APRIL FOOLS!

Ahh.. April Fools day again, and my husband always seems to get me.. I mean it's not to hard to do! I will be on my toes and wondering what he will come up with this year. I used to pull the "I'm pregnant!," but after 5 times of being the real thing, it's doesn't really get much of a response anymore. Now, I don't even go there! Even though, when we got married, six was the number we came up with.. I was always a fan of the Brady Bunch, I know, I know, it was 3 from him and 3 from her, but all in all it was 6 and they were the best  TV family, besides the Cosby's of course! I probably could still watch the re runs of both those shows, LOVE THEM!   How did this post go from April fools to  TV families, I am rambling, and I will stop NOW! Now onto CUPCAKES!

Here is my April Fools day joke to my kids.. Enjoy!!!! and have a fun day!

Trendy Tuesday!

I have tried so many different brands of hair care products. I am not going to bore you with the list, but you name it, I've tried it. From  Redken to TIGI to Pureology to Phytologie and everything in between  Kerastase is by FAR my favorite in hair care products.

This new Kerastase Chroma Sensitive Shampoo is the first anti fading cleansing balm to cleanse the hair without washing away color. It is a low foaming shampoo and you alternate it with your other  kerastase shampoo. It is sulfate-free, paraben- free and silicone- free. Safe for Brazilian Keratin Clients because it is sulfate free. Preserve your color and highlights, try it, you will love it. Your hair will have never been so soft!
of nsitive is the 1st anti-fading cleansing balm to wash hair without washing away 
Chroma Sensitive is an ultra-gentle, low-foaming creamy formula that reduces friction on the hair fiber, keeping the surface smooth

Kerastase is a high end hair care line, and worth every penny.  It is sold exclusively in high end hair salons and online at www.kerastase.com.

www.kindleandboom.com if you are in the area, stop by.. we are happy to assist you as to what products are best suited for you!

Bachelor friendly Tortellini Soup

I have been making this soup for years, it is really simple, all you do is pop open some cans.  I call it "bachelor" friendly because even a college guy could whip it up!  If you own a can opener and a saute pan, and of course a knife, you got it made!

Even if you can't cook, won't cook or don't like to cook, I think you can handle this soup. It is really healthy with lots of vegetables and good protein from the beans. A little tip, I add a little bit ( a cup or so) more broth, because otherwise it is a little thick. This is a great soup for a luncheon with some warm crusty bread, or to take to someone who just had a baby, or someone who is not feeling that great. How about surprising your roomate, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend or wife who thinks you can't cook... they will be pleasantly surprised!

Trendy Tuesday!

Hey Everyone, I know Bliss n Tell is mainly a food blog, but I have decided to make on day a week my "Trendy Tuesday" and feature one item that I enjoy and hope my readers will too!

My first post is of a concealer that I enjoy. It is mommy's little helper concealer from mommy makeup. Much like many mom's I almost never get a night of uninterrupted sleep.  Some nights are better than others but almost always someone has a bad dream, a tummy ache, hears something, you name it, it's always something, and when there is a thunderstorm, you can count on one or two of them coming in my bed, so that means curling up on the side of the bed with a foot in my back! That doesn't make for such a restful sleep! So, here is mommy's little helper in the morning, no, not a glass of wine.. LOL, it's a concealer and an eye shadow base, and cover up all in one! It is long wearing ( we all need that for those long days with kids) it glides on beautifully and never looks heavy and it is oil free, and it smells like baby powder! Try it and tell me what you think!

Mommy Makeup Mommy's Little Helper Concealer - Best Price

Chocolate Dreams

It is Cake Slice Time again! February seemed to fly by and here we are already toward the end of March, that much closer to Spring! Yea! This month the cake slice bakers and I were baking a Chocolate cream cake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman. The batter smelled amazing, very chocolatey! When I baked this cake, I kept checking it because I didn't want to over bake it, I'm always trying to prevent a dry cake... it took a long time to bake, a little more than 1 hour and 10 minutes, and still the toothpick didn't come out clean. Also, the cake made a thick crust on top, as you can see from the pictures. Overall, I did enjoy this cake and think you will too-- I made some whipped cream with cocoa. But, some vanilla ice cream would be nice as well. ENJOY!

Chocolate Cream Cake

Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)
Ingredients
6 tbsp unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
¼ cup heavy cream
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup (1stick) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Heat the oven to 325F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
Sift the cocoa powder into a heatproof bowl. Place the cream in a microwavable bowl and heat for 30-60 seconds until just boiling. Pour the hot cream over the cocoa and stir and mash with a spoon to make a thick paste. Set aside to cool.
Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bow once or twice as necessary. Beat in the cocoa powder paste until smooth.
With the mixer on medium-low speed add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. Add the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right side up on the rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

St. Patty's Day!

Happy St. Patty's day! Are you making Corned Beef and cabbage? I grew up eating it every St. Patricks Day, and always looked forward to it, and now my husband and kids look forward to it too. It is a true Irish tradition. I slow cook it all day along with potatoes and carrots.. yum! I also have a loaf of beer bread baking in the oven, delish!


Dinner aside, I wanted to share a few treats with you, sure for kids to enjoy and adults too!




