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Saturday, December 21, 2013

Simple Christmas Fudge


Merry Christmas!!! I can't believe it's that time of year already. Christmas always seems to sneak up but this year it practically ambushed me. I guess being a new mom will do that to you. My days seem to blur together with slobbery kisses and dirty diapers but it's the best kind of blur there is! 

This year we're hosting Christmas for my parents and the in-laws so I did manage to get the tree up and the halls decked but time seriously got away from me after that.




So, if you find yourself with a sleepin' babe,



 and need a holiday treat that looks impressive but can be made during nap time, check this out!

 I love me some Pioneer Woman and the other day she gave a recipe for INSANELY simple fudge. I tried it out and was instantly impressed.

To make the basic fudge, all you need is:

  • 12oz Chocolate Chips
  • 1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
That's IT.

You melt the chips in a double boiler.



until smooth


then add in the condensed milk.


Once it's incorporated, smooth it into a parchment paper lined dish and pop in the refrigerator for an hour or so.


I wanted to fancy it up a little so I experimented with some different flavor combos.

The first one I tried was mint. As the fudge was cooling, I sprinkled Andes mint chips over the top.


Then topped it with Christmas sprinkles.
 

I spiced it up the next batch with cinnamon and cayenne pepper


and topped it with hazelnuts.


Then the lil angel woke up and joined me. I got distracted and stopped making fudge.




 But then daddy came home and swooped her up. This is how they roll.



That gave me enough time to try one more flavor, orange! I zested a couple of oranges into the melting chocolate and added some almond extract


and topped it with more zest.


If the chocolate seizes up when you add the milk or the extract, you can add in a cap full of vegetable oil and keep stirring over medium heat until it smooths out.

And there you have it, simple, elegant and delicious!

I think the orange is my favorite but the cinnamon/cayenne is SO good too and Mr. B loves the mint. Now, please excuse me while I stuff my face with fudge wrap presents!




Merry Christmas!!!

XOXO,

Mrs. B

Monday, October 28, 2013

Lemon Ginger Oatmeal Cookies


Have you ever come across a great recipe in an odd place? Well, that's exactly what happened to me. Mr. B had to have a minor sinus surgery (the man had a cyst the size of a walnut, with the shell, inside of his sinus cavity!!!) last week. Yea, I know, this is not the best way to start out a recipe post. Bear with me. At the post-op we were waiting to be called back and the receptionists had the Food Network playing on the lobby tv. Smart move ladies, I'll patiently wait ALL DAY as long as I can get my filmed food fix. Well, Ten Dollar Dinners was on and she was just about to start the dessert when "Mr. B, come on back." Grrrr, foiled by punctual medical staff! We were whisked away and they proceeded to torture him follow up on his surgery. I missed the segment but the title stuck with me long enough to get home and google that bad boy. What goodness stayed in my head long even through all the medical drama? LEMON. GINGER. OATMEAL. COOKIES. Let me be the first to say I'm not a big fan of oatmeal cookies BUT you throw in a little citrus and spice and I'm there.

This recipe did not disappoint. It was easy to make and the cookies actually taste better the next day. That's unusual for cookies. For me, they're at their best right out of the oven. While these were good warm, they were FANTASTIC the next day... when I had them for breakfast.

Ingredients:

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Oven Roasted Tomatoes


Hey, hey, hey! Thought I'd take a break from diapers and my full-time gig as a 24-hour, all you can eat milk buffet to give a quick and easy way to use up all those tomatoes that are in risk of rotting on the vine!

Since I've been recouping from my c-section the last few weeks, I haven't been cooking very much. This makes me sad, but healing and a newborn are a sure way to keep a girl out of the kitchen!  It took about two weeks for me to make my way to the garden to check things out and WHOA, I had a ton of tomatoes that were begging to be picked! After trying to add fresh tomatoes into just about everything but my cereal, I decided it was time to try a different approach to use them up.

