Chocolate and bacon can be friends!

Ok, so I am pleased to say that I made my own chocolate covered bacon today, and it was delicious!
I chose Trader Joe's Classic Sliced Dry Rubbed All Natural Uncured Bacon because it already possesses a simple, sweet but not overpowering flavor.
Next, I chose a milk chocolate bar and simply melted in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after each 30 second increment to prevent burning.
Then, I cooked the bacon until it was medium-well ( crispy on the edges and just done every where else).
Lastly,instead of covering the bacon in chocolate as many places do, I chose to drizzle the melted chocolate over the hot bacon. I let it sit for about a minute, and then enjoyed the salty sweet goodness with my fellow bacon-lovin' roommate Samantha! Tip: coffee and banana chocolate chip pancakes make a nice well-rounded meal:)
I am so happy that bacon and chocolate were able to work out their differences.

Chocolate covered bacon

So, I finally got the chance to try chocolate covered bacon at a chocolate confectionery lounge...and unfortunately i was disappointed. The chocolate was too bitter and the bacon too smoky. Alas! I am now on a quest to start experimenting to find the right pairing. Any one have suggestions in the mean time?? I'll keep y'all posted...:)

Angel wings

Hershey's kisses pancakes with Tanesha:)

Nana Pudd'n

Ok, so my favorite dessert of all time is BANANA PUDDING! Being a simple Southern girl, who can blame me? I just love it so much that I want to share my secrets with all of you....promise me you'll try it?!

Lauren's Foolproof Banana Pudding
2 boxes Trader Joe's Instant Vanilla Pudding
4 cups Milk- I use Almond due to allergies, but 2 % probably works best!
3 ripe bananas
1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream
1 container Trader Joe's Vanilla Bean Wafers
Sprinkle of cinnamon

1. Make the pudding first so it has time to set. Simply follow the directions on the box, by whisking the pudding mix and milk in a medium bowl for 2-3 minutes.

2. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Whisk quickly for 20 seconds and let it rest. Pudding should be set at this point. If not, stick it in the fridge for a few minutes!

3. Next, whip that cream! Again, simply pour heavy cream into a medium bowl and beat on HIGH for 5 minutes until it peaks. This means it is stiff and when you lift your beaters up, it is not runny at all.

4. Cut up your bananas into thin slices.

5. Now, the fun part: LAYERING!!

6. Layer the following in this order:

Pudding
Bananas
Whipped Cream
Cookies

Repeat until bowl is full. I try to do at least 3 rounds of layers!

Sprinkle some cinnamon on top and you're ready to serve!

I like to serve mine in little glass dishes for a personal touch:)

Tip: make it the night before and it will be perfect the next day!

Let me know if you like!
Also, I'd really love for you guys to start sharing recipes/ tricks as well, so please COMMENT on this post:)

My Summer Anthem

Lights Out By Santogold

Summer anthem!

http://grooveshark.com/s/Lights+Out/1P9rck?src=5

Morning Glory

Visited one of my favorite brunch places in Philly yesterday: Morning Glory, located on 10th and Fitzwater. It's a real grungy diner spot...but the food is delicious! I ordered the Frangipane Peach Waffle...it was delicious! The frangipane gave it a nice almondy flavor, with homemade whipped cream on top! It was so rich that I couldn't finish it:( This is a rare feat considered my gift for eating sweet treats!
Check out the diner here: http://www.themorningglorydiner.com/

Good time hanging out with friends and celebrating summer Saturdays!

Other brunch spots to try:
Sabrina's $ http://sabrinascafe.com/
Try the stuffed French toast= insanely good!

White Dog Cafe $$ http://www.whitedog.com/
A little pricier, but this cafe is committed to using local/seasonal ingredients...bottom line, worth it!
The Chihuahua Steak and Eggs is BOMB.

Local 44 $
Delicious brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 AM-3 PM I believe.
I mean a burger and beer after church...awesome, right?
http://www.local44beerbar.com/PBW2011.htm

Nicolas Cage...

We all have our favorites...favorite foods, favorite songs, and favorite hang out spots. Then, we also have our favorite things to poke fun at. For me, Nicolas Cage is at the top of my list.

A video to display my feelings towards "The Cage" perfectly:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/243579/saturday-night-live-weekend-update-nicolas-cage-and-bradley-cooper#s-p1-sr-i3

Those eyebrows...