Candy Bar Controllers That Mario and Luigi Would Love

Recipe: Candy Bar Controllers
Song: Super Mario Brothers NES Overworld Theme

Have any of you ever heard of Rosanna “Ro” Pansino? Well if you haven’t, you need to check out her YouTube channel! She runs a series called “Nerdy Nummies” where she makes unique creations. By the way, here’s a fun fact-her book was one of the things I purchased when I won a gift card through my office’s Super Bowl pool a couple years back. 

I actually did a blog post based off one of her recipes before. This was when I made LEGO cakes for my brother’s birthday a couple years back. Since I know he'll like some of the things she posts, I decided to use one of her recipes again this year for his birthday.

I didn't make a cake because his girlfriend made him an amazing cheesecake. Instead, I decided to make him chocolates that were in the shape of video game controllers! I’ll admit this recipe didn’t go too well because melting chocolate is easier than it looks, but my brother was still appreciative! As long as they taste good and still look nice, that's all that matters, right? Anyhoo, while I try to master the art of melting chocolate perfectly, see below for the recipe:

 

 

Candy Game Controllers

The chocolate looks exactly like the original controller!

What you’ll need:

• Game controller molds- (I got mine from thinkgeek.com but this was two years ago. If they’re no longer available then I would check Amazon. That’s where Ro lists them on her YouTube video).
• A bag of chocolate melts
• A filling of your choice (caramel, your favorite chocolate candy, or maybe something else you think would go well with your chocolate). I used Twix bars!

Instructions:

1. Melt your chocolate (I melted my chocolate in the microwave but sometimes this isn't the best method. I'll probably try my mom's double-boiler next time).
2. Pour one level of chocolate into the molds, and paint the sides of the molds as well.
3. Poke the bottom of the molds with a toothpick thoroughly (this is important because you don’t want air bubbles!)
4. Stick the molds in the freezer for ten minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your filling. For example, if you're using chocolate candy like I did, this is a good time to chop it up.
5. Once the molds come out of the freezer, put in a layer of your filling, then pour more chocolate on top. The molds should be filled now.
6. Freeze for another 10 minutes.
7. Enjoy! Maybe play your favorite video game too :) Some of my favorites are Mario Cart, Yoshi’s Story and Animal Crossing. Monkey Ball and Mario Cart were especially popular in my dorm during my freshman year of college.

*Note: this recipe was supposed to make six controllers. Only four of them turned out well because I'm in the process of trying to master the art of melting chocolate! Also, someone in my household ate the two bad ones before the photos were taken. I also recommend watching Ro's video tutorial since it might be easier to watch someone doing the steps above. I've included the url to her video below.


Because my brother's first gaming system was NES and I grew up watching/playing an assortment of Mario Brothers games, I thought the perfect song to pair with this recipe would be the Super Mario Brothers NES Overwold Theme. You can listen to it here. Also, I'm not sure if you spotted the mushroom in the picture. My brother thought it should be included in the photo shoot and I agreed :). My brother and I grew up on NES, Nintendo 64,  Game Cube, and the Wii. I loved a ton of games he owned, but I will say I was disappointed when I found out our gaming systems weren't compatible with the games Spice World and Dance Dance Revolution (DDR).


*All rights to the original idea/recipe go to Ro Pansino.
*All rights to the Super Mario Brothers NES Overwold Theme go to Nintendo.

Marshmallow Mermaid Pie by Jenna and Jenna

Recipe: Marshmallow Mermaid Pie
Song: "Brave" by Sara Bareilles

With the Fourth of July coming up, I thought I'd post the dessert I made for last year's party. While it may not have been a patriotic dish, it was still fitting for the occasion because it's a nice summer recipe.  And let me tell you, this dessert was the perfect choice because it was a hit. In fact, everyone enjoyed it so much there were practically no leftovers.

The dessert I made was a marshmallow mermaid pie. Did you notice the name? It's got two of my favorite things in it! If you speak to any of my friends, they can tell you I'm a HUGE fan of chocolate, marshmallows and most importantly, mermaids! In fact, when I celebrated my birthday recently, most of my gifts were mermaid related.