Mr. B mentioned he would enjoy sun-dried tomatoes but since I'm a little wary of leaving food outside to dry, I fired up the oven!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

The Wait


Well, here we are, August. My belly is stretched to capacity, my ribs feel like they're splitting in half, my pelvis creaks and pops and makes all kinds of unusual noises. Thanks to the separation of my abdominal muscles, sitting up in bed has become a Herculean event. Ahhh, I must be in the final weeks of pregnancy. But along with the not-so-pleasantries are some unbelievably breathtaking moments. I sit mesmerized as my belly dances and undulates with my daughter's movements. I feel her perk up and kick when she hears her daddy's voice. Most evenings she gets the hiccups and I love the little drum beat rhythm they create inside me.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Aunt Hazel's Zucchini Relish




If you're looking for a great addition to your summer BBQ, let me introduce you to my favorite relish recipe. It was handed down from my lovely great-aunt Hazel who, sadly, along with my amazing great-uncle Gus, were taken from us in a car accident a few years back. She was an AMAZING cook and lucky for us youngins in the family, she documented some of her dishes.


Friday, June 14, 2013

Dressing Up a Dresser


Hey there, Blog Land! How ya been? That's great! Me? Well, I've been good and GROWING! 32 weeks on Sunday, whoop, whoop! Thanks for asking ;)

Friday, May 31, 2013

You Like Me, You Really Do!

WOO HOO! Two big milestones for Mrs. B Takes On! 100 "Likes" on Facebook (If you haven't liked me yet, do it! Pretty please?!) AND I've received over 5,000 page views since I started my blog last May! 

Ok, I'll tone down the font. But seriously, folks. I'm SO excited! Thank you to everyone for supporting me!

 Animated Gif on Giphy

XOXO,

Mrs. B

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Banana Crumb Muffins



Mr. B is getting back from a business trip to Brussels today and I thought it would be nice to have something home baked to greet him with. I had some overripe bananas that wouldn't last another day, so I knocked out some delicious banana crumb muffins. You can get the recipe HERE. I added a tablespoon of vanilla to the wet ingredients but other than that, I follow it as is. This is my favorite muffin recipe ever, so I had to share. You have to try it. It's really easy and so good!!

XOXO,

Mrs. B

The goods. Those bananas were barely hanging on.


The crumble topping.
YUM!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Updating a Vintage Chandelier


Next up on the adventures in Nursery Land, the chandelier! So far, this is my all-time favorite project. Every time I look at it, I'm filled with glees. Baby Girl needed some bling and Baby Girl got some!!!

I scoured the internet for a small, girly chandelier that would be perfect for a nursery and I definitely found some beauts out there but who wants to spend $200+ for nursery lighting? Well, you know me, time to get crafty. In my hunt, I came across Tole chandeliers and I was diggin' the style. I found a few on Etsy that worked and were under two hundo but still, my inner cheapskate cringed. So, I turned to good ol' Craigslist. Lo and behold, I found the EXACT chandelier I was eyeing on Etsy for... brace yourselves... $50! It's times like these when I feel like God is saying "Ok kiddo, you deserve this." The heavens parted, the angels sang and I joyously drove the 50 miles to make that baby mine!!!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

What I Learned Stenciling a Wall


I'm nesting and I love it. It's so much fun to take a blank canvas and create a little slice of heaven for precious BB. One of my favorite things about expecting a baby girl is that I can make the nursery as GIRLY as I want and Mr. B can't protest one bit!!! In fact, he's really getting into it. I'm pretty sure he was (still is?) slightly terrified at the thought of having a little girl but now he's embracing it, florals and all!

The first big task was to paint the nursery. I know what you're thinking, girly equals pink, but not always. I like pink but I also didn't want BB to be engulfed in it. I want her nursery to be bright, and cheery, and romantic. I also want it to have a sophisticated feel. Maybe that's ambitious for a newborn's room but I don't care. Considering I'm going to be spending LONG hours in this space, I don't want it to look like Chuck E. Cheese's house. I'm not into cartoons and "baby" looking stuff and let's face it, until she's asking me for it, she isn't either! Haha, I kid (not really).

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Coconut Curry Crockpot Chicken


I wanted to make a great dinner without doing much work. I know, I know, what a slacker. I also didn't want to have to make a trip to the store. I had some chicken breasts and some coconut milk and was craving savory flavors so I figured I could come up with something yummy.

