Happy Birthday Kirstin (and a Chocolate Milk Martini)!

You probably don't know this, but today is Kirstin's birthday!

And since she was so sweet about what she wrote for my birthday,

and I don't think I get to say this stuff about her enough,

and so you can get to know her a bit better,

I thought I'd share some of my favorite things about her here:

1.She's beautiful inside and out.

2. How much she loves her family (immediate and extended). I was seriously hard pressed to find a picture of her to put on here where she wasn't posing with a family member.

 In fact, I was unsuccessful.

3. She's seriously one of the most generous people I know. I'm not sure we've said this on here yet--probably not, because why would it come up?--but my Adam, me, and Stetson (did we mention he's a St. Bernard?) are currently living with their family until we are a bit more settled here in Denver. And Kirst and her Adam have pretty much gone by the philosophy "what's ours is yours". I just hope that some of this generosity rubs off on us, but I know at the very least I know I have never been so thankful.

4. She's quirky, and funny. In fact pretty much the perfect mesh between the two. 

5. She loves to travel.

6. She's passionate-- about diet coke, sushi, the beach, and some more important things too:)

7. She is a great friend and a great encourager. She throws showers for people all the time (even for people who she just met) and will always take a phone call from a friend regardless of how busy she gets.

And so, in honor of Kirstin, I tried to find a drink that used some of her favorite things: Magic Shell, dark chocolate, and whipped cream.

The Chocolate Milk Martini + some Magic Shell for rimming = just the thing.

Here's what you need:

2/3 c milk

3 t Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Syrup

2 oz Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka

Hershey's or Smuckers Magic Shell Ice Cream topping (again, for rimming)

Here's how to do it:

First mix up your milk and chocolate.

Then add in your vodka.

Stir well.

Then pour your Magic Shell onto a plate or into a wide bowl.

Take your empty glass and turn it upside down to coat the rim in chocolate.

It should harden.

Then pour in the drink.

It's ok if some of the Magic Shell breaks off into the drink. It's like adding chocolate shavings.

Happy Birthday Kirstin!

Do you have anyone special who has a birthday coming up?

What kind of special drink can you think of to customize for them with things they love?

Double the Chocolate (Double the Fun) Pumpkin Smoothie

Yesterday, Kedron kicked off our Pumpkin Week with a little twist on our favorite pumpkin spice latte and a DIY version for making it at home. YES!

Today, we wanted to keep talking pumpkin with you. So,what better fall combo is there than pumpkin and chocolate? We couldn't think of one. Which is why when we were thinking of what pumpkin drink to share with you guys we figured it had to include chocolate--even better, dark chocolate.

So what do you think about a Double Chocolate Pumpkin Smoothie? Did you say it sounds like a dream? Good, we hoped you'd feel that way.

Here's what you need:
1/3 c canned pumpkin
2/3 milk (we used skim)
2 T chocolate syrup (here's where we added the Hershey's Special Dark instead of just the regular. This step leaves lots of room for creativity.)
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t cinnamon
4-6 ice cubes

Here's what you do:

Add all of these ingredients into your blender.

Blend until smooth.
Makes 1-2 servings.

Be sure to check back because the rest of this week is all.about.pumpkins.