Oreo Truffles

It's the day before Thanksgiving and you're freaking out because you've been put on dessert duty for the third year in a row and you don't know what you're making.

Pumpkin pie? Nah.

Pecan pie? Yeah, no. 

Let me help you. The answer is, Oreo truffles.  Now I can't claim fame for this recipe, unfortunately, but I can vouch for it's ability to please a crowd. My Husband's family goes nuts for them. They're insanely simple, but also insanely impressive. You win, they win. 

You don't have much time left. You better go to the store and get to work! 

Oreo Truffles

• 1 package of original Oreos, 15.5 oz

• 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened

• 12 ounces of vanilla almond bark

Using a food processor or blender crush the Oreos into very fine crumbs. Add the cream cheese to the food processor and mix until combined. Scoop the cookie-cream cheese mixture into 1-inch balls. I usually end up with about 30. Next, place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Using either a microwave or  the double-boiler method, melt the almond bark. Remove the balls from the freezer.  Dip the truffles in chocolate and place on wax paper to dry. I find that using a fork is easiest because it allows some of the excess chocolate to drip off. Once the chocolate coating has hardened, place the truffles on a serving tray, cover and refrigerate for up to a week. 

Notes: You can make these fancier by adding a chocolate drizzle or using some of the cookie crumbs to top the truffles, but I like to keep things simple. 

Adapted from Kraft Recipes.

Best wishes and have a very Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow! 

xoxo, Jenna 

The Best Day Ever (Part 2)

Here is the second part of the wedding pictures that I promised. It was so wonderful to share a bit of our love history and proposal with you last week. As a little girl, and even still now, I was obsessed with hearing how people met, fell in love and got married. I love how every single love story is unique and beautiful in it's own way. Weddings are a beautiful reflection of that unique love story. I hope that you enjoy the rest of the pictures from our special day and can see the beauty of our love through them. 

After the ceremony we walked to the reception because it was so close. As we were walking, this bright-blue vintage car drove by and as a joke I said, "Give us a ride!" The car disappeared, we laughed it off, but then the car reappeared and the driver, a retired gentleman, told us to hop in. Wedding apparel perk I suppose! 

Spontaneity always wins. We were a tad later to the reception than intended, but the pictures and memories were totally worth it! 

Photography: Rachael Osborn Photography || Bride's Dress: Ellyn Elizabeth Designs ||Bridesmaid Dresses: Ellyn Elizabeth Designs || Hair + Makeup: Sara Fulrath of Stellar || Shoes: Anthropologie || Earrings + Necklace: BHLDN|| Wedding Venue: St. Luke's Church in Dixon, IL || Reception Venue: Post House Ballroom in Dixon, IL || Groom + Groomsmen Apparel: The Black Tux || Flowers: Amy Kermott

xoxo, Jenna 

The Best Day Ever (part 1)

What better way to start your weekend than by gawking at pretty things? I have been meaning to share pictures from our wedding for a while, but am just now getting around to it. Our wedding was perfect. (Humble Brag. Or maybe just brag?) It will forever and always be my favorite. Here is a bit of our loves story and proposal to preface. 

Josiah and I grew up together. Josiah started coming to my church when I was twelve. I never gave him much of a thought because one of my friends at the time really liked him. Fast forward to the last year of high school, he and I worked closely together on a church project and soon became inseparable. We enjoyed that year of getting to know each other, but didn’t know what would happen in the Fall. Fall came, we both went to our chosen colleges. I moved to Dallas, TX and he moved to Spokane, WA. After spending every possible moment that semester talking on the phone/skyping I decided to join him in Spokane. The rest is history. <3 

The proposal happened after we had been together for three years. We were no longer living in Spokane, but had taken a weekend trip to Spokane to visit friends. Proposal plan A, was supposed to happen while we were on a private plane ride with one of our pilot friends, but I, a very motion-sensitve girl, got really sick. Josiah decided to wait until the last day of our trip so that he had time to come up with a plan B. So on the morning of the last day of our trip, Josiah asked me if I wanted to go downtown and go for a walk next to the river (where we used to always take walks when we lived in Spokane.) We drove to downtown, hit up our favorite coffee shop, and then began to walk. Josiah was acting a bit strange, but I wrote it off. We continued to walk and as soon as we came to the bottom of one of the waterfalls, we stopped. Josiah told me we should take a picture, so we did. He then, sat me down on a bench, took my hands, and in the sweetest voice ever asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I would say his plan B was just as good. 

Photography: Rachael Osborn Photography || Bride's Dress: Ellyn Elizabeth Designs ||Bridesmaid Dresses: Ellyn Elizabeth Designs || Hair + Makeup: Sara Fulrath of Stellar || Shoes: Anthropologie || Earrings + Necklace: BHLDN || Wedding Venue: St. Luke's Church in Dixon, IL || Reception Venue: Post House Ballroom in Dixon, IL || Groom + Groomsmen Apparel: The Black Tux || Flowers: Amy Kermott

I hope that you enjoyed these pictures and come back for part 2 next Friday. 

Yeast Waffles Worth Waiting For

Hello, friends! We are so close to the weekend I can almost feel it. Do you know what weekends are good for? Sleeping in and brunching. My favorite brunch food {unless mimosas count as a food}: waffles. I used to think that all waffles were created equally. They all had pancake-like elements, but were of course superior because they're waffles for goodness sake. I've tried a handful of homemade waffle recipes in the past, always just settling on the first one that came up in the search results, but never really found a major difference. 

One day, during my 50th scroll through Pinterest, I stumbled across a new kind of waffle recipe that I decided would be perfect for brunch. I half read the directions like I normally do and then quickly got to work. It wasn't until I started combing ingredients that I realized these waffles were supposed to raise overnight. Oops. Now, to me, waffles that are going to take longer than fifteen minutes to whip up are a waste of my time.  When I decide I want waffles, I want them now. I don't want to wait. I'm happy to tell you that theses waffles changed my mind. I did speed up the process a bit, but the results were ever so wonderful. 

So let me tell you, your search for the best waffles can end here and now. These are it. I found them and I'm sharing them with you. So plan a bit ahead for brunch, just a bit.  Trust me, it's worth the wait.

Additional advice, actually read the recipe before you start...

I will never learn.

 

 

YEAST WAFFLES WORTH WAITING FOR

• 2 1/4 cups milk

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 large eggs

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

Place butter and milk in a saucepan and heat until the butter is melted. While waiting for the butter to melt, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Once the butter is completely melted add in the sugar and let it cool until it is lukewarm. It is important that it is not still hot when you add it to the yeast or it will kill the yeast and the waffles will not rise. And who wants flat waffles? Add the yeast to the butter-milk-sugar mixture. Let the mixture set for 5 minutes. It will be slightly bubbly. Combine the dry ingredient mixture to the yeast, butter, and milk. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Once the dough has risen add in the eggs. Grease waffle iron with butter and place 1/2 cup of the waffle batter on the iron. Cook until golden brown. Enjoy! If you will not be enjoying them immediately place them in a 200 degree oven until you are ready to serve. 

Notes: Caramel and whipped cream will take them to the next level! Also, if you decide to go the overnight route, the eggs are not added until the next day, just before cooking. 

Recipe adapted from NY Times Cooking

To Brunch.