Music Monday - cold, wet, lazy days

The weather outside was pretty miserable today - cold, rainy and dark by 4pm. I took the opportunity to have a beautiful, lazy day indoors. I stayed in bed until very late in the morning (okayyyy, it was noon), savored my cup of coffee, perused the newspaper, caught up on my favourite TV shows, listened to some beautiful music, drank hot chocolate, nuzzled with Meeko...ahh, bliss. Such a good idea to have one these lazy days every once in awhile.

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."

Sweet & Salty Pretzel Bites

So I discovered the easiest dessert in the world... besides simply unwrapping a chocolate bar that is. I made these treats for a small get together and they were eaten up almost as quickly as the time it took to make them. They need only 3 ingredients, maybe 10 minutes, & are really hard to screw up (bonus!). Did I mention how good they are? Mmmm. You're never gonna look at a Rolo the same way again.

You'll Need:
Mini Pretzel Twists
Pecan Halves
Rolo Chocolates

To Make:
1. Lay your pretzels out on a baking tray covered with parchment & top each with an unwrapped Rolo.
2. Put tray into a 250°F oven for no longer than 4 to 5 minutes. Remove. Rolos should retain their shape.
3. Press a pecan half into the top of each Rolo.
4. Place the baking tray in the freezer for 5-7 minutes to cool the Rolos to room temperature.
5. Devour. =)

"Recipe" from Glorious Treats

♥

Europe 2013 - A Photographic Sample {Portugal}

So....let's just skip past the whole part where I was supposed to post these pictures a long, long time ago. Okay? Good. In case you missed it, one of my best gal pals, Jenae, and I went on a 3 week long gallivant around Europe during the summer. Our last week was spent in Portugal, in and around the Lisbon area.

Pastéis de Belém - ohh maaan, these are SO good...warm..fresh..crisp outside & creamy inside. I'm salivating now.

When we landed in Lisbon I was a bit hesitant and unsure of being there; I was expecting HOT, sunny weather but the skies were totally overcast, I initially found the architecture to be not as impressive as we'd seen in other countries, AND I was definitely missing our hilarious tour guides from the first leg of our trip. Wah-wuhh.

But don't fear! The weather cleared and we discovered some of the most beautiful buildings with incredible history. One bite of a Pasteis de Belem (traditional custard pastry) was really all it took for me to fall in love with Portugal. Jenae and I made way too many great memories to list, but some of the highlights include touring the local cathedrals, mansions and castles, sunset drives along the coast, stretching out on hot, sandy beaches, enjoying Santini Ice Cream (lots of it),  devouring pastries for all 3 meals, and of course, getting pulled over by the local police. Trip of a lifetime, I'm telling you! Enjoy the pictures! =)