Valentine Treat - Death By Chocolate

While hubby gets the new computer {yippie!} all set up and I figure out where all my photos are stored, I thought that I would repost this delicious recipe that I shared last year.
Chocolate lovers - enjoy!

A good friend asked me this last weekend if I crave sweet or salty when I want a snack. And the truth is that I usually prefer something salty, like salt and vinegar chips. {to die for} But if I have something sweet, I want it to be super sweet and very rich. I love dark chocolate and creamy toffee. So you can imagine my absolute delight when I got to a scrapbooking weekend and was informed that my good friend had made Death by Chocolate for our dessert that night.

Have you ever had this rediculousely simple yet delicious dessert? It is amazing! And it looks just stunning in a triffle dish set in the center of a table.

The master mind behind the creation in this photo is our good friend "G" - the fantastic cook. Really he should be called the mostest-amazingest-talented-never-makes-the-same-recipe-twice-and-they-all taste-great-cook. Try putting that on a business card :)

He graciousely shared the simple recipe for this delectable wonder and I in turn am sharing it with you. And to show you just how easy it is to make, I am making one just to take photos.

Oh, the sacrifices I make for this blog.

You will need four main ingredients:
~ 1 chocolate cake, 13x9 pan (I just used a mix for convenience. Feel free to use your favorite cake recipe.) 
~ 6 Skor bars
~ 1 box of chocolate pudding (hubby chose Chocolate Fudge. His theory: if you're gonna go all out on dessert, go out with a bang!)
~ 1 tub Cool Whip, or fresh whipped cream

While the cake bakes, mix up the pudding and crumble up the Skor bars. Once cool, crumble up the cake. If you don't have a triffle dish {like me), use a clear, deep bowl. Or tall cups for individual servings.

Now the fun part - layering. First comes a layer of cake crumbles. Then pudding, coolwhip and Skor crumbles. See that blob of pudding? Avoid splatters like that so that the layers will be visible and not all mushed together. If it happens, just wipe it off with a paper towel.

Snack on all ingredients while assembling.

That part is essential to the success of the dessert. 

Repeat for at least two total layers. Top with cake crumbles. And Skor crumbles. If there are any left after snacking.

Easy Peasy.

This is such a simple dessert to make that it just may be my new "to go" dish for last minute meetings, potlucks, parties and to satisfy hubby's late night sweet tooth. Thanks so much "G" for sharing!

What is your "to go" dish for dessert? How about a dinner dish? Share in the comments below! Have you posted a great recipe lately? Let me know in the comments so I can check it out.

All photos taken by yours truly.
This delicious post is linked to We are That Family WFMW. Link up and join the party!

Thoughts On A Week Of Separation

One Week.

Seven Days.

One fourth of a month.

{ok maybe that last one was a bit dramatic}

But that's how long hubby and I have been apart...

And every second seemed like days on that plane ride home.

I have been at a conference in Georgia {shout out to all you lovely residents of the south} and the week spent there was wonderful. It was an inspiring and enjoyable time. I loved every moment of the training and ministering done.... but... it always feels so great to come home.

Kiss my hubby.

Snuggle with the pup.

Sleep with my own pillow.

Get back to my nest.

As I walked through the door, I took a deep breath expecting the house to be slightly on the cluttered side.... ok who am I kidding? I really expected it to be overwhelmed with speakers {hubby's hobby}, dirty dishes, clothes taking up permanent residence on the floor, and volcanic eruptions from hubby using the obliterater {that's what he calls the food processor, I love it!}

Disclaimer: Hubby is not an inconsiderate, overly messy person that would leave me a huge mess on purpose. He is just the kind of man who would get really excited about some home improvement project hours before picking me up and then not have time to clean it up. {which I secretly find adorable.}

Ok just had to make sure that was clear. 

Well much to my surprise the home was pretty much in tact, all speaker projects had been completed and neatly stacked in the front room, clothes were dutifully placed in the hamper, and.... get ready for this.... all the dishes were done and the sink was empty.

Done. 

Empty.

The two most glorious words to a housewife when speaking about a sink full of dishes.

He did it just for me, even though I had told him not to worry about any of that stuff while I was gone. What a fantastic guy! 

And while there were several explosions from the obliterater and the floor was so sticky my bare feet stuck to it I could have cared less. He took a moment out of his free time to bless me by cleaning up the mess in the sink. 

He took the time to make me feel

welcomed

loved

appreciated.

And that empty sink spoke volumes to my heart that night. It was something small to some, but to me it was selflessness personified in a lack of dishes.

Who would have thought that an empty kitchen sink could be such an expression of love.

What small gesture has someone done that blessed your heart lately? How have you blessed others with a simple act of kindness?

All photos taken by yours truly.

New Year, New Goal

Happy 2011 everyone!

Hope everyone had a fun and memorable time celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of a new adventure.

I feel so blessed looking back at 2010.... how God has constantly watched over my hubby and I - we lack nothing, have health, our nest is a home full of love, we are surrounded with friends and family who love and support us, and to top it all off we are looking forward to new and exciting changes this year. {no, it's not a baby... but I really would like that!} 

The coming year looks like it will be an exciting one, full of new challenges and goals at achieve... and busy. Really busy :) But that's ok! In fact, I am really looking forward to it!

Now that Christmas and New Years have wrapped up, {with a flourish of festivities, I might add!} it's time to get back into a regular routine and that includes some fun additions to blogging.

Over the holiday, I had time to think and refocus my ideas for this blog. And from all that pondering {yes, feel free to insert a joke about how I should not think too hard, lest I blow a fuse} came these ideas for "too Blessed to Stress" :

~ Simple Solutions - Short tips for everyday homemaking, crafting and just life in general. Sometimes I'll share a tip, sometimes I'll be asking for a tip. And if you have a tip you would like to share and be featured for just let me know. I love featuring! My email is under the "Contact" tab up above.{By the way, these Simple Solutions were inspired by a little book that my Grandmother gave me just after I was married. It is filled with quick tips for everyday use - I love books like that!}

~ All About You - A day to feature one of you! Whether you are a blogging power house or just blogging for fun, if you have something you want to share that goes along with what "too Blessed to Stress" is all about I would love to feature you! Maybe you have something crafty to share, a yummy recipe, something inspirational or just want to blog swap for the day, let me know! {remember, contact info is above}

~ Pick a Theme - Ideas for themed parties, dinners and "just because" celebrations. If you have any special requests for themes you would like to see, let me know and I'll see what my little noggin comes up with.

~ In The Quiet Place - Quotes, verses and stories that have touched my life... and that I hope will inspire you as well!

~ And after all the fun I had making this video, I am so excited to get working on a few more videos to post throughout the year. There will be some tutorials, recipes, and probably lots of hubby and I being goofy! What would you like to see on "too Blessed to Stress" videos?

So what do you think? Do these little additions sound like fun?

I sure hope so, because I know that I have had lots of fun getting them all ready for ya!

Before I wrap this up I just want to express my gratitude to all you wonderful followers and readers out there - you bless my heart with your creative blogs and your support of "too Blessed to Stress." Thank you for being a part of my life in 2010, and I am looking forward to another wonderful year with y'all in bloggy land!

All photos taken by yours truly.