A Magically Italian Dessert

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. Bombolini

Being the Disney fanatic and dessert fanatic that I am, trying new restaurants at the Walt Disney World Resort is always something I get excited about. A new Italian restaurant calle Trattoria Al Forno was introduced to the Boardwalk Resort last year, and some friends and I decided to check it out. Everyone's food received excellent reviews. In fact, they were so good that we were not planning on ordering dessert (I know, crazy!). Well, it's like the manager knew us so well and knew that we would love to even further indulge in the amazing food, so she brought us 2 dessert specialties to try. Like one of my brothers used to say, "We have an extra belly for dessert!", and before we knew it, the plates were licked clean. The first dessert was the Cannoli Pizzelle, a decadent pastry shell filled with chocolate and pistachio cream. The crunchiness of the shell and smoothness of the cream combined to create such a great texture that each bite just melted in your mouth, and the cream wasn't too sweet but light and airy. WOW! The second dessert was the restaurant's signature dessert, the Bombolini. Don't you love it already? How fun of a word is that?! Small, fluffy doughnuts are rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with dark chocolate sauce, vanilla gelato, and berries. I could have had 10 more servings of these tiny bites of Heaven. Thanks for a magical evening, Trattoria Al Forno! We hope you stay at the Boardwalk Resort for years to come!

Sweets from Ireland

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. Irish Sweets

St. Patrick's Day has got to be one of my favorite holidays. My Grandmother was born and raised in Ireland, so carrying on the heritage was always a priority for her after moving to The States. She would tell us stories about her childhood time and time again that it felt like we lived those stories with her, and about a year and a half ago my family got to relive those stories when we visited Ireland and the town that she grew up in. It was so special. Because of the way that dual citizenship works in Ireland, I was able to apply for it and submitted all of my paperwork the week before last, so I am just waiting to hear if I was accepted. I am thrilled to have done this and be able to say that I am a citizen of the country that meant so much to my Grandmother, to my family, and to me. 

To connect us further with our Irish culture, a few of my cousins and I Irish step dance (like Riverdance and Lord of the Dance) and have competed in it all over the country throughout our childhood. I still have the privilege of Irish dancing with a very talented band here in Central Florida that had a full line up of gigs last week to celebrate St. Paddy's Day, one of a which was a Celtic Festival in the beautiful city of St. Augustine. Thousands of people came to celebrate the Irish culture. One of the things that I just had to get my hands on was some delicious Irish dessert- shortbread! I was looking for a very specific vendor whose shortbread cookies are as big as my fist and topped with homemade fudge, and thankfully I found them! Nothing beats ending the night after our last gig with a cup of tea and this delicious shortbread creation. Made from sugar, butter, and flour, shortbread is a not-too-sweet dessert that holds its thick and dense shape very well making it great for dipping into tea. Although it holds its shape, it is not crunchy by any means and, in fact, melts in your mouth making it easy to enjoy its rich flavor.

I knew my Grandmother was with me in spirit this St. Patrick's Day as she has been for the past few St. Patrick's Days, and I can't wait until next year when America focuses so much on the wonderful Irish culture again!

All the Butterbeer

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. Butterbeer

We recently went to Universal Studios to visit the new Harry Potter section of the park- Diagon Alley. For those of you who are not Harry Potter fans, this is still something I would highly recommend you visit if you ever find yourself in the Orlando area. The architecture, design, and technology that it encompasses is nothing short of incredible. For those of you who are Harry Potter fans, I know I don't need to convince you that you should go. 

Although I was excited to go on the new attraction, the thing I was most excited about is the various types of butterbeer they offer. Butterbeer is like an even sweeter and, therefore, tastier cream soda without the carbination, and they used to offer the beverage in a slushie form or drink form. (My favorite was the drink form because it was sweeter!) With the new section of the park opening, they expanded on their butterbeer menu! They now offer a butterbeer flavored soft serve ice cream as well as a hot butterbeer drink. Both of them were amazing! The ice cream had that lovely texture of soft serve ice cream but had the rims of every swirl coated in delicious butterbeer flavored sweetness. The hot drink was served just like hot cocoa and was absolutely irresistible. Thank you Universal Orlando for thinking of my sweet tooth with your park expansion!

