Reese's PB Cup Cookie Bars

Yesterday I had an unexpected opening in my day, so I decided to do one of my favorite things right now...bake sweet treats for my lover. I've been trying to send him homemade baked goods every week or two. I'm intent on mixing it up, rather than sticking with my fave chocolate chip cookies. If I only made those I would end of eating half the batch before I ever mailed them. I'm a sucker for chocolate chip cookies! And they certainly won't help me reach my OFB goals.

Digging through my arsenal of baking supplies, I decided this week I would go the peanut butter route. I should mention that I despise peanut butter since it gives me a headache. However, my lover, like most men, can't get enough of peanut butter, and I had a jar of peanut butter and bag of mini Reese's peanut butter cups that were taking up space in my kitchen. 

After playing around with a few ideas, I decided to make my version of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bar....thick & chewy, packed full of peanut butter flavor. I posted a pic of the final product on my Instagram, and as per the request of one of you fabulous chickadees, I've decided to share the recipe for any of you who might be interested.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars

2 1/8 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks of butter, melted & cooled for a few minutes

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy (or chunky if you're feeling wild!)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk

1 (8oz.) bag Reese's mini peanut butter cups, halved or left whole (YES, the whole bag! Don't skimp!)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Take a 13"x9" baking dish and line with parchment paper or foil leaving an over hang so that you can life the bars out upon completion. I prefer parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper/foil with cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, & salt. Set aside. In a second bowl, combine the butter & sugars until smooth. Mix in peanut butter, followed by the vanilla, whole egg, then egg yolk. Make sure each ingredient is fully incorporated before adding the next ingredient. Add in the flour mixture. The batter will be thick. Finally fold in the Reese's PB cups. I tend to keep my Reese's frozen before mixing them in and use a rubber spatula to fold them in.

Transfer the batter into the prepped baking dish, using a spatula to evenly spread the batter to all sides & corners of the dish. Press a few remaining Reese's peanut butter cups into the top. Bake for 28-35 minutes, until golden brown on top. My oven is very temperamental, thus the varying baking time. Check at the 28 minute mark, and if the middle is too soft & it needs longer, check every 3 minutes keeping an eye on the edges...don't want to burn your delicious creation. 

Remove the pan from the oven and let cool completely before removing the bars. If you try lifting it out of the pan too soon, it will fold in half since the middle will still be semi-soft when you take it out of the oven. Cut into squares and serve. 

And there you have it! Easy peasy Reese's peanut butter cup cookie bars for all of you peanut butter lovers out there. If you decide to make these, I would love to hear about it! 

Happy baking!

France: Blunders Edition

I'm back from my week in France, and block leave is officially over. Hello reality, goodbye vacay. France was an interesting trip to say the least. The weather was no where near what was forecasted. Instead of the 60s, it was mostly in the 30s/40s with lots of rain and whipping winds. I swear when we travel in Europe, it's like a National Lampoon's movie come to life. Blunders are synonymous with our travels, but I will tell you they make for the best memories to look back on and laugh about, and we love to laugh!

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Some of the blunders from this trip:

* When we checked into our first hotel, the clerk spoke no english, but I could make out enough of what he was saying to understand that we needed to pay for the daily guest surcharge on top of our prepaid stay. No biggie. That is until he charged us for our entire stay in full again in addition to the surcharge. It wasn't until the shift change an hour later that we were able to get our card credited despite showing him our proof of payment. 

* The biggest blunder would have to be that day 2 of our trip I got pink eye. Yes...freaking pink eye! Oddly enough, I didn't panic and even thought I could wait it out. By day 3, I woke up and my eye was swollen shut and when forced open it was blood red. Brushing aside my usual apprehension with taking medication I can't read in foreign countries, I knew I had to take a leap of faith and get medication for my eye. Fortunately there was a pharmacy near the hotel, and when I walked in looking like a cast member from Pirates of the Caribbean, the women spoke no english, but one look at my eye and she headed straight for what I needed (after her eyes bugged out a bit). I hate using eye drops, but I used my madre's tried and true method and now my eye is back to normal.

Day 1 of pink eye.

