So, there is something sitting in my kitchen that I’ve bee trying to come to terms with: Nutella.
My sister sent me a jar of Nutella back in February with a note that said “Trust me, you’ll thank me for this” and I just scoffed at the note thinking how crazy she was (and wondering what her ulterior motive was for sending me a jar) How would hazelnut spread change my life? I’ve seen it many times in the blog world about how people are ga-ga for Nutella and how it’s the best thing since sliced bread but I was skeptical since I am not a huge peanut butter fan. On the flip side though, huge fan of the chocolate and hazelnuts.
So, what’s an emotional eating girl who is trying to lose weight do with a full jar of Nutella? Bake brownies with it of course! I had a bbq to go to and instead of bringing my stand by of a six pack of beer, I would do a 180 and bring dessert. I stumbled upon this recipe for Nutella brownies that I saw on Hungry Meets Healthy originally from Chocolate & Carrots featuring only three ingredients : Nutella, eggs and flour.
One last picture with Nutella before we part ways
Now I’ve tried Nutella once or twice before but I don’t remember when exactly. So I took a little spoonful before I got to cooking to see if it was indeed, all that and a bag of chips
The verdict?
Love, indeed. Good thing this jar of Nutella was going to be destroyed in an hour.
I stuck to the original recipe however I also added 1/4 cup chocolate chips (they are like Nutella-something I do not need sitting around in my kitchen) and 1 tbsp cinnamon
I let bake for 20 minutes and attempted to clean my kitchen in the meantime
Sadly, the after picture isn’t much different. Oh, how I long for a bigger kitchen. Who am I kidding, I just want a kitchen with some counter space. I would take just one full countertop at this point.
Shortly after, my little furry friend made an appearance. I guess he smelled the wonderful aroma of Nutella making it’s way through the house?
They were finally done!
Naturally I had to try one or two to make sure they were acceptable, I didn’t want to bring bunk brownies to the bbq. They turned out pretty great….this coming from the girl who cannot make a decent batch of brownies to save her life, of course! They were rich and I like the hint of cinnamon in them but I think I would only be able to down two at the most since they are so rich. They were perfect on their own and would be fabulous crumbled over Greek yogurt or served with ice cream!
What are your favorite ways to use Nutella?For all you Nutella lovers out there, you can enter to win a case of Nutella!
Is there a food that you’re unable to resist and can’t keep in your kitchen?
What’s a single girl to do on Valentine’s Day weekend?
Eat a ridiculous amount of sweets of course.
The madness started on Friday night.
I made mushroom pizza for dinner
It wasn’t huge or anything (that’s what she said) but it was enough to put me to sleep soon after. I woke up at 9pm and wanted to do something but wasn’t in the mood to drink or spend a lot of cash. Enter Amelie’s French Bakery. Amelie’s is a wonderful yep-you guessed it- french bakery and coffee-house here in Charlotte. Not only is that concept itself fabulous but it’s also open 24 hours so that itself makes it one of my favorite spots to go to. Seeing something open 24 hours in this city that isn’t named Waffle House is quite rare. I went there and ordered a Chai Latte and a salted caramel brownie.
I’ve never had one before and it was good but I think it would’ve been better if it was warmed up a bit. The Chai was one of the best I’ve ever had and it was nice to relax with some sweet stuff and a hot beverage while catching up on blogs. I felt like such a hipster but hipster sans fedora.
On Saturday, I was driving through downtown Fort Mill. When I heard Fort Mill had a downtown, I was surprised to hear since I’ve never heard anything going on there. I stumbled upon Krystal’s Eat’s & Sweets
When I saw the name Eats & Sweets, I was instantly intrigued since I like eats and I like sweets. I was in the mood for a drink so I went in and found a cozy, local establishment. Krystal’s has breakfast and lunch items that are the eats and then delectable goodies such as truffles, cupcakes, cakes, cookies, etc that complete the sweets end of the name.
When I walked in I saw Oreo and peanut butter truffles, rice krispie treats and chocolate covered strawberries along with trays of cookies and cupcakes behind the counter. I grabbed a hot tea (various Celestial Seasonings bags) for only $1.25 and decided I should try some truffles since I like to support local establishments and didn’t want to be cheap and only buy a drink. And then I grabbed a rice krispie treat because you know…..supporting local business! The truffles were absolutely amazing and pretty cheap—3 for $2. My bill came to just over three bones, can’t beat that!
The rice krispie treat sucked–it was hard as a rock (that’s what she said again–cmon too good to pass up) but the truffles were out of this world! I even liked the peanut butter ones and if you know, you know am not a huge pb fan.
Another thing adding to the sweet factor? A cute Valentine’s Day package from my sister.
Fannie May’s—my favorite!!!
Some Nutella–since I’ve never owned a jar I’m looking forward to experimenting with it. I love the note on the container…..
Seriously, how sweet of a package is that?
I made some cupcakes for my assistant and a thank you for all the hard work she does.
The frosting ended up in here
Frosting is my kryptonite so it was absolutely necessary that it went in the trash instead of lurking in my fridge because one of these days I will come home stressed from work, grab a spoon and go to town on that can.
I had other things to do after that, like fixing my bed…again.
This bed is really starting to get on my last nerve. Even Lincoln doesn’t want to jump on the bed, he knows something is up and that it’s faulty.
And since it’s Valentine’s Day and all, I serenaded my bed with a little Al Green
Seriously, can you please stay together shitty Ikea bed??
So I think it’s sturdy for now but I guess we will see how long that lasts. I am not wanting to fix this on a weekly basis.
Afterwards, I went to Panera to get some lunch and free wi-fi. I always order the same thing at Panera but switched it up today–I got the french onion soup and mediterranean veggie sandwich since it’s meatless Monday and all.
I really enjoyed this combo! The sandwich was fresh and fantastic with a good amount of basil and feta. If you have both of those, you win my heart. I really enjoyed the french onion soup as well, instead of having the entire cup covered with a piece of bread and cheese, it was covered with bits of cheese and croutons.
I went to the gym afterwards and a very productive workout. I did 45 minutes on the Precor AMT then did lower body sets (leg press, seated leg curls, hip adduction/abduction, leg extension)
Then I came home and hung out with my Valentine
It was such a gorgeous day out—65 and sunny, just like spring! It was nice to have the windows open and get some fresh air in the house, it reminded me that spring is near. I don’t mind spring at all–if it was 65 and sunny year round I would be happy girl but when it gets into the 80’s and 90’s is when I get irritable.
I made baked spaghetti for dinner.
I started off cooking spinach and leftover mushrooms from yesterday in extra virgin olive oil with garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes
I cooked four servings os thin spaghetti earlier today and microwaved that with vodka sauce for a few minutes in the microwave
Added half a can of tomatoes and chopped parsleyand 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella to the spinach and mushrooms
The only measuring cup I had, was not trying to be cute with the hearts...
Why hello colors of the Italian flag!
Added the spaghetti to the spinach mix
Then transfer into a casserole dish
Top with more mozzarella cheese (about 1/3 cup) and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees
This was enough for dinner tonight plus three other meals this week and it freezes well-holla.
Great Harvest Rosemary Garlic bread
And apparently, I need to get my booty up to Boston–it’s the top city for single women-go Boston, it’s your birthday! Pittsburgh is also on the list which is positive since that’s one of the front-runners for cities I am going to next.
What’s your kryptonite? Any creative ideas of what to do with Nutella? Recipe wise, not kinky wise…..
Simply Shaka 