tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6873615182455900642024-03-14T04:33:49.218-04:00Full From LoveThe best way to the heart is through the stomachAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08106145750005306036noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687361518245590064.post-32238915418400239072017-01-27T14:26:00.000-05:002017-01-27T14:26:05.176-05:00H&M Maternity...who knew?I can't believe that I am just finding out now that H&M has maternity clothes, but I am so glad I did. I picked up a bunch of cute things today and can't wait for them to arrive next week. Oh, and I discovered they have a whole line of Home stuff!! Check out what I got:<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08106145750005306036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687361518245590064.post-639749048989542422017-01-23T20:44:00.001-05:002017-01-23T20:44:43.338-05:00Is that a mask you're wearing?I just tried my new <a href="https://www.amazon.com/LOreal-Paris-Detox-Brighten-Ounce/dp/B01F7SUFW2/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1485221781&sr=8-1&keywords=l%27oreal+paris+detox+%26+brighten+pure-clay+mask" target="_blank">L'Oreal Paris Detox & Brighten Pure-Clay Mask</a> and I am in LOVE! This pregnancy has made my skin feel and look terrible, definitely no glow here. So I went looking for a mask to try and this one was recommended to me. Not only does it smell like the best spa product, which totally relaxed me, but I could tell it was working as soon as I put it on my face. They say to use it three times a week, so I will give an update after a few weeks. For now, I'm sold.<br />
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Oh and I wasn't as miserable as the picture seems, the mask firmed up so I couldn't smile :)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08106145750005306036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687361518245590064.post-65904592240298403492017-01-21T09:41:00.001-05:002017-01-23T20:24:17.687-05:00Renovations<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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We are so excited to be doing some necessary renovations on our house. With a new baby on the horizon, we needed an extra space that will be an office/music room. Excited to share the progress as this project moves along!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08106145750005306036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687361518245590064.post-29058039561850191122016-03-26T09:15:00.001-04:002016-03-26T09:17:14.563-04:00Beignets!!The We decided to head out early this morning to try Mr. A's Beignets, a yummy food truck in downtown Apex. It was such a delicious experience. The beignets were hot and perfectly sweet, along with the cafe au lait it was a match made in heaven!<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5CHxrn6stnfBC2djr5vTxf_n3Ny2NoEkuVnfqSLAEm4QJSvEXBx2Z-msVQz-krbGtR4NDXRTypc8RynNW52oSlFPR1iDdoCfYPkclM2YKcHzXozOjEfP_NUpNpw3akEBtFa3rDyUPBg/s640/blogger-image--514142869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5CHxrn6stnfBC2djr5vTxf_n3Ny2NoEkuVnfqSLAEm4QJSvEXBx2Z-msVQz-krbGtR4NDXRTypc8RynNW52oSlFPR1iDdoCfYPkclM2YKcHzXozOjEfP_NUpNpw3akEBtFa3rDyUPBg/s640/blogger-image--514142869.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08106145750005306036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687361518245590064.post-41602257388726220972014-04-26T06:53:00.004-04:002014-04-26T06:53:28.196-04:00Home Sweet HomeWe finally bought a house!!! After much searching, we have found the perfect house to start our family story in. We are so excited and have been busy at work painting, cleaning and slowly moving our things in. <br />
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I hope to document some of our projects as they happen. For now, can't wait to make it Home Sweet Home!!!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08106145750005306036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687361518245590064.post-45848887900620512542014-02-14T14:51:00.001-05:002014-02-14T15:01:49.854-05:00love is in the airIn the past I have had a negative feeling about Valentine's Day. Why should we only celebrate love once a year??? Let's look at it as though we will celebrate love today just a little more than the other days...that way I can feel better about partaking in something I don't really agree with :)<br />
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This morning, I made heart shaped pancakes and heart shaped bacon for my "big Valentine"! My "little Valentine" had a special bottle made with love, no pancakes for him just yet.<br />
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<strong>Old Fashioned Pancakes (from Allrecipes.com)</strong><br />
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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder<br />
1 tsp. salt<br />
1 Tblspn. sugar<br />
1 1/4 cups milk**<br />
1 egg<br />
3 Tblspn. butter, melted<br />
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Whisk ingredients together until smooth. Add more milk to thin if necessary. Heat a griddle or frying pan over med-high heat. Butter pan and scoop pancakes into center of heart shaped cookie cutter. Once they are set, golden brown and ready to flip over, remove cookie cutter and flip. Once lightly golden on the other side remove from pan and serve with butter and syrup!<br />
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I only had one big heart cookie cutter, so made regular round pancakes and just put the heart pancake on top.<br />
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**I ended up adding extra milk to the batter as I made the pancakes because it kept thickening up. <br />
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<strong>Heart Shaped Bacon (As seen on Pinterest)</strong><br />
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1 pkg. bacon<br />
