First Attempt at a Food Post: Nutella No Bakes

I've been thinking about posting a recipe for a while now but I haven't had much success in the way of documenting the process. The idea of taking pictures, stirring, and not burning anything (myself, the food, the camera) all seemed a bit daunting. But every so often the planets align and the camera just happens to be charged and within reach--and voilà a food post is born.

A friend mentioned that she was making Nutella no-bakes for a cookie exchange and immediately my mind was blown. My longstanding favorite cookie has always been the traditional no-bake; my longstanding guilty-pleasure has been a spoonful of Nutella...insert math equation...divide the square root of a few quick Google searches...find the perfect adaptation on My Fabulous Recipes and come to the realization that you have all of the ingredients in the pantry. And if your brain isn't reeling from my terrible math, get ready for an ocular assault on your other senses.

One of the best things about this recipe is that there are only two steps (well, three or four for photography sake). Step one: in a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk (it will look something like this)

Once everything is melted properly, let boil for one minute then add vanilla and Nutella. Be sure to take a few tastes of the Nutella before AND after you add it to the mixture. You want to be sure the product is up to par, or something like that. The Nutella is a finicky product when it comes to heat so my advice is to lower the burner to a simmer and whisk the Nutella until it becomes smooth. 

If the heat is too high the Nutella will seize and you will have a clump (albeit delicious) of trash. Add the oats (I used instant oats because that was what I had on hand) and combine until everything is well incorporated.

Drop teaspoon-sized blobs on to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Do everything in your power NOT to lick your fingers as you push the mixture onto the pan. Cool in the fridge for as long as you can stand it, plate and enjoy! 

This is where I have to admit that I had help in this whole process. He did a great job manning the pan, stirring while I took the photos, and he kept me honest--no tasting until it is time! These are for guests...But who can resist those brown eyes? 

Admittedly, we both enjoyed one (or two) of these delights before we shared them with the rest of the house!
 

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 cups oatmeal
• Parchment paper or waxed paper

Directions

• In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add nutella, vanilla and oatmeal. Stir well.
• On a sheet of parchment paper (or waxed paper), drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls. Set aside until cooled and hardened, about 30 minutes.

* Recipe adapted from My Fabulous Recipes - Nutella No-Bakes

11 Interesting Things...

So my friend Liz tagged me in a fun little game of questions a few weeks ago that involved passing along and "tagging" other bloggers with a similar round of questions. I loved learning a bit more about Liz through her answers and found that we had a lot in common: limited eyesight, Phish love, influential siblings, unpleasant feelings towards Keanu Reeves... Unfortunately, Liz is really one of the only bloggers who I interact with on a regular basis (although I'm sure I could send this to the Pioneer Woman—do you think she would respond?) so this is my attempt to do justice to her fun little game, plus I really do dig these kinds of things. So first things first, I'm supposed to share 11 things about myself and then I'll answer Liz's 11 questions (and she came up with some really good ones).


Here goes...11 random facts about me:
1. The majority of our family and friends watched our wedding online—Augie (the Bacon) and I got married in Las Vegas. 
2. In high school, I marched in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with our band. We were nestled between Joey Lawrence (singing) and Santa. 
3. I weighed more in 9th grade than I did when I was 9 months pregnant with my kids. 
4. I used to eat instant mashed potatoes tinted with food coloring every day after school (see #3).
5. I pretend that my favorite movie is Love Story, but really it is Clueless. 
6. I was caught shoplifting Little Mermaid collectors cards (like baseball cards) from G.C. Murphy Mart...in Jr. High. 
7. One of my fondest childhood memories was playing "The Tasting Game" with my parents and siblings. My dad would blindfold us and make us taste new and different foods and we would have to guess what they were. 
8. When I was 10, I had a mullet. 
9. I can tap dance. I tapped for eight years, I still want to find an adult class. 
10. I played Mary Magdelen in my college production of Jesus Christ Superstar. 
11. I once wrote a letter to Tom Hanks and when it came back return to sender, I hid it in my closet so my siblings wouldn't make fun of me. 


So those were my 11 random facts. Now I get to answer the questions that Liz passed along to me. 


1. What is your favorite place you have visited? I don't gamble and I'm not a fan of crowds, but I will always say Las Vegas because it reminds me of my wedding.
2. If you could name only one favorite band who would it be? Simon and Garfunkel.
3. What's sitting on your nightstand right now? A journal book called Listography that gives you list topics & favorites (mostly top 10) and you get fill it in slowly as your lists progress. I like to update it once every few months as new things make it to my "lists" and Mindy Kaling's "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and other concerns) which makes me *whisper laugh* at night so I don't wake anybody up!
4. Name one tv show you love and one you can't stand. Parks and Recreation is on my LOVE list, it is one of the few shows I seek out to watch on Hulu. I cannot stand the children's show Caillou.
5. What's the most adventuresome thing you've done on your own? I'm not so much a do things on my own person. I was well into my 20s before I even went through the drive-thru by myself, I've never been to the movies on my own, I'll order room service before I dare eat alone while travelling for business...and although I wasn't totally alone when I did this, I'll have to say labor, because that was all me.
6. If you had the chance to rename yourself what name would you choose and why? I love the name Jane, I have always loved the name Jane. It is classic and timeless and lovely.
7. What is your dream job? Being paid to write my thoughts on Facebook and Twitter. I'd love to write for a television sitcom, I'm not a great writer, have no ability to develop characters or plot lines, but I'm really good with one-liners.
8. What's your favorite workout? If you don't workout what would your favorite workout be? I like classes. I find that I am most successful when I take a class (see #5). I'm starting Zumba tonight and I'm really excited.
9. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Vancouver, B.C. - I've never been but I've never heard a bad thing about it.
10. What do you picture yourself doing 20 years from now? Hopefully Augie (the Bacon) and I will be old and careless; wearing matching track suits, drinking coffee, travelling through space, writing our memoirs...
11. What is your favorite style of art (contemporary, surrealism, cubism, impressionism, ect.) Admittedly, I had to look up my favorite artists to figure this one out...I like Matisse and that is Fauvism, I like Dali and that is Surrealism, I also like Pop Art and Garfunkel.

So that is it! Now you know a little bit more about me. Feel free to comment, answer the above questions and pass them along to me, send me 11 random things about yourself, sit back and wish you had the last five minutes of your life back, or start your own list!