This is going to be painfully honest

Hey Mi! It's U (if that isn't confusing, I don't know what is!)

I'm here to confirm what you are probably thinking right now: life can be really not fun sometimes. Things don't go our way, people treat us poorly, we are disappointed, or even things are just "blah." It is not wrong to admit that. You don't need to act like everything is fine and dandy when it's not. We've all been there. I personally have struggled in this area. I don't want anyone to see the chinks in my armor, or the places that I'm hurting. That's sensitive, and if they know, they could hurt me. I'm a bottler. I lock up my heart tight so no one can get in. I pull the curtains so no one can see the mess inside. It's safer that way. But then the muck builds up and things ferment and simmer, growing out of control like rising water from a busted pipe. But I can't recruit a plumber, because I'd have to open the door and I can't do that, not with this mess. From the outside, my heart may look like a perfect porcelain cottage, but what's the good in that if the inside is dark and dismal and full of hurt? The Lord has been teaching me to open the door. Let the water out, and let people in. It can be embarrassing. Other people seem like they have it together, so why don't I? Well, if we're honest, they don't. We all like our little neighborhood of pristine exteriors. I was struggling with this last summer, alone as usual, as I liked it. Then the Lord struck me with a verse that hurt. Matthew 23:27-28 says:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (NKJV)

Ouch! My pretty outside was actually hypocrisy?!? But that was my struggle! I was just the victim trapped inside! Or was I? How much of this was I responsible for? Was it me who locked the door? How could keeping myself safe be a sin? I grappled with this. I was the victim of my story. I was weak and hurt and yet I was still doing all the right things and taking care of my own problems and being a good person! Oh. Oh, that. That was my pride. I was proud of being the innocent victim who didn't need help. I "had it handled." Getting help was for the weak. If no one else saw my problems, I was fine. Or so I thought. These things I was hiding were eating my heart out like mold and rot. My self-preservation was destroying me.  I was a wreck. I still am. But hey, at least I'm an honest wreck. I still struggle with this one. Good girls don't have problems, they have perfect grades, crowds of popular "good kid"friends, an immaculate room, fashionable wardrobe, a healthy relationship with a "good boy," an hour of devotions a day, and at least one to two other girls into whom they can pour their superior godly wisdom. No wonder I get discouraged and down! These expectations are ridiculous. If you ever meet someone that actually is accomplishing this without ever feeling worn out or discouraged, let me know. I want to be one of her mentees, cause I'm no where near that kind of perfect! I have dark days when I am sad for no reason. I have days when I skip devotions because I'm making worry and not looking stupid my idol. I have a whole lot of days when I feel unwanted and totally alone. But the door has been opened now, and God has been shining light on those things for what they are: lies! Disgusting, stinky, hateful, destructive lies from Satan. Period. There is no truth in them at all! Here's why:

"Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

O my soul, you have said to the Lord,

'You are my Lord,

My goodness is nothing apart from You.'

As for the saints who are on the earth,

They are the excellent ones, in 

whom is all my delight.

Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;

Their drink offerings of 

blood I will not offer,

Nor take up their names on my lips.

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You maintain my lot.

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Yes, I have a good inheritance.

I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;

My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

I have set the Lord always before me;

Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will rest in hope.

For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

11You will show me the 

path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  Psalm 16 (NKJV)

(Yes, I know that was a lot, but it applies to pretty much everything I'm talking about. Bear with, okay?)

