Valentine’s Noms & Flicks: Foodie Style

Oh, today is the day. Valentine’s Day is one of those days where you can either acknowledge it’s existence (with embrace or hatred) or just completely ignore it altogether. Personally, I only enjoy it for the food, as a day devoted to candy and baked goods is completely fine in my book. And whether or not you have a special someone to share it with, who’s to say you can’t enjoy a little R&R? So tonight, my fellow foodies, kick back with one of the following films. If we can’t be endlessly romantic on this greeting card holiday, at least we can be in love with food:

 

My Big Fat Greek Wedding + Greek Style Braised Lamb Shanks

 

Chocolat + Homemade Chocolate Truffles


Julie & Julia + Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon


No Reservations + Spaghetti Oreganata with Tomato Sauce


Ratatouille + … Ratatouille (duh)

 

What will you be watching this Valentine’s eve .. or better yet, eating?
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Be mine, Valentine?

Valentine’s Day is a week away!

Whether or not you’re romantically involved, Valentine’s Day is just an excuse to get overly lovey-dovey, crafty, cute, and (my favorite) eat deliciously fattening foods. Right? So right.

That’s why we have been hard at work building our Be Mine, Valentine? Pinterest board. We’re talking craft ideas, recipes, tips, how-to’s, gift ideas, and pretty much anything cute. It’s definitely worth a peek!

We’ll be adding more pins all week. Let us help you get into the spirit!

What’s your typical Valentine’s Day like?
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8 Fantastic Food-Inspired Gifts

I think it”s quite obvious that we love food around here. So when it comes to food-inspired knick-knacks, we”re all about ”em! If you”re anything like me, giving original gifts and things that no one has ever seen/thought of is my absolute favorite when it comes to birthdays and holidays. If you”re looking for some fantastic gift ideas for foodies, look no further! (Click each picture for more info)

 

1. Fred and Friends Unzipped-Bag-Shaped Hand-Blown Glass Bowl

 

 

2. What to Cook? Dice

 

 

3. Corkcicle

 

 

4. Fork-Knife Chopsticks

 

 

5. Pancake Plates

 

 

6. Pot Lid Stand

 

 

7.  Split Decision Pie Pan

 

 

8. Pigs in a Blanket Maker

 

 

What creative gifts are you hoping for this holiday season?

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Last chance for Halloween recipes!

With Halloween weekend looming, the clock”s a”tickin” to make your favorite Halloween desserts and treats in time for parties and get-togethers. Luckily, The Stir at CafeMom.com has put together a slideshow of 20 Favorite Halloween Recipesfrom cookies, cakes, to big people drinks — to help us get a head start on the brainstorming.

Here are 4 of my favorites from the bunch:

 

PUMPKIN-CREAM CHEESE TRUFFLES

Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Truffles

If the title isn”t enough, they”re covered in white chocolate and sprinkled with crushed gingersnaps. My work is done here. (Originally from Whole Foods Market)

 

MINI PUMPKIN CAKES

Mini Pumpkin Cakes

These cakes from BusyMommy are absolutely adorable, and they”re actually made with little bundt cakes! The stem is a hand-molded Tootsie Roll. These would be delicious as little carrot cakes, don”t you think?

 

PEANUT BUTTER CANDY BAR SQUARES

Peanut Butter Candy Bar Squares

This recipe from Bake or Break is a perfect way to utilize your leftover Halloween candy (if you even have leftover Halloween candy, that is). Maybe I”ll buy some extra candy this year just so I can make these bars.

 

THE GREAT PUMPKIN MARTINI

The Great Pumpkin Martini

Who says Halloween isn”t for adults? This martini from The Stir contains OJ and pumpkin puree. Sounds interesting to say the least — definitely in spirit of the season!

 

What Halloween treats will you be whipping up this weekend?

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Chocoholics unite! It's National Chocolate Cupcake Day!

If you”re a lover of chocolate and cake, then today is the day for you. On behalf of Social Grocery, I wish you a very Happy National Chocolate Cupcake Day (not to be confused with National Cupcake Day on December 15th)!

In celebration of this delicious day — and in addition to my love of obscure holidays — I have decided to share a few treats to help get your OM NOM NOM on. And no, they”re not your basic out-of-the-box chocolate cupcakes:

 

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

This is what I would like to call a CHOCOLATE EXPLOSION. These devil”s food chocolate cupcakes from Annie”s Eats are filled with chocolate ganache, then topped with chocolate sour cream frosting and chocolate curls. Not only are these gorgeous, they”re bursting with chocolate-induced happiness. Please do yourself a favor and make them ASAP. Perfect for National Chocolate Cupcake Day!

 

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE POPS

Chocolate Cupcake Pops

As a huge Bakerella fan, I obviously had to include her Chocolate Cupcake Pops in this post. Take a different spin on the traditional chocolate cupcake — shrink it, dip it, decorate it and put it on a stick instead. If you haven”t tried cupcake pops or cake pops yet, use National Chocolate Cupcake Day as an excuse to educate yourself. You won”t be disappointed!

 

CHOCOLATE ROSE TUTORIAL (CAKE/CUPCAKE TOPPER)

Chocolate Rose Cake/Cupcake Topper

Tell me you”ve never seen gourmet cupcakes with elaborate flower toppings and thought “hey, I want to learn how to do that!” Well, luckily for us, Cakebrain from Cake on The Brain blog has an excellent tutorial on how to create these chocolate roses, perfect to add a little touch of beauty to your National Chocolate Cupcake Day creations. And according to Cakebrain herself,  they”re easier to make than we think!

 

What”s your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe? Out-of-the-box or homemade? Share with us!

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Candy corn galore!

Not sure about you, but it”s basically a ritual of mine to eat as much Brach”s Autumn Mix as entirely possible during the Fall season. While this can be extremely satisfying in itself, isn”t it more fun to get creative? These three recipes are exactly the kind of fun I”m looking for this Halloween season!

CANDY CORN COOKIE BARK
Candy Corn Cookie Bark

Okay, this just looks phenomenal. I”ve always been a fan of Recipe Girl (as you may have picked up by now) and somehow this gem has escaped me until now. I will definitely be making this candy corn cookie bark in the very near future! This gives holiday peppermint bark a run for its money, in my opinion.

 

CANDY CORN CHEESECAKE
Candy Corn Cheesecake

So cute! I”ve definitely seen candy corn decorated cakes and cupcakes, but never something like cheesecake. What a great idea this is! This recipe calls for Candy Corn Hershey Kisses, which I never knew existed. Anyone ever tried them?  Thank you to My Baking Addiction for sharing this treat.

 

CANDY CORN BUTTERFINGER POPS
Candy Corn Butterfinger Pops

These are possibly the most adorable and delicious sounding pops I have seen in awhile. And no, this isn”t just a Butterfinger candy bar dipped in candy melts — it”s HOMEMADE. Dear Vanessa from Blog 5 to 9, you are my hero. “NOM NOM NOM” is right!

 

Do you have a favorite Halloween themed treat?

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