Mindless Monday

Are you craving Margarita's today? I think many of you are. I tried to make one the other day. I'm not a huge tequila fan these days, but this was a tasty way to use a seasonal ingredient like blood oranges. With that said, Megan from the blog The House Wife In Training Files does it right. Look at her amazing images and recipes here, I found her on Pinterest and had to try this refreshing cocktail. Whatever you are drinking, personally I'm still on my second cup of coffee, enjoy your week!

Double Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

What to make for dessert when you are having an Italian appetizer party? Biscotti of course. I wanted something simple and not messy that people could walk around with. Although, admittedly biscotti does generate a lot of crumbs, but oh well. I had made biscotti forever ago, but it was a basic recipe, white flour with almonds. This time I wanted chocolate and lots of it. Its funny when I thought about making the biscotti I thought of my friends Dad who also happens to be my neighbor. We've had plenty of meals with their family and I've always seen him dip his biscotti in Prosecco or wine of any kind. So I made sure we had that Prosecco on hand for the party since he and his wife were attending. He did not disappoint.

Here's how I made them.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, I used Valhrona

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 cup roasted hazelnuts, chopped (I buy raw ones and roast them in a cast iron skillet. After they cool i rub as much of the skin off as I can, but you can leave it on if you'd like)

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a cookie sheet.

In a bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar and almond extract until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until combined. Stir in flour mixture to form a stiff dough. Stir in chopped hazelnuts and dark chocolate chips.

On prepared baking sheet, you might want to flour your hands, form dough into two slightly flattened logs, each 12 inches long and 2 inches wide. I find that longer thinner logs is the way to go, that way when you get to the slicing part you have smaller biscotti cookies, but that's entirely up to you. Bake logs about 35 minutes, or until slightly firm to the touch. Cool biscotti on baking sheet 5 minutes.

On a cutting board cut biscotti diagonally into 3/4-inch slices. Arrange biscotti on baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Cool biscotti on a rack. You can keep them in an airtight container for 1 week and frozen, 1 month. I like my biscotti crunching and hard so I baked them slightly longer, no more than a total of 20 minutes.

Final task was packaging and sending them on their way. I'm loving these new gift tags from Tiny Prints, which I personalized, actually I'm kind of addicted to them. My friends loved the little packages of goodies and a few friends will get them in the mail with the recipe on my new note pad (seen above) which incidentally looks perfect with the biscotti.

Candied Grapefruit Peels

Candied grapefruit, doesn't that just sound delectable. Well in my quest to make a refreshing cocktail, I thought about what would I garnish it with. Since the major citrus ingredient in my cocktail was grapefruit, why not use the peels for something extra sweet and special.

I've made candied orange peels here before, so I new it wasn't too hard to do, just a little time consuming. So here's how:

Ingredients

2 large red or pink grapefruits

1 cup of sugar, plus extra for tossing the peels in

Cut peel from grapefruits into strips or small triangle pieces, you can leave about 1/4 of the white pith. Place the peels in a small saucepan, add cold water to cover over them. Bring water to a boil, then drain; you will need to repeat this process twice.

After you've done the above twice, bring the peel, 1 cup sugar, and ½ cup water to a boil in same saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until peel is translucent, 15–20 minutes. Drain and then transfer peel to a wire rack and let dry, 2–4 hours. Toss in more sugar. (See above for what they look like once they have been boiled in the sugar and after they have been tossed in the sugar)

These are great as garnishes to a drink. I might dip a few in chocolate next, because everything taste better in chocolate.

Mindless Monday

Do you ever wish you were 23 again, only with the knowledge you have now? I wish I had that metabolism and energy, and memory. Seriously I'm losing my memory or maybe I'm just losing my mind. I can't eat the same things, so much food these days makes me feel bad. I don't have the stamina to stay up for long amounts of time and generally I'm just slower on just about everything. Oh the joys of getting older, even if I am relatively young, it kind of sucks.

In a couple of weeks we're off our schedule once again, this time going to New Mexico to help clean out a family house. Seriously, stressing me out. But we'll make the most of it. Which has motivated me at home now.

This space has been sparse as I realized I need to clean out my own apartment, box by box, closet by closet. We accumulate so much stuff, and it feels really great just getting rid of it all. This clean up includes a digital clean up. How many emails do you have, why are we saving them all, what are we worried about losing? I ask myself this every time I see my inbox full or my archive files overflowing. It's Spring cleaning time and I clearing out space to breath. What does your Spring cleaning include.