First of all, all of my goodness is nothing without God. I'm not perfect and I won't ever be. That's the way it is, and I can do nothing to make my goodness count. What a relief! My goodness is nothing and I am so very broken, and yet, God loves me. Secondly, I don't need to be sad! The God of the universe, awesome, holy, just, perfect, beautiful God is with me. Silly, sinful, broken me. He is so personal, He speaks to me in His Word. He preserves me through every moment so that I don't need to get tossed around on the emotional roller coaster that is life. I can rest in Him. In His presence there is fullness of joy. That means there is absolutely no lack. Move over pessimism, this cup of joy is all the way full! Thirdly, all those other things I put before God just bring more problems. Worry and stress never help, they only distract me from trusting the reality that God's got me. The God who knows everything is literally telling me what to do and protecting me while I do it. Why was I worried again? The portion in life that God gives me will always be exceedingly above anything I could ever hope to deserve because my portion is Himself. Also, I am never ever unwanted or alone. THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE IS LITERALLY WITH ME ALL THE TIME BECAUSE HE WANTS TO BE!!!! That's pretty freaking awesome! Finally, this Psalm makes a seemingly out of place comment about "the saints." What's that about? I thought we were talking about the whole "me and God" thing which is nice and private, how I like it. This statement is right after the psalmist decries his own goodness. Is this a coincidence? Nope! (It never is) We're all not so good. At all. But God intended us to find delight in each other. Oh, does that mean I have to (*gasp*) talk to people? Yep. Do I have to tell them I have issues? Yeppers. Just some of them though, right? All the issues. All of them? Uh huh. Me no likey! Too bad (pardon my wacky inner conversation). God made the church, not to function as individual cells who occasionally swap casseroles and endure each other's presence with fake smiles plastered on, but to function as a singular, close-knit unit. For a body to function, each individual cell must be in connection with the rest of the cells. Cells that seal themselves off die from lack of nutrients from the outside and build up of waste on the inside. That doesn't mean that I have to scream my struggles from the rooftops, but if I don't have at least one other person committed to walking with me through my struggles, I'm doing it wrong. 

Pardon this extremely long, preachy, rant of a post. Honestly, I've just been preaching to myself about everything that God has been teaching me in the past year. Hopefully some of it has encouraged you too. Let me leave you with one final thought. My Bible study group leader always likes to talk about how the cracks in our pot are the places that God's love can shine through the brightest. In 2Corinthians 4: 7-9, 16-18 it says, 

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,  that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…Therefore we 

do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is 

being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

All that this broken world can throw at us will eventually go away and only serves to bring us more eternal glory. No matter what our struggles, God is with us, deeply desiring to draw us closer to Himself. He loves us so much, and it's overwhelmingly awesome. I'm here for you kiddo! I want to be more open with you and I'm here for you too.

Love yah,

U 

Peach Streusel Muffins

Hey everybody! Happy summer! One of my favorite things about this season is how much fresh produce there is! There are blueberries, strawberries, zucchini, tomatoes, and peaches (just to name a few). During the summer, I love to experiment with some of these sumptuous summer flavors. One of my best new creations is the recipe I'm going to share today: Peach Streusel Muffins. On first impressions these flavorful and moist muffins they taste like Peach Cobbler (AKA amazing). They are great for breakfast, snacks, and sharing at events.

Baker’s Note: I like to use Steel Cut Oats to add a new texture to the topping, but you can use plain old Rolled Oats, if you want. This recipe makes 12 muffins. I suggest using fresh peaches, after straining out the juice, however you can use frozen peaches to replace them.

Streusel Topping

1/3 cup Granulated Sugar

1/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar

¼ cup All-Purpose Flour

¼ teaspoon Salt

¾ cup Oats

Muffins

2 1/3 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon Baking Soda

¾ Teaspoon Salt

2 Large Eggs

½ cup Canola or Vegetable Oil

½ cup Buttermilk

½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 cups Cubed and Peeled Peach Slices

½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Instructions (kind of important ;)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Grease a 12 cup muffin tin.
2. Mix together all streusel ingredients in a medium bowl, with a pastry blender, or your hands (I like using my hands because you can feel when the topping is mixed), until it resembles a coarse meal.
3. To make the muffins: Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture, and whisk until smooth. Fold in peach slices.
5. Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups, filling them around a 1/4 inch from the top.
6. Top each with a generous amount of streusel topping.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the middle of a muffin. {Tip: I usually check the largest muffin, because it will be the one that takes longest to cook}
8. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes before removing them from their pan. 

Please share with your friends, and enjoy! 