* For some odd reason the bus system doesn't go to Disneyland on Sundays. It said this no where on any of the time tables. We didn't figure this out until we had waited outside in the chilly whipping winds for nearly an hour (thinking we had missed the bus). Nothing a taxi couldn't fix though.

* In Paris, we were on the Metro heading to the bus station to catch our bus back to the airport (the airport is an hour and thirty minute drive away). Wouldn't you know this is the one time during our stay that the Metro line we were on had to suddenly shut down with no explanation and no replacements coming in the near future. In a panic we raced up to the street to flag down a taxi. We had less than 10 minutes to make it to the bus station. Taking the metro we should've been there much earlier before the delay/shutdown. Of course, when I asked my lover how much cash he had he told me he only had 5 euro...what?!?! The taxi driver I flagged down spoke no english, but with the help of our bus tickets and hand gestures, he agreed to take us to our destination with what little euro cash we had. Come to find out the station was a block away and the buses were delayed by half and hour. We laughed hysterically about this.

* To end the trip with a bang, once we were at the airport, through the security check point, and outside about to board the plane, my lover realized the woman at the sandwich shop outside of security never gave him his debit card back. Eeek!! My lover decided to race back to retrieve it, which left me in a panic because it took us over an hour to get through security the first time, and we were starting to board the plane. Fortunately, he got his card back, the woman apologized profusely, and he cut in front of the security line and explained the situation. He made it on to the plane just in the nick of time.

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Wow! This was supposed to be a short post...haha. Anywho...these blunders certainly kept us on our toes. What are the chances that nearly everyone in France speaks english except for the hotel clerk, the pharmacist, and the taxi driver? And that I would get pink eye?!?! We really did have a great time though, in Paris especially. Paris is always a good idea, even if it doesn't like me (last time I broke out in hives for the first time ever). Since we've been there before, we were able to take it really easy this time and just enjoy hanging out together, strolling through the streets of Paris. Getting away from all of the chaos of late was exactly what my lover and I wanted for block leave. 

It wasn't until the end of the trip that either one of us remembered that this means the upcoming deployment is that much closer. It's crazy to think that up until that point neither one of us had really been thinking about it. It almost feels like it's not happening, probably because of all of the date changes. Of course, this just means that it's going to smack me in the face when it starts. I'm going to miss waking up to his handsome face everyday and feeling the warmth of his embrace as each day closes. I'm thankful we had this little getaway...lots more pics and posts to come about the trip and adventures in Italia once I can find a better internet connection for uploading. Stay tuned!!

Sightseeing Trio

I've been lucky enough to have had a little bit of girl time since moving to Italy. So what exactly does girl time consist of in Italy, you ask? Well on special occasions, today being one of those days, it involves Venice & the surrounding islands. And for your viewing pleasure, I quickly grabbed a couple photos from the day to share with you.

My fabulous chickadee Melissa, you may know her as New Girl or my super awesome workout buddy, and I met up with our equally fabulous chickadee Jessica, you may know her as Jesstagirl, in Venice. Venice just so happens to be the midway point between all of us via train. After meeting up we jumped on the vaporetti (water buses) for the long journey to the island of Burano, known for it's colorfully painted homes. It took nearly 2 hours for us to make the 7km journey.

The island is actually itty bitty, but ever so charming. My favorite houses were the magenta, teal, and purple houses. I wonder if my landlord would let me paint our house one of those colors? Probably not. We spent the afternoon exploring, snapping lots of photos along the way, and enjoyed a delicious lunch outside.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the day...

We asked a fellow tourist to take our picture, and I have to say I think it turned out pretty darn cute!

It was a wonderful warm day and we even made it to our train in time after a super speedy walk/jog to the station. I did, however, drop my brand new iPhone in Burano, cracking part of it. All because I was trying to take a darn picture of my sugar deficient treat from the local bakery that I crumbled all over myself. I wanted to cry, but I didn't.

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A few weeks back, the three of us met up in Venice to take in the sights of Carnevale as well. I've been horrible about sorting through pics, thus the delay. So here's a random selection from that day.

The costumes were fantastic. It was even better when people truly embraced their characters. It was, of course, jam packed, but a shutterbug's delight, and they even had a wine fountain. 