Yes, this dish is from the movie "The Waitress," which is now on broadway. I like this movie because it's cute and has a nice ending. I won't spoil it for you in case you want to see it. I also like this movie because it's about a girl named Jenna who enjoys making wonderful pies! Another bonus is that the main character shares my name. True, I may not be the pie baking champ (at least not yet!) that Keri Russel portrays, but maybe one day I'll get there.

My mom got me this beautiful chantal pie dish for Easter!

I'd also like to add that when my family was going through a rough time a few years back, my mom rented this movie and two others from our local library to cheer us up. It's stuck with me ever since and as a result, I bought the cookbook and dvd. I didn't get this recipe from the book but I'll try making the book's version someday. I will say the movie's version seems to involve coconut which is slowly growing on me. Anyway, without further ado, here is the recipe for the pie.

 


Marshmallow Mermaid Pie

Ingredients: 

• 1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust
• 34 large marshmallows (about 8oz)
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cup whipping cream or heavy cream
• 1 oz grated, unsweetened chocolate
• Nonpareils for garnish
• Mini marshmallows for garnish

Directions:

1. In a 3qt saucepan, heat marshmallows and milk over low heat (stirring constantly) until the mixture is smooth. 
2. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool completely for at least 30 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, beat the cream with a mixer at medium speed until you see stiff peaks form.
4. Fold the marshmallow mixture into the whipped cream with grated chocolate.
5. Using a spoon, transport the filling into the pie crust.
6. Refrigerate the pie for at least three hours.
7. Top the pie with mini marshmallows and nonpareils.

I decided to pair this recipe with the song "Brave" by Sara Bareilles. As cheesy as it sounds, I like this song because it's empowering. The music video is great too-although I don't think I'd ever be brave enough to bust out some dance moves in the middle of a gym or library 😊. Bareilles also did the score for the broadway adaption of "The Waitress," and has even played the lead role a couple times.

*All rights to this recipe go to Robin of All Things Heart and Home. The original recipe can be found here.

*All rights to the song "Brave" go to Sara Bareilles.

*And just another side note-see that chantal pie dish? My mom got it on clearance at Tuesday Morning! This is definitely my new favorite store. We liked this design so much we ended up with casserole dishes, measuring cups and more! Definitely visit your local Tuesday Morning if you haven't already!

St. Patrick's Day With U2 and Lucky the Leprechaun

Pinterest is one of my favorite social media channels. It's great for organizing things you're interested in such as places you want to visit, clothing you want, and maybe even things you'd like to give as gifts (which would be put in a secret board of course). Something that's embarrassing for me to admit is that most of my boards are recipes, but that works out in my favor. And Pinterest is what led me to the recipe I'll be sharing today. This recipe originated from a website called Sweet C's Designs, and it's by a woman named Courtney.

I love Lucky Charms, and it's especially my favorite treat right now since I've given up chocolate for Lent. With it being Lent and the month of March, I seem to have been eating a bunch of Lucky Charms recently.

When my friend invited me to her family's St. Patrick's Day party last weekend, I knew I had to bring something because a general family rule we had growing up was you NEVER show up to a party empty-handed. As my mom watched me make these Lucky Charm Treats, she wondered if I should make something more Irish. I told her Lucky the Leprechaun is Irish and he made the Lucky Charms. I have to say, Lucky and I made a great team last week with me using his cereal for this dessert.

Lucky Charms Treats

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of marshmallows (I was fortunate to grab the last bag of miniature ones from the store! Probably because it was about to snow a lot.)
• 4 cups Lucky Charms Cereal
• 1/4 c salted butter

Directions: 

I'm thinking of using a shamrock cookie cutter next time!