Mi
 

Appearances

Hey y'all!
      Do you ever work really hard to brush your teeth especially well when you're planning to go somewhere? Subconsciously, you are doing your part to keep our appearance-centered shallow teenage society moving. Sweet, right? Your teeth need to look good when people see them see, so they can't be yellow, right? It could be anything hair, teeth, clothes, grades, even your laugh. A lot of people put their hand over their mouth when they laugh. Why? They might privately be insecure about the way it sounds, or maybe they want to impress someone in the room. It's weird, but I get it, because I've done it too. In fact, I didn't realize until recently how much. Every aspect of your personality seems like it's not enough. People will judge you and not like it because of it. Then - the unspeakable would happen... THEY WOULDN'T LIKE YOU ANYMORE!!!! How frustrating, right?!!! Honestly, this whole thought process needs to stop. It's an unfair caste system. If people stop being your friend because of your breath, hair, teeth, clothes, grades, or laugh, they are most likely super shallow, and sadly probably aren't the best people to be hanging out with anyway. We [teenage girls] as a whole put so much effort into how we look, and the crazy thing is, most of the time it's not even for the right reasons! Think about it, do you think about keeping your hair healthy when you brush it? No - its so that your hair won't be  a slovenly mess, duh. Bingo! Do you restrain yourself from eating more at a party because you're really full? Usually, that's not the case. You don't want to look like a pig - especially if that guy you like is in the room. Yeah, that's a BIG no-no. It's crazy!

So today, I have three challenges for you:

1. Do something different for a change!
Wear a hat that you love - even if it's (by others' definition) "too big". Wear your hair like you do when people aren't around. Go and talk with a new kid. Bridge the gap between the guys' conversation, and the girls' conversation.

2. Be raw, be yourself, and be honest.
Don't try to hide it when your having a rough day, just because you don't want anyone to see your weakness. Also, definitely, definitely don't pretend to be in a bad mood and complain just because that's the "cool teenager attitude" that's really stupid. If you're having a good day, awesome! Your friends should be happy that you are. If you're having a terrible, no-good, rotten day, that's okay too! Everyone has them! Basically what I'm saying is: If you feel like you're always trying to keep up appearances, be real, and see what happens. You may be able to talk to your friends in a way you never could before. You may actually have a real, deep conversation, and end up strengthening your friendship. Or... you may end up seeing that the people you're hanging out with are a negative influence on you, and it's time to find friends who are seeking after God, and want to see you the way God sees you. Your appearance-centered friends might end up not liking you. That's okay, pray for them. Don't go along with the crowd.

My last challenge is:

3. Stand up for righteousness. Don't do something stupid because of peer pressure. Do something to make God smile. Be proud of who you are in Christ. Here's a little quote I heard recently:

You plus Jesus is always the majority.

AKA: You don't have to be afraid of whatever others think about you standing with God. He loves you, and He's proud of you!  His affirmation is worth eternally more than a shallow teenage girl's. Remember that.

Here are some Bible verses to help you remember not be consumed by the idol of your appearance:

"Do not be deceived: 'Bad company corrupts good morals.'"

1 Corinthians 15:33

"The righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray."

Proverbs 12:26

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7

"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

John 7:24

Congrats! You've made it to the end of my very, very long blog post! Thanks for reading!

~Mi

An Indecisive Girl's Guide to Making Decisions

Decisions, decisions! Every high school aged student looking at colleges knows exactly what I'm talking about.  It didn't seem too complicated at first. Just pick a college, apply, accept, and you're done! That delusion didn't last long. A myriad of minutiae started popping up all over the place! How far from home do you want to be? What do you want to major in? Do the schools you are considering have your major? Can you get into the school? How about those standardized test scores? Will you have a car to take to school? Who will you be rooming with? The list goes on and on! Not to mention financial questions!!! The whole experience is completely overwhelming! And the scariest thing is that these kinds of decisions won't ever go away! How in the world will I (a very indecisive person) ever cope? How will I ever decide? As I have been walking through this season of decisions, I thought I'd share with you my process for making a decision.

 1. "Read your Bible, pray everyday...."

