brownie batter for two…a sweet friday friend-1-1

25 Friday Apr 2014

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Even the rarest of belles can get a little hormonal once in a while…shocking, but true. Once the madness hits, there’s no stopping her determination to consume any chocolate (even sneaking into the kids’ Easter candy) within the confines of her maison belle. Well, my dears, time to step away from that Reese’s egg! It’s just not worth it!

We have a warm, sweet, chocolaty delight that is (somewhat) portion-controlled…and, sweet belles, it will not disappoint! This is an adaptation from our favorite brownie recipe…discovered essentially by accident while “testing” the brownies in progress. (And, as a bonus, we will share the full brownie recipe for those who want to take it to the next level)

Here’s what you’ll need:

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– 2 squares semi-sweet chocolate
– 1/2 stick butter
– 1/2 c sugar
– 1/4 c flour
– 1 t vanilla extract
– pinch salt

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Place the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until melted…just a minute or 2.  Stir until smooth, then stir in remaining ingredients.  Enjoy!!!

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How easy was that??!!  It is pure warm, sugary, chocolatey perfection!!

…and now for the full recipe…

SugSug’s Brownies

1 stick butter
4 squares semi- or un-sweetened chocolate
2 c sugar
1 c flour
4 eggs, beaten
2 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
1/2 c chopped pecans (optional)
1 c chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into 9×13 pan (spray pan with cooking spray first). Bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cool.

Now THAT’S a chocolate fix for you, belle!
a&a

belle de soleil

24 Thursday Apr 2014

Posted by in friday friend 1-1, healthy belle, what's ringin' our belle

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With spring around the corner…supposedly…and bathing suit season just a hop, skip and a bunny jump away, it’s time to get our figures ready for exposure . A healthy glow is one of the solutions to a multitude of sins (anyone else have their way with a few chocolate bunny ears?).  Of course, we are all smart enough to know that tanning beds and too much of the real sun will only cause more issues so…

Oooooh belles, y’all are going to be so happy!! We have finally found it…THE self-tanner to beat all self-tanners.

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St Tropez Everyday Gradual Tan which you can get at Sephora.

Now, we get the medium/dark, and unless you are Casper the Friendly Ghost or transparent, we recommend that you do as well.

This is the creme de la creme for a variety of reasons:

1. It does not turn you orange.
2. It is not offensive to our dainty olfactory senses.
3. It reminds us of the commercial: “Bain de Soleil for that St. Tropez tan.” And who doesn’t want that??? (If you don’t remember that commercial then please don’t say a thing…we are at a sensitive age…)
4. IT DOESNT STREAK!!!! That’s right, no streaking, looking dirty and/or bruised. You can’t overdo, so as long as you don’t miss a spot, it won’t streak.

So soon-to-be-bronzed belles, get yourself some St Tropez and be evermore grateful to us for showing you the way to a sun-kissed glow even a frazzled belle can manage successfully!

We know, we know, y’all are most welcome. That’s how we belles roll.

a&a

some bunny loves you….just sayin’

20 Sunday Apr 2014

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The ears are always the first to go in our neck of the woods. How about in yours?

Happy Easter belles!
a&a

(bobby) pin this…another RARE stroke of genius – your friday friend-1-1

18 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by in what's ringin' our belle

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After you freshen your breath, don’t dare throw that adorable little box in the trash! We have a much better future in store for this tiny item. Storage….for your bobby pins!
Genius right?!? Another Pinterest find, we admit, and no we aren’t addicted, just a little preoccupied.

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You’re welcome…again.

a&a

kan’t kwit kale…

17 Thursday Apr 2014

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We are here to tell you, it’s true, we simply can’t get enough of the stuff. We jumped on the kale train and we are all on board.

This version we are sharing with you is from Joy the Baker. If you haven’t visited her blog yet, it is about time you did. We find ourselves getting lost in her recipes and the photos will tempt your taste buds.

Just a few ingredients and a little time and you will be thanking your lucky stars (and us) that you made this tasty salad with an Asian spin.

You will need:

A fresh bunch of kale (curly) stems removed, cut into the thinnest chiffonade you can manage.

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1/3 cup roasted almonds coarsely chopped

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In a bowl whisk together:
1 small clove garlic minced
Generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch of salt
2 T soy sauce
4 T rice wine vinegar
2 T sesame oil
2 t honey
Pepper to taste

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Now toss the kale , almonds and dressing and try to restrain yourself from eating it with your bare hands.

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The original recipe calls for sesame seeds but in our eagerness to create this we neglected to notice we didn’t have any in the larder. We also doubled the recipe because we just KNEW this salad was going to cause a ruckus if there wasn’t enough to go around.

In a word: scrumptious

a&a

iPhones are for belles… just sayin’

13 Sunday Apr 2014

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Can’t y’all feel your heart palpitating just thinkin’ about it??

And….

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Try not to let your phones get thirsty now, ya hear??

a&a

iPhone facts you may not know….your friday friend-1-1

11 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by in friday friend 1-1, Uncategorized

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We are both iPhone users and love them. It is the phone for dummies and very belle-friendly…we love anything that makes our lives simpler.

While scrolling through the internet the other day we stumbled upon a delightful article about ALL the things (well actually 15 but but we only exaggerated a little) y’all may not know your phone could do. We only knew a couple already and were thrilled to find these fun and useful features.
So click here and learn a thing or two!

Happy iPhoning y’all!

a&a

the final word on white before Easter…

10 Thursday Apr 2014

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Here it is….drumroll … yes, belles, you can and should wear white before Easter! White jeans that is. Some rules are made to be modified and this is surely one of them! Now, may we gently remind you we said modified and we said white jeans. Wearing white linen, cotton voile and the summer weight items must still maintain the shorter wearing season. Oh, and those white shoes (unless they are sport shoes) should be donated or tossed and never worn again…ever. Well, at least in our ever so humble opinion.

White jeans are denim. Denim can be worn year round. It’s the way you put it together that increases the wear of them. Booties and a turtleneck, boots and a sweater, pumps and a blazer, flats and a tee, sandals and a tank. Options are endless and just think how wearing white jeans all the time expands your wardrobe tremendously!!

Here are a few examples we pulled from Pinterest to motivate and tempt y’all:

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We love our white jeans and keep several pair in rotation…washing is sadly more frequent with these.

And in anticipation of the approaching warmer weather…and Easter…here are some examples to take you on through the next season:

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So go on…be daring, break the rules and hold your head up high!  Sport some white jeans and celebrate your fashion forward selves!!

a&a

dazzle, shine, sparkle, belle…your friday friend-1-1

04 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by in friday friend 1-1, what's ringin' our belle

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Dear belles, do we have a dazzler for you!!  With all of the cooking, gardening, and general living we do, it’s hard to keep our jewels sparkling. And a belle always needs to sparkle!!

Enter the Connoisseurs Diamond Dazzle Stik.  This amazing little product is super easy, totally portable (about the size of your typical lip gloss) and makes that diamond ring shine like it did on the day that sweet man proposed!

Available on Amazon.com for less than $10, you might as well get one for home, travel, and on-the-go!!

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dazzle, shine, sparkle, belle!
a&a

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