Remember when I made butterbeer cupcakes? Check them out here! I just can't get enough of the delicious taste, and to think that it doesn't even have any chocolate in it... You know it must be good then!

Sipping on that delicious hot butterbeer

Hot butterbeer

Butterbeer ice cream

The Sweet Bread Bowl

Maniac Mondays: Challenge- Girl Vs. Bread Pudding

I just love a night out on the town with friends. The beautiful historic area of Downtown Winter Garden is where we find ourselves quite often. We love the ice cream shop (have you seen my video on it? Click here!), the Farmer's Market, the theater, and all of the restaurants down there. We recently went to Urban Flats for Trivia Night and dinner. One of our friends could be considered a walking encyclopedia and knows a ton of random facts often found as answers to Trivia Night questions, so as long as he is there, our team has a fighting chance. (Thanks Evan!) After a delicious meal of flatbreads, we were all pretty full until the waitress uttered 2 words: bread pudding. Suddenly we all got a little hungrier, and our sweet tooths were in full gear. Each of the 3 couples ordered one, and good thing because they each were heaping bowls of warm, doughy bread doused in a sweet and cinnamony cream sauce, drizzled with caramel, and topped generously with whipped cream. Each bite just melted in your mouth. What a perfect end to a fun night out with friends!

Check out more of Urban Flats in Downtown Winter Garden at their Facebook page here!

The KING CAKE is Coming!

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. The King

Tomorrow is "Fat Tuesday", the day before the season of Lent begins where fasting and sacrifice are practiced. If people are going to be tested to give something up that they love for the entire 40 days, they get one last hoo-rah of indulging, hence the name Fat Tuesday. 

The Mardi Gras season brings a lot of fun things in New Orleans such as parades with huge floats all decked out in a specific theme and extravagant balls where thousands of people attend. Some friends and I went to visit a good friend who grew up in New Orleans and would be able to show us the culture better than anyone. We had an amazing time. The food was to die for and unlike anything I have eaten anywhere else. I would go back again just for the food (and to see my friend, of course!). 

While in NOLA (as the natives call it) our friend, Lauren, also introduced us to the widely popular Mardi Gras tradition of King Cake. If you have not tried King Cake before, think of it as the King of cinnamon rolls, but better. She recently came to visit Florida for a friend's wedding and stayed at my house, and she was so sweet to bring a gift of gratitude- a King Cake! I was so excited. This one came from one of her favorite bakeries in the heart of New Orleans, Caluda's (find more information on that here). The box it was in was humongous, and I could hardly wait to dig it. THEN my friend tells me that this isn't just any King Cake, it is a King Cake STUFFED with COOKIE DOUGH! Could it get any better? That's not where the fun ends, though. Another unique feature of these cakes is that there is a small plastic doll baked into the cake somewhere. The tradition is that whoever finds the hidden baby (signifying baby Jesus) must bring a King Cake to the next social gathering, and it has been my mission to find the baby in every cake I eat. If that means eating more than a single serving, then so be it! This cake was so delicious, and we got to enjoy it over the course of a few days. Because you are probably in suspense right now, I will tell that I did find the baby Jesus in this cake despite everyone's efforts to steal my moment from me. We are planning a trip to NOLA next year during the Mardi Gras season, and I can't wait to take part in this fun King Cake tradition again!

All the way from New Orleans!

Look at those layers of sweet dough, cookie dough, cinnamon, and frosting!

