Sorry I missed last week’s post! We left for up north a day early, and I didn’t have time to put a post together before we hit the road. We had an awesome weekend in Traverse City (celebrating my college graduation), spending time with family, shenanigans on the lake, and the best ice cream in the US (I had cupcake flavor). And, despite taking two cameras, I only took a couple of pictures, all with my phone.

But I put up a new header and picture, so it’s all good, right?

1. Spider Lake
Where else can you sing songs around a campfire that was doused in gasoline to get it started (hey, we thought we only had one match) and surf an old door tied with a ski rope to the back of your grandparents’ boat?

2. Moomer’s ice cream
Consistently voted the best ice cream. With their dairy farm onsite, they create their own flavors, which change daily (and are all delicious).

3. Biggby coffee
Biggby is a Michigan-based business, so that’s already a plus over Starbucks (and their coffee is better). I always get great service, their drinks are amazing, and the atmosphere is fun and inviting.

4. Crunch pilates/yoga blend
I know this says “super slimdown,” but I like this because it makes me feel like I’m DOING something. I love both yoga and pilates, and combining them makes an amazing workout.

5. Japanese pan noodles from Noodles & Company
I seem to be food-centric this week! But seriously, this is amazing. Caramelized udon noodles in sweet soy sauce, broccoli, carrots, Asian sprouts, and black sesame seeds with sauteed beef = heavenly. (It also comes with shiitake mushrooms and cilantro, but I order without. I’m one of those weird people who tastes soap when they eat cilantro.)

I love food. I love eating and baking (not so much cooking) and eating some more. Occasionally, I make stuff (like cake pops!), especially if it involves chocolate. This, my lovelies, is dark chocolate Thin Mints bark:

Thin Mints are, to me, very versatile, which is why I buy six boxes every year. And then, the year rolls by, and I realize that I still have four and a half boxes left. So I like to use them for things other than eating. I crush them and sprinkle on ice cream, usually, but I was inspired by my delightful melting chocolate (seriously, I could eat that stuff by itself all day) and a freezer full of these godforsaken cookies to make this. It’s really easy, honestly…I mean, it took me hours? Ok, all of ten minutes. Maybe.

You need:
- candy melts (your choice of flavors, but I love the dark cocoa ones)
- cookies, candies, whatever you want, frozen
- cookie sheet
- tin foil

Melt the candy melts according to the package. As they’re in the microwave (or on the stove), cover a cookie sheet in tin foil. Put your cookies/candy in a sealable bag and squeeze the air out. Crush with a hammer (or other tool) to desired consistency. When your chocolate is sufficiently melty, drizzle it onto the til foil and spread it out, making it as thin or thick as you’d like. Shake your crushed goodies over the melted chocolate and set the cookie sheet in the fridge for a bit.

When the chocolate has cooled and hardened, break it into pieces. The excess topping will come off, so don’t worry about putting too much on. Put the pieces into a sealed container and enjoy!