           Yes, I know it sounds cliche. But does that make it any less true? No, it does not.  It is still just as applicable as when Solomon (the wisest guy ever) said:

                            “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

Job 28:28; Ps. 111:10; Prov. 1:fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,                                                        

             And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

                                         Proverbs 9: 10

And:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

Prov. 23:4; (Jer. 9:23, 24)And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him
(1 Chr. 28:9); Prov. 16:3; (Phil. 4:6; James 1:5In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths."

             Proverbs 3: 5-6

So, looking to the Lord and His Word will guide you to wise decisions. They may not be the decisions that the world thinks are wise, but they will be the right ones. Knowing God will help you know His will. Knowing His will leads to making good decisions. ✔

2. Research your options.
     Don't let your feeling of urgency force you into a hasty decision! Slow down. Breathe. Look around. Think about the other options available to you, and try to find some alternative options. If you don't find anything helpful, at least you can have confidence that you are making an informed decision that you won't regret.

3. Talk to someone you trust.
       I know it feels good to be independent and make your own decisions, but the adults in your life have been around longer than you. They can give some great advice, show you an aspect of a situation you didn't see before, or even just discuss it with you and pray for you. You don't necessarily have to agree with them, but it is always good to hear a variety of opinions. It won't hurt to talk to them about it. If you don't, you might miss out on some valuable advice.

4. Evaluate your motives. 
       When I am about to make an important decision, I always ask myself, "Why do I want to do this?" This causes me to stop and think carefully and objectively about the decision. It helps me to be honest with myself. It exposes my motive for each alternative. If the only reason I can list against one of my options is that I don't feel like putting in the effort for it, I really shouldn't let laziness stop me. If my only reason for something is that it feels good on my pride, I really shouldn't choose it. It helps me realize what I am really thinking and why I feel that way. It helps me discover the right decision, because I know the motive behind it. If I can honestly say  I feel like the Lord is leading me to a decision or I think it is the right thing to do, then I should definitely do it! The same process could help you with your decisions!

5.  MAKE YOUR DECISION!
       Once you have decided, decide! Don't second guess yourself! Be confident in the fact that you have made an informed decision, and don't let other people or your own lack of self-confidence make you doubt your decision. The only reasons to change your mind are:  1) New information has been introduced into the situation that you need to reevaluate. 2) Those in authority in your life tell you no. 3) You don't have peace from God about it.  Aside from those circumstances, go for it, plunge in head first and go with your decision.

I hope this guide was helpful for you in making your decisions. If you enjoyed this post, follow our blog for more! Also, if you have any more tips for making good decisions, comment below!
💓U

Snow Day!

It's snowing! I love snow days! It's a great day with my family, where we are all stuck together in the same house. No one can be busy and run around, because they literally can't leave. It's nice. Usually, it's really quiet, and relaxing. It's a nice time to reboot for the upcoming events. Today, U and I have been baking together, which is super fun! We get to talk to each other and enjoy each other's company! So, when I think of a snow day, I think of words like: family, relaxing, cookies, hot chocolate, together, and love.

This is going to sound really weird at first, but stick with me. Do you ever have a snow day with God? I'm not talking about a literal amount of time, but a time where you reboot, talk to Him, and enjoy His company. It's really important. We can get so busy that we forget to do that. We prioritize other things above God. It shouldn't be an obligation, but a pleasure. God doesn't pull on your chain to get your attention, He's ready whenever you decide to have time for Him. Honestly, He's looking to bless you, not to make you do something because it's part of a contract. God wants to bless you with a refreshing experience, where you learn how to follow, love, and serve Him better. He wants to restore your soul. It pleases Him, if we are following Him. It shows we love Him. He'll show what He wants to do with your life. Spend time with God! You won't regret it!

"Be still and know that I am God..."

Psalm 46:10a

"Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

James 4:8

I hope you enjoyed my little article/blog/devotional/exhortation thing! See you soon!

