You Should Go and Love Yourself.

Happy Friday! 

My sweet husband finds himself short-handed at the office today, so I'm going in to help seat and greet patients. 

Last night's conversation:

Me: I'm worried I'm going to pull the wrong tooth on someone. 

Jordan: ...what exactly do you think I'm going to let you do? 

Anyway, in lieu of a 5 Things Friday, I thought I'd mix it up a little and post this cover my friend Landon and I recorded last week. For me, it's a rough vocal - I recorded it once and just left it alone. And although I can't personally endorse the Biebs, you guys, I really love this stinkin' song. 

Hope you enjoy! Do it up big this weekend and I'll see you on Monday for Jordan Says - our podcast. 

Gorgeous, No-Bake Valentine's Dessert

If you're like me, your first reaction when thinking about Valentine's Day is food. Because #gluttony. 

But Valentine's, unfortunately, has gotten to be one of those holidays like New Year's Eve: people get excited for it, they plan for it, and then, because it's so full of expectations, it's kind of always a bummer. 

To guard against this, Jordan and I established a Valentine's tradition called "pizza and board games." Bet you can't figure out what we do. 

...you guessed it. Order a big giant pizza, watch movies, and play board games. Aren't we SO COOL?? 

This year, though, thanks to my friends at Two City Vegans, we're going to be adding these treats to our tradition. Why? Because they are easy, because they are two ingredients, and because they are already done. 

Note: I bought non-vegan chocolate chips, so my recipe doesn't include the almond milk or coconut oil that TCV's does. Equally delicious! 

Ingredients: 
1 bag of dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Your filling of choice
This silicon heart mold, or a cupcake tin lined with parchment paper

1. Pour your chocolate chips into a a bowl. Temper your chocolate 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each trip to the microwave, until smooth. 

2. Carefully spoon the chocolate into the molds until they're about 1/3 of the way full. 

3. Spoon in your filling! I would recommend using a larger dollop of peanut butter than I did, but even a smaller amount was SO. GOOD. 

4. Fill the rest of your heart molds with chocolate under the peanut butter (or filling) is totally covered. 

The first three are milk chocolate and peanut butter, the three closest to us are dark chocolate and chili powder! 

5. Pop these bad boys in the freezer and wait a couple of hours. Then, enjoy! 

We ended up with milk chocolate and peanut filling, dark chocolate and chili powder (just mix it in to taste), milk chocolate and sea salt, and dark chocolate with homemade raspberry jam filling. (To make the jam - a carton of raspberries, 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 cup of sugar - bring the mixture to a boil, then cover, simmer, and cool.) 

Y'all, these were so yummy, so pretty, and so easy. Perfect for an office party, for your sweetheart, or to make with your kids. Happy Valentine's! And thanks again to Two City Vegans for this fabulous idea! 

Do Not Respond - Just Take It

As always, credit where it's due to Mollie Erickson who invented DNR - JTI on her much funnier blog, found here. 

You've seen Jimmy Fallon's Thank You Notes, you've seen riffs on Thank You Notes, but today, please enjoy one of my favorite concepts: "Do Not Respond - Just Take It."

This was invented by Mollie Erickson, a smart and fabulous woman I know, and every time I read DNR - JTI's on her own blog, it makes me giggle and makes me think. 

The concept? Here are some thoughts. I don't want a response, but want to be able to say out loud. Wouldn't that be nice? 

Dear Bump on my Chin, 
I have been patient with you. I have not been violent with you. And now, it's time for you to go away. If you don't, I will be forced to take drastic measures and YOU DON'T WANNA GO THERE. DNR - JTI. 

Dear People who Complain about "the January Crowd" at their Gyms,
Remember when you were trying something for the first time that you felt vulnerable about, and no one complained or made fun of you? Right. Let's try to extend that grace to these sweet folks. Sorry you have to share your leg press machine. Maybe offer a word of encouragement instead of sneering and Snapchatting someone who can't use it very well. DNR - JTI. 

Dear Friends who Know More about Politics Than Me,
Thank you for your patience and your wisdom. I love learning from you and hearing the great thoughts in your brains. I regularly plagiarize you and sometimes don't give you credit, but you probably knew that already. You are wonderful and brilliant. DNR - JTI.

Dear Friends who Know Less about Politics Than I Do,
Thanks for making me feel like a genius. I'm just plagiarizing my friends who know more than me. I should just link you guys up. But I won't, because I'm selfish. DNR - JTI.