Hope your week is shaping up to be a fulfilling one. Enjoy!

Photography by Eric Striffler. as seen on Remodilista

ItSweet Color

How often does your color taste change? Mine is going through a major shift.

Almost 19 years ago when we set up our first apartment it was the a bit overwhelming to go from just decorating your bedroom, that you rented or lived at home, to having many more rooms to claim color ownership of. So I erred on the side of neutral.

I'll never forget someone telling me that the colors I picked on my registry were so boring. I was afraid of color, which is ironic, because I loved to paint and play with color, but not for me.

Actually that bled into my clothes too, afraid of color, I mostly wore black, grey and brown. Again, I can think back to the day when I was walking around in bright lime green and hot pink that someone told my mom my clothes were too loud. So black, brown and grey it was.

So a few years ago when I was going to England, I'd decided to figure out a new color palate for me based on the colors of the season. I knew it was time to add color back in my life. I am a firm believer that what you wear and see everyday has a big affect on your moods. Picking colors from the season, was so fashion forward to me. Probably behind really, but who cares. This way I would know that I could find things during that season in that color palate. I eliminated one color from that original palate, only because every time I tried that color on I looked sad. Then one color I added because my eyes really looked happy when I wore that one.

Now I love color, I have few basic items in black, but the rest is all color all the time. I'm gravitating to color more and more. So today is what has inspired me. Below are a few of the Pinterest pins that I love. And now that I pulled them, I can see Pink, Green and Yellow are in them all.

I've recently started adding yellow into my wardrobe, so afraid of that color on me. But I bought some yellow and grey shoes so I knew I had to get over it.

And then I find that color bleeds into my food, I've been buying foods at the markets purely because they are colorful, then I need to figure out what to do with them. What fun!

Michelle Armas painting as seen on Oncewed.com

Has art inspired you? I've been inspired by a few pieces of stationary to create great recipes and write them down on, or send my food with little splashes of color on the packaging. Really anything can inspire you.

I am loving the pops of color in a room. I can't wait to show the dramatic change in my bedroom, from dark and cozy to bright, light and airy.

This makes me incredibly hungry for something PINK.

Natasha Poly by Patrick Demarchelier for Vogue China January 2014 — Natasha Poly by Patrick Demarchelier for Vogue China January 2014

I'm in the process of spray painting just about anything I can get my hands on. I love the splashes of muted color on these pots. What colors are you gravitating towards?

Mindless Monday

I have to say my brain has been on serious vacation mode. I am dreaming of being out in the Barrier Reef, isn't is just so peaceful looking? I'm slowly trying to get myself back into a routine. I fear this won't happen till September. Still lots going on. May is shaping up to be a roller coaster, but I'll find a way to manage. I've been testing recipes, finalizing our bedroom makeover, fixing our new pimped out dresser and clearing the DVR of about 2 months worth of shows. I hardly watch live TV anymore. Today I am in cleaning mode, which includes the physical cleaning of the apartment and my email inbox. I am so wishing I had joined this program 4 0 bags in 40 days . Seriously how is it we accumulate so much stuff that quickly. But we do. So time to shred, bag, and get rid of it. So I start my own little challenge at my apartment before I start this project with my grandmother's house. Yep that's coming in May. Stay tuned for more road trip madness. Eventually I'll get my Belize post up. Have a great week all.

Perfect Party Bar Setup

While I was traveling through Belize I guest posted on The Hip Soiree about how to set up the perfect party bar. I'm currently trying to figure out how to replicate this at home, much more scaled down, of course. This party gave me a chance to figure this out. Take a look at the post here. I loved this project and Lizzie's blog is fantastic.

Cookbooks

Did I ever tell you I have a nice collection of signed cookbooks. My friends know because they helped me move boxes of them when we got our floors redone. I don't have too many, but a few apparently very heavy ones.

My love for cooking and cookbooks happened nearly 19 years ago. My boss was a foodie. He had quite a collection of cookbooks. I was newly married, and really didn't know how to cook much. Pasta was my go to meal. I asked his advice on what cookbooks I should invest in. I'd joined a cookbook club. Then, started the book signings. He'd send me to get a cookbook signed by Julia Child or some other great chef, and would kindly purchase one for me. Thus my love for the cookbook and meeting the author started.

