Happy Valentine’s Day + Oreo Chocolate Truffles

Yesterday evening I remembered my husband needed to bring a dessert for a Valentine’s bake share at his work.  I decided to forego baking and mix up these Oreo Chocolate Truffles that have always been a hit at parties I’ve seen them at and it was no different when Chris brought them to work today. 

Oreo Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

1-16.6 oz. package of Oreo cookies

1-8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature

2-8 oz. bags semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:  Put cookies in food processor and process until fine crumbs result.  (I processed one-third of the bag to start, added the next third to that, and the last until all were powdered to fine crumbs.)  Next, I added the cream cheese by breaking it into chunks and processed until it was evenly distributed.  Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.  Then, make 1 inch balls from mixture and place on pan.  (I used a cookie scoop and rolled balls of equal size.)  Once balls are made, refrigerate or freeze to cool and harden. 

Meanwhile, melt chocolate using a double boiler method on the stovetop.  I filled a saucepan about 1/2 way and placed a stainless steel bowl on top.  The chocolate chips were added to the bowl and heated over simmering water stirring consistently until a smooth melted chocolate resulted.  Be careful to not let water boil or chocolate will become sticky and grainy if overheated.  Next use two spoons to dip oreo balls in melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off, then placing back on wax paper.  Allow truffles to harden in the refrigerator.  Once hardened, put truffles into sealed container and store in refrigerator or eat.

Chris and I split one before they were packaged up and they were divine. 

Today was a normal work day aside from all of the red shirts and my pink one, oh and for the 3 cakes and chocolate cupcakes made by one of the teacher assistants, and the gift and Valentine sharing among the kids.

I started off my day with un-overnight oats—like overnight oats, but without the sitting overnight.

   

In the mix:

1/3 c oats

1/3 c greek yogurt

1/3 c lowfat milk

1 banana

cinnamon

1 spoon peanut butter

2 handfuls blueberries

1 small handful of pecan praline granola

Lunch:

Cheese stick, turkey, tomatoes, and crackers to make my own lunchable.  I saved the Chobani for after tutoring snack and had some cake from the lounge instead.

Dinner was take out from the Japanese Cherry Blossom.

Cucumber Special Roll filled with snowcrab, tuna, avocado, ponzu and naruto sauce—I had 4 of these plus 2 pieces each of husband’s snowcrab roll and tuna roll.

I also had some vegetable soup.

 

Less Wordy Wednesday

Started with an everything bagel thin and a fried egg + a banana

Lunch included some leftover spinach and artichoke pasta from Monday night’s dinner and an apple.

Dinner from the Cherry Blossom was shared with the husband—eastbank roll, philly roll, and snowcrab roll + lots of edamame!

3 Reasons I Dislike Shopping During the Holidays

Starting with Reason #3: I don’t know what to get!  Each year I struggle with what gifts to purchase for coworkers, husband, family members(especially dad).  Honestly, the people on my list don’t necessarily need anything, but of course I want to give them something.  I want that special something to be a gift that they can actually use, not just shove in a closet never to be seen again until they themselves need a gift to give.  Re-gift anyone!?!  After all, I don’t want my gift to be the talk of the White Elephant Party.

Reason #2: People are nuts!  Shopping during the holidays means crowded aisles of stores where rude consumers push, shove, fight over the last medium sized shirt on the sale rack…where they refuse to say excuse me if they cut you off or bump into you (I personally must have said excuse me at least 20 times on Friday)…where they steal your parking spot as you wait in the lot with your blinker on. Or where they park their cart directly next to yours facing the opposite direction and proceed to take your cart with your purse sitting at the top of the basket in the child’s seat and only notice after being chased by the screaming woman (ME) saying, “Excuse me, ma’am; excuse me ma’am, you just took MY basket!”  I swear she appeared to have a wig with a hat on and is sure to be a scammer.  I would be the naive one that gets scammed by the woman who accidentally took the wrong cart.  Luckily she didn’t steal anything and maybe my analysis is completely off basis.

Reason # 1:  Because of the two latter reasons, my mind gets lost in the madness.  I forget to eat…I forget my budget…I forget who I need to buy gifts for…mainly I forget that the down escalator takes people from upstairs to downstairs.  On Friday I literally stepped onto the downward escalator tripping over my feet and after a few seconds I realize…I am on the wrong escalator.  So I turn around and see adults and children laughing.at.me.  So I shake my head, laugh, and say out loud, “I’ve lost my mind!”

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Likewise, today my mind got lost in the holiday luncheon held at work and I failed to bring my camera, err iPhone.  I will say I had a plate full of a scoop of red beans and rice, 4 seafood salad finger sandwiches(two too many), a deviled egg, marinated veggies two ways, 2 pinwheels, 2 mini meatballs and  2 mini sausages plus I went back for some salad and a scoop of decadent, rich Butterfinger brownie pudding trifle with douses of whipped cream.  Honestly, with all that I wasn’t overly stuffed; I definitely could have gone back for seconds on some things but withheld. 

I did eat a solid breakfast of oatmeal, banana, milk, water, cinnamon, vanilla, cottage cheese, peanut butter, granola, and raisins.

 

With hot gingerbread tea.

Dinner was eaten out with the sister and her two babies.  At Sake Cafe I had a salmon avocado roll, California roll, and snow crab roll after a cup of miso soup.  I couldn’t finish all of the rolls eating 4 pieces of salmon and California rolls each and 2 of the snow crab, but they were tasty as usual.

Once home I snacked on two dough balls which taste like chocolate chip cookies in case you’re wondering.

Do you have any bad shopping experiences to share?