I found the tiny baby Jesus

Lollicakes

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. Cake Pops

I have a very special relationship with my mom. We never went through the typical I-hate-my-mom-because-I-am-a-teenager phase, talked nearly every day when I was in college, and still talk nearly every day despite our busy lives. Beyond the mother-daughter relationship we have, I consider her one of my best friends as well. We both felt like we needed some girl time recently and decided to plan a weekend where we leave our wonderful husbands behind and pamper ourselves, and that we did! We went to a lovely little Bed and Breakfast that is situated right on the Gulf of Mexico, and our room had an excellent view of that beautiful ocean and was just footsteps away. We watched chick flicks, laid out on the beach, walked up and down the coast, ate some delicious and fresh seafood, and of course had to indulge ourselves in chocolate. Did I mention that I get my chocolate obsession from her? Put the 2 of us together, and we need more chocolate than some bakeries are capable of holding.

My mom stopped on her way up at a bakery in Sarasota called The Lollicake Queen and picked up a variety of cake pops for us to sample. We had cookies and cream, pumpkin, and of course, chocolate chocolate. Do I really need to say which one was our favorite? It was a very close competition though! Each cake pop was perfectly shaped on top of a stick, coated in candy coating, and drizzled with a fun design that almost made them too cute to eat (emphasis on the almost). You have got to check this place out! Click here to go to the website and see what awesome things they have to offer.

After eating all of the cake pops on our first night, we both woke up the next morning wanting to go for a walk/run on the beach. You can't beat a morning sunrise over the ocean to motivate you to get moving and balance out those sweet treats! I can't wait for our next girls weekend :)

Cookies and Cream!

Pumpkin! 

Chocolate chocolate!

Our delicious dinner

Inside of the lobby

Our spectacular view

Epcot Dessert Challenge

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. Epcot Desserts

One of my dear friends is getting married in January, so some of us bridesmaids threw her a bachelorette/bridal shower weekend extravaganza this past weekend. It was great to meet the other bridesmaids and all spend time together celebrating Diane and her soon-to-be big day! One of Diane's favorite things has always been, is, and always will be Walt Disney World, so we decided to spend day 1 of the festivities at Epcot visiting the featured countries and trying some of their delicious food and drink offerings. We visited Germany, Italy, and France, and although we were getting plenty of drinks for the bachelorette, I was the designated driver so decided to get plenty of desserts along our way. It gave me the idea to take on a Disney Dessert Challenge which would involve visiting all of the food and beverage locations across the Walt Disney World Resort and sample their dessert items. Talk about combining 2 of my favorite things- Disney and dessert! 

The German bakery features cases upon cases of various desserts all of which incorporate their homemade Werther's caramel. I had a hard time making my selection, but I ended up choosing a caramel filled milk chocolate square. Its creamy chocolate melted in my mouth after each bite, and the caramel was sweet and gooey. Thank goodness it was so big because I did not want the delicious taste to end! We, then, made our way to Italy where we ordered a dessert shooter with the flavorings of Nutella and Raspberry. Although this dessert was tiny and held in a shot glass, it was so elegant and rich in flavor. Next we visited France, and although we were planning on going to the bakery, we could not bypass the crepes stand out front! We got ordered a chocolate crepe which was made to order. The sweet chocolate poured out of the thin, sweet layers of dough, and the flavor made me feel like I was actually back in the country of France. Then we made our way back to the bakery which features an assortment of gelato and macaroons. Since we couldn't decide if we wanted gelato or a macaroon, they made our decision easy and offered a scoop of gelato sandwiched between 2 macaroons. We ordered one chocolate and one pumpkin flavor, and both were the perfect combination of crunchy macaroon and smooth gelato. The taste was so good that it didn't matter that we were eating a cold dessert on a colder night!

We ended our evening with Epcot's beautiful fireworks show, Illuminations: Reflection of Earth, and I think it was safe to say that the bride-to-be weekend was off to a great start!

