cinnamon, chocolate, and... dan.

sorry this is coming at ya so late.

i had a busy morning.

my dad is running for our city's city council again. he's been on it for 11 years and is up for re-election. i'm his campaign marketeer... of sorts. i have photoshop and i take photos. so all the mailers and ads have turned out to be my job, yet again :)

the ad for the newspaper was due at noon today and i wasn't quite finished, so that was this morning. good news is its all finished and sent off to print!

vote for dan!

on another front,

i have been obsessed lately with cinnamon.

read this, then make this, then remember and remind yourself that its good for you:

cut up one banana into slices.

lay onto plate.

drizzle with a good honey (oh the health benefits of honey...)

then sprinkle with cinnamon (oh the health benefits of cinnamon...)

then eat.

and like i said, remind yourself that its tasty like dessert but it's good for you!

(google the healthy-ness of honey and cinnamon. surprising.)

another recipe up next for trial:

salted mayan chocolate pots de creme.

find the recipe here.

they're happening tonight.

can't wait.

i love chocolate with cinnamon and chile powder.

i also have added both of those things into my hot chocolates and it never dissapoints!

my mind is still on fast mode so sorry if i was all over the place.

happy monday.

JILL

last night.

we had a little wine night last night with a few girlfriends.

lots of talking and talking and wine and love.

we talked about dessert recipes on pinterest, and nutella and how we eat nutella...

but i gave up candy and all things dessert for lent...

sooo, in a matter of events, i ended up having a dream about cupcakes last night.

i blame them.

but HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!!!!

 

JILL

{image via sparkles and pretending}

oh happy day.

happy birthday to the best, most loving, most BEAUTIFUL mom out there.

mine!

and happy birthday to the best, best-friend-cousin out there as well. (who, holy moly, just found out she's having twins!!!!!)

love you, mom :)

love you, rae :)

JILL

recovering.

i think i'm suffering from a sugar-induced coma.

better make some hot chocolate to help me out of it.

JILL

sweet treat...

with kids off school, family coming and going, and parties to attend these cookies are the perfect treat to have around the house and take to your thanksgiving host....and so easy!!

dried cranberry and chocolate cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (10 ounces), at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups semisweet or white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

preheat the oven to 325°. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

in a medium bowl, mix the flour with the oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and both sugars at medium speed until creamy. add the egg followed by the egg yolk and vanilla, beating well between additions and scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary. beat in the dry ingredients, then add the chocolate chips and cranberries and beat until incorporated.

spoon heaping teaspoons of the dough onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cookies begin to brown at the edges. let the cookies cool on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

 the cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

travel safely and enjoy all your time with family and friends this week! so much to be thankful for...

xoxo

elle.



oh oh oh!

why why why couldn't i have seen this before my post this morning?

i love this blog and if you like going to or hosting the part-ay's, you should check it out. loads and loads of ideas.

melanie, from you are my fave events, posted these printable (read: free for you and me) invites for a fall party. mixing that gingham plaid with green envelopes and craft paper = fall party perfection.

says melanie: "The combination of craft paper and plaid will have your guests hurling their axe and brushing up on their taxidermy skills in no time."

i concur.

click here and here to print these off for yourself! there's still time for a fall fiesta.

sidenote: have you seen the marshmallow flavored vodkas out there? do you or do you not think this would be nothing short of delicious mixed with a little hot cocoa? my thoughts exactly.

have a party and send an invite my way :)

JILL

tis the season

not christmas...

it's time for s'mores!

it's still mid to upper 70's in kc during the day

but the nights are getting chiiillllly!

husband and i slept with our windows open and it was hard to get out from under the covers this morning.

i wish we had finished, take that back-- we haven't even started!

but i wish we had a patio like we plan, so we can build a firepit and roast some marshmellows.

makes me hungry.

we could host a s'mores party and make cute sticks a la martha, and set out more options than i ever thought of! {bananas are genius.}

for this we'll have to wait til next year.

in the mean time, i can roast em over the stove like i used to do as a kid. or maybe we'll make a fire?

or....

i could just make any of these recipes i have saved on pinterest :)

nutella and marshmellow pasteries.

s'mores cupcakes.

s'mores cookie bars.

tgif.

JILL

do you like mangos?

because i do but sometimes i don't.

well. i found this recipe where it is a major do!! so yummy. and healthy too.

it's from the super scrumptious nate berkus and his show, by maria menounos.

introducing her black bean and mango salsa:

1 ripe mango, diced

1/2 cup italian dressing

2 cans of black beans (rinsed)

1/2 cup diced red onions

1 green pepper and 1 red pepper, diced (i subbed 1 orange for the green cause i like em better)

salt and pepper to taste

-in food processor (i used the magic bullet) blend the dressing and 1/4 cup of the mangos until smooth

-combine everything with the mango puree

-season with salt and pepper, chill and serve.

i eat it by the spoonful, quite literally, and with tortilla chips. yum.

do you also like chocolate? me too.

here's a recipe i just found that i can't wait to try this holiday weekend...

mexican chocolate pudding pops!

 

2 tbsp. cornstarch

2.5 tsp. cinnamon

1.5 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3 cups skim milk

4 oz. milk chocolate

3 oz. dark chocolate

2 tsp. vanilla

-mix cornstarch, cinnamon, chili powder and salt in a sauce pan. over medium heat whisk in milk (breaking up clumps).

-cook, stirring often, until mixture thickens, approx. 12 minutes

-lower heat and stir in chocolate until melted

-remove from heat and add vanilla

-let cool 5 minutes

-whisk again, then pour into popsicle molds

-freeze for 6 hours and devour (i'm sure i will)

i bet you could use regular jello chocolate pudding. who knows, i might try it the scratch way first, then get lazy and use the kind from a box there on after :)

hungry yet?

JILL

andres confiserie suisse

speaking of kate spade...i just had a few minutes to begin looking through the latest elle decor (didn't make it as far as i had hoped...so many interruptions) and i noticed another kansas city shout out! i have to share.

in the front of the magazine there is a small section where elle decor asked five style-minded revelers to share their go-to festive treats for holiday entertaining. among the revelers was kate spade sharing her love for the melt-in-your-mouth milk-chocolate truffles from andre's confiserie suisse in kansas city. she said "i grew up going there, and the candy counter was very special to me. i send them as gifts, and people rave about them.”

i agree they are delicious, but i tend to lean toward the chocolate covered almonds...(hint, hint)

you can read more about the great story of how andres began, and order your favorite chocolate delights here. your friends, family, and co-workers will thank you!!!

xoxo

elle.