybe the pink color alone will convince you to make these for Valentine's Day. On to the recipe!First, gather together your ingredients.You need 9 tablespoons of butter softened, 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1 3/4 cup white granulated sugar, 3 egg whites, 1 egg, 2/3 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed is better trust me), 2 tablespoons lemon zest, 1-2 cups raspberries (defrosted), 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a square pan, line it with parchment paper, if not butter the bottom and side of your pan. In your mixing bowl, combine the 9 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cup of flour. I liked to cream my butter first then add in the sugar and flour.

Mix until all the ingredients are completely incorporated. Then take the dough out and press it in the bottom of your pan.

Bake this in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a sun-kissed tan color, or oven-kissed I guess would be appropriate. Clean out your mixing bowl because you will it again for the lemon filling. In your mixing bowl, add the egg whites and egg, the rest of the sugar, the remaining amount of flour, the lemon juice, lemon zest.

Mix all these ingredients together and then in a sieve over the bowl, add the raspberry juice. Press the raspberries down to extract all the juice completely.

Then mix these ingredients together.

Pour the filling over the cooled bottom layer and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, make sure the filling is set when you take it out.

Cool down the bars and sprinkle powdered sugar over the top layer, then cut into squares, serve, eat and enjoy!

sneakpeeq Giveaway

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

What do I have for you today? I have a giveaway from sneakpeeq.

What is sneakpeeq you ask, according to them they are a social shopping company that is growing leaps and bounds!You want to see some of the amazing stuff they have been selling on their website this week?

These are nut-free chocolate cups

These are super awesome crayons

And a bracelet using the print from typewriters.

Have I intrigued you enough to enter to win a $25 gift card and even if you don't win, you can still win because sneakpeeq is giving away 20% off your next purchase just for entering.

Here is how you enter and the other rules and small print.

You must click on this link http://bit.ly/AjpwQX to enter.

You must be a new sneakpeeq user in order to enter the giveaway and you must to live in the U.S. to enter, sorry all international readers.

I'm making this a real easy giveaway with you must be a follower and click on the link to enter.

That is it!

The giveaway is open from today until next Tuesday, February 14.

Good luck everyone and happy shopping!

Blogger Meet-up Recap

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

Terrific is the way I would describe my weekend that commenced with bikram yoga with my friend, Michelle and we convinced my husband and her fiance to join us for the sauna effect yoga. I learned that my husband is very flexible, more flexible than I thought, he kinda put me to shame honestly :-)

Afterwards, all stinky and sweaty we went out to Applebees, yup, no joke, we went out and had a great time.

Saturday morning, the event I had been looking forward to since I bought my ticket, the So-Cal blogger meet-up in La Jolla, CA with over 60 bloggers there. I rode down there with Leeann and Selma and joined up with Stephanie, Julie, Britt and Ashley for brunch in the beautiful Del Mar.

Have you ever ordered oatmeal at a breakfast place? I never had and I ordered it yesterday and it was absolutely delicious, it was a cinnamony oatmeal and very tummy-filling.

Then on to the meet-up, which was held at Roppongi and the girls who organized it, Stephanie, Tammy, Kelsey and Kai were awesome.

I was most excited to meet Stephanie, Jamie, Katie, Leah, Alexa and Kirby and I met new awesome bloggers like Audrey and Amira, both were just the sweetest!

But I am a bad blogger, I didn't take a photo, I was enjoying talking so much that my brain didn't register to take photos. We walked away with plenty of pretty giveaways, including a camera bag from donated by Nicole of THEIT, which I feel fortunate to have won! How gorgeous is the bag :-)

via

Then yesterday was our Super Bowl party, so food, friends and football.

Our menu was:

bbq chicken sandwiches

potato gratin

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Meg on Pinterest

pretzel bites

Source: twopeasandtheirpod.com via Meg on Pinterest

chips and salsa

caprese skewers

monkey bread

brownies

pink lemonade bars (recipe and more photos coming up this week!)

Source: sophistimom.com via Meg on Pinterest

beer

margaritas

Hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed the Super Bowl. I think there is a need for another Bachelor re-cap coming soon.
p.s. I don't think I have ever told you the story of how Sean and I met, anyone want to hear?