German bakery featuring Werther's caramel

Thick caramel surrounded by milk chocolate

Italian nutella and raspberry dessert shooter

The classic chocolate French crepe

French gelato macaroon sandwiches in chocolate and pumpkin

Half Birthday Celebration

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. Half Birthday Cake

Thanks to the Disney Classic Alice in Wonderland, celebrating a "very merry unbirthday" is totally acceptable. Now, although 364 days each year are technically our "unbirthdays" there is one of those days that warrants an even bigger celebration... YOUR HALF BIRTHDAY! 6 months have passed since the celebration of growing 1 year older with family and friends, and it is only another 6 months until you get to have another great celebration! Therefore, half birthdays are a pretty big deal. I have been trying to tell my loving mother of this fact for nearly my entire childhood and time so far into adulthood, but she just hasn't been able to understand the significance. Well, lucky for me, I was able to clearly convey the big deal status of half birthdays to my husband, and he went ALL OUT this year on my half birthday. On October 29, 2014, I came home to my all-time favorite cake- Publix's chocolate cake with chocolate pudding in between the layers and chocolate fudge frosting. This cake is bursting with chocolate flavor, so it comes as no surprise that it is my favorite cake in the entire world. The fun didn't stop there, though. While visiting the Publix bakery, he explained to the bakers the nature of the occasion, and they helped him create an AWESOME cake design that truly showcased my special day. They cut the cake in half and only decorated one half of the cake. Instead of saying "Happy Birthday Jackie", it said "Hap Birth Jac". I laughed out loud so hard and was smiling from ear to ear. We had a lovely celebration. Thanks for your help and creativity, Publix, and thanks for the great celebration, babe! Mom, don't worry, your real birthday celebrations have made up for the lack of half birthday celebrations, and I still love you very very much ;)

First Date Memories

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. Nob Hill Chill

Seth and I are celebrating our 2 year anniversary today! Wow, how time flies... Before the celebration festivities begin, though, I can't help but reflect on our very first date. Before he really knew me inside and out, it's like he already knew how to win me over. He suggested that we go to Ghirardelli to get ice cream. How could I say no to that? We laugh at that evening all of the time because it was SO COLD (for all of you northerners who question if Floridians know what "cold" really means, I would venture to say that even you would think it was cold), and there were no available seats inside, so we decided to eat our ICE CREAM OUTSIDE in the COLD WEATHER. Nerves were running wild, so neither of us wanted to suggest an alternative location for our date that evening. Who knew that evening would be the beginning of our crazy life adventure?

In honor of our very first date which has led us to where we are today, I present to you one of Ghirardelli's finest new menu additions- The Nob Hill Chill. This is a dessert you can sip, but it is most definitely NOT your average sundae. They melt down their rich chocolate to form a thick hot fudge, then blend that with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream. They, then, top the sundae with MORE chocolate chips for a decadent beverage full of flavor. I guess to make it richer, you have to make it hotter before you blend it. What a great discovery! You have got to get over there and try one for yourself.

Sunday Sweet Breakfast

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. Breakfast

I usually start my day off in the healthiest way and save my sweet tooth cravings for later on in the evening. Well, sometimes your routine just needs to be shaken up a bit! Does anyone seem to crave those big homemade breakfasts on Sundays just like from when you were a kid? We went out to breakfast on a Sunday recently with some friends, and those comfort breakfast foods were all that I could seem to think about. There is a great place that serves meals all day, but breakfast there is definitely my favorite. Marketstreet Cafe in the quaint downtown area of Celebration, FL is situated right across from the lake, and people can be seen walking their dogs, riding their bikes, and just enjoying the friendliness that the town of Celebration brings (how can it bring anything but good with a name like that?) French toast has always been a breakfast favorite of mine, and what was that that I saw on the menu? "French toast dipped in a cinnamon batter served with strawberries, maple syrup, and brown sugar"? I think I'll have that please! Piled high on my plate were not 1, not 2, but 3 slices of French toast with those 3 promised add-ons in individual side containers so you could add as much or as little of each as you'd like. The thickness of the bread was able to absorb so much flavor from the strawberries, and each bite melted in your mouth. It was a bit of a struggle to finish near the end, but it was so beautifully prepared and so delicious that there was no way I was finishing until that plate was clean. What a wonderful time with great friends on a nice Florida morning!

Check out Marketstreet Cafe in Celebration, FL for yourself by clicking here!

