double chocolate chip muffins

This morning I made Double Chocolate Chip Muffins and enjoyed every bite with a tall glass of milk. I was inspired when I first saw them on Everyday Emma, which was about a year ago and I tucked it away in my To Do Recipe list, and this morning when I got into a baking kick and I looked through my list and realized that I had all the ingredients in the kitchen to make them and got working!

 Makes 1 dozen muffins and I changed her recipe a bit: Combine: 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup sugar (I put a bit less), 3 tablespoons cocoa, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, a pinch of salt.

Add to dry mix 1/2 cup light cream, 1/2 cup milk, 1/3 cups of oil (I used olive oil), 1 egg (I used egg whites), 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Add a cup (or if you want more, your choice) of chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into a lined cupcake pan and bake at 400 F for 18 minutes.

Enjoy for breakfast or a dessert! These are so moist and yummy!

milk & chocolate

 

I just started a new adventure and shop called The Milk & Chocolate. As you might know I have a sweet tooth and I love baking, so I decided to open my new shop on Etsy right in time for Valentine's Day: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheMilkandChocolate

Right now I am just making chocolate covered oreos in white chocolate and milk chocolate, which come wrapped in red foil, in a clear box tied in a big red bow and custom note, which people are purchasing for Valentine's.  But these are also perfect for Birthday, Just Because, and Get Well gifts.



Eventually, I will be selling all sorts of cookies, and other sweet treats.



valentine's gift guide

UGG Australia boots / Michael Kors Watch / Kate Spade USB Key Ring / Juicy Couture Fur Head Phones / Cuisinart® Waffle Maker / Heart and Pyrite Earrings by theblackfeather on Etsy / Chocolate Covered Oreos Valentines Day by TheMilkandChocolate

 Valentine's day is in a few weeks and I wanted to share a few gift ideas for the lady in your life and for the ladies here are some gift ideas to buy yourself. These faux fur headphones/ear muffs keep you warm while listening to music.

For the guys, a lot of the guys I know always find gift giving a bit daunting, so I listed a few ideas to help the good fight.

Listen. Most of the time us girls will spot something in magazine, website, in Target, or our favorite blog and we talk about it, or show you, please make a mental note on that, surprising her with something she mentioned a month or so ago would make her so happy. 

Breakfast. Valentine's Day is not about trying to find the most impressive gift to give your loved one, it's about showing your love, though you should do that every day, and you don't need to spend money to do that. I put a waffle maker on the list, because who doesn't love waffles and I got one for Christmas and I have been making waffles like crazy, if you need an easy recipe, let me know. Surprising her with breakfast on the weekend or weekday is a very nice surprise. It shows you care, because you woke up early to make something for her. And it doesn't have to be waffles, it could be bagels, toast and jam, scrambled eggs, her favorite latte or coffee, orange juice, or little donut munchkins.

Her Movie Night. Most people love to watch movies. I do. And one of my favorite things to do is having a movie night. Surprise her with a movie she wants to watch. I personally love action films, and my partner and I love the same movies, but I know so many couples who do not share the same taste in genres. Rent a movie she wants to watch, make some popcorn, get her favorite movie candy/chocolate and sit in for the night and have a movie marathon.

Homemade Card. Writing a personal note goes a long way. Do not buy a card and just sign it. Take time to write your feelings down, share a favorite memory, and anything else you want.

Pharmacy Bag/Basket.  A lot of women I know, not all, but many love magazines and going to the pharmacy, we can get lost there for hours. Go to the pharmacy and buy her a bunch of her favorite magazines and buy her a few of her favorite things there like nail polish in bright spring colors, usually the "in style" colors are in the front displays, some of her favorite chocolate/candy and other things you see her buy herself at the pharamacy, like hair clips, bobby pins, hair elastics, you can put all of this in a small basket or gift bag and she will be surprised how thoughtful/detailed you are.

 Gifts. If buying a gift like clothes, chocolates and jewelry is something you want to do, then I recommend taking a look at http://pinterest.com/popular/ here hundreds/thousands of women are "pinning" their favorite items daily. I recommend going through the popular pages to get an idea oh what women want. I also recommend a similiar site: www.wanelo.com

birthday weekend and a new year

I celebrated my birthday this past weekend. I had a lovely day relaxing, making waffles with my new waffle maker that I got for Christmas. I had it on my wish list for quite some time and I am so happy with it. If I could I would make Belgian waffles everyday.