Mi

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The Top 10 Things I Learned From High School

The 10 Most Important Things I Have Learned In High School

Well, I am in my last semester of senior year now. I can't believe that high school is almost over! I certainly had my ups and downs over the past four years! Now before I get too wrapped up in looking  at cute dorm pictures on Pinterest, I thought I'd share some of the things I have learned in high school with you. Here are the top 10 things I've learned:

1. Never be afraid to try a new subject or do something new.
    Before I started high school, I was terrified to take the biology, chemistry, and physics classes that were required. I was convinced that I was going to hate and/or fail all three. After taking all three, I can honestly say that enjoyed all of them! I am actually majoring in biology! That is the first reason to try new/ different things:you may actually enjoy it! The second is that, even if you don't end up liking it, you still learn from it. Yes, you do learn the subject material (such as biology), but you can also learn other lessons. For example, you could learn how to make yourself focus and how you best study. Or, you could learn how to talk to teachers about things you don't understand. However, I believe the most important lesson is learning how to do things that you don't want to do. To be frank, you are going to have to do things you don't want to do for the rest of your life. You will have to go to work after a night of next to no sleep. You will have to clean up after yourself. You will have to pay taxes and take care of your finances. The best thing you can do to prepare for adulthood is preparing to do things you don't want to do. You might as well start now, in high school. So you see, the worst that can happen when you try something new is that you learn life skills. Or you could find a new passion. You'll never know until you try!

2. Everyone else is just as insecure as you.
    Seriously. Trust me. Everyone has some insecurities deep down. The bullies are actually the most insecure. They are just taking it out on you. They make themselves feel good by making you feel bad. The next time you are standing in the corner at a birthday party, third wheeling, feeling ignored, or sitting alone, remember, everyone else feels insecure too. You aren't a weirdo.

3.Your childhood friends may not stay your best friends.
    People change during high school. Everyone is just starting to figure who they are and who they want to be. Sometimes your friends that you grew up with don't want to be the same kind of person that you do. In fact, they may want to go in a completely different direction. They may want to party and drink. They may want to gossip and talk bad about people behind their backs. They may want to chase boys. It's sad, but you really can't do anything about it. You can't make your friends decisions for them. The best thing you can do is be their friend as long as they want you to be their friend, and if they don't want to be your friend anymore, accept it. Move on. Find new friends with the same priorities/ moral convictions as you. My mom and dad always say to find friends that are, "going in the same direction as you."

4. Being confident is more fun.
   It's very true. If you aren't constantly worrying about what people think, you'll be able to relax and have more fun. Go ahead and dance! It doesn't matter if you aren't good at it, just laugh it off and joke about it. You don't have to be a good dancer! Everyone will think you are funny and admire your confidence. Wear clothes that express your style! Be an individual with your own personality. If people don't like it, that's their problem! Not feeling confident? Here's a little secret: fake it until you make it! If you act confident often you'll become confident.

5. Popularity and other people's approval are not worth faltering in your walk with God.
  People are fickle. Their approval is not a one time deal; you have to work for it. God's love is forever. A relationship with God is the most important thing you can have! He loves you more than anyone else ever could and you don't do anything to earn it! Why chase the approval and love that people can give you when God loves you so deeply and completely? If you set that relationship aside to chase popularity, you'll head down a bad path and end up feeling alone and empty. You will regret it.

6. Holding onto old quarrels hurts you more than anyone else.
    People will hurt you at some time or another. It is inevitable. My tendency when I've been hurt is to resent the person who hurt me. I get bitter. The mention of their name makes me angry! I can hold a grudge for years. Holding that kind of anger keeps the wound from healing. It's like ripping off the scab every time it starts to heal. It doesn't hurt the person who hurt you as much as it hurts you! The best thing you can do is to pray and ask God to take the bitterness out of your heart. Then, make a conscious, deliberate effort to be nice to that person. God will work on your heart and help you heal.

7. Think the best about people.
   My mom always says, "there is always something more." What she means is that you never know what is going on in someones life that is causing them to act the way they do. The girl who says nasty things to you could have a family that says nasty things to her at home. The one who criticizes everything you do could feel like she never does anything right. You never know what is going on behind the scenes. Be kind. Don't hold it against them, Maybe your kindness could impact their life. You never know.

