Rediscovering Nutella

I have always loved Nutella, but had a lack of knowledge of what to do with it besides eat it with Strawberries, so for a while I just kinda forgot about it. Recently, while craving a bite of something sweet, but not too sweet, I remembered. Really, nothing compares to the perfect mix of chocolate and hazelnut that is Nutella.

Then little while ago, while having dinner with some friends, they brought out a bunch of little clementines and some lightly heated Nutella to dip in for dessert. How perfect! This made me start thinking of the other many, many things to do with Nutella. For starters, Europeans use it just like we use peanut butter, so that's a lot.

Of course me being me, I went out and bought an organic version, but honestly it didn't do it for me. I think it's the lack of corn syrup that makes the flavor just not quite right (and you thought I was a purist). Anyway, I would just recommend going for the real deal.

So last week I copied one of my favorite brunch spots and made grilled Nutella and strawberry sandwiches. It would have been better if I had a panini maker, but I just did it on the griddle and it was still freakin' fantastic.

Other good uses fo Nutella:

- Drops in the center of thumbprint cookies

- Of course, dip any fruit or cookie or pound cake or graham crackers

- Use on cakes or brownies instead of frosting

- Add to hot milk to make Nutella hot cocoa or ice cream and milk for milkshakes

- Put on crepes

- Eat by the spoonful

- Put on pancakes and/or waffles

- Also, while searching for images of Nutella, I found this blog with an awesome sounding Nutella bread pudding.

- Lastly, the Italians have had it around for so long that they do things like this with it:

Enjoy it however you want to! (so long as it's in the privacy of your own home, I guess...)