Lucky Lime Float
Scoop lime sherbet into a mug and add 7Up. Garnish with whipped cream, green sugar sprinkles, and a perfect cherry on top.
Leprechaun Ale
Similar to the Lucky Lime Float, scoop lime sherbet into a mug and pour ginger ale over it. This is an especially tasty treat if you coat the glass rim in green sugar first, margarita style.
Irish Mint Float
Scoop mint chocolate chip ice cream into a glass and fill with milk. Top with whipped cream and green sugar sprinkles and a perfect cherry.
Grasshopper
 equal parts green creme de menthe, white creme de cacao, and light cream.



Have a lot of luck today!

Leprechaun Bark

your home based mom

14 mint oreo cookies broken into pieces

1 1/2 cup broken pretzels

1 pound white melting chocolate

m & m's ( i didn't have any)

sprinkles

Cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper.  Spread broken cookes, pretzels and about 3/4 C of the M & M's onto the waxed paper.  Place white chocolate in a container and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.  Stir and then microwave for another 30 seconds until melted and smooth.  White chocolate melts faster and burns easier than chocolate.

after this pour the white chocolate ( sorry no pic for this step.. oops)

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookie mixture, spreading with spatula if needed to coat evenly.  Sprinkle remaining M & M's and colored sprinkles over the chocolate while it is still wet.  Do not let it harden. 

 Place cookie tray into refrigerator until set and firm.  Remove and gently break bark into small pieces.  Store in air tight container.

Rich Banana Bread

If there is one thing I make quite often, it's Banana Bread or Banana muffins. My whole family loves it and its a quick and nutritious breakfast for them. A have a favorite banana muffin recipe, a favorite banana chocolate chip bread recipe  and I was looking for another "plain" banana bread recipe. So, I came across this one and decided to give it a try. I added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg because the recipe does not call for that and I feel those are staple flavors that should be in a banana bread recipe. Okay, I have said banana 8 times in this post!!  However, I have to say it one more time--- Make sure your banana's are ripe, that means BLACK people! Or else, you will not get the great flavor, and it will taste like much of nothing!
 Thanks to Lisa from Sweet as Sugar Cookies to feature Bliss n Tell and my Rich Banana Bread in her Sweets for a Saturday!

Stylish Blog Award and some Brownie White Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was good, despite the fact that I had two sick kids on my hands. I swear, I think the kids  are passing things back and forth because, this is the second time my littlest son has had croup in 6 weeks and in between  he has had bronchitis and then my daughter had bronchitis! I really can't wait to be germ free, no snot, no coughs,  no sore throats, no nothing... we had a healthy fall and early winter but since mid January it has been rough! Spring can't come fast enough!

On a happy note, I was thrilled to be awarded a Stylish Blog award by Calamity Kate! Thanks you so much Kate, it means a lot to me! Check out Kate's blog, it is GREAT!

And with this blog award requires 7 things about me so here go's...

1. 1. my husband is a hairdresser, I met him when I was 19, at the salon--but he was not my hairdresser at that time..   it didn't take long for that to change, 5 kids and 15 years later!
2. I have been doing Yoga for 16 years (off and on of course) and love it,  Namaste!
3. I read only cookbooks, cooking magazines and of course some gossip mag's, oh we can't forget Fancy Nancy and my younger kids book report books!!
4. I once met Josh Duhamel, when he was playing "Leo" on All my Children..  WAY before Fergie came along!! I had  have a  HUGE crush,  that was the best day :) 
5. I've always wanted to live in California
6. Even though I have seen it 50x, I still cry at... Dirty Dancing! I know it's weird, but I love that movie --" Nobody puts Baby in the corner!" R.I.P Patrick Swayze, and let's raise awareness for Pancreatic Cancer, my mom died of that horrible cancer ten years ago , she was 55 : (
7. I love The Real Housewives, ( OC, Beverly Hills and NJ-- whoot whoot) Keeping up with the Kardashians and Tori and Dean, It's makes folding laundry at night so much more enjoyable!

alright, I'm done.. now onto Chocolate!!!

The girl scout cookies are back!

It's that time again... girl scout cookies are here! I know one thing, I am so glad these little girls only sell these cookies once a year. My husband bought 14 boxes this year, yes, you read that right 14 boxes. Most of which are samoas and thin mints of course. Thin mints in the freezer, yumm.. that is the best way to eat them!  I like to add a few boxes of the trefoils to the mix, I like to have them with my tea, but also, from a bakers perspective, they make a great base for a pie crust or other baking adventures. Which, brings me to this recipe.. a Trefoil Toffee.. I always like to make a toffee or a bark of some sort. It is a great treat to have around when company is coming. I read this recipe and thought..  brown sugar, chocolate, butter,  and  Trefolis, this is going to be a winner!  I cut the recipe in half because when I went to go make it,  more than half of  the box was already gone! Also, I  left out the nuts per the kids request :)

 If you are looking to use up some leftover girl scout cookies, you may have found  your yearly toffee recipe!

Trefoil Toffee

Recipe by Jennifer Laszlo

1/2 box Trefoils
1 c. Butter
1 c. Brown Sugar
12 oz. Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 c. Chopped Nuts

Line a 9 x13"  baking dish with aluminum foil and grease with butter or margarine.  Place a single layer of whole trefoils across the bottom of the prepared dish. In a saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring.  Continue to boil for 3 minutes.

  Slowly pour the syrup over the trefoils and spread gently to coat completely.

spread it out so it covers the cookies

  Bake at 350 for 7 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

sprinkle

When the chips  have melted, spread the chocolate evenly over the top. Sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate until complete cool and set, then break into pieces.

spread

serve!