My friend Bekah and I have stood in line more then once to meet Ina Garten and get a few signed cookbooks from her, plus a sampling of recipes from the cookbook. We love these moments.

All of a sudden there are three cookbooks and great stories on sale. Here's what I'm looking forward to reading and cooking from.

First up is David Lebovitz, My Paris Kitchen. If you haven't check out his blog your missing something. Seriously his first book My Sweet Life, made me laugh out loud. His tweets are even hilarious. This book released today. Go get it now at Amazon, I sure will be.

Next up is Molly Wizenberg's book about her restaurant, Delancey that she opened up with her husband. She is also hilarious, have you ever heard her on the podcast Spilled Milk? I literally laugh out loud listening while sitting in the endless traffic on L.A. freeways, and let me tell laughing in that mess is super hard to do.

Zoe Nathan, Josh Loeb - Huckleberry: Stories, Secrets and Recipes from our Kitchen

Last up is one I've been anticipating. Huckleberry: Stories, Secrets and Recipes From Our Kitchen. I literally live 4 blocks from Huckleberry's in Santa Monica. I frequently walk there for a quick lunch or sweet treat. Seriously when she posts on Instagram what she baked that day I drop everything and walk up the street to try it out. I can't wait to read this book. Right now you can pre-order it and I know they'll be doing a book signing soon, I so can't wait to meet these people in person. They own at least four restaurants and an ice cream parlor here in Santa Monica. You can't be more invested in your community then that.

What are your favorite cookbooks?

Mindless Monday

Well I'm back to the daily grind, still talking about our trip to Belize, I'll have plenty to share about that in the days to come. I think I've sort of set reset, but really i'm just moving at a slower pace right now. I know I have lots of creative ideas, recipes, travel and to do's to share, lots coming your way.

In my mind I'm sitting in the chair above, enjoying the cool Caribbean breeze with my Pina Colada. Reality is I'm sitting at my desk with 2 computers (Mac and PC), an iPad, iPhone, Camera, wires and plugs, all while I'm eating my food and typing this. Oh Reality….BOO! As Da La Soul sang "Back to Life, Back to Reality."

Hope you all have a wonderful week. I still have lots of catching up to do.

Belize Part I

We are in Belize. Why did we pick this country to travel to, you may ask? For a few reason, we have good friends who live here and have asked us to come many times. Also we wanted to do a little volunteer work and put forth a few goals to a some young girls about moving where there is a greater need and helping out. So we are here in Belize. I'll share more of my adventures when I return, but see a few images from the variety of things we've already seen and done.

Mindless Monday

Yes like the rest of those of us who live in L.A. we were woken up at 6:36AM (its still dark at that hour) and we jolted out of bed. I followed SB out of the bed, only it wasn't the way I usually get out of the bed so I proceeded to bang my shin and then we just stopped in the hallway, be holding my shin asking, "where we going" and SB saying "i have no idea." Lets just say our vacation cannot start soon enough.

With that said this space may be very quiet for a few days/weeks. We're off to Belize for a much needed vacation and some fun volunteer work. We're going with another family of 5. I'll try to post pictures on Instagram and maybe get a post in here, but I'm really trying to disconnect as much as possible. I am virtually on my electronic devices 24/7 these days and need to step away and reset my focus. I have a feeling my life will change drastically in the months to year to come. It needs to, and we will totally embrace it. For now enjoy the rest of March and early April.

Pi 3.14 PieVenture

In honor of Pi day 3.14, I think you all need to take a look at our recent PieVenture.

Party Decorations from The Hip Soiree

Hey everyone! I’m Lizzie from The Hip Soiree and I’m visiting today to talk to you about party decorations. YAY! I’m so glad to be here!

Ahhhhh…party decorations. I think I can safely say they are one of my most favoritest things in the world. I’m pretty sure it comes from my love of making DIY projects and the lack of space I have to display them. Party decorations are a way to make something grandiose. I mean, you don’t want it to look like Party City just barfed all over your house. You just want to pick a few things to really wow them. Who doesn’t like to knock some socks off? No one, that’s who.

When someone asks me to help plan a party, the first thing I do is talk to them about a theme and color scheme. And by “theme,” I don’t necessarily mean an overt theme like “I want a PRINCESS party!” (I don’t get that request very often, although I kinda hope I do because I AM A PRINCESS!) Mostly it’s a vibe. Believe it or not, not everyone wants a baby shower to have pink or blue crepe paper streamers everywhere or baby circus animals. Some people just want a relaxing party with their friends before their life turns to chaos. With gifts, of course. They’re not crazy.

