I have to say that I just LOVE Italians. (must be why I love Lora and Sara so much!) When I lived in Florida, I worked next door to the most wonderful, hilarious, caring and insanely attactive Italians. (praise the lord!) And when I vacationed, I hung out with the most fascinating people (Italians!) I have ever met. My most recent recipe post got me thinking A LOT about Florida and of course Italians came to mind. So now I have something to say dear Italian men…
(Dear Italian Men, if you are reading this please don’t hate me! 
)
Dear Giancarlo,
I’m still ticked you didn’t call me, perhaps you were too busy working out?! *sigh* I forgive you, please call me. Are you still living in Bologna? Cause I’ll fly there in an instant! Or perhaps my attempts at speaking Italian were terrible? Who knows?! *sigh* I give up Giancarlo!
Dear Massimiliano C.,
Please don’t try and kiss me in the middle of the store. Wait until you get off of work instead.
Dear Massimiliano G.,
I so wish you weren’t gay but oh how I still swoon over you. Too bad I wasn’t a man, I’d give you my number. And I almost did give you my number before I found out. Good thing I went for Giancarlo instead.
Dear Emanuele,
I’m sorry I nearly knocked down the whole store display when I saw you walk in. I couldn’t help it. *drool* Next time, warn me when you’re coming in.
Dear Lorenzo,
Sorry I told you to calm down at the time, you were just too feisty at the time. I’ve changed, I’m a feisty girl now. But anyway, thank you for catching me when I fell down on the revolving dance floor and taking care of me when I smacked my head on the wall.
Dear Giorgio,
I forgive you for making fun of me and calling my relationship with the Russian man “a love story.” By the way, I liked you more, just don’t tell him that
Dear Giuseppe,
I have never met you but Lora says you’re cute, sweet, hilarious and single. I saw your photo and you are the most attactive Italian man ever. *swoon* I don’t care if you live in Aosta, I’ll take a plane! Or come here, I’ll pay for your plane ticket and you can fly first class. I bake sweets and I need to uh learn about wine? I’ll take you over any Italian man, even Eros Ramazzotti.
Now I suppose we should move onto the recipe yeah? If you’ve never had Baci, you seriously are missing out and please don’t tell me (ok you can and maybe I’ll feel bad for you and send you some!) I’ll explain Baci later. So I chopped up a Baci bar, threw it into the already rich Blondie batter, topped the blondies with rich creamy Nutella Buttercream and sprinkled chopped up baci on top of the buttercream. Oh they’re even more delicious than an Italian man. Ok well not exactly. I’d throw these blondies down if Giuseppe or Giancarlo were in front of me.
This is my FAVORITE recipe that I have ever made. It’s pure bliss 
(By the way, I had Nutella and Baci and didn’t have an allergic reaction? I don’t recommend being as crazy as me. Perhaps it’s gone now and has been replaced with the oh so lovely peanut allergy…)
First we’ll start on the Nutella Buttercream. It’s super simple and insanely delicious. In a large bowl with the paddle attachment (handheld mixer works fine) cream together 7 Tablespoons of softened unsalted butter, 1 cup of Nutella, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Once that’s combined, it should look somewhat like this.
Sift 1 cup of powdered sugar. Then slowly add it into the Nutella mixture. Make sure you have the mixer on low speed at first, then increase the speed once it starts to become incorporated. Listen to my instructions or no Italian man will want to come near you with powdered sugar in your hair. Powdered sugar in hair = not so hot
Once the powdered sugar is combined, it’ll look like this.
Then slowly add in 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream. It’ll look funky at first, don’t worry. So do you with powdered sugar in your hair…
Now increase the speed to high and mix for about 5 minutes until it’s smooth and there are no lumps in the buttercream.
Looks delicious don’t ya think? Please excuse the Eros photo next to my buttercream. Need encouragement sometimes when I bake. However, if your name happens to be Giuseppe, I’d much rather have your encouragement.
You can cover the buttercream with plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for a bit. It’ll firm up but not too much.
Now let’s move onto making the Baci Blondies!
In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 kosher salt. Set aside. I don’t have a photo of dry ingredients, sorry!
In a large mixing bowl with the paddle attachment (handheld mixer is fine) mix together 1 cup of packed light brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, and 1/3 cup of melted unsalted butter.
Once the ingredients are combined, add in 1 large egg that’s at room temperature. Mix it up!
Now slowly add in the dry ingredients. Be careful not to overmix.
The batter should look like this, not completely combined.
Take a spatula/mixing spoon and fold the ingredients together until combined.
Onto my favorite part ever, well besides the Nutella Buttercream. The delicious Baci Bar. If you can’t find a Baci bar, just use a chocolate and hazelnut candy bar. Although this bar has a creamy filling with hazelnuts. Mmmm
Chop it into pieces and then chop each piece in half. Or if you want smaller pieces, chop it up even smaller.
