A Quick Chocolate Fix: Peanut Butter/Nutella Brownie in a Mug

via j. baroody

Chad and I get uber cravings for a warm brownie topped with ice cream sometimes and we live somewhere that an oven is not easily accessible. So I set out on a search through the internet to find something that would quench my craving. Low and behold, "desserts in a mug" is what I found. After a few tweaks here and there, the perfect confectionery concoction was born.

You only need a some ingredients, a mug and a microwave (oh and a fork or spoon to mix). :)

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons of Sugar

3 Tablespoons of Flour

2 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder

1 Tablespoon of Butter (preferably room temperature for easier mixing)

1 Spoonful of Nutella or you can use Peanut Butter

2 Tablespoons of Milk/Cream (you can use more if the mixture is too dry)

1 Tablespoon of Mini Chocolate chips (optional) - adds that extra chocolate factor. ;)

Directions:

Mix ALL ingredients together & Microwave for 1:30 minutes to 2 minutes till the top of the brownie is a little firm. Top off with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream and ENJOY! :)

Crockpotted Coconut Curry Chicken & topped with a Pistachio Pesto

 Coconut Curry Chicken with Pistachio Pesto on a bed of green beans and white rice
(picture courtesy Bill Ritson & Instagram)

Lately, I have been craving the nuttiness and sweetness of Coconut Curry, but somewhere along my craving I started to itch for a pesto dish as well. So this dish was born....

Ingredients:

Coconut Curry:
1 Family size pack of chicken thighs (fully thawed)

1 Can of Coconut Milk

2 Tbsp of Curry Powder

2 Tbsp of Tomato Paste

1 Tbsp of Olive Oil

2 Tbsp of Fresh Ginger (I eyeball how much 2 Tbsp would be and slivered them)

3 or 4 Cloves of Garlic

Salt and Pepper to taste & to season the chicken

Pistachio Pesto

(note: I used all ingredients to taste and preference.)

Bunch of Basil

Handful of pistachios

3 cloves of garlic

salt & pepper

Parm Cheese

Olive Oil

Coconut Curry Directions:
In the food processor I put all the ingredients in and put on high for a two or minutes until all the ingredients were blended together. I seasoned the chicken thighs (you can substitute the thighs for breast or drumsticks.) with salt and then place them in the crockpot. Then proceeded to pour the Coconut Curry blend over the chicken. Put the crockpot on low for 6 hours. 

Pistachio Pesto Directions:

In the food processor I put all the ingredients except for the Olive oil. I turned the food processor on and drizzled in the Olive Oil until it the was the consistency desired. 

I plated the chicken with some green beans and rice, but there are numerous options to eat this epically delicious meal with. Hope you enjoy! And as always, I always welcome comments or tweaks as well.

Mulled Spiced Orange-Lemon Chicken w. Apple Slices

"This tastes like Thanksgiving." -S. Leitzel

This Crockpot recipe is still a work in progress, but I thought I'd share this one with you all since the fall weather seemed fitting for it. Perfect for cold windy days like today in my neck of the woods.

Ingredients:
Chicken, however much you'd like to make or how much your Crockpot will hold
3 or more apples
3 Mulling Spice tea bags (or 2 Tbsp)
1 Orange (zest & juice)
1 Lemon (zest & juice)
4 Cloves of garlic, peeled
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
Salt & Pepper

Prep:
-Bring 6 Cups of water to a boil. Take off heat and add Mulling Spice Tea Bags and Brown Sugar to water. Let the spices steep and cool down. (make sure the liquid is cooled down before pouring into crockpot.)
-Peel and slice apples once the mulling spice brew has cooled down. Set aside.
-Once the mulling spice brew has cooled down, zest and juice orange and lemon into the brew.
-Salt (LIBERALLY - it will be used to season the chicken as well) and pepper the brew.

In Crockpot:
1. Put a layer of sliced apples in the Crockpot. (add the whole garlic cloves in the first layer of apples.)
2. Then place a layer of chicken
3. (repeat steps 2 & 3 till the top layer is apples - any remaining apples just pour on top layer)
4. Pour brewed mulling spice mix into the Crockpot till the chicken is almost submerged but not quite.
5. Set Crockpot on LOW for 6 hours or till chicken is falling off the bones. Serve with cooked apple slices.

Enjoy!

Please let me know if it could be bettered in anyway. Thanks! <3

Personalized Couple's Cozies!

Football season is here!

These are just two examples of a couple's can cozies i've just made recently. I found them to be quite a useful way to keep track of where your drink is at parties and get togethers. They make great little housewarming gifts as well. <3 Try personalizing them with a little motif or some embroidering of letters/numbers/shapes.

Easy crafty trendy earrings

Who doesn't love cute earrings? They make an outfit look complete and can give you an "edge" with a simple outfit if done right.

Lately, I've been looking up patterns for crocheted magnets and making doubles and putting earring hooks/posts on them. You can make earrings for cheap to go along with a dress or even themed to a party you may be attending.

patterns i have used:
pink hearts & the multicolored hearts
pineapples 
peaches were a pattern of my own.

please feel free to share any other idea that may be awesome as earrings. :) happy crocheting!