After we settle on a color scheme and vibe…I hit Pinterest and start a board. Let’s pull some ideas together and see what we come up with! For example, the party I helped Tanya with was a gold, modern cocktail party. (Side note - I honestly don’t remember what we did before Pinterest. Did people use real bulletin boards for stuff like this? Or did they print things out and put them in a folder? That sounds HORRIFIC!)

Once some things have been pinned to the board, I pick my favorite concepts and run with them. For example, I found a tutorial on how to make a 4” ornament, but figured out a way to make it a 24” hanging centerpiece I call an Atomic Star (Tanya calls it “The Disco Deathstar.” Everyone better hope that thing doesn’t explode because it was basically a glitter bomb just WAITING for an excuse to blow.)

Here are some examples of things I’ve made out of plain, old paper:

I also like to jazz up things that can be kinda boring. Like table centerpieces. Don’t get me wrong, I love flowers, but they’re expensive! I’ve made things like paper peonies, felt billy buttons and origami flowers. Or how about embroidered tablecloths or table runners (like the gold sequined one pictured above)? Simple and different.

And then there are decorations like these super spikey (read: deadly to the touch) modern sea urchin orbs.

It doesn’t have to specifically scream party, just amp it up a bit! And, to me, it’s touches like these that makes a good party into an awesome party. My two cents.

Now if I could just cook, I’d be an unstoppable force. Oh, Tanya….

Itsweet and Stylish on the go with Kleenex

Can I just say I had a blast with this project for Kleenex. For one I am in love with these little packages and have been taking them all around Los Angeles. These on-the-go packages have seen some of the major sites in L.A.. I had one design to take me around and it just happened to SOOO be me, and my friends for that matter. They just complemented every purse, jacket and outfit we had on. You can seriously have your pick of multiple designs that fit in with your personal style. Take a look at www.Kleenex.com/style to find the ones that are so YOU.

We took this package with us to the LaBrea Bakery, Griffith Observatory, the Gamble House in Pasadena and even up to the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. Even the men can rock the Kleenex on-the-go packages with serious style.

My orange purse just made this package pop out, I really loved it and take a look at the inside to, even that has style.

I just so happen to love Raymond Chandler novels and he writes L.A. Crime Noir so well. Ieuan below just pulled this mood off to a tee.

Kleenex will be hosting a reveal event on March 17 at Grand Central Station in NYC where they will be unveiling the new Kleenex brand designs live with Isaac Mizrahi. Anyone can stop by the event to learn more about Kleenex brand’s 90 years of Kleenex Style, be the first to see the designs and have a chance to win some cool prizes.

This is a sponsored post by Kleenex Brand. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Mindless Monday

The past two weeks have been a bit of blur, but also amazingly eventful. We had guests for two weeks visiting from the UK. It's a friend I've had since we were 12. Penpals, do you even know what that is? Before the days of email, texting, skype, facetime, we wrote letters and lots of them. We'll she and her husband haven't been in L.A. for over 11 years, so they were due for a visit. Over the next couple of weeks, maybe even one post before we are off to Belize, I'll share a few of the sprinklings of what we've been up to and where we went.

In the meantime, we are up for a serious vacation of our own. With a complete overhaul of our bedroom, a party thrown on one of the rainiest weekends we've ever had in L.A., working, posting, and being a full tour guide, we are ready for a vacation. Which is sort of what we'll be doing starting next week in Belize. I kind of feel like I'm at a crossroads, which that picture kind of conveys. I seriously need to set a reset button on my life. Which I hope unplugging for two weeks we'll allow me to do. Thanks to all my readers for sticking around while I try to catch up on life.

Brandy Infused Chocolate Truffles With Coconut

That has to be the longest title ever, but there is so much to say about these brandy infused chocolate truffles that I rolled into shredded coconut, OH MY! This recipe is adapted from Alton Browns recipe on Food Network. I made these for my friend Deborah's photo styling project, here, but of course was able to sample a few myself before delivery. Here's the recipe and my notes.

Ingredients

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp light corn syrup

1/4 cup of brandy

1/2 cup cocoa powder (Valrohna cocoa powders is what I use to roll the chocolate truffles in)

Shredded Coconut (Trader Joe's brand is what I had on hand to roll the truffles in, but you can use any brand)

Directions

Place finely chopped chocolate and butter in a glass mixing blow and mircrowave for 30 seconds. Remove, stir and repeat the process one more time. Set aside.