1. Grease a casserole dish (I used pam)
2. Using a large pot, start melting the butter on medium-heat
3. Add the marshmallows and keep stirring them until they're melted
4. If the marshmallows are browning slightly (meaning they're not fully melted as the sugar browns), remove them from the stove and keep stirring. The marshmallows should melt from the heat.
5. Add the Lucky Charms to the pot and keep stirring until everything is combined.
6. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish.
7. Let the treats cool before cutting them.

The song I decided to use for this recipe was U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." I got this idea from my spin instructor a couple years ago. She tried incorporating different Irish music into the class for St. Patrick's Day, and this was one of the songs she used. U2 is from Ireland, and this seems to be one of my favorite songs by them. It's also a song that when played at a bar, 95% of the bar's attendees are likely to sing along because it's popular and has a catchy tune. Also, a bit random but remember that movie Runaway Bride? I'll always remember the opening scene when it shows Julia Roberts running-away from her wedding on a horse to this song. But I think the most memorable scene of that movie is her and Richard Gere slow dancing in his apartment after she turns in her running shoes to him.

*All rights to this recipe go to Courtney O'Dell of Sweet C's Designs.
*All rights to the song "I still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" go to U2.

Feeling the Love with Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

Recipe: Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies
Song: "To Make You Feel My Love" by Trisha Yearwood

These cookies are huge...

Hi Everyone!

Sorry for the huge delay in posting. After some fun times, I am happy to be back. I was inspired to make these cookies for Valentine's Day after seeing them in the store. I understand that Valentine's Day has ended, these cookies aren't strictly for this holiday-their bright pink frosting makes them perfect for a girl's night with your friends, a baby shower, or maybe even a bridal shower where the theme is pink. Pink seems to be a popular color for weddings these days.

One of the best things about these cookies is that the frosting doesn't always have to be the same color. Simply make the cookies and dye their vanilla frosting with whatever color fits your occasion (ig: green for St. Patrick's Day, purple for Relay for Life, etc). Please see below for the recipe I got from Jillian's blog Food Folks and Fun. I'd like to note that I didn't make the frosting because my dad bought some for Christmas, and I wanted to use it before it went bad. Therefore, this recipe features Duncan Hines Vanilla Frosting, which I dyed pink.

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies:

*This recipe makes about 24 BIG cookies.

Ingredients:

• 4½ c. all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp. table salt
• 1½ c. butter, at room temperature
• 1½ c. granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 5 tsp. vanilla extract

*Since I didn't use Jillian's frosting recipe, I decided not to include it. Feel free to check out her blog for the recipe (link below) or use your favorite vanilla frosting. As you can see, store-bought frosting is fine-it's just a little sweet :). When you make the frosting, simply add 3-4 drops of red to it to achieve the pink color. Keep in mind the fewer drops of red you use, the darker the color will be.


Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
2. In a separate bowl with an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix the eggs well after each addition, and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add vanilla and mix until everything is just combined.
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until everything is just combined and no flour pockets are remaining. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for an hour.
4. Make sure the oven rack is in the middle position before preheating oven to 350˚ F.  Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper (or silicone baking mats) and set aside.
5. Scoop 3 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Place on prepared cookie sheets and flatten ball slightly with the palm of your hand. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing cookies at least 2-3 inches apart. Bake one cookie sheet at a time and bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes or just until set. Don’t overbake them! When ready, the edges of the cookies will be lightly browned.
6. Cool cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
7. Once they're completely cooled, frost the cookies by adding a dollop of frosting to the cookie’s center, and using an offset spatula or spoon to smooth out to edges.
8. Let the frosting set for 2 hours before storing the cookies. Jillian recommends keeping the cookies in an airtight container, but since I didn’t have one that was big enough for the cookies, I simply put them on paper plates and covered them with aluminum foil. When I bake cookies, I like to give them away since they’re meant to be shared anyways :).

Since these cookies were originally made for Valentine's Day, I decided to pair them with a love song. I figured the perfect song for this recipe would be "To Make You Feel My Love" by Trisha Yearwood. I heard this song at my Godmom's daughter's wedding when she had her first dance with her husband. I immediately asked her what the song was called.  It sounded so beautiful and I had never heard it before. This song has been covered by Adele, and has appeared on Glee. I will say the Glee version makes you tear up because Rachel sings it out of dedication to Finn.

