Homemade crock pot hot chocolate

I've wanted to make homemade hot chocolate for quite some time now.  This time of year, when it is way too cold for comfort, it makes cuddling under a heap of blankets that much better.  Have I mentioned that it is super easy? Just grab your crock pot!

Ingredients:

• 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk
• Dash of salt
• 8 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of dry baking cocoa
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Directions:

• Combine condensed milk, water and vanilla extract
• Add dry cocoa and salt and whisk until all ingredients are combined
• Cook on low for 4 hours or until the hot cocoa is very hot

Serve with some marshmallows and whipped cream!

Here's a picture of the finished product in the crock pot! (Not the best photograph but it does it justice I suppose)

What I'm watching

I'm about the head back to work so for the past month that I have had off to do next to nothing I have picked up a few favorite t.v. shows.  I think by now you all know that I have a deep love of food and so I typically gravitate towards cooking related shows.  If you are looking for something great to watch on t.v I highllyyyy suggest these!

1.  The Chew

It's no secret that Tim and I love this show.  We've been twice and while I totally love it for all the awesome food and stuff I really love it because I love the people on the show.  To break it down, Michael Symon and Mario Batali are my favorite Iron Chef's, Daphne Oz is phenomenal (go buy her book Relish), Carla Hall was me and my mom's favorite Top Chef and I have been watching Clinton Kelly on What Not to Wear since I was a kid.  It airs at 1 p.m. on ABC.

2.  Master Chef

Gordon Ramsey scares the crap out of me but I also love him at the same time.  Master Chef is a cooking competition for untrained chef's which I think is so fascinating to watch because they all have such a natural talent (well some of them, not all).  I would love to go on this show at some point so he could scream in my face but Tim tells me that I'd cry a lot...which is true.   

3.  The Great American Baking Competition

This show is brand new but I still think it's great.  After the first episode the woman who cooks with bacon is for sure my favorite because she's basically precious.  These bakers are also untrained which is totally after my own heart since I've never had training.  Essentially they give them different challenges to see how well they do on more crafty recipe's without much prior knowledge.

4.  Hell's Kitchen

So this is Gordon Ramsey's other cooking show that is on right now and these people are trained but also always seem a little bit like idiots.  I love it nonetheless because I really like Gordon Ramsey, especially when he's yelling.

5.  Eat St.

If I'm obsessed with any show in particular it's this one.  It's about the food truck frenzy that is taking over our nation and I just loooveeee to see some of the creative trucks out here.  Makes me want to hit up the city and go eat at my favorite trucks!  Never underestimate a food truck guys...the secrets they hold...oh man.

6.  Unique Sweets

Last but not least this show is all about desert but unique ones at that!  I love to watch it because it gives me such great ideas.  I think sometimes people are afraid to be bold with their cooking or are afraid to try new things because they could fail.  Sometimes it's fun to just cook what you feel would taste amazing.  Cook from the heart like these restaurateurs do!

Holy crap they are all about food.  Thought for sure I'd have one in there about singing or something!

What are you watching these days?

In other news, I'm sick

I feel like I have been missing in action this week and I sincerely apologize for disappearing for a bit but guys...I.am.so.freaking.sick.  Tim was sick earlier last week and he really didn't seem that bad (I know some women say that men are wimps when they are sick, but Tim is a champ.  I never can tell when he's feeling particularly awful.)  Anyway, I was convinced that I would beat whatever Tim had and then, just as I feared, last Sunday I started feeling sick.  We were out at the hitting range on a little date and I started to get a sore throat.  Well...it's Thursday now and I have no voice, an awful cough, a stuffy nose, body aches..the works! I feel awwwfffffullllllll.  Maggie came over last nice since I'm home house sitting and as a nursing major/best friend she did her best to keep my spirits high.

In other news, I experimented this morning with a new pancake recipe and it was yummy but still missing something.  I added vanilla this time around to give it a little kick but they still feel like they need more!  Do you guys have any suggestions for great pancake recipe's?!

In other other news, I want to take cooking classes for my birthday this year and have been trying to do some research online to find the best place.  Have any of you taken a class in the city and recommend a good place?

So sorry that this was such a random post, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging while I try and beat this cold!

Guest post: Chickpea Flatbread!

Hey, friends! Claire here. I'm so honored to appear on Hair Bows and Smiles; Ashley and I used to share time at the world's greatest radio station, and it's pretty cool to now be sharing blog posts.

In continuing the sharing trend, this chickpea flatbread would be a perfect contribution to any summer BBQ or potluck dinner with family/friends. With a texture that balances the chewiness of traditional flatbread and the thickness of cornbread, it tastes fantastic dipped in sauces or smothered in gravy (I particularly loved it with a generous drizzle of barbecue sauce). Plus, the use of chickpea flour provides a huge punch of fiber and protein without any saturated fats or added sugars; no need to feel guilty going back for seconds!

The recipe is super simple, and I can't wait to start adapting it--maybe with a few herbs thrown in, or thinned out to use as sandwich bread, or perhaps with a swirl of chocolate or cinnamon? The possibilities are endless.

Chickpea Flatbread
Barely adapted from In Pursuit of More
Makes one 8" or 9" pan

1 tbsp olive oil (for oiling the pan)
3 tbsp olive oil (for the batter)
2 1/2 c chickpea flour
3 1/2 c water
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil your 8" or 9" pan (square or round will work) with the first tbsp of olive oil.

Place chickpea flour in a large bowl, then gradually stir in water, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add the salt, additional olive oil and whisk until smooth.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until golden, about 40 minutes. Remove bread from oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before slicing. Serve immediately, or refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container (a napkin or paper towel placed directly on top of the slices will absorb any excess moisture, preventing sogginess).