Heat the cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and pour the mixture over the chocolate, let it stand for no more than 2 minutes. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until smooth and creamy. Here's the boozy part, pour the 1/4 cup of brand into the mixture and stir. You can pour the mixture into a square glass backing dish or leave it in the glass bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For rolling out the truffles I'd suggest using a small ice cream scoop. I used and melon baller and it was hard to get the chocolate out of the baller (is that a word, well it is now), so I switched to a small teaspoon and used my warm hands to roll the truffle balls. Next time small ice cream scoop like this one from Target.

Once formed you can roll them in the cocoa powder if you want them covered only in that, but I opted for rolling them in shredded coconut. Let me tell you the texture and brandy taste is exciting and surprising. Enjoy!

ItSweet and Stylish at Home with Kleenex

I was invited by Kleenex to celebrate their 90th anniversary, which means they've been around since the 20's, as in 1920, so this is ItSweet and Stylish look at how their cool designs work fabulousely in my humble home. I've been using Kleenex for most of my life. Their brand has become synonymous with facial tissue. We don't ask "do you have a tissue," but we do ask "do you have any Kleenex" and we automatically know what we want, they are clearly an industry leader.

Kleenex continues to show their innovations by partnering with Isaac Mizrahi, whom I adore, so this is naturally a no-brainer for me to talk about. He's got personality and style up the wazoo. Together they will introduce four new and unique designs to the Kleenex Expressions line of products, these are affordable and high-quality designs that will complete your home.

Most of the time we think of Kleenex only when we're sick, which incidentally I did this week, while writing this post, and let's just say my Kleenex came in handy. But seriously don't you always have these on hand. Now you can add these stylish boxes to any room decor.

My bedroom was dark and cozy to start off with and this particular box went perfect in the room with all my personal accessories.

Then we painted and brightened the room up, incidentally not for this post, and now look, this amazing design goes fantastic in the room. Seriously there are so many great designs for just about any decor. My side of the bed and the other more masculine side of the bed.

And finally this box looks fantastic in my office, right next to Mr. Hamatoro.

Additionally, Kleenex is hosting a sweepstakes on the website through March 7th, 2014 called, “Catwalk or Kleenex?” You can win a trip for to to NYC and $5K spending, seriously, can I go with you? Oh and you might get to meet Isaac. I die!

To enter, visit www.kleenex.com/style and answer a series of questions asking you to identify which design is Kleenex brand and which design is from the catwalk. By taking the short quiz, consumers are automatically entered to win an all-expense paid trip for two to New York City to find his/her Kleenex brand style with a famous designer. The winner will also receive $5,000 spending money for a NYC shopping spree. Entry is open January 13, 2014 through March 7th and limited to once per promotion period.

This is a sponsored post by Kleenex Brand. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Indulge Your Sweet Tooth with These Trends

This is a guest post from by Rachel Dawes. Rachel spends one-fourth of her day working on her figure and the rest of the day as a loving wife and mother to her sons. Aside from fitness and nutrition, Rachel also loves to spend her time writing and upcycling pre-loved items. Don't let her demeanour fool you, though, as Rachel is also a fan of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and just started to enroll in a mixed martial arts academy near her area.

The cupcake has been a ubiquitous trend over the past few years and spawned a ton of TV shows like Cupcake Wars that stars little morsels of joy engaging in battle with other cupcakes. But we live in a society where a simply delicious dessert can make anyone’s conflict-ridden day seem like a dream and one should be immensely grateful for that. This 2014, there are exciting (and oh so yummy) trends that can make any sweet confection its most saccharine version yet. But before getting too excited and consuming many unnecessary calories, this is the perfect time to bake and explore all the possibilities this year has in store for us.

Cakes aren’t just all about presentation and decorations. Sometimes it’s what's inside that counts and those Peek-A-Boo cakes are the epitome of this. These cakes look deceptively simple on the outside, usually with just plain fondant frosting but a medley of colors and flavors await.

Another baking trend that has been widely publicized is artisanal marshmallows. Don’t underestimate these seemingly light treats because they come in the form of plenty of flavors that range from vanilla bean to rosemary like those in Three Tarts in New York.