Dear Bears who Live in My Backyard,
I'm so fascinated by you and I'm kind of scared of you. Please stop slashing my garbage can to get to our delicious, rotting leftovers. I know I'm not supposed to, but I'll leave a to-go box after every meal by the back door if you'll just cut it out with the trash can. ...seriously. DNR - JTI. 

Dear Laundry, 
You are the WORST. I would rather clean toilets than do you. You are the multi-step chore from HELL. It's not enough to take clean the clothes to the washing machine. NOOOO. Now I have to move them to another appliance. Then I have to make sure I'm around when they're finished drying so the clothes won't wrinkle. THEN I have to fold them perfectly. THEN I have to put them away?! Are you kidding?? That's like 40 steps for one chore. This is why clean clothes sit in a basket in my room for a week, because you have EXHAUSTED ME, Laundry. DNR - JTI. 

Dear Mary Catherine,
Remember the first house you and Jordan lived in where you didn't have a washer and dryer? And how you had to take your laundry to your parents' house? And how you said once you had one of your own that you'd never complain about laundry again? Yeah. So, shut up. DNR - JTI. 

Dear Girl in her Twenties Who's Toying Around with Pursuing Her Dream,
You need to get after it. Life isn't that long and WHAT POSSIBLE THING is stopping you?? Make a goal. Work toward it. Stop piddling around on the Internet or dreaming about it. Just do it. You are the best and I believe in you, and I bet everyone else does, too. DNR - JTI. 

5 Things: Kitchen Tool Roundup

Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday. 

RIP, Rebecca Black's career. 

I've been cooking a LOT lately - like all three meals at home for the last two weeks straight. Being snowed in doesn't make for easy restaurant access! But, you know, snow - so definitely worth it. 

I thought I'd share the utensils that I find myself reaching for over and over. This is not about featuring the "nicest" tools in my kitchen; rather, these are absolutely the most useful things I have in my kitchen. Not pictured: my Ove Glove. Which I actually use every day. So just pretend that's in there. 

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1. Stick Blender. 
My trusty stick blender comes in handy when I need to blend batter, crush tomatoes, whip egg whites into meringues, or make the world's fluffiest scrambled eggs. It's way more convenient than lugging my large blender from its storage space underneath the counter, and it's dishwasher-safe, so the cleanup is so easy. You can buy this one here! 

2. Single-Serve French Press.
I had never used a French press until we received one as a wedding gift, but it completely changed the way I drink coffee. French press coffee is so intensely flavorful. It requires no electricity - nothing but hot water and fresh grounds - and you will seriously never go back. This is perfect for mornings when I only want a cup, and would also be the ideal size to travel with or take to work. You'd never have to depend on someone to make another pot again. At $25, this is a steal. Buy it on Amazon here! 

3. Biscuit Cutters in Assorted Sizes. 
These bad boys are used a LOT in my house. For biscuits (obviously), but also for cutting consistently shaped cookies out of dough, cutting circles out of bread for eggs in a basket - I love that these guys nest into each other for easy, aesthetic storage, and allow me to make pretty desserts that are all the same size. Found them online here. 

4. Miniature Glass Bowls. 
Oh. My. Gosh. I love these bowls so much. These were literally #1 on my Christmas list this year. I use them to portion out ingredients before I start cooking or baking, to carry peanut butter in if I'm snacking on the go, to serve nuts on a cheese plate, for yogurt every morning - the list goes on and on. I have four bowls and four plastic lids, but I could have 50 and still find ways to use them all. Impossible to convey the value of these guys. This link has a version that's pretty close to mine - and on Amazon Prime, no less! Buy them. You will not be sorry. 

5. Stainless Scoop and Cutter
Saved the best for last. Don't you hate it when you're chopping vegetables and you try to transfer them to your pan by balancing them on your knife, but they end up all over the floor? Worry. No. More. This tool is the ultimate in convenience for transferring any foods from one surface to another, for chopping those last few veggies you may have missed, and for tossing in the dishwasher when you're finished.

I got this tool in my stocking from my grandmother Nonnie a few years ago, and use it every single time I cook. It is my best friend in the kitchen. Buy one for $7 on Amazon here - I guarantee you, it'll be the best $6 you've spent in a long time. If you buy one and are disappointed, I'll buy you lunch. 

Happy cooking! Have a great weekend, friends. See you Monday!