November 2010

Mr. How Sweet’s Christmas Tradition.

November 30, 2010 · 62 comments

I know most of you are wondering what is in those blue boxes.

You can never be disappointed on Christmas morning when you come down to these under your tree!


The first Christmas we were together (not married, just dating), Mr. How Sweet bought me a crystal ornament from Tiffany’s. He has since continued this tradition and now I have these pretty sparklers.

I don’t even remember the order he got them for me anymore.

And I never check the Tiffany’s website because I always want to be surprised at the ornament.

Come and trim my Christmas tree, with some decorations bought at Tiffany’s.

So right about now, you are probably thinking how sweet he is and recalling his fabulous gift giving skills, right? Well, I agree with that, though last night I wanted to cause him bodily harm because his snoring sounds like a bomb explosion… every 30 seconds.

Will I ever get a good night’s sleep again?
On another note, one tree down!

This is the top of the tree… got it at Michael’s a few years ago for less than $4.

Ho, Ho, Ho!

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A Fun Foodie Gift.

November 30, 2010 · 26 comments

I’ve talked about these since vacationing in Michigan in August and I think you all know how fully obsessed I am.



I have made countless recipes with different oils and vinegars:

Chunky Cinnamon Balsamic Apples

Warm Autumn Salad

Roasted Pear Bruschetta

Chocolate Orange Ginger Brownies

Vanilla Bourbon Baked Balsamic Acorn Squash

Avocado Lime Muffins

Roasted Apple, Pecan and Chicken Salad

Pear-adise Salad

Plus more that I haven’t even shared with you.


This is your last chance to use the coupon code howsweet10 and get a discount on your order if you want to get Fustini’s products for your loved ones. Or yourself… I’m selfish like that. I know many of you have ordered them already and are basking in all their oil and vinegar goodness! You can’t get these in stores (unless you live near one of their stores in Michigan), so you must order online.


If you are having a tough time choosing, I say go with the peach or cherry vinegar. Or the vanilla or chocolate. Or coconut. And definitely the persian lime olive oil. And the pumpkin seed oil! I may not be a good one to ask if you are looking for something decisive.

Either way, get some today! You won’t be disappointed.

[And as a note, I do not receive anything if you buy. This is just the one product I've fell in love with and wanted to share with you!]

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Hot Cocoa Cookies.

November 30, 2010 · 188 comments

I’m in deep, deep lust.

With cookie dough that looks like this…

And tastes like this…

And even has a big swirl of this inside…

That would be marshmallow fluff. You must hop on this gravy train.

The mission was to make double fudge chocolate chip cookies that mimicked the taste of cozy, steaming, creamy hot cocoa. Mission accomplished.

Then I got a little frisky and dunked a cookie.

My eyes darted from side to side as I slurped some soggy marshmallows. I thought I was safe, but Mr. How Sweet caught me. Oh well, I’ve caught him doing much worse.



Hot Cocoa Cookies

makes approximately 24 cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup marshmallow fluff

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Stir in marshmallow fluff.

Fold in chocolate chips and marshmallows. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove, and roll into 1 1/2-inch balls.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Make sure cookies are fully cooked, because they will be very sticky from the marshmallows. Allow cookies to cool completely, even sticking them in the fridge for 15 minutes before removing from the baking sheet with a spatula. Be patient and gently remove cookies – let sit another 30 minutes.


You must make these cookies. Even if only to dunk them in cocoa. They will warm your soul.

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Wise Words.

Today would have been my grandparents 58th wedding anniversary. In fact, they were together for more than 60 years as a couple. 60 years! For the first time last year, we celebrated Christmas day at my parents’ house. My grandparents had hosted it for years, but a few weeks before the holiday my grandma hurt her knee and wasn’t feeling up to it. We had no idea that it would actually be her last Christmas. At one point in the evening, Mr. How Sweet and I were in my parents’ foyer hugging and kissing and doing whatever newlyweds do. My grandma walked out of the bathroom and almost smacked into us as we were kissing, with a slightly embarrassed, “Ohh!.” As our cheeks turned bright red, we fully expected her (the elegant, classy lady) to keep on walking. Instead, she turned around and walked toward us and whispered, “That is good. Never stop doing that. Don’t ever stop. You always do that.” I will never forget that moment. Truer words have never been spoken. There has never been a lack of affection in our family, and throughout my entire life it has been quite clear that my parents, grandparents, aunts [...]

