One Year

So, maybe I have been walking around singing:

Happy birthday to my blog, 
Happy birthday to my blog, 
Happy birthday, dear my blog,
Happy birthday to my blog.

Thank you for reading-- you all make me smile.

Zulily

Online shopping and I are pretty much BFFs.

And, yet, somehow, I didn't know about a little deal site called Zulily, until my fabulous friend Jen told me about it this morning.

Although it carries a lot of kid-friendly stuff, you definitely don't have to be a mommy to find things to put in your shopping cart.

In fact, I may have an order on the way to me right now... and order that I got ten dollars off of with a coupon code.

(Swoon.)

Chocolate Makes Everything Better

If you are ever in the Berkshires, you should probably stop at Mazzeo's.

And you should probably order the chocolate piano for dessert.

Because it is awesome.

Make-Up Monday: Not Exactly a Necessity

True Confession: I already own two sparkly Hello Kitty necklaces.

But, I don't own one that is also a solid perfume.

I maybe need to swing by Sephora...

The Letter B

I'm continuing the Encyclopedia of Me with one of my very favorite things in the world:

Babies!
Once, a co-worker spotted a super cute baby and announced, "I think my uterus just skipped a beat!"

I totally get that, because I cannot see a little one without falling a little bit in love.  (Also, this happened more than five years ago, and it is still one of the funniest things I've ever heard).

Banana bread
I whole-heartedly approve of cake that can be eaten for breakfast.

Barney
We got Barney almost two years ago on Valentine's Day, and I can't seem to remember a time when I didn't have his furry little face in my life.

Barnes and Noble
I am a total book nerd, and I love nothing better than having a new book to read. Also, this is where Mr. Kinne and I met, so it holds a special place in my heart.

(Can you spot the tiny Mrs. Kinne in this picture? It's like my own personal "Where's Waldo?")

Ice Invaders

I am a big fan of the new ice cube tray that Mr. Kinne picked out for us:

Seriously, what is cuter than old-school, video-game robots that also make your drinks colder?

Not a whole lot, that's what.

Folar

I am so in love with bread.

Just plain old homemade white bread ranks very high on my favorite food list.

But, wouldn't bread be so much awesomer if it had bacon rolled up in it?

The answer is a resounding "yes!"-- except from the vegetarians, I suppose.

Well, we can thank the Portuguese, because they came up with folar, which is a bread with bacon and linguica rolled into the dough.  (Linguica is a sausage, sort of like a milder chorizo).

(I would also like to note that I grew up pronouncing "folar" as "foo-laud," but there's a distinct chance I say it wrong).

Now, I grew up on traditional folar, which has a heavy egg-bread as a base, but I tend to make it more like my not-at-all-Portuguese Dad who uses a soft white bread.

Would you like the recipe? O.K...

Folar (Adapted from the "Soft as Wonder" White Bread Recipe on Allrecipes)

1 1/2 cups water
3 teaspoons salt
9 tablespoons butter, chopped into little pieces
3 tablespoons honey
9 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
6 teaspoons sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
1 package of bacon, cooked and chopped into little pieces.
1 packaged of linguica, cooked and chopped into little pieces.
Extra flour to coat the meat

1. Put all of the ingredients in your mixer, and mix together with a dough hook.
2. Let the dough rise, covered, in a warm place for an hour or two.  (Look for the dough to double in size).
3. Separate into 4 balls of dough.
4. Roll out each dough into a rectangle.
5. Coat the bacon and the chourica in flour.  (I mix the meat with a handful of flour in a bowl until it looks coated).
6. Sprinkle about a fourth of the meat over each rectangle.
7. Roll each rectangle up like a jelly roll.
8. Place each loaf on a baking sheet-- or in a loaf pan.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.  (Look for the loaves to brown on top).

10. Enjoy, and pretend like you're not eating some of the unhealthiest foods available all squished together.