Multi-tiered cakes still haven't lost their appeal. Despite being used, abused, and overused over the years, it seems like these cakes are still in demand. While these cakes remain a popular choice among birthdays and weddings, multi-tiered cakes are difficult to make, especially when it comes to layering them. To avoid layering accidents, expert baker and Marks and Spencer product developer Helen Brennan reminds bakers to keep the rules of gravity and pressure in mind. “When assembling your cake, always put the fruit tier on the bottom as it is the heaviest and will support the rest of your tiers,” she said.

Another trendy flavor that’s been everywhere from Krispy Kreme’s doughnuts to the more dainty and sophisticated Laduree macaroons is indubitably the salted caramel. You can find them in brownies, puddings and plenty of other desserts as well. Along with those exquisite macaroons, the éclair is also a fine specimen where the best can be found in Fauchon Paris. There are also artisanal jellies, jams, doughnuts that are making some interesting flavor profiles this year. With all this is mind, we are sure that 2014 is going to be one sweet roller coaster for foodies out there!

Earl Grey Chocolate Truffles

I'm happy to say today on Mom It Forward you'll find the recipe for these decadent Earl Grey Chocolate Truffles. Go check it out now.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

So a while back I made these Chocolate Peanut Butter bars for a book swapping party here. Since then I've made them a few more times and am now getting to a place where I'm perfecting the recipe. Plus I had a good excuse this week as I was commissioned to create these for a photo style shoot my friend Deb was doing with VivaVantage paper towels.

Seriously Chocolate AND Peanut Butter, I think this probably goes down as my favorite flavor combo. It's like making sure you have two things that match, makes me think of this quote from the movie Friday when Chris Tucker is looking for something to eat, "No sugar? Y'all ain't never got two things that match. Either y'all got Kool-aid, no sugar. Peanut butter, no jelly. Ham, no burger." And now we can add "peanut butter no chocolate." Accept we have BOTH. Here's the recipe with a few of my notes on what I have found that works best and a note on what I 'll do the next time around. And don't be afraid that it's 3 layers, it's really not that hard to make.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients Bottom Layer

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar

5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa (I use Valhrona)

1 egg, beaten

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

3/4 cup coarsely crush pretzels (I find the thinner salted versions work better than the thick ones - I only had the thick ones for the shoot above, but that's my lesson learned)

Directions

If you have a double boiler use that to melt the butter, sugar and cocoa. I use a metal bowl over a lightly simmering pot of water (water should not touch the bowl).

While bowl is still over the water, add the beaten egg a little at a time until the mixtures thickens.

Remove bowl from the heat and add the graham cracker crumbs and crushed pretzels. After they are well mixed press the crumbs into a flattened layer an 8x8 cake pan. I use square non-stick baking pan and line it with two pieces of parchment paper crisscross, this makes it easier to get the bars out of the pan for cutting the squares. Set this aside while you start the middle layer.

Middle Layer Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled.

2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifting this first is good to get any clumps out.

1 cup smooth, natural peanut butter (no salt added) I like Laura Scudder's.

1/2 tsp salt (only use if you bought unsalted PB, otherwise adjust to taste.

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Add peanut butter and melted butter together in a small bowl, mix in sugar, salt and vanilla until it forms a thick paste. Now it's time to add the peanut butter over the bottom layer of chocolate pretzel goodness. I have thought about doubling the peanut butter layer as I'd like a bit more thickness, so I might try that next time. Now put all of this in the refrigerator while you make the final Top layer. This way the peanut butter has time to get a little stiff, otherwise it's hard to spread the final chocolate layer on top.

Top Layer Ingredients

5 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips (I love bittersweet or just straight dark chocolate bars for this layer, but use any fine chocolate you like)

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Pink Himalayan salt (or any fine sea salt)

Directions

Again if you have a double boiler use that to melt the chocolate and butter. I use a metal bowl over a lightly simmering pot of water (water should not touch the bowl). Stir until smooth.

Now take the pan from the refrigerator and pour the chocolate mixture over the peanut butter layer and spread it evenly. Then return to the refrigerator about 10 minutes. (top should be a little soft still). Sprinkle light with the Himalayan salt and return the the fridge and let it completely cool until it becomes hard.

Take out the parchment papered bars and cut into squares or rectangles. I've done both and wrapped them in paper with twine for a special presentation, but it's faster to just cut in and eat it, sooooo good. I have a batch in my fridge now that I keep gnawing at, enjoy this perfect match of flavors.

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