After scouring through my cupboards, this is what I came up with:

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Halfway There

So, here we are in April and that means that I am halfway done with cooking this lil BB! It's been a fantastic last few months. Apparently, pregnancy and Mrs. B go together like bacon and... well, everything. I feel so good. I keep reading about all these symptoms that I should be having by now and so far, nada. If it weren't for my growing belly, I'd hardly know I was pregnant! I know that there are women out there who truly suffer through there pregnancies and I am SO thankful that is not my case.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Snow Day Cinnamon Rolls


Last week the east coast braced itself for the "SNOWQUESTER". A monster of a storm that was going to dump up to 10 INCHES of snow onto the DC area!! The roads were salted, the store shelves were raided, the government and schools promptly shut down in advance and we waited... and waited... and got rained on... a lot. Ok, in all fairness, it did snow some but it melted as soon as it hit the ground. Alas, the storm was a bust, but the good news was we got a free Wednesday to play hooky!  Having Mr. B home during the week is a treat so I thought I'd splurge and make us a yummy snow day brunch, including some lip smacking cinnamon rolls. The recipe is courtesy of my mama and an old Betty Crocker cookbook. I also made a great scrambled egg dish that I got straight from the ol' noggin, I'll share that as well!

If you're like me, the thought of "whipping up" cinnamon rolls sounds pretty intimidating. Fortunately, this recipe really is that simple!

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Baby B's Gender Reveal Cake



A couple weeks ago, Mr. B and I were able to have a 3D ultrasound to find out Baby B's gender! My parents were able to join us and it was a tremendously special moment to be able to share as a family. I resisted the urge to jump on Facebook and announce to the world whether BB was a he or she. Instead, I planned out a little party. We happened to find out the same week as my birthday so that was a second great excuse for a soirée

I looked up ideas for the reveal and decided that I liked the cake cutting surprise best. Basically, your cake is either pink or blue with white icing and when you cut into it, your guests learn the sex! Of course I wasn't going to just go with an ordinary cake, I wanted some pizzazz!!! I scoured the interwebs for inspiration. Well, you know me and ombré, how could I resist?

Monday, March 4, 2013

Updating Grandma's Display Stand


I'm sentimental. I'm nostalgic. I like things that have stories attached to them. Hearing about the desk you found in your great aunt's attic, that belonged to your long, lost relative, who immigrated to the U.S. during the Revolutionary War, is waaaay more interesting than "yeah, I got it at Ikea". But here's the catch, I don't necessarily like how all old things look. Take for example my grandma's display stand. I remember seeing this piece just about as far back as my memory will allow. It was my paternal grandmother's and it fit right in with her style. She must have done the majority of her decorating in the sixties because her house had an abundance of GOLD. I'm talking a look that would make Versailles blush; chandeliers, picture frames, lamps and this display stand...

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Succulent Succulents



Ah succulents, you beautiful, not-spiky cacti!

Well, actually, according to Wikipedia: Not to be confused with cactus; botanically cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti.

But I digress. 

Monday, February 4, 2013

The BIG News

Pregnant. What? Yep. Wow! Really? Wow! 

That pretty much sums up December 3, 2012. That's the day my world changed. That's the day I found out my biggest wish was coming true, I was going to be a mommy! Mr. B and I hadn't really planned this. Our one year anniversary was in October and we knew we wanted to start a family but we hadn't quite wrapped our brains around it yet. Summer 2013 seemed like a good time to start "trying". I wanted my body to be rid of any wackiness that my birth control might be causing so I decided to say goodbye to my pills at our one year anniversary. Surely, I wouldn't get pregnant if we weren't "trying". 45 days later, I was pregnant.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Roasted Grape "Bruschetta"



Have you ever come across a recipe that was so delicious and so simple it made you do a face palm because you hadn't thought of it? Well, that's exactly what this little gem did to me. Grapes are a pretty awesome fruit but I don't think they get near as much credit as they deserve. Sure, we throw them in fruit salad and turn them into jelly but that's about it. I started to appreciate the grape for something more in high school when a good friend of mine opened my eyes to grape pie. Yep, you heard right, Grape. Pie. I thought, well that sounds weird but never being the type to shy away from a new culinary experience, I gave it a whirl. My mind was blown, it was incredible. A similar thing happened when I saw a recipe for roasted grape bruschetta. Man, why didn't I think of this!!! Of course, mixing the sweetness of grapes with the savoriness of thyme was a taste bud treat waiting to happen! What I didn't expect was how ridiculously simple it would be to make and how I almost forfeited the rest of my dinner to keep eating the bruschetta.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Lady Liberty Coasters


FINALLY, a craft blog!!! 

A former co-worker of mine who also happens to be a rockin' artist (when you're done reading this, check her out here), was doing a project with a Peter Max book. As she was showing me her work, I spied a page she had taken out of the book with six of his Statue of Liberty lithographs. Later that day, I discovered she was kind enough to leave it on my desk and an idea was born.