pretzel crisps + the fourth of july

As the Fourth of July quickly approaches, I find myself brainstorming red, white and blue treats to share with my friends on the festive holiday. Besides raspberries, blueberries and the classic hotdogs and burgers, pretzels come to mind when I picture a Fourth of July BBQ or picnic.

Pretzel Crisps, quite the tasty and low-cal snack, was kind enough to provide the pretzels for this recipe and obviously, it was inspired by incredible Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere.

With just three ingredients and a prep time of only a few minutes, these chocolate covered Pretzel Crisps are a delicious and easy treat and can be tailored for any holiday.

What you'll need: 

Pretzel Crisps (original flavor), one cup of chocolate chips and sprinkles of your choice.

Simply heat the chocolate chips in the microwave until they melt, dip Pretzel Crisps in the chocolate and while warm, add the sprinkles. I recommend putting these on wax paper and popping them in the fridge for 15 minutes or so to set.

Thanks Pretzel Crisps for the fun challenge!

dessert to die for

As I've mentioned before, because I'm so ridiculously excited, I'm a bridesmaid in this girl's wedding here in a month. Unfortunately for myself, I've done absolutely nothing to ensure that I look semi presentable in my dress (though I do feel like I'm doing kind of a bridesmaid duty... because the bride's supposed to look the best by far! You're welcome, Carey).

Anyways, I love to ramble. But recently, I went to D Bar Desserts in Hillcrest with some girlfriends for a major calorie splurge. Oops. D Bar was created by Keegan Gerhard & Lisa Bailey. Does Keegan's name sound familiar? Perhaps it's because he was on the Food Network and has been named one of the nation's top pastry chefs on numerous occasions and has worked alongside some pretty impressive names. Cool huh?

Something I really appreciated about my visit to D Bar was that Keegan was actually there, proving that he isn't some pretentious name that you never see. He was behind the bar getting orders together and visiting with customers to make sure that they were enjoying their food.

cake and shake. yes. a real life menu item. i died.

I also really liked that they strive to be a "destination dessert dining experience" where guests can not only indulge in some seriously incredible desserts but also make memories. They aspire to inspire.Yeah, I can definitely get behind that.

Plus, just a quick glance at the menu will have you drooling at your computer (if you're like me and look up the menus beforehand).

 waffle ice cream sammie

milk and cookies

On another note, I'm going back to barre tonight. My calves have finally regained feeling but I'm still pretty terrified. Wish me luck! And hair photos coming soon! (I'm telling you... I'm absolutely TERRIBLE at the solo photo. Oy.)

PS: I have QUITE the love story coming to you (hopefully) on Friday. But until then... if you're looking for some hope and love to tide you over, click here to read Laura's vows. I'm currently crying in my cubicle. 

classically comforting

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda,

1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 sticks of butter,

3/4 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar,

2 teaspoons vanilla extract,

2 eggs & 1 bag Ghirardelli chocolate chips

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, combine butter, both sugars, eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly, add flour mixture to the butter mixture. Finally, stir in entire bag of chocolate chips. Arrange on cooking sheet and bake on 350 degrees for about 7-9 minutes.

{This photo unfortunately doesn't do them justice but they are TO. DIE. FOR}