This year I got a lot of different amazing gifts from the people that I love. One of my favorite gifts that I had to share with you all is chocolate. Not just any type of chocolate... chocolate from around the world. Seems hard to find... but it's not! It's actually from Trader Joe's! Ah yes.. the amazing Trader Joe's. I have to admit, I'm obsessed with this place. Not only does it have foods to help my dietary needs (being gluten-free) but the produce is always fresh! I was really excited to find out that this chocolate is from there!

I can't even explain how amazing this chocolate is. It is for sure one of my favorite and different gifts! On the front of them it has a brief description of what is in the chocolate and even says what type of drink is good to pair with it! How awesome?! The different countries are Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Ghana, Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea, São Tomé, and Tanzania. Check out these chocolates!

Peru: Jasmin notes and a clean finish

Ecuador: deep chocolate aroma with floral and fruit notes

Venezuela: unique, mild taste with hints of floral and dried grasses

Ghana: peppery notes and spicy aromas with a bitter dark chocolate bite

Dominican Republic: slightly nutty notes and a sharp finish

Papua New Guinea: marked fruity taste with a touch of spice

São Tomé: intense cocoa flavor with an exciting bitterness

Tanzania: subtle fruitiness with a fine hint of vanilla

The chocolates range from from 60-73% cacao dark chocolate and you can really tell a difference! To me, some of the chocolates tasted very similar to one another. However, my two favorites were from Ghana and the Dominican Republic. They're amazing and soo different! If you try these chocolates let me know which ones are your favorites!!

xo

Olivia

Homemade Hummus Recipe

I have finally been able to cross something off of my 25 before 25 list! Check out this post and set some goals for yourself as well! It is such an amazing feeling to say that I have accomplished something that I've had in my goal list by the time I turn 25! Item number 23... you've been crossed off!! Yay!

My mom got me a rocket blender for the holidays this year and I've been crazily obsessed with it the past few weeks! I've made smoothies, juices, and homemade hummus! It's crazy how much a little appliance in the kitchen can make so many different foods! Here's the recipe that I used for my hummus! I'm sure you can use this recipe in a normal food processor as well.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock (I used vegetable stock)

14 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

3 cloves garlic (you can add more if you like a stronger garlic taste)

3 Tbsp lemon juice

3 tsp tahini (sesame paste)

1/2 tsp sea salt

A few dashes of paprika

Add olive oil if you please

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients into the large blending cup (or food processor)

2. Twist cup into base, push down and pulse until a smooth consistency is reached (for those who are using the Rocket Blender)

3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika to serve (optional)

4. Enjoy!!

Pretty easy recipe and it tastes amazing! You can either dip pita chips or vegetables in it! It also serves 4-6 people and trust me you're going to be eating a lot of this!

xo

Olivia

Red Velvet Cake in a Mug

The other day I was browsing on Pinterest and found this amazing recipe for cakes in a mug! Yes, a mug! I had to try it out and was really excited about it that I had to share with you guys! Since I'm gluten-free I modified it a bit to make it appropriate for my diet restrictions. She has a bunch of different recipes for cakes in a mug as well as other recipes in general (mostly desserts). If you want to see this and other recipes, click here! Here's the recipe for red velvet cake in a mug!

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp flour (I used gluten-free flour)

4 1/2 Tbsp sugar

1/8 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

Pinch of cinnamon

3 Tbsp oil

3 Tbsp buttermilk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp red food coloring

Directions:

1. mix all the wet ingredients together into an oversized mug using a fork until batter is smooth

Just wet ingredients

2. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined

Wet and dry ingredients mixed

3. Cook in microwave for about 50 seconds (I kept it in an extra 20 seconds)

4. Be careful not to overcook as batter will become dense and rubbery

Yeah.. I stole a piece before taking the pic... oops!

5. Let cake cool slightly before piping on cream cheese frosting (I used passion fruit fluffy cream cheese from a local restaurant in the Chicago suburbs)

Still working on putting the frosting on better

I can't explain how amazing this was and how easy it was to make! Be careful with the red food coloring since it can stain clothes and your counters... I learned that the hard way. I hope you like the recipe and let me know if you try it out!!

xo
Olivia