*All rights to this recipe goes to Jillian and her blog Food Folks and Fun.
*All rights to the song "To Make You Feel My Love" go to Trisha Yearwood.

My Very First Time Making Fall Sangria!

I'll never forget the first time I tried sangria. While studying abroad in Florence, Italy, my friend Danielle and I decided to visit our friend Amanda who was studying in Barcelona, Spain. During our visit, Amanda took us sight-seeing and we ended the day having dinner with her roommate at a nice restaurant. And that was where we ordered a pitcher of red sangria, clanked our glasses, and I had my first sip of what would become one of my favorite drinks.

Trying our first glasses of sangria five years ago!

Fast forward to a few years later. By this time, I'd had sangria a handful of times but I didn't realize until recently that it's one of my favorite drinks. I guess it became one of my favorites because it contains wine and fruit. My friends and I enjoy eating the fruit out of the bottom once it's done, and who doesn't? When I started seeing a nutritionist, she also recommended I drink wine instead of light beer (my favorite used to be Amstel Lite because it was only one point on Weight Watchers). I grew accustomed to drinking wine for the past two years, and it's nice to see what else you can do with it.

This past September, I went to visit a different friend for her birthday, and once I told her I was coming, she informed me they would be making fall sangria! Up until this point, I had tasted sangria in the spring, summer, and winter, but not in the fall. So I was very excited! Fall is my favorite season, and I was interested in seeing what fall sangria tasted like.

I ended up enjoying the sangria along with the cheese and sausage they had on the rooftop. And I liked that sangria so much, I decided to look for fall sangria recipes to try. I'm happy to say I was successful in finding one that's definitely a keeper! It was so good I made it again a couple weeks later, and bought another bottle of wine to keep in handy in case we make it again soon. How often does that happen?

Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria

What You'll Need:

• 2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
• 1/2 cup cognac
• 2 cups apple cider
• 750ml bottle cava (or other dry sparkling wine), chilled
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds 

Instructions:

1. Add the apples to a large pitcher. If you'd like to get a bit more fancy, save 1/2c of the sliced
   apples to top the drinks with. Now add the apple cider, cava and cognac. Stir well. 
2. Fill the pitcher with ice, and pour the sangria into glasses. Top the drinks with the 1/2 c of sliced apples and pomegranate seeds. 

Since I'm also a big fan of country music, I was excited to pair one of my favorite country songs with this recipe. If you haven't guessed what it is already, it's "Sangria" by Blake Shelton. It's the perfect fit, don't you think?

As far as this recipe goes, I got it from a website called "kitchn." It was created by a woman named Maureen Petrosky, and her post can be found here. She also posted nine other fall sangria recipes. I have yet to try them but I bet they're good!

*All rights to the sangria recipe go to Maureen Petrosky of "kitchn," and all the rights to the song "Sangria" go to Blake Shelton.

Enjoy Some Shamrock Cookies This St. Patrick's Day

Recipe: Shamrock Cookies Dipped in Chocolate
Song: "C'est La Vie" by B*Witched

Yes, my blog is still going. I haven't been on here in a while, but I'm happy to announce that I started a new temporary job! I'm hoping that since I don't have to concentrate on looking for a position anymore, I can start blogging much more than I used to. I'm starting to adjust to a work schedule again!

While I'm enjoying this new position, this post is about a recipe for St. Patrick's Day, so let me cut to the chase and tell you about it.

During my train ride home from work one day, my mom sent me this recipe from Joann Fabrics. I didn't follow it completely because I forgot to get green and white non-pareils, but these chocolate-dipped shamrock cookies still turned out great! My co-workers and family loved them, and I'll definitely be making these again.






Shamrock Cookies Dipped In Chocolate

My co-worker loved discovering the chocolate!