Throw about 1/2 of the Baci pieces into the blondie batter.
Fold them in.
Lightly grease an 8 by 8 inch pan and evenly spread the Baci Blondie Batter into the pan. It’ll look like there’s barely any batter. It’ll work out just fine, trust me.
Bake at 350 for a total of 25 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of baking, take some more chopped up Baci pieces and press them into the blondies. (I use about a total of 3/4 of the Baci bar for these blondies)
Cool them completely before frosting with the Nutella Buttercream.
While they’re cooling, you can prepare the topping that you’ll sprinkle on top of the buttercream. Take 2 Baci candies. If you’ve never had Baci, they have chocolate on the outside, a whole hazelnut and chopped up hazelnuts inside and a creamy filling.
Finely chop them up.
Throw a bunch of buttercream on top of the blondies and spread it out evenly.
Then sprinkle the chopped up baci on the buttercream. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Baci Blondies with Nutella Buttercream
Baci Blondies
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Baci Bar, chopped into pieces (use only about 3/4 of the bar, eat the rest!)
Nutella Buttercream
7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup Nutella
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
For decorating:
2 Baci, finely chopped
To make the Baci Blondies:
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt. Set aside.
Mix together the light brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Once combined, add in the egg and mix it up.
Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix the ingredients until almost combined. Using a spatula, fold everything together. Don’t overmix!
Take a Baci bar and cut it up into pieces. Whatever size you’d like really. Throw 1/2 of the Baci pieces into the batter and fold to combine.
Lightly grease an 8 by 8 inch pan and evenly spread out the batter. It will seem like there’s not much batter, don’t worry. Everything will turn out fine.
Bake the blondies for a total of 25 minutes at 350 degrees. During the last 5 minutes of baking, take some of the chopped up Baci bar and press the pieces into the top of the blondies. You’ll end up using a total of 3/4 of the Baci bar. Just eat the rest.
Cool the Baci Blondies completely before frosting with the Nutella Buttercream.
To make the Nutella Buttercream:
Sift the powdered sugar and set aside.
Put the softened unsalted butter, Nutella and vanilla extract in a large bowl with the paddle attachment. (a handheld mixer works fine) Mix until smooth.
Slowly add the powdered sugar, a small amount at a time. Begin mixing on low speed, then increase the speed once it begins to become incorporated.
Slowly pour the heavy whipping cream. Begin mixing slowly then increase the mixer to high speed. Mix for about 5 minutes on high.
Decorating the Baci Blondies:
Throw a lot of Nutella Buttercream onto the Blondies and spread it out evenly. You can always remove any excess buttercream.
Chop up 2 Baci candies. Sprinkle them on top of the buttercream.
Cut into squares and enjoy!
Part 2: FAQs with Gingerbread Bagels and My Favorite Comments
Ciao!
It’s now time for part two of FAQs (frequent asked questions, or just questions) with yours truly!
I have decided to make this FAQs deal thing (wow Linds that was quite the intelligent thing to say!) a weekly installment. Uh ok so I did this twice this week but oh who cares! I live on the wild side yeah? So this means you have lots of time to ask me anything and everything. And I really do mean I’ll answer ANYTHING.
How long have you been blogging?
I’ve been blogging for 4 months. Not a very long time but I feel like I’ve been doing it forever. Blogging feels very natural to me. I’ve been a Featured Publisher for a little over 2 months.
Why are you not taken?
Cause they can’t handle all of the pure delicious love I have to offer. Or perhaps I’m a little bit too feisty?! All I know is that if you have any qualities below, please call me. Thank you very much.
1) from another country
2) dark hair
3) tall
4) older than me
5) likes feisty girls
6) you cook. I use all of my brain cells to bake, I have none left to think up meals. That’ll be your job dear.
Where do you live?
I get this question so much, seriously. I think you all want to come knocking on my door and take some sweets from me yeah? I live in Portland, Oregon.
How do I increase my traffic?
This is what has worked for me so maybe it’ll help you out too.
1) First, determine what your blog is about and be consistent. It’s important that when people come to read your blog then know what you’re all about, what’s the purpose of your blog. Also know who your audience is and remember you need to appeal to them. If your blog is about making things simple, don’t go and get all fancy on your readers. And don’t be completely all over the place. Now I’m not taking about having a variety of different posts. You need to put thought into your post, know what you’re writing about and stay on topic.
Have a point of view and be consistent.
2) Have a schedule. If you typically post 3 times a week then you need to follow that schedule. Readers notice a pattern, so they’re looking forward to your posts.
3) Blog often. I try to post at least 3 times a week. If there’s a period of time when I’m not able to post (sick), then I notice a drop in my traffic.
4) Comment on other blogs. Blogging isn’t just about you, it’s about building relationships with other bloggers. When you comment on other bloggers’ blogs (that’s a mouthfull!), don’t just say “YUM!” “looks good” because then the blogger doesn’t really have any reason to see what you’re about. Does that make sense? Think of it this way: If I comment on Lora’s blog and say “yum, looks good.” Do I sound at all interesting or like my blog would be unique? No I sound completely boring.