February Sponsor Highlight

2012-02-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

A new month and new sponsors of henning love you have to meet. All of their buttons are on the right side of my blog after my favorite reading. I hope you will go visit them, check out their wonderful blogs and enjoy what they had to about them, their blog and what Valentine's Day treat they are most looking forward to. Thank you girls for sponsoring henning love for February!

p.s. the blogger meet-up in La Jolla was awesome yesterday, definitely a re-cap for sure!

First is Jen of MamaZen:

My name is Jen and I am a twenty-something wife and mother living in the Philadelphia, Pa area. My husband, Jason, and our two children are my world! At mamaZEN, I blog a lot about them and the things that we go through day to day but you will also find coupons, giveaways, reviews, crafting, fashion and whatever else comes my way!

With Valentine's day coming up, the think I am looking forward to is chocolate covered strawberries! My husband made the switch to these instead of chocolates when I was trying to lose weight after the babies and I think that they are, hands-down, my favorite decadent treat (and I don't feel so guilty when I eat them all ;P)

Then Britt from The Magnolia Pair:

Hi, I'm Britt! I am a new wife in a new city and my blog tells the story to this new adventure. My husband is in medical school and I just started my first big girl job. I dabble in cooking (when I'm not burning the dinner), photography (when I'm not busy dropping my lens) , fashion (when I'm not wearing last years trend), and training our puppy (when I'm not chasing after my sock that's in her mouth.) Come stop by my blog to hear about our trials, tribulations, and triumphs!

I am looking forward to seeing what my husband draws/paints for me for Valentines Day. He is an artsy guy, and loves homemade gifts, and lucky for me, I do too!

Katie of ... for Lauren and Lauren

My name is Katie and I blog over at . . . for Lauren and Lauren. I am a wife, Jesus follower, sister, aunt, teacher, crafter, runner, and sweets lover. I started blogging when my sister Lauren, and future sister in law Lauren, convinced me that I should start a blog to share my daily outfits and my etsy shop. I've been reading blogs for a long time and did not realize what I was missing out on! I didn't realize what a community there was in blogging and that I could really get to know others. When I started blogging I thought I would just post pictures of my outfits, but I realize that is such a small piece of what I want to share. I'm excited for my blog to be a mix of my style and craft projects, but also about what I'm learning in life!

More Awesome Sponsors

2012-02-05T09:08:00.001-08:00

Today I have more great sponsors you have to meet! Seriously check out their blogs, you won't regret it. Again, thank you girls for your sponsorship of henning love!

Taylor of The Presutti's

Hey Y'all! I'm Taylor and I blog over at The Presutti's. I'm A Newlywed. Jesus Lover. Runner. Baker. Wife. Mommy to Zoee. Dental Hygienist. Lover. Southern Girl. Wanna be Photographer.

I blog about life, love, food, running, decorating, diy projects, and anything in between!

My favorite valentine's treat has to be the Reese's Heart :)

Skye of Neathering Our Fest

"hey yall! i'm skye but over on my little slice of the internet i am known as rindercella. my blog is a place where i chronicle my journey of daily life as a full-time 9-5er with dreams of working from home one day. i love all things handmade, panda bears, sticky and Jesus is my homeboy. i'd love to meet you - come on over and say hi!"

My husband and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day so that is a really hard question… but one of our favorite treats to share are his Mom's amazing chocolate chip cookies! :) I make several batches of them throughout the year and they make us both very happy! :)

Lauren of Sweet Nothings!

Hi everyone! I'm Lauren, and my blog is Sweet Nothings! I started blogging in August 2011 to document my life, loves, and everything that makes me happy. I'm engaged to my best friend and love of my life. Photography is one of my biggest passions, and you will probably see a lot of it on my blog. Soon after I started blogging, I opened my etsy shop, where I sell some of my photography and canvas paintings. I love to spend my time outdoors, hiking and visiting new places. I also love to cook and bake, and try new recipes! I'd love it if you'd stop by!

My favorite part about Valentine's Day is just relaxing and spending time with Brian. I love chocolate, but by the time Valentine's Day rolls around I'm kind of sick of it. I'd rather just rent a movie, make a romantic dinner, and relax on the couch.