Partnering Restaurants

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. Frosting Sandwich

Earl of Sandwich is one of my favorite sandwich restaurants. Their bread is made fresh, and each bite reaffirms that as the warm dough just melts in your mouth. There are tons of different menu items that combine meats, veggies, and sauces for a new delicious taste each time you go, and you cannot beat the price. Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop is one of my favorite dessert restaurants. With the richest fudge, creamiest ice cream, and homemade whipped cream, each sundae is to die for bite after bite. Both of these favorites of mine used to be in walking distance from where I worked, so it was always a constant test of my will power. Why am I talking about theses restaurants though? Well, these companies teamed up to create what has become one of my favorite desserts ever. What happens when you combine the sandwich concept of Earl of Sandwich with the chocolate flavors of Ghirardelli? You get a mouth-watering frosting brownie sandwich composed of huge dollop of either chocolate, vanilla, or peanut butter frosting smooshed between 2 large, dense, and rich Ghirardelli brownies. I would venture to say that I have found my favorite sandwich. If I absolutely had to pick, I would say that my favorite of the 3 sandwich flavors would be the vanilla frosting brownie sandwich, but I will gladly opt for one of the other 2 flavors if vanilla is not available. You really can't go wrong! This concept has inspired me to make my own version at home, but nothing will be like what these 2 companies have been able to create. YUM!

New Twists on a Classic

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. Peppermint Patties

We all have our favorite childhood treat, right? That special candy that always stares you in the face when you are about to check-out at the store. For me, that treat is the York Peppermint Pattie. The smooth dark chocolate that surrounds the creamy minty inside is second to none when it comes to peppermint flavored candies, and if it stayed in its classic form forever, I would still buy it in 100 years. Wait, a minute, though, what's that on the shelf? "Minis" or unwrapped tiny York peppermint patties packaged together? The same delicious flavor packed into bite-sized toss-in-your-mouth candies? This is genius and makes it the perfect on-the-go candy option! Of course, I had to try them out. The verdict- so sweet and tasty, just like I expected. Wait, but what's that other thing on the shelf? York Peppermint Pretzel Sandwich Dips or bite-sized York peppermint cream smooshed between 2 round pretzels and dipped in dark chocolate? This is ALSO genius and makes another perfect on-the-go snack option! These were the perfect combination of sweet and salty and left me hoping the bag would never run out. I love the creativity that has gone into keeping this classic favorite new and exciting. I still love the original, but these other options leave me wondering if I'll ever be tempted by another childhood favorite of mine at the check-out line anymore... Wait, are those unwrapped mini Reese's peanut butter cups?!

Spreadable Cookie

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. Cookie Butter

There are some things in your pantry and refrigerator that you always have on hand since they're used for so many things on a regular basis. These might include eggs, salt, milk, flour, butter... Hmm, that last one though, butter... Used for spreading on toast, spreading on corn, spreading on pancakes, it is an essential final step for a lot of food that we love, right? It's already so good, but how can it be even better? Make it cookie flavored! We celebrated a friend's birthday last month, and it was potluck style, so everyone brought a little something to share with everyone. One of my friends had stopped at the new Trader Joe's and picked up 2 jars of cookie butter for the party, 1 flavored "Cookie and Cocoa Swirl" and the other the original "Cookie Butter", and he paired it with small cookie crackers. I think I stared at the jars for a few seconds with my jaw dropped almost in disbelief that something as genius as this existed. Starting with the original, I dunked a cookie cracker in and got a generous portion of cookie butter for my first try. It was thick, creamy, sweet but not overbearingly sweet, and had a very distinct cookie flavor. I, of course, had to sample the other kind as well, and it was even better than the original (in my opinion) because it had rich stripes of fudge throughout! My friends started to join in on the fun, and we ended up finding the best pairing for the cookie butter to be a Birthday Cake Oreo. One of America's favorite cookies with cookie butter? Really, what could go wrong? By the end of our experiments, we were diving in with spoons and simply eating the cookie butter from the jar, kind of like you do with peanut butter. I was in love.