8. Watch your words!
  You know the saying... "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!"

9.Your hometown is small compared to the rest of the world.
    Something else my mom always tells me is that where we are now is actually a really small pond, but there is a whole ocean of a world out there. What she means is that a lot of the things that seem significant in high school (prom, popularity, who has the coolest clothes/stuff, etc.) that actually aren't!Who cares if that girl is the most popular girl in school now! When she goes to college she probably won't be anymore. And when she gets a job, no one cares! And even more important is how insignificant those things are in light of eternity. What good is it if you are the most popular girl in school, but all your friends die without getting saved and they go to hell? Who cares who's going to prom with you! Who's going to heaven with you? If you can muster up enough courage to ask that guy to prom, you can talk to someone about your faith.

10. Your parents actually know what they are talking about!
   Yes, I know that you probably don't want to hear it. But seriously, they do! They have been here before, they have already learned the hard lessons! You may not like what they have to say. It can be painful to hear, but it is what you need to hear. As you can tell from reading the rest of this post, my parents have given me a lot of wisdom that has taught me some very important life lessons. Listen to your parents, you may be surprised to realize that they know what they are talking about!

Well, there you have it! The top 9 things that I've learned in high school! Feel free to comment any of the lessons you've learned below!

 U 💓

Decadent Blondie Recipe

Hey everyone! It's Mi (again :)! Today we are going to "spice things up" (ba-dump-ch) with two different Blondie recipe variations. Blondies are basically non-chocolate brownies, or cookies in a sheet pan. First, I'll give you the basic blondie recipe, and then a couple of variations to spice up these delicious treats!

Basic Blondie Recipe

Makes One 9 in. square pan of Blondies

Ingredients 

1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

2 Large Eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

Step #1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9 in. pan with cooking spray.

Step #2: Hear butter in microwave until completely melted. 

Step #3: In a stand-mixer bowl -  or large mixing bowl - beat eggs until slightly frothy. Add sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla, until smooth and mixed thoroughly. 

Step #4: Add flour and salt, and mix until smooth and dry ingredients are completely incorporated. Add melted butter, and beat until smooth. 

Step #5: Bake on 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes in 9 in. pan, until toothpick comes out clean. 

Variations

Chocolate Pretzel Blondies

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups of hard pretzels

1 and 1/2 cups dark chocolate (chunks or chips)

1 cup whipping cream

Instructions

Step #1: While making Blondies stir in 1/2 cup of pretzels and chocolate (chunks or chips) before baking. 

Step #2: Heat cream to simmer in double boiler (or a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water, improvise!). Pour cream over chocolate, and let sit for five minutes.

Step #3: While the cream and chocolate mixture is sitting, place pretzels in a plastic baggie, and crush with rolling pin, until broken into small pieces (not absolute crumbs, but also not a half a pretzel). 

Step #4: After five minutes, stir together chocolate and cream mixture. Ta-da! You have a ganache! Stir in 3/4 cups of pretzels, Do not refrigerate it for a long period of time before pouring on the Blondies, it will harden, and you will have to remelt it. Pour ganache over brownies, and garnish with the rest of the crushed pretzels. Enjoy!

Spiced Pecan Blondies

Ingredients

3/8 cup pecans (chopped)

1 teaspoon butter

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/16 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/2 teaspoon syrup

Blondie Recipe

Instructions

1. Begin to toast pecans in a pan over medium-low heat. Toast for a minute or so, stirring occasionally. 

2. Add butter and brown sugar, cooking until both butter and sugar are incorporated and the pecans are lightly browned.

3. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well until the pecans are evenly coated.

4. Fold pecans into the Blondie batter and bake as instructed.

Optional: The Pecan Blondies may be covered  in a caramel frosting if you desire. They are equally delicious covered in vanilla ice cream. 

Pecan Blondies with Caramel Frosting

Chocolate Pretzel Blondies (baked in a round pan)