Darby of Life with the Hawleys

Hi all!!! My name is Darby and I blog at Life with the Hawleys. I write about anything and everything. There is never a dull moment in our house and of course I’ve always got to share my funny adventures on our blog. I write about cooking, travel, fashion, my puppies, décor, and my DIY projects. My favorite Valentines treat, is the same treat I gorge on the entire year: chocolate. I can’t control myself to just one holiday when it comes to chocolate

I am...

2012-02-03T06:02:00.000-08:00

a hopeless romantic. I am the girl that wishes that romantic movies happened in real life.I am the girl who can't wait to see movies like The Vow and The Lucky One (view the trailer over at Emma's blog)
I am the girl that wishes her husband would sweep her off her feet and take her on mushy gushy dates. I am the girl that didn't like Valentine's Day growing up because I never had a Valentine and want to celebrate it now when I am married. I am the girl that loves hand-written love notes. I am the girl that wishes each night, I would come home to find my husband making dinner already with a vase full of flowers for me. I am the girl who believes in kissing each night before we go to bed and holding hands any chance we get. I am the girl that believes in dating each other long after the wedding ceremony occurs.
I am the girl that believes in meeting each other love language (if you haven't heard about love languages, please ask, I'm be happy to inform you :-)
I am the girl that loves receiving sweet texts in the middle of the day.
I am the girl that pretends to not be in love with love and romance but really I AM. When you find love, sew it up tight, don't let any loose threads hang out or else, it will begin to unravel itself. Eventually that thread will be full of knots and you won't be able to tell where the thread begins and ends.
What type of girl are you?

Source: acreativemint.typepad.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: 29.media.tumblr.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: acreativemint.typepad.com via Meg on Pinterest

p.s. super excited about tomorrow's awesome SoCal blogger meet-up with Leeann of Join the Gossip, Hollie of Hollie Takes Notes , Alexa and Kirby of The Short and Sweet of It, Jamie of The News from La Fuze, Katie of Katie Lately and so many more awesome bloggers. can't wait!!

Hometown Series Posters Needed!

2012-02-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Thursday afternoon!!

I have had a wonderful response in the past with my series, From My Hometown To Yours, where basically you write from the point of view if I came to visit you in your hometown what you would plan for us to do. Where would you take us to eat, what what we see and I have been so grateful for all the wonderful bloggers who have participated.

Is anyone interested in being a part of this series? All you have to do is email me :-)

megmouch(at)gmail(dot)com.

I'm hoping to re-launch this series.

Thanks!

Jockey Club Cheesecake with Chocolate Sauce

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Did the name alone intrigue you? Ok this is just regular cheesecake, why this recipe is actually called jockey club cheesecake, I have no idea.What I do know is I grew up on this cheesecake, my dad each year requested it for his birthday. And eventually my younger brother started requesting this for his birthday as well. He would put all sorts of toppings on it too, one year I think he asked for Jelly Belly jelly beans to be put on top of the cheesecake. I think that was a good time deal however.
The thing I remember besides eating it each year was the wonderful crust, this recipe makes. Seriously, this crust is super awesome. I would eat the filling and save the crust til later. The crust was thick, the crust was yummy, the crust was my favorite part. And maybe it will be yours too. I didn't make this cheesecake because it was my dad or my brother's birthday, I made this cheesecake for a special request. The reason I bake something each week is to bring to our Wednesday night bible study. One couple in our group recently went to Israel on a trip and last night, they shared their trip with us and while hearing about the trip, we had some delicious pomegranate wine and the wife who went on the trip specially requested cheesecake. So enjoy!
First gather together your ingredients. For the crust you need 1 1/2 cups of crushed up graham crackers (9 whole sheets of graham crackers make 1 cup crushed graham crackers), 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter. For the cheesecake filling, you need 2 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese (I let mine soften to room temperature), 2 eggs and 3/4 cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. (For this recipe, I did the original recipe and then halved it so I made 1.5 of the original recipe if you see in the photos)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine your graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter.

Love my Cuisinart. My mom told me about this machine before my wedding and so glad she did!