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut bacon slices in half and fold to create hearts. Place on baking sheet and cook until browned - approximately 15 minutes.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Happy Valentine's Day!!!</span></h4>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08106145750005306036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687361518245590064.post-75935209931773650502014-01-10T16:47:00.001-05:002014-02-14T15:02:19.503-05:00CarbonaraFor some reason I have been craving spaghetti carbonara. Thankfully, my sister-in-law's boyfriend is an amazing chef and made it for me a few weeks ago when we saw him at Christmas. It totally satisfied my craving...for a few days. It came back with a vengeance this week and I was at a loss. It felt like the walk of shame when I texted him to teach me how to make it. He was very gracious and sent me step by step instructions. It was delish and so easy to make, which is probably a very bad thing because I have a feeling this is a craving that's here to stay!!<br />
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Pasta Carbonara</div>
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Ingredients:</div>
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6 oz. pancetta, diced</div>
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1 shallot, chopped</div>
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2 cloves garlic, chopped</div>
<span id="goog_931433257"></span><span id="goog_931433258">1 cup white wine</span><br />
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese<br />
1 lb. spaghetti or bucatini<br />
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In a large sauté pan, cook the pancetta over medium heat until golden brown. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté until soft. Add white wine to deglaze pan. Lower heat and cook until wine has reduced by about 80%. In the meantime, boil water and cook pasta until al dente. Once wine has reduced and pasta is cooked add it to the pancetta mixture. Be sure to save some of the pasta cooking water as you may need it to thin out the sauce a bit. Remove pan from heat and add the cheese. Stir to begin melting the cheese. Add the egg yolks and toss to blend into pasta. Cheese and yolks should form a creamy sauce - I added a little pasta cooking water at a time to get it to the desired consistency. Add salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. So easy and delicious - buon appetito!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08106145750005306036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687361518245590064.post-28931174265461800442011-12-17T16:22:00.002-05:002011-12-18T08:55:29.444-05:00Rainbow Cookies!!!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ok, so my favorite bakery treat of all time is Rainbow Cookies. I finally decided that it was time I learned how to make them and if they turned out ok they would become a new Christmas tradition in our house. I found a great recipe in <em>Saveur</em> magazine and tried it - the result...AMAZING!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2 cups flour, plus more for pans</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 cup sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 (12.5 oz) can almond pastry filling (I used Solo brand)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4 eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">12 drops green food coloring</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">12 drops red food coloring</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 (12oz) seedless raspberry jam</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">12 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour three 9" x 13" baking pans and line with parchment paper; set aside. Using a mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add pastry filling; beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour; beat until just combined. Evenly divide batter into 3 bowls. Add green food coloring to one bowl, red food coloring to another and leave the third plain. Using an offset spatula, spread each batter into a prepared baking pan. Bake each pan until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire racks to cool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Heat jam in saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring, until smooth; cool slightly. Place green cake on a butting board or foil lined baking sheet. Using an offset spatula, spread half of the jam over the green cake; top with plain cake. Spread remaining jam over plain cake and top with red cake. Chill to set jam about 1 hour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Using a slicing knife, trim cake edges to form an even block. Slice block crosswise into 1 1/2" wide logs; separate on cutting board. Using an offset spatula, spread chocolate over top, sides and ends of each log until completely covered; chill to set chocolate. Slice each log crosswise into 1/2"-thick squares to serve.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8S1-wfeyUh81Tg1G_hJRO8Pt-7vV9VvuKjFetv_CElisFvCGkll7oZIZH44tFdfo4tOntyyGf_XgQw8DfNuV6VfKtJ4gQxBgkoDP6MV8p7zx-qkTyoLZzU_YH4iKKIjSUDhIh-rYug/s1600/espresso3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8S1-wfeyUh81Tg1G_hJRO8Pt-7vV9VvuKjFetv_CElisFvCGkll7oZIZH44tFdfo4tOntyyGf_XgQw8DfNuV6VfKtJ4gQxBgkoDP6MV8p7zx-qkTyoLZzU_YH4iKKIjSUDhIh-rYug/s320/espresso3.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687361518245590064.post-84610105887436501622011-12-09T22:35:00.001-05:002011-12-18T08:55:57.866-05:00PIZZA<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We finally found a recipe for pizza dough that we LOVE! It was really easy to make and the pizza came out delicious - here's how simple it is:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 cup warm water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1 Tblspn. honey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2 tsp. salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2 Tblspn. olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3 cups bread flour</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In bowl of a mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form and mixture begins to foam. Pour in salt and half of the flour mixture. Once flour is incorporated, add remaining flour a little at a time until the dough is at your desired consistency; slightly tacky but doesn't stick to your hands. At this stage, turn mixture to high and knead for 6 minutes. Lightly grease a bowl and put dough ball in, cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise 1-2 hours. You're done!