Food processor fans, meet your new favorite dessert. This entire recipe is created in a food processor. One bowl prep. You can’t beat it!

Also, apparently I’m on a cheesecake kick - which I am not going to be ashamed of.

For the Super Bowl, I made these Chocolate Cheesecake Squares to share with friends. They have a traditional chocolate cheesecake taste but are lighter in texture than your typical cheesecake. An Oreo cookie crust serves as the base and semi-sweet chocolate chips round out the top.

Since I was taking these bars to a party, I doubled the recipe and made two batches. However, I would recommend making two separate batches instead of just doubling the ingredients.

The recipe can be found over on Martha Stewart’s site (where else, right?).

The texture is different, with the graham cracker “crust” on top in loose crumbs, but that doesn’t stop them from tasting awesome. You can add fruit preserves, or not. I’m not a huge fan of fruit with my cheesecake so I made these both ways. They were both great! You can also make the cheesecake portion ahead and add the preserves and crumbs when you’re ready to serve.

You can find the recipe over on Martha Stewart’s site and take a look at my photos below.

Sources: Placemats and LOVE blocks – Target; Resealable Glass Jars – Weck; I ♥ You Tag – PaperSource; Bud Vases – Crate and Barrel

- Paul Child, to Julia

America’s most romantic holiday is upon us. I love Valentine’s Day – I always have. The pinks, reds, and whites. The chocolate. The love. All of it.

The first 24 of my life, I didn’t really have a “valentine.” Now I do. It’s fun, to be sure. But I have some great memories of Valentine’s Day as a kid.

My parents would always give my sister and I small Valentine’s gifts in the morning before we left for school on February 14. Sometimes it was candy or a little stuffed animal. But one year, we got those mini-backpack purses that were SUPER popular in the early-to-mid nineties. You know the ones with the brown suede bottoms? Oh, yeah. We were so excited and totally in heaven, and even now, that remains one of my favorite memories of Valentine’s Day – and of my childhood in general.

The most fun part of Valentine’s Day though, is the cards. My tastes have evolved a bit over the years and even though I’ll always love the tear-away rectangular throwback Care Bear cards, here are a few of my favorites for this year:

You Are the Salt to My Pretzel, by hellosmallworld, $4

Multi Colored Hearts Stationery, by PaperSource, $9 for 10

Valentine’s Day Postcards, by Rifle Paper Co, $10 for 10

11-Jan-12

This adorable green and white elephant version would be great in a nursery or kid’s playroom. By aletafae.

Navy and white is timeless, and the lattice pattern makes it modern. By anitascasa.

West Elm’s square version is perfect as a makeshift table and the gray and white offers a neutral option.

If I had a dollar for every time I tried to give up chocolate, my 401K would be quite lined. Alas, I still eat it – probably every day. And brownies are one my favorite ways to get my fix.

Brownies are so versatile. You can substitute any type of “chip” (milk, butterscotch, peanut butter, white, etc) for the dark chocolate in this recipe. Use your imagination or whatever you happen to have on hand the day you make these.

The recipe I use is adapted from Martha Stewart’s Double-Chocolate Brownies, found here.

Ingredients:: 

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup 60% semisweet chocolate baking chips
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
• 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan by coating it with cooking spray. Optional: Line the pan with parchment paper if you wish.
2. Put butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a heatproof medium bowl, set over a pan of simmering water; stir until butter and chocolate are melted. Let cool slightly.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; set aside.
4. Beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out brownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Many years ago – ok, three years ago – I went out on my very first date with my husband. He took me to a fantastic upscale Southern restaurant, Jackson 20. The food is excellent, but what I love is that they have these really fun, really heavy-weight, pig napkin rings. About a year ago, I got it in my head that I would like some of my own, but didn’t buy any.

What did I find underneath the Christmas tree this year? Eight little perfect pigs – in the form of napkin rings! Expect to see these guys gracing future S&B posts. You can find some for your own home on eBay or antique websites.

The past year just flew by and there were so many important events. This year is another big year for me and I want to be sure to capture more of that. Husband and I will be moving into a new apartment this spring, we’re taking a pretty big trip this summer, we will celebrate two years of marriage, our little puppy will turn 1, my niece will turn 1, one of my best friends is getting married, and that’s just the first half of the year!

With all that said, here we go!

Paper Source

Some calendars have lots of space for writing. Some are funny, some thought-provoking. Big, small, desk-size. There’s something for everyone.

But my favorite calendar is pure pretty. The best part about the Paper Source Wall Art Calendar ($30) is that it can be recycled and reused for cool stuff like notecards and gift boxes.

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