I went out to lunch, went to an arcade and played some fun games, watched an amazing hockey game at an arena, went out to dinner and then enjoyed this little chocolate cupcake for dessert, but not before I photographed it!

My birthday brings in a new year and new goals. Before my birthday each year I work on a list of accomplishments I have reached during the past year, that way I can look back and see what I accomplished in the past year. I think it is important for all of us to have goals and dreams, and to not only keep dreaming of them, but to go out and attain them.

I took a look back at the past year and saw I started Black Feather my jewelry and accessory shop which I love. I have always loved creating, but creating jewelry has been especially fun and rewarding. I get to hear from people all over the world contacting me about why they are buying a special gift and why this certain piece means something to them. For example, I sold a skull bracelet to a person who wanted a little extra strength during his recovery. These stories and more make me feel connected to the world. I created a mini map with dots on each country my items have reached and when I see all the little connected dots I smile knowing that someone out there in a far way place is wearing a little piece of my creation with them.

This past year I have spent a lot of time trying to improve my skills in taking photos, setting up props, selecting exposure and aperture setting, it's been fun journey and taking a look back at some of my photos I can seen an improvement.

Another accomplishment of this past year was getting back to a healthier weight and lifestyle. Over the past few years I had stopped paying attention to what I ate, and this caused a cycle of not eating well and I lacked motivation and energy to do much else. When I started eating better, fruits, vegetables, and raw foods, and stopped eating over processed foods and any foods with artificial flavors and preservatives I started feeling better instantly. My body was now fueled with the energy it needed to want to go out, walk, run, hike. This allowed me to pursue my next accomplishment.

I started training in TaeKwonDo and recently got my first belt. This has been one of my greatest accomplishments and it is an on-going one. I have wanted to train in a martial art since I can remember, the only thing I regret is not doing it sooner.

These are just a few of the goals I accomplished this past year and I have quite a few I will be working on and accomplishing this upcoming year.

I hope you were able to reach goals and dreams you wanted this year and if you did not, its not to late to make it happen today!

Happy New Year!

A few holiday photos

I hope you had a lovely holiday! I actually did not take as many photos. I spent the holidays baking, making homemade gifts like oreos dipped in chocolate, relaxing with family and enjoyed my time with them and not behind the camera like I usually am.

Happy Holidays!

reindeer noses and santa's kisses goodie bags

I found this lovely idea on the House 36 blog for Christmas treat baggies to make for friends, co-workers, and they make cute stocking stuffers.

All you need is some clear baggies (I used clear sandwich bags) to put the kisses in, tie the bag with ribbon and hang the tags off. Then I cut the top of the bag off. 

I made my tags using a word document and used clip art, cut them out, and hole punched them. They were so easy and fun to make. House 36 has been so kind and provides printable tags you can use, here and here.

 As a little extra I had some red M&M's and made this cute Reindeer nose tag (from House 36) and altered the words a bit, and filled the entire bag with red M&Ms for Rudolph's nose.

Happy Holidays & Enjoy!

christmas pancakes

I gave my traditional weekend pancakes a little holiday update and they were a hit! I made my favorite chocolate chip pancakes and then used a Christmas tree and Gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut them out. You can use any cookie cutter, I think stars would be really fun too.

They came out delicious and almost too adorable to eat....almost! These also make a perfect treat for Christmas morning!

Enjoy!!

holiday decorating

This time of year goes by so quickly, so I want to enjoy it as much as possible. I started decorating for the holidays about a week or so before Thanksgiving this year and I am still decorating.

The tree is complete with ornaments, birds, mini nests, owls, and pine cones I painted white (Click here to see how I painted my pinecones last Christmas). Every year my mom and I add new birds to my tree. Birds belong in trees, so I thought it was only natural that they fill my tree for the holidays. My blue bird is one of my newest addition and my mom bought me a snow owl to top my tree. It makes me smile every day when I pass him.

Around the house I have hung snowflakes around the doorways, wreaths and mini trees stand on side tables. One of my newest additions are my brass deer that I bought at this lovely vintage shop on Etsy. I have been looking for the perfect pair and I just love these.

I am off to decorate some more and to start wrapping gifts!

Happy Holidays!