If you haven't been to Trader Joe's before, you should definitely check it out. Founded in the 1950s, Trader Joe's is a grocery store that has always strived to bring great prices with great offerings, some of which you can't find anywhere else (like this cookie butter!). It's not your everyday market, so stop in and see what unique hidden secrets you and your family might enjoy. Click here to find a store near you!

They really do exist. Here's proof!

Cookie butter on a cookie? Yes please!

Stuffed with Struffoli

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. Struffoli

Bon Appetit! You've heard it before, the common Italian saying for "Enjoy your meal", and that we did when my family and I visited Winter Garden Pizza Company in downtown Winter Garden. This restaurant is another delicious find right in our backyard that is family owned and operated by the Scorsone family who comes from New York and wanted to bring those classic NY tastes of Buffalo style wings and pizza to central Florida. Well, they did that and more. Their menu has tons of options from pastas to meats to pizzas to calzones and everything in between. We seemed to order a good variety of all of these specialties, and everyone was beyond satisfied with their meal selections. Something that is not on the menu, however, is dessert. I know... crazy, right? Well, they sure surprised us that evening. My parents let our server know that we were celebrating my youngest brother's birthday in hopes that he might get showered with attention and embarrassed in front of a restaurant full of people as the staff sang him their birthday song, but what we weren't expecting was a delicious Italian dessert to be paraded out to him as well. Little balls of fried dough piled high on a plate coated in cinnamon sugar and generously drizzled with chocolate. This classic Italian dessert is called Struffoli, and thankfully there was enough for all 6 of us to share. It was so warm and fresh, and each bite was bursting with sweet flavor and melted in your mouth. No one seemed to mind that we had a birthday dessert waiting for him back home too, and before we knew it, the plate was devoured. For a restaurant that didn't have a dessert menu, they sure do make an amazing sweet end to a meal! You have got to check this place out. Take a look at their website here!

Broccoli and cheese calzone with marinara dipping sauce

Surprise Struffoli

Become a Chocolatier

Maniac Monday: Challenge- Girl Vs. Chocolate Factory

Nothing says "Happy Birthday" quite like getting to create your very own chocolates, right? Well, I sure think so, but I'm glad that a great friend of ours, Matt, also thinks so and that his fiance and another great friend of ours, Diane, surprised him with this birthday activity for his special day. Farris and Foster's Chocolate Factory was founded by friends by the names of, you guessed it Farris and Foster, a chocolatier and entrepreneur respectfully who decided to blend their 2 occupations together and create an immersively sweet experience for people to enjoy. Walking into the shop, you are instantly surrounded by a variety of chocolate creations ready to buy, but behind the counter is where the fun begins. A long table is set for candy making with molds, drizzle sticks, melted chocolates, and empty boxes, and everyone receives an apron and chef's hat. There are 2 carts full of chocolate additives like truffle fillings, peanut butter chips, mini M&Ms, gummy bears, Oreo crumbs, and fruit to name a few. Our amazing chocolatier instructor, Chase, gave us a lesson at the beginning of the event explaining all of the possibilities of creations we could make and even gave us some expert techniques on how to make our creations look even better. He was around all evening to answer questions and set our creations, and he definitely made us feel like we were real chocolatiers. For as much as I obsess over chocolate candy, I have never made any myself, so I was very intrigued by this store's concept to actually see how my favorite chocolates go from factory to stores to my kitchen and then to my tummy. You can make as much chocolate as you like, and the price is determined by the weight of the contents in your box at the end. We had a blast, especially the birthday boy. It was a great evening with great friends at a great unique store in town! To check out more about Farris and Fosters, click here!

Diane, the birthday boy Matt, myself, and Seth ready to be chocolatiers!

Nuts and fruit additives

Candy additives

Truffle filling

Adding truffle filling

From left to right- Reese's Pieces, min chips, peanut butter chips, M&Ms, Oreo crumbs, coconut paste

Creating chocolates

Nutter Butters added to the chocolate conveyor belt

Chocolate shower

All covered

Sprinkles for decoration

Truffles

A little over 1/2 lb chocolaty goodness

Up close with the chocolates