What You'll Need:

• Shamrock cookie-cutter
• Green sprinkles for garnish
• A sugar cookie recipe-I used one from one of my mom's old Betty Crocker books
• Green food-coloring
• 12oz Light Cocoa Candy Melts Candy

Directions:

1. Make sugar cookies. Tint the dough green.
      *Note: Joann's website tells you to use a formula using blue and yellow food coloring by i just used green 
        food-colring. I decided to not go too crazy with it. It's a bit difficult coloring food sometimes (especially making 
        something appear red!) but my cookies came out looking a bit tye-dyed. They still looked nice!
2. Shape cookies using shamrock cookie cutter.
3. Sprinkle green sprinkles on top of cookies before placing them in the oven
4. Once the cookies are finished baking, cool them completely.
5. Prepare the chocolate candy melts according to package instructions.
6. Spread melted chocolate on the bottom of each cookie
7. Place cookies chocolate-side down on a cookie sheet covered with parchment or wax paper.
8. Refrigerate cookies for 10-15 minutes.
7. Enjoy!

During my spin class Wednesday morning, my instructor played some Irish music in honor of St. Patrick's Day.  However, she also did something creative and decided to feature a song by an Irish band (U2). I chose to do the same thing for this recipe. When I was in elementary school, B*Witched, an Irish band, was very popular. And I remember singing along to their hit song "C'est La Vie." It has a very catchy tune and I'll admit that I still play it from time-to time. Here is a link to its music video. It goes perfect with this recipe, don't you think? You can hear them sing with an Irish accent, and they even do a little bit of Irish step-dancing in the video!

*All rights to the original recipe go to Joann Fabrics.
*All rights to the song "C'est La Vie" go to B*Witched.

Healthier Pizza!

Recipe: Flatout Bread Pizza
Song: Dean Martin's "That's Amore"


Helloooooo

Sorry I haven't been on here in a while- a lot has happened since my last blog post such as going to Florida and holding a contract position. But I'm back now, and I have a recipe that I think you'll enjoy. It's my own version of flatbread pizza using Flatout Bread. If you haven't used it before, I highly recommend it because it tastes great and it's good for you! When I visited my friend Amanda, her mom introduced my dad and I to it when she presented us with her pizza. The pizza was so good I just had to ask my nutritionist about the bread. The cool part? My nutritionist said it was great for someone who is on a low-carb diet.

Friday is always pizza night for my family. Sometimes we'll skip ordering it and eat my version with the Flatout Bread. I especially like this recipe because it's good year-round. It's especially enjoyable in the summer when we have my mom's fresh veggies from her garden.



Better For You Flatbread Pizza


What you'll need:  

Six slices of your favorite Flatout bread. (I usually give everyone two slices of this Bread but the amount you use really depends on how much you eat and how many people you're serving. The same goes for the veggies and cheese listed below-only use the amount that you need).


1/2 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
4 small tomatoes, sliced
1 quick drizzle of olive oil
A dash of oregano
1/2 8.0 oz bag Mozzarella cheese (enough to cover each slice of pizza)
4 cloves of garlic


Directions:

1. Prepare the Flatout bread according to directions. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. One time I forgot to spray the bread with cooking spray before heating it in the oven and we had pizza nachos as a result!

2. Once bread is ready, spread the cheese all over it evenly.

3. Next, distribute and spread out the tomatoes on each slice before adding the green pepper, garlic and onion.

4. Finally, lightly drizzle the olive oil on your pizzas before adding a quick dash of oregano.

5. Cook the pizza for however long the instructions tell you (about 5-10 minutes).

6. Remove slices with a spatula and enjoy!



The song I decided to pair with this recipe is "That's Amore." Pizza is an Italian dish, and the song is Italian so I thought it would be appropriate. Pizza is also mentioned in this song! Click here to watch the video and if you're really into it, play it while you eat/make the pizza. I studied abroad in Italy when I was in college and let me tell you-I miss it. This song definitely reminds me of my experiences there.

*All rights to the song "That's Amore" go to Dean Martin