I've been very lucky to have had some girl time with these chickadees. 

It's been a welcomed break from the stress of this transition. Unfortunately, I've been spoiled, and my time with Melissa is limited, as she is moving very soon, and Jessica lives about 2 hours away. So I have to enjoy this time while I can. Pretty soon I'm going to be solo in my neck of the woods. I'm not looking forward to that, and sadly meeting new people on post has been a major bust. 

How do you meet new friends when you PCS/move?

10 Years of Wedded Bliss

On this day, 10 years ago, I married my soulmate. It's so weird to be able to say that we've been married for 10 years! I don't feel like we're old enough to have reached this milestone yet. On one hand the time has flown by and I find myself desperate for more time with my lover (darn deployments), and then on the other hand when I look back at the multitude of fabulous memories we've made together, I know that we've had a blessed, exciting, colorful, and full 10 years together. 

It's been a decade of multiple combat deployments, countless schools and training/field problems. Many days, weeks, and months spent apart, but our hearts have always been intertwined through it all. Our love has stood the test of military strains, and the strains of life in general. Reality is always good at throwing a monkey wrench into our love bubble. Fortunately, we have thrived as a couple, discovering a more mature, pure, and passionate love along the way.

We were young and naive, but crazy in love when we promised our hearts to one another forever. Without a doubt, we both didn't fully realize the magnitude of such a promise at the time, but I can say it was the best decision I've ever made, and I know he feels the same way. I wouldn't change a thing about the last decade of our love story. Through the struggles and separations we have found a way to persevere and grow into greater beings contributing to our success as a couple. I know that I wouldn't be the person I am today without the love, support, and partnership of my lover. There's something magical about a love that can make you feel exhilarated & forever young, while also making you feel protected & significant.

Reflecting on the last 10 years of being The Missus, I have an even greater appreciation for this momentous milestone. When I was 18, the life I had envisioned for myself was nothing like the life I have today, and I'm thankful it's not. My life has turned into something far greater than I could've ever imagined. It hasn't been without its challenges, but it's also been filled with extraordinary moments that make my heart swell beyond immeasurable means. 

I'm lucky to have found my soulmate at such a young age. I'm even luckier to be able to say that we're a gazillion times more in love today (that's a lot of love, folks!) than the day we said "I do", and we still have an entire lifetime ahead of us to continue loving and living in one another's arms. It makes me giddy to think that I get to continue making new memories with my best friend, especially knowing that there's an extraordinary amount of fabulosity in store for us.

So it's with an enormous amount of love, gratitude, and pride that I say 

CHEERS TO US!!

Lover of mine, you are still the only one who can make my heart skip a beat!! I can't wait for the new adventures that await us. I love you with every ounce of my being...every moment of forever!!

Vantini Winery

On President's Day, my lover and I took an impromptu trip with friends to a winery near Verona by the name of Vantini. They are known for producing Valpolicella wines; dry, sweet, red, white. My palate leans towards the super sweet variety, although I did give a few of the dry reds a try.

We were graciously greeted by the owner's daughter who educated us on the various wines produced by her family as we sat in an area that closely resembled a family dining atmosphere. She was hilarious and inviting...it was like sitting down with an old friend. We were especially spoiled when she brought out a large sampling of the salami they make on site. I've never been a fan of salami, but I certainly didn't want to come across as rude by not trying it. I took a thin baguette slice, drizzled it with olive oil (also made on site), and placed a paper thin slice of the salami that was marinated in their Amarone wine on top. Oh. my. word. It was SOOO delicious! So much so that we had to buy some. This surprised me immensely. Looks like it's time for me to invest in a deli slicer.

In addition to the indulgent wine & food tasting, we toured the facilities and met the current owner (the founder's grandson). He was rather excited to see my lover, squeezing him to pieces. After a little help with the translation, we learned that he thought my lover bore a striking resemblance to a famous Italian singer. This was incredibly amusing for us, especially considering my lover couldn't possibly look more American, freckles and all.

We had a wonderful time at the winery and definitely plan to go back in the future. For now we grabbed a modest selection of wine and salami to hold us over until the next time we visit the winery.

What types of wine do you prefer?