Press these ingredients into a 9" spring form pan. You have to use a spring form pan for cheesecake, sorry you just have to. Press the crust down hard and onto the sides of the pan as well, remember the crust is delicious so don't be afraid to go up high on the pan.

In another mixing bowl, cream your cheese cream, then add the eggs, sugar and vanilla.

Mix all these ingredients together well and pour the filling into your crust.

Bake the cheesecake in your oven for an hour or until an inserted knife in the middle comes out clean. To make the homemade chocolate sauce, you need 4 oz. of unsweetened chocolate, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Melt your sauce pan, melt the chocolate and butter until the chocolate is completely melted.

Then add in the sugar, both of the dairy products and the vanilla.

Then stir, stir until the chocolate sauce is smooth looking.

Serve immediately and pour a huge drizzle on top of your slice of cheesecake!

Eat and enjoy!

Supper Bowl - Oh Pinteresting

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

What a great few days off! It seems weird to me that today is already Wednesday! Thank you Natasha for your guest post yesterday, I am definitely craving mint in my belly, in my closet and in my household now.
I thought about doing a post on Super Bowl goodies or food items you can for America's favorite day to watch the commercials? Am I right? Just kidding, I know it is a combination of football, the commercials and the food of course and hanging out with family and friends.
But instead of that I decided to present you instead of Super Bowl, you get supper bowl. Meals that can entirely be eaten out of a bowl, I love one-bowl meals for dinner, you make it quick, you can make it easy and you can make it healthy!So introducing to you supper bowls for my Oh Pinteresting Wednesday!

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: recipe.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: blogs.babble.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: gimmesomeoven.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: twopeasandtheirpod.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: leitesculinaria.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Meg on Pinterest

What is your favorite type of dinner served in a bowl? I really want to try those baked eggs in the bread bowl and any Asian noodle dish or rice dish I will always gravitate towards, it is the Japanese-born rice loving girl in me :-)

Guest Post - Natasha from Schue Love

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday henning love readers! I have a wonderful treat for you today while Sean and I are still up in Big Bear, Natasha from Schue Love. She was one of the first bloggers I read regularly and I love her recipes, her home decorations and very excited for her pregnancy! She will make a wonderful Mom. Take it away, Natasha!

Hi henning love Readers! I'm Natasha from Schue Love and I'm thrilled to be taking over Meg's sweet blog today! :) She gave me full reigns to talk about whateeeeever I want, which is super fun! :) My blog centers around fashion, food, decor, and more...so I'll be touching on all of those topics today with one theme in mind: mint.

Mint + sequins = match made in fashion heaven!

I love mint chip ice cream...these take it to the next level.

How divine is the mint sea glass tiles? Also love the striped rug!

A little something extra special on the ring finger.

This maxi skirt has my name on it!

Gorgeous wedding cake...

This is my dream bathroom...I wonder if that's real hardwood or tile made to look like hardwood?

Adore these Antrho earrings...they're a great neatural.

And just for good measure, I had to include my latest obsession...all things baby! And in a pretty mint hue, no less!

All of the images above can be found via my "mint" board.

Thanks to Meg for having me today!

xo natasha

Thanks Natasha for this beautiful color post, I need to go and find some mint
for my wardrobe or home now!

Facebook Fest with The Lovely Poppy

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

It is Monday all and I have two exciting posts for your reading pleasure. The first is I am co-hosting a Facebook Fest with Nicole of the Lovely Poppy, Glow Kouture, and Sunshine Stitch. The directions are listed below. Follow along and have fun!

Also I calculated the winner of the ring giveaway from Blue Soul Designs and I am pleased to say Hannah of Culture Connoisseur was picked by random.org. If you didn't win, Sarah asked me to announce she has a shop sale currently going on through Valentine's Day. The deal is two rings for $14 and each ring retails for $10-$12 each so hurry, get two beautiful rings for a great price! Check out the details on her Facebook page or her Etsy shop.