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here are our before and after pictures - mangia.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwkWERBuDCO2DXCtl-0tmjJwC9wnV-EBm636etkwF3GqARBe-G7TwF-U2-XiaEEfF_CBFUs47zGp8Mh6wNtSSt0rXAubPCVoXk1lrNBzXjw6QWM5cZKMVfp8L5QJStwlw__f19lmd7Q/s1600/before+pizza.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwkWERBuDCO2DXCtl-0tmjJwC9wnV-EBm636etkwF3GqARBe-G7TwF-U2-XiaEEfF_CBFUs47zGp8Mh6wNtSSt0rXAubPCVoXk1lrNBzXjw6QWM5cZKMVfp8L5QJStwlw__f19lmd7Q/s320/before+pizza.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXyjwRpPcqDdSkxbeSwy0WKrArmjCtN3oc_JGvFgENpvZYHyKet0m8r8uhy1790ukjeZUGhOm-G3PF5ShmCX4d2DctaOPeR9kfOHIWBYLhlPdozPdlTQL_T_LqMkwB3nTAY00W_DISg/s1600/pizza+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXyjwRpPcqDdSkxbeSwy0WKrArmjCtN3oc_JGvFgENpvZYHyKet0m8r8uhy1790ukjeZUGhOm-G3PF5ShmCX4d2DctaOPeR9kfOHIWBYLhlPdozPdlTQL_T_LqMkwB3nTAY00W_DISg/s320/pizza+2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687361518245590064.post-58612738101332395022011-04-10T10:08:00.000-04:002011-12-18T08:56:19.724-05:00BEER!!!!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">While house hunting this weekend, we stumbled upon an amazing little brewery in Peekskill, NY. The best part, we are thinking of moving right around the corner. Since PR homebrews, we were interested in what this little place had to offer. Given that it's right on the shores of the Hudson River, the views were really amazing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PR had the PB Purple Haze which was a raspberry wheat beer - he described it as low alcohol, very refreshing and a great summertime beer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had a Captain Lawrence Double IPA. It is very hoppy with floral and citrus notes and the best part for me, it has A LOT of alcohol :) Having a brewery nearby was an unexpected plus and big selling point to the place we are considering for our first home together.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXcCb4lEt7-JQI66FVESufhLo10U6rCwaelE42SmWcyn6zA5tPvdMUIkngxK_SeiciiKhpG9gygNOgsOR50iNcIET7v4M1AxaX6abGbN8s9ksQSdDKBht6u4KOAeYsrwbw3j6MWfa2w/s1600/IMG00085-20110409-1650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXcCb4lEt7-JQI66FVESufhLo10U6rCwaelE42SmWcyn6zA5tPvdMUIkngxK_SeiciiKhpG9gygNOgsOR50iNcIET7v4M1AxaX6abGbN8s9ksQSdDKBht6u4KOAeYsrwbw3j6MWfa2w/s320/IMG00085-20110409-1650.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687361518245590064.post-58125836805991596302011-04-10T09:55:00.003-04:002011-12-18T08:56:48.275-05:00The Italian Job<span xmlns=""></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Since we're both Italian we have had more than our fair share of meals that make you wish you had elastic waist pants on. Our recent dinner at Stephano's in Wappingers Falls, NY was probably the biggest meal we've ever had. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">PR ordered Zuppa di Pesce – what came out was a bowl the size of a large salad serving bowl. It was filled to the top with fresh clams, mussels, shrimp and calamari sitting on a huge bed of al dente linguini with homemade red sauce. The seafood sweetened the sauce and it was fantastic! (Sorry for the dark pics, the restaurant wasn't too bright)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had linguini with marinara sauce topped with HUGE sautéed shrimp. The sauce was delicious and the huge portions made us feel like we were at home being fed by our mothers/grandmothers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The best part was that after we were stuffed to the gills with amazing Italian food, we had leftovers that have lasted for two days. Check out the ridiculous to-go box (literally half a sheet pan and this was just his leftovers)!!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglN88esOiAH8hQJnxQ-vTJlGr1zsGqQUretmU0aqG9RKhKcA9Dw6n4X-ulcPN-jAGPiQqRAAzApsz1d90hoyARMjfKOLvGRSm2xxUUwybdTnSy4U62ZLycnG_KGTE5mxjYYy-FaaQNEw/s1600/IMG00086-20110410-0953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglN88esOiAH8hQJnxQ-vTJlGr1zsGqQUretmU0aqG9RKhKcA9Dw6n4X-ulcPN-jAGPiQqRAAzApsz1d90hoyARMjfKOLvGRSm2xxUUwybdTnSy4U62ZLycnG_KGTE5mxjYYy-FaaQNEw/s320/IMG00086-20110410-0953.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-687361518245590064.post-74801317346308797062011-03-29T11:02:00.000-04:002011-12-18T08:56:59.476-05:00Cake Balls<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So this will be my only post, hopefully, where I talk about food that I have made without including imagery. But, since I didn't know on Sunday that I was going to start a blog I didn't think ahead. That being said, I decided to try something I had read in many places online - cake balls. What originally attracted me to these cute little treats was the ability to decorate them in tons of different ways.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Basically a cake ball is made up of baking a cake, letting it cool, crumbling it up and adding cake frosting to make it into a thick dough like material. You then take small scoops and roll them into little balls. Freeze them up and then coat them in melted chocolate to form an outer shell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This weekend I made them with Funfetti cake and vanilla frosting. I covered them in dark chocolate and they came out really great. I put them in a freezer and when we ate them cold they tasted almost like bon bons. I want to continue to play with them to work on the consistency but for the first try I liked them. More to come...</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0