A Match Made in Confectioner's Heaven

History is littered with dynamic duos - Lucy & Ethel, Fred & Barney, Gumby & Pokey... you get the idea. With the upcoming holiday season, I wanted to talk about one of my favs, chocolate & peanut butter. That's right, I've never met a Reese's I didn't like (although I am partial to the Easter Egg variety.)

Anyways, about a week ago I made these peanut butter cookies with Hershey's Kisses in them. They were a big hit and simple to make so I thought I'd share the recipe in case anyone was looking for a little something to make during this holiday party season. Tip: roll the dough in colored sugar instead of plain sugar for a fun, festive look.

Yum!

PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS 
Recipe from Hersheys.com 

Skill Level:

Beginner

Prep Time:

20 Minutes

Ingredients

• 48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Granulated sugar

Directions

1. 1 Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.
   
2. 2 Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
   
3. 3 Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
   
4. 4 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each
   cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.
   About 4 dozen cookies.
   
   Nutritional Information per serving (1 cookie):
   Calories: 90, Total Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 75mg,
   Total Carbohydrate: 10g, Dietary Fiber: less than 1g, Sugars: 6g, Protein: 2g, Vitamin A: 0%DV*,
   Vitamin C: 0%DV*, Calcium: 0%DV*, Iron: 2%DV*
   *%DV= %Daily Values are calculated based on a 2000 calorie diet

Coveted Collection: White House Black Market

As I was catching up on my blog reading after a nice holiday weekend, I came across a post from Dilly Dallas highlighting her work with White House Black Market. With visions of sparkly, sequined pencil skirts in my head, I perused the store's website (it's Cyber Monday, after all) for this seasons must-have pieces. I was not disappointed. Here are a few of my standout picks:

p.s. - 30% off total purchases and free shipping on their website today only!

Love the lace detail

Hello holiday parties!

Bring some festivity to the office

Perfect sweater for Christmas dinner

The awesomeness of this necklace speaks for itself

Are You Skinny Fat?

One of the perks of travelling this past weekend was that I had time to catch up on some magazines on the plane. Flipping through the pages of the latest issue of Women's Health magazine, I made mental notes of new toning moves and recipes to try at a later date. Near the back of the issue though, I stumbled on a feature article that really caught my attention.

As many of you may know, Type 2 Diabetes is a rising health risk in America, largely due to the ever-expanding American waistline. However, even though this disease can be almost completely preventable, it's striking many people, including those who are "young, slim & fit."

The article discussed the condition TOFI (thin outside, fat inside):


'Molecular imaging expert Jimmy Bell, M.D., studies a condition he calls TOFI—thin outside, fat inside. Nearly undetectable from a person's appearance, TOFI happens when fat that would normally build up under your skin (hello, thunder thighs!) gloms onto your abdominal organs instead. This visceral fat is way worse than any muffin-top chub—it can cause inflammatory substances to affect your liver and pancreas, and lower your insulin sensitivity, putting you at risk for type 2. "With TOFI, you might look slim," says Bell, "but your insides are behaving as if you are obese." '


Read the whole article for yourself here and spread the word to your friends and loved ones. Health should always be the number one priority in your life.

Photo Courtesy of Women's Health Magazine

Wedding Wednesday: You Don't Alter Vera to Fit You...

...you alter yourself to fit Vera. -- Bride Wars

Vera Wang has been the reigning queen of bridal fashion for over two decades and there is no doubting her highness. Always at the forefront of bridal trends, brides-to-be and wedding enthusiasts alike turn to the designer for a glimpse into what is to come. And don't forget, no celebrity nuptials are quite complete without a Vera gown, a la Jessica Simpson, or three -- here's looking at you Kim Kardashian!

To the surprise of many, Vera Wang recently showed a *new* trend at her Fall 2012 runway show - black wedding gowns. Now, while it all seems a little more Halloween than bridal, the dresses are gorgeous -- like always. Would you try a black dress or are you a classic white/ivory kind of girl?

Photos courtesy of Brides.com

What I Wish I Wore Wednesday: Boyfriend Blazer

It's the middle of the week and you're closet is looking just a little bit bare... again. Call it what you will, but I like to refer to it as "I have nothing to wear syndrome." Some times what you already own just won't do, not necessarily because the item itself is bad, but you don't have the right shoes, top, etc. to go with it.

Therefore I've decided to dedicate Wednesdays' posts to What I Wish I Wore (or owned) that would make my wardrobe better... at least through the following week. Today let's talk about a jacket of all trades, the boyfriend blazer. A more relaxed fit than a traditional women's blazer, but a more tailored version of the men's staple. A boyfriend blazer can be worn with anything from a flowing dress to a pair of jeans - a definite style chameleon.  Here are a few of my favorite picks/looks. How do you style your look?

LC Lauren Conrad Ruched Open-Front Boyfriend Blazer, Kohls, $70.00

Absolutely perfect styling. I'd wear this for a day of weekend shopping or to brunch. Image courtesy of Pinterest

















BCBGMaxAzria Satin Trimmed Boyfriend Blazer via Polyvore

Make Your World. Make Yourself.

A blessing and curse of working in the marketing world: I find it fairly easy to read the "hidden" meanings behind advertising messages.  Hint: the advertiser ALWAYS wants to you to buy their product or service.  They don't really care that much if you have the shiniest hair this side of the Mississippi or can navigate your car through a glacier with your new tires.  Buy their product.

So recently when a (fairly) new Nike Women campaign launched, I expected to find the token attractive, athletic females modeling the latest yoga pants and gym shoes I'd want to immediately fill my closet with.  However, I found a slew of successful female athletes starring out through those glossy pages of my magazine with the message "Make Yourself."

The underlying meaning this time - take charge of yourself, your body and your life.  If you don't find that inspiring (as a woman or man), you should probably check and make sure you still can feel any sort of emotion.  This is powerful stuff people.

These women kick butt and aren't afraid to be strong and proud.  Something all of us woman should do every single day.  Be the best you you can be.  Always.

Need some help reaching your goals and looking smoking in those skinny jeans come the weekend?  No problem.  Enter Nike Training Club, an app that serves as a personal trainer complete with workouts and encouraging tips to get you through your workout.  The best part about these workouts is that they can be done just about anywhere.  No gym required (although some exercises do call for weights or a medicine ball).

Oh... and did I mention the app is FREE?!?!  Get on over to iTunes girlfriend... and make yourself.

Along Came Madison

Coach arguably makes some of the best and most classic handbags in the business.  Year after year they reinvent themselves and create bags that will last what seems to be a lifetime... but feel free to buy a new one as often as you like.  I won't judge the piles of handbags in your closet, in fact, we could compare collections.

Anyway, my new favorite line by Coach is definitely Madison and what they have in store for fall is to die for!  Here are my picks - wish I could have them all.  Do you have a favorite?

Madison Gathered Leather Large Shoulder Bag

Madison Gathered Leather Large Sophia Satchel

New Madison Woven Leather Sophia Satchel

New Madison Woven Leather Marielle Drawstring