Reading, Living and Loving Relish

I'm pretty certain after reading Daphne Oz's new book, Relish, that her and I should be best friends.  I bought the book simply because I love Daphne Oz and anticipated it to be just a cookbook but friends, it's so much more.

Relish is a book to live by.

From cover to cover, Relish contains practical tips to eating well, loving well, and living well.  From healthy recipes for all three meals to beautiful cocktails and deserts, Daphne Oz gives you a taste of her world.  You can tell how much love when into writing this book and boy do I love it back.

As women, I feel like we often need a few good words to live by and now it seems we have a book.  Every woman should own Relish and not just because it's filled with phenomenal recipe's that are also good for you but because it's filled with advice from hosting a dinner party to navigating a food store.  There's no shortage of incredible, wholesome advice in Relish and as a girl in her young twenties, I needed that!  It's not often you pick up a book and think, "Gee!  This woman read my mind!"  I like to think that in the near future I will need to crack this book open to recall what Daphne said about applying bronzer or when I need to host a dinner party.  Guys, I'm glad I own this book and if you don't already have it, go get it...

To be it simply, Relish is beautifully written.  There's nothing complex about her writing, which, I think is the best part.  To open Relish is to read a conversation with an old friend, it's that good. 


*This is not a sponsored post, I just needed to share this all with you!

Delicious Blueberry Muffins

Is anyone planning on cooking brunch for Easter?  Whether you are or aren't this easy-to-make muffins can be changed to your liking (chocolate, strawberries, bananas, etc...) What I've created is an simple muffin base that can change depending on the day you want to eat them!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 milk (I always add a splash more but you really have to eye this one.  Don't let them get to watery, but don't let them be too dry)
• 1/2 tsp  vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups chopped blueberries (or something else if you'd prefer that)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray muffin pan to set aside.  You can either cook these in cupcake holders or without, it doesn't matter
• Mix butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl.  Add in egg and beat.
• Add flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and mix.  Add in your milk and then vanilla.
• Gently stir in your choice of fruit (or chocolate)
• Sprinkle some sugar on top!
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean!

Enjoy!

The easiest buffalo chicken dip you'll ever make

When Tim and I started dating I remember asking him what his favorite foods were, just so I'd know and I'll never forget what he said.  Tim's favorite foods are buffalo chicken wings and cinnamon buns.  I thought it was the funniest thing but I never forgot it.  Over the last year I have made him countless dishes but he and I had always talked about finding the perfect buffalo chicken dip to make as a snack. We like to cook together but we also like when it's easy to do so we looked and looked and finally found something worth making!  We got the base of the recipe from my Aunt Rachel and have since just modified it for ourselves since we have made it a million times!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz of low fat cream cheese, soft
• 1/2 cup of blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing (I use low fat or fat free as well)
• 2 cans of canned chicken, drained
• 2 oz of cheese (any kind, I use mozzarella, part skim)
• 1/2-1 cup of hot sauce (start with a half and do this to taste)

You can always play around with how much of each ingredient you put into the dish.  Every dip we make tastes different.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a medium sized dish that can be heated in the oven, add the cream cheese and stir until smooth
• Mix in dressing, hot sauce and cheese
• Mix in the canned chicken
• Top with extra cheese
• Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling

Cinnamon toast crunch cupcakes and the battle that ensued

It's no secret that I love to bake but sometimes I just shouldn't do it.  For example, last night I decided really late that I wanted to make Cinnamon Toast Crunch cupcakes!  I was baking them loosely off of a recipe but was also altering it based on my own experience and I was exhausted.  Well the first issue of the night was that I didn't have eggs.  That morning Tim and I used them to make the perfect sunny side up eggs (I'll post that recipe..so easy!) and I totally forgot to get more.  So I call my neighbor and solve my egg issue except for the fact that I bring them into my room and sit them in a basket until I need them.  We will return to the eggs momentarily.

So I start my batter and everything is going just fine, changing the recipe having a grand ol' time and I put in my baking powder.  Seemingly, all is well.  I return to my room to get the eggs and as I go to turn around one slid out of my hand, smacked the doorknob and cracked on my grey carpet.  Great.  I can't get the stain out by the way.

I put the cupcakes in the oven after scrubbing endlessly in hopes of getting the egg stain out of my rug and wait.  I generally am the type to check the oven a million times to see what the cupcake looks like but instead I just went about my business.

When the timer went off I was so excited because the kitchen smelt delish.  Well...to my surprise....I open the oven to find cupcake batter EVERYWHERE.  I exploded the cupcakes.

In utter shock I decided to reread my recipe and go over what I had done and realized that because I was tired and changing the recipe without paying attention...instead of putting 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder, I put 3/4 cup.  How on earth did that not register as odd?!  Who knows...but it was a mess!

This morning I woke up and tried again and with the right amount of baking powder they turned out great.  Recipe below!  Enjoy!

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• salt
• 1/2 milk (whole or skim, I use skim)
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup +2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

The frosting is a simple butter cream frosting which you can find a recipe online for. I simply added some Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and cinnamon to the recipe.

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake pan to set aside
• In large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt
• In a small sauce pan on the stove, melt butter with the milk and set aside
• Using your electric mixer, mix in eggs, sugar and vanilla extract with the flour mixture you set aside earlier.  
• Once that is incorporated, add in the milk and butter and mix until all together
• Fill cupcake tins 3/4 of the way and bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean!

So easy!