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Chickpea Chicken Soup.

Welcome to one of the easiest and tastiest soup recipes you will ever meet. Any soup that begins and ends with bacon has to be fabulous, no? And aside from the minimal amount of bacon grease and the few slices of bacon swimming throughout the soup, this is a quick and healthy meal. The entire thing took about 45 minutes from start to finish, and the bacon produced an outrageous amount of flavor. It is also packed with quite a few veggies too. A few more than I would like, but the soup ended up being so incredible that I slurped up every last drop. Sometimes veggies are worth it. Not often, but sometimes. Almost always when bacon is involved. If you have chicken on hand, it is a big one-pot meal. Those are the best, aren’t they? Packed with protein and fiber too. And it’s another non-boring chicken dish! It really doesn’t get much better than this. I didn’t have high expectations for this soup… in fact, I didn’t really have any expectations. I figured it would be an interesting experiment and a great way to use up the vegetables I had before they went to see the light [...]

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Left Over.

Leftovers last forever in our family. Today we headed to my parents to finish what we had started. But before the feast began, I snapped some of these pictures outside. My dad has this Blessed Mother statue outside with a tiny vase and rose to honor my grandmother. It was hers before she passed away, and he has continued the tradition since she left us in February. It was still in the 60′s here last week, so that week’s rose was still hanging in there. But this weekend the frost hit, and the water froze. I thought it looked so cool. A last, lonely leaf. Then we got to eating and watching the Steeler nail-biter. [my mom makes the best gravy. seriously.] [fresh fruit salad with fresh whipped cream] Just to keep you up to speed, I wanted to share Mr. How Sweet’s meal intake. He came straight from the gym and picked up a container (1.33 lbs, to be exact) of chicken on his way. He devoured said chicken (remember – 1.33 lbs) right before our meal, then filled his plate high twice. See? I don’t exaggerate. Clearly we had an abundance of pie on Thanksgiving. Then we went [...]

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Can I Just Live Inside Trader Joe’s?

It has been a full 2 months since I was at Trader Joe’s. I can’t believe I survived that long! And I love sharing my trips with you, so take a look below at what we grabbed this morning. Actually, first let me show you what I didn’t buy. I was so tempted to grab these, but instead snapped a pic with my phone to remember to get them next time. It was an easy choice to leave behind the peppermint + chocolate items, because Mr. How Sweet despises the mint and chocolate combo. And by “easy,” I mean I wept every time I drove my cart past said items. Next time… I got some of my favorite hummus and chips to snack on. I’d say these snacks are much better than the ones Mr. How Sweet picked up last weekend, no? Some delicious cereals. Easy food for Mr. How Sweet to make when I’m not around. These don’t even qualify as meals for him. They are more like snacks. Cheese, since I’m a giant cheese hoarder. That actually isn’t true. We go through cheese like socks in this house. Some vegetables, so I can pretend to be healthy while [...]

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It’s The Holiday Season.

Check out the view outside my window this morning! Could the holiday season possibly kick off more perfectly than that? And even though I have a tree that appears to have the lights strung on by an 87-year old, blind and deaf Mother Lovett, it’s still setting the mood. ‘Tis the season!

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Holiday Baking Begins!

It’s no secret that I love to bake. But I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t a little scared at the length of my holiday cookie list this year. Just take a gander below. Last year, I made boatloads of cookies. One evening, we were rushing to a party and Mr. How Sweet was actually ready before me. If you knew us, you’d know this never, ever happens. But I asked him to make a cookie tray and… he made the best cookie tray I’ve ever seen. He piled the cookies up at least 6 inches high and it just looked fabulous and delectable and impressive and amazing. I like having lots of cookies around for the holidays to take to parties and give as gifts. It’s the Mother Lovett in me. I just need to find a way to manage my time for all of this. Yikes. Holiday Christmas Cookie List Chocolate Chip Cookies Peanut Butter Blossoms: this is my all-time favorite holiday cookie. Cut-out Sugar Cookies: these go like hot cakes in our house. I use tons of sprinkles. Mother Lovett’s Thumbprints: some of Mother Lovett’s favorites! These were frequently found in the freezer 6 months [...]

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My Thanksgiving Contribution.

In pictures… I wanted to stray from the traditional dessert route this year, which was easy since we already had the pumpkin and pecan pies. Trust me, if you are in need of a dessert everyone will love, you can never go wrong with oreo balls and red velvet cupcakes with the best frosting ever.

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