Second, I am guest posting over at Johanna's blog, 101 Things I Love by contributing to her series, 5 Snowy Steals and Splurges. Go check out the 5 white items I think about during January!

hosts:

the lovely poppy | glow kouture

sunshine stitch | henning love

to enter:
-link up your facebook page below
-"like" all hosts with your personal facebook page and comment on their wall. this guarantees at least four new fans!
-stop by and visit others who have linked up, i promise they are amazing and you'll find some amazing new businesses to support
-share on your facebook page, this will generate more traffic = more visits for everyone

Friday's Fancies Outfit Swap!

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Final day to enter my giveaway for a beautiful stone ring from Blue Soul Designs, get your entries in now!
What a great idea Alison had to swap with another blogger and style an outfit for them, it is a great way to get to know another fellow blogger, learn more about their style preference and current fashion likes. I got paired up with the best partner in my personal opinion y'all, I had Lauren from Stylized Existence.

Isn't she gorgeous?!
Lauren came up with the idea for our blog swap, basically we interviewed each other, give each other current fashion likes we had. Then we created a purpose for the outfit as well and since Lauren does wardrobe consulting as a side gig, I sure hope she can take it full-time, I created an outfit she would look stellar in when she has an appointment for wardrobe consulting. A few tips I was given that Lauren really likes currently are: Stripes, Loafers, Polka Dots, Gold Jewelry, Mustard Yellow.And with that said, here is my outfit for Lauren to wear when she has appointments! I really hope you like it Lauren, and if you don't then I apologize and then I need a clothing makeover and a wardrobe consultation :-)

Have a wonderful weekend ladies!!
Tonight for dinner at our local community college, they are having a food truck fest. Unfortunately in the area, Sean and I live in Los Angeles, there are hardly any food trucks so knowing there is a food truck fest near us, we are excited!
Sunday, Sean and I are off with Kip and Kimbia to spend a few days up in Big Bear. But don't worry I won't leave you hanging here on the blog, Monday I am doing a post for Johanna over at 101 Things I Love and then on Tuesday, Natasha from schue love will be here entertaining you and sharing a gorgeous color I think we all need in our closets!

Chocolate, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Chocolate

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Current giveaway: a beautiful stone ring from Blue Soul Designs, enter now here
Did the title grab your attention?? Cuz if it did and you are a chocolate and peanut butter combination lover then boy do I have a real treat for you today.

What does the title refer to do you ask, the layers in this bodacious dessert. A bottom layer of chocolate cookies, then chocolate ganache, then a peanut butter filling topped with another layer of chocolate ganache. Do I have your little heart skipping a beat for this yummy recipe? Are you craving for it already and wish I could send you a package full of this yummy goody? Sorry friends, wish I could but read on and then make it yourself.

First, gather together your ingredients: 1 2/3 cups chocolate wafer crumbs, 1/2 cup softened butter, 1/4 cup white sugar, 4 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar, 1 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, 1 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 bag 12 oz. chocolate chips, 6 tablespoons heavy cream.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and either spray a 9 inch square baking ban or line the pan with parchment paper.

Combine your chocolate cookie crumbs, the white sugar and 3 tablespoons of butter in your food processor and pulse until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.

Pour out these ingredients into the baking pan and press down the cookie crumbs and bake in the oven for 8 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool.
*Side note, after making this recipe, next time I would melt the butter completely to fully incorporate it into the cookie crumbs. When I cut the squares yesterday, several crusts came apart from the rest of the bar, just keep this in mind when you make this recipe.

Prepare the peanut butter filling in your mixer by adding the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter, brown sugar, confectioner's sugar and peanut butter. Mix all these ingredients together very well and set aside.

When the cookie crust has cooled completely, melt the chocolate chips and the heavy cream in a microwave-proof bowl, melting the chips for 1 minute then stirring and if need to be melted more in 30 second increments.

When the chips are completely melted and the cream and chocolate are thoroughly incorporated, spread about 1/4 cup of the ganache onto the cookie crust.

Freeze the pan for 5-10 minutes to let the chocolate set. After the chocolate has set, spread the peanut butter filling on top of the ganache layer.

Finally, spread the rest of the chocolate ganache, the remaining 3/4 on the top. Let the dessert refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

Then take the dessert out of the pan, cut into squares, then serve, eat and enjoy!

recipe found here