5) Comment on blogs you’re not familiar with. Whenever I get a message in my foodbuzz inbox (and good lord do I get A LOT!), I look for people whose blogs I’ve never visited or perhaps have only commented on once. I check out their blog and make a thoughtful comment. And yes I truly mean what I say!
Something else I do: If I’m commenting on say Monet’s blog and I see someone I’ve never heard of, I’ll click on the link to their blog. And I’ll comment on their blog about one of their posts. I have discovered so of my absolute FAVORITE blogs this way!
6) Participate within Foodbuzz (if you belong to FB). If you have a new post, submit it and send it to your friends. But please DO NOT send a million of your posts at the same time. No one will want to read what you have to offer. Check out your friends posts and comment. Buzz their posts.
Look for new friends on Foodbuzz but don’t go choosing randomly just to make friends! If someone asks to be your friend, thank them for the add.
7) Submit to tastespotting and foodgawker. By doing this, you can REALLY increase your traffic a lot. Don’t give up if you get rejected. Keep working on your photography and read up on how to improve your photos.
8 ) Join Twitter. Seriously I held back from joining for SO long but finally caved and joined. Thank goodness I did. It’s a great way to build relationships with bloggers, find new followers through your followers/or people you follow and let everyone know about your new post. But remember Twitter isn’t about just promoting yourself. Be encouraging to others, follow them, retweet their new posts.
9) Set up a Facebook page. This one makes me giggle a bit cause I set up a facebook page and sent the message “Gingerbread Bagels Now on Facebook.” The next day I got so many “so and so now on Facebook!” haha. It was kind of funny to see. But really make a facebook page for your blog and update it often.
10) Join StumbleUpon. It’s confusing at first. If you don’t get it, email me. But I have met even more bloggers through StumbleUpon and it can be a very powerful tool in increasing your traffic.
You said you have a schedule for what you post but what happens when you become inspired and want to post something else?
I do have a schedule but if I become inspired then I’ll make what I’m inspired to make. For my Baci Blondies with Nutella Buttercream and Letters to Italian men, I came up with that the day before. So I will change my schedule around. My schedule isn’t set in stone. If I want to post something else, I will. It’s nice because that way I have a backup of different posts. Something I HIGHLY recommend.
Have you ever met a blogger shorter than you?
Haha, no I haven’t. I may be short but I’m super feisty!
What’s your favorite blog?
and *ahem* Giuseppe…
Cake Duchess. Seriously not just saying that cause Lora’s my friend. I love seeing all of the delicious sweets, Italian sweets, and her family.
Now onto it’s time to highlight some of my favorite comments from this year!
Rico from Tried and True Recipes
“ Wow you could treat me any-time, with these truffles and home-made brownies I am in heaven. They look great…by the way so do you…. hehe!!”
Kim from Life As A Foodie
“Now, about those foreign men. You can always come to Vegas and drool over the boys from Thunder Down Under. Heehee.”
Chef Dennis from More Than a Moutfull
“If I wasn’t so old, I’d start working on my Rich Luxurious Spanish Accent…..sigh”
Carolyn from Dream About Food
“Now, I’d like to see you write a love letter to Canadians or Canadian men or something”
Lora from Cake Duchess
“Lol. I wishbyou could too.:)”
Dionne from Try Anything Once
“I’m surprised you don’t have a line forming with how beautiful you are, funny and you can cook AND bake. Holy cow, those guys don’t know what they’re missing.
I hope you get your “wine lessons” soon!”
(she called me beautiful, funny…I had to include it. haha)
Lora from Cake Duchess
“Omg!hilarious!You are the best storyteller. I love these letters!And this dessert is amazingly decadent!I’m happy don’t have the hazelnut allergy any more. It is destiny so you can eat Nutella with a cute Italian boy;) Your wanting my cousin Giuseppe over Eros is beyond flattering! (the photo of Eros CD made me giggle!). What a great post!!”
Elizabeth from It Happens At Dinner
“These look amazing!!! Next time post some pics of the hot Italian men too!”
Andrea
“My daughter is in Italy now doing her college internship. She is loving the people of Rome!! (I hope she is not loving Italian men, though… she is my baby!!)”
Sommer J from Mama With Flavor
“You’re love for Italian is oh too familiar. When I was a single mama…..ok won’t go there hehe.”
The Mom Chef
“Oh, these babies are mine. I need to go to bed desperately (11:15 over here), but I saw the title and had to read. So much to catch up on but holy cow look at those little guys. I can’t believe they’re all the way across the friggen’ country!”
Dorie Greenspan (ahhh!
)
“I love the way your three-slice picture looks. My husband says that this cake, which I love, is an acquired taste, and I’m delighted you acquired it.”