a tiny gingerbread house that perches on the edge of your mug A quick update! This winter I’ve collaborated with Brit+Co on a DIY kit for my tiny gingerbread houses that includes 3d printed cookie cutters! It’s available now, go have a look. I made tiny gingerbread houses that are meant to be perched on the edge of a mug of hot chocolate. I had been thinking about those sugar cubes that hook on the rim of a teacup earlier this month, and I was also thinking about 3-D cookies and how they fit together and figured it would be pretty neat to make cookies that hang on the edge of a mug. I made a few versions to figure out how to make one that wasn’t so top heavy that it would flip off the mug, and how small I could get away with and still fit on both large and small cups. I’ve made a PDF pattern of gingerbread house pieces which you can open or download right here. I used the Gingerbread Snowflake and the Royal Icing recipes from marthastewart.com. I rolled it out onto a sheet of tin foil at 1/8th inch thick.
no-bake energy bites I probably should have poured a nice stiff drink recipe for you all on this loveliest of lovely tax days. Especially for my fellow small business owners who just gave half of their revenue back to the government. Good grief, I won’t even go there. Instead though, I thought I’d offer my idea of a more comforting alternