merry christmas

 

 
I decided to make homemade cards this Christmas. It was a lot more time consuming than stopping at Target to pick up a pack of cards, but in the end it was so worth it. 

Michaels and Hobby Lobby have been my best friends lately. I swear, they never fail me! I bought a ton of construction paper, stickers  and other little items to create my cards. I chose the four colors that remind me of Christmas: dark green, dark red, cream and dark blue. I added a little sparkle and incorporated many "Christmas symbols" like, snowflakes and evergreen trees. All of the supplies I used can be found at any type of craft store. Just pick up some materials that catch your eye and create any type of card your little heart desires.

My cards aren't as elaborate as I envisioned them to be; they're all very simple. Come to think of it, simple is perfect to me - it reminds me of the Christmas season in general. We add bright, shiny, pretty decor to our houses, trees and gifts as part of our celebration of Jesus' birth, but in reality none of that matters. All of the extravagant gifts and decor go away, but what remains are the simple things. Things like being with our loved ones and going to a Christmas mass/service to truly celebrate God's gift to us.

I'm happy I kept the cards simple and I hope I enjoy the simple and small things Christmas has to offer. I'm so excited to celebrate Christ's birth! I hope you all have a blessed Christmas. I've included some pictures below of the card-making process for your reference.

Stay beautiful,
Marina

peppermint bark

It doesn't quite feel like the holidays until I make peppermint bark. It has become an annual tradition and I love eating it more and more every year. If you read my previous post, you'll notice I made hot cocoa cookies for a holiday party at work, and a couple days later I decided to make peppermint bark as a holiday gift for my collegaues. So many treats have filled the office the past couple of days - it has been great! I was so excited to bring the bark into the office. I mean, who doesn't enjoy eating it this time of year? I placed the candy in the Martha Stewart holiday treat bags I bought from Michaels (pictured below). These bags are just adorable.Thanks, Martha!

It was great making treats for my colleagues. I really appreciate their welcoming demeanour and everything they've taught me. See a full list of ingredients and directions below!

Stay beautiful,

Marina

Ingredients

• 24 oz of milk chocolate chips - milk chocolate tastes much better than semi sweet
• 36 oz of white chocolate chips
• About 15 candy canes

Directions: 

1. Double boil the milk chocolate* until thin
2. Place parchment paper on baking sheets and spread throughout (I like to make a thin layer of milk chocolate)
3. Place baking sheets in the refrigerator to harden
4. While waiting for the chocolate to cool, crush 15 candy canes in a food processor
5. Double boil the white chocolate and once it's melted, add the finely crushed candy canes
6. Wait for the white chocolate to cool and then pour on top of the milk chocolate
7. Wait for it the everything cool/harden completely and cut chunks with a knife

*Place chocolate in a glass or aluminum mixing bowl. Fill a medium-sized pot with water; cook on high until the water starts to boil and place the mixing bowl on top of the pot. Stir the chocolate until melted.

hot cocoa cookies

Suggesting a cookie contest for my division's holiday party was probably one of the best decisions I've made. I was not only able to bake hot cocoa cookies, I also left work with the first place prize, which was awesome (totally not bragging or anything).

These cookies just look appealing and I really enjoyed making them. If you're a chocoholic - beware! They are very, very rich and the marshmallow and melted chocolate gives them a soft, chewy feel. I was very happy that so many people enjoyed them. I passed the recipe on to a few people in the office and I hope they enjoy making these treats as much as I did. The recipes is below.

Hot cocoa cookies - a Rachel Ray recipe 

Ingredients: makes about 3 dozen cookies

• 1 stick of butter
• 3 boxes of semisweet chocolate bars (about 24 oz)
• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/3 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/4 cup of cocoa 
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups of brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
• A bag of marshmallows (I would suggest buying the s'more marshmallows; the ones that are already flat)

Directions: 

1. Melt the butter and 12oz of chocolate in a double broiler* until thin. Set aside and cool for about 15 minutes
2. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa in a separate bowl
3. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar and vanilla
4. Add the cooked chocolate to the mixing bowl
5. Add the dry mixture to the chocolate mixture
6. Refrigerate dough for one hour 
7. While waiting for the dough to harden, cut each marshmallow if half; (if you purchased regular marshmallows) cut enough for each cookie
8. Cut remaining chocolate into one inch squares and place on top of each marshmallow
9. Once dough is hardened, roll into one inch balls onto cookie sheets covered in parchment paper 
10. Bake for about 12 minutes until the cookies start to crack
11. Takes the cookies out of the oven and place the marshmallow and chocolate on top of each cookie; marshmallow will be on top.
12. Bake in the oven for 5 more minutes  until the marshmallow melts
13. Let the cookies cool and shave chocolate on top of the marshmallow with a micro plane or cheese grater

*Place chocolate in a glass or aluminum mixing bowl. Fill a medium-sized pot with water; cook on high until the water starts to boil and place the mixing bowl on top of the pot. Stir the chocolate until melted.

Stay beautiful,

Marina

the best night

Wednesday night (12/12/12) was so magical. I can't even describe how shocked/stunned  I was. The entire night and next day felt like a dream.

Brett asked me to be his wife in downtown Chicago, which will hopefully be our future home. :) We stopped at Millennium Park, he got down on one knee and I said yes. It was absolutely perfect. The ring is stunning and it's so much more than a diamond; it symbolizes our love for one another.

We are overwhelmed by the enormous amount of support and happy wishes made by our family and friends. We are so happy to share this time with the ones we love and I can't wait for our life to start.

I'll never forget that night and turning around to see Brett down on one knee. He's my soul mate, best friend and one of the most selfless, loving people I know. I'm in love with Brett Hulett and I don't care who knows it!!!

Be prepared to see some wedding posts in the future. :) I love planning, weddings and love, so this is definitely a treat for me.

my favorite christmas tunes

Instead of blogging about a new album, I'd like to take advantage of the holidays and recommend some of my favorite Christmas songs. I'm so happy great music accompanies this wonderful time. I discover new Christmas music each year, but I always find my way back to the songs I grew up listening to. My favorite album this year is, Ella Fitzgerald's A Swinging Christmas album. She captures holiday cheer with her upbeat, jazzy voice. I hope you  listen to the songs listed below and enjoy humming along to the merry melodies!

1. "Carol of the Bells" by Destiny's Child - They sing this a cappella and the harmonies are insane!
2. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Frank Sinatra - What a guy and what a voice.
3. "Silent Night" by Taylor Swift - Taylor's rendition is beautiful. The tone of this song fits perfectly with the lyrics
4. "O Holy Night" by Celine Dion - Celine's voice is absolutely breathtaking on this track. I'm in awe every time I hear her sing this.
5. "Jingle Bells" by Ella Fitzgerald - I love the big-band feel of this song; it instantley makes me happy. Ella manages to dominate every note.
6. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey - Okay, I know my favorite duo is broken up, but I love the way their voices sound together singing this duet.
7. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by Bing Crosby - A phenomenal classic, that's all I need to say.
8. "Do You Hear What I Hear" by Carrie Underwood - I love to soak in the lyrics when I listen to this song and Carrie's voice makes it so easy.
9. "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey - You knew this was going to make the list, it's a very popular one.
10. "Ave Maria" by Michael Buble - Flawless. He makes this song seem easy to sing. If only he could sing this at my wedding!
11. "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by the Jackson 5 - It's so upbeat and fun!
12. "What Christmas Means To Me" by Stevie Wonder - Awesome, awesome, awesome.
13. "Where Are You Christmas" by Faith Hill - This song is from the soundtrack of my favorite Christmas movie.
14. "Christmas Song"  by the Carpenters - Listening to Christmas songs by the Carpenters always reminds me of my mom. She used to mention how much she loves Carol Carpenter's voice and I remember listening to this song with her.
15."The Night Before Christmas" by Brandon Heath - I think I may have saved the best for last. This song embodies what Christmas is truly about. It's so easy for me to get wrapped up in the advertisements, celebrations and gifts, but it's time to look past all of that and truly celebrate Christ's birth this CHRISTmas.

Stay beautiful,
Marina

homemade pizza and fried dough

I don't believe anyone can cook like my nonna. To put it simply - she has the magic touch. I can't pinpoint how, but I'm guessing it has something to do with growing up in Italy. Some of her eats include: homemade meatballs, manicotti, crepes, fried calamari, and homemade bread. Let me put it this way, if nonna is cooking - be prepared to feel very full.

She's no ordinary cook; she's always creating her own recipes and rarely follows directions. Well, scratch that. There are times she rips recipes from the magazines she reads at the doctors office. :)

She is by far the rock of our family and a woman I'll never stop admiring. I have never seen her be anything but selfless, loving and gentle. I can't even begin to explain how much I love her. I've always enjoyed cooking with her, but I've been paying extra attention lately.

About 99% of people enjoy eating pizza. Ok, that's a lie, but I'm sure it's very close to being true (at least for Americans and Italians). I'm confident in saying the same thing about fried dough. Lets be real, both are to die for. One night my Nonna and I decided to make pizza and what we like to call, pita frita (fried dough).

We made two pizzas: a pizza with a pesto sauce and fresh mozzarella and a pizza with tomato sauce, soprasata (Italian sausage), prosciutto and fresh ricotta. We grilled the pizzas instead of baking them, which is something I tried while cooking with my Italian professor in college. I prefer to grill pizza because it intensifies the flavor and gives the crust an extra crunch.

After enjoying the pizzas, we walked over to the frying pan and made fried dough. Pita frita is the Italian version of the fried dough Americans call "elephant ears". It's crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside and it tastes best with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. 

The directions on how to make homemade pizza and pita frita are below. Seriously, get ready to enjoy!

Crust Ingredients (makes two pizzas):
1/2 Tablespoon of Yeast
1 Tablespoon of Crisco
1/2 Tablespoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of warm water (depends on consistency of dough)
4 cups of flour (depends on consistency of dough)

Toppings:
Pesto sauce
Tomato sauce
Fresh ricotta
Fresh mozzarella
Proscuitto
Fresh sausage

Directions:
1. In a large bowl combine yeast, crisco, salt, water and flour
2. Mix ingredients around in a circle with hands
3. Add water if the dough is too hard and if it's too soft/sticky, add more flour (during this process, put flour on your hands so the dough doesn't stick)
4. Knead dough with your hands in a punching motion until the ingredients are combined. This can be a long process; make sure the dough is the right consistency
5. Wrap bowl with plastic wrap and place a towel over for 2-3 hours, until the dough rises

6. After the dough has risen, heat the grill on high
7. Sprinkle vegetable oil and semolina on the bottom of each pizza/grilling pan
8. Cut a portion of the dough and place on a cutting board

9. Add flour to the dough to prevent from sticking and start rolling with a rolling pin until the dough is thin and forms into the shape of the pan
10. Place the dough on the pan and make sure it reaches the edges

 

11. Add the sauce and toppings and place grilling pans on the grill; lower the heat

How cute is she?

Pita Frita Ingredients:
Homemade dough (see the recipe above)
Vegetable Oil

Directions:
1.  Fill a deep frying pan with about an inch or two of vegetable oil and heat on high

 

2. Sprinkle vegtetable oil on top of the dough
3. Cut pieces of dough with an ice cream scooper; stretch the dough into a longer shape before placing in the pan

4. Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding the dough. (I would suggest testing the oil out with a little piece of dough. Wait until the oil around the dough bubbles when you place it in the pan)
5. Once the oil is hot enough, lower the heat to medium and place dough in the pan

6. Flip the dough over after a minute, or until golden brown

7. Once the other side is golden brown, remove from the pan and onto a plate to cool

Super precious.

8. Sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon and sugar on top fried dough, and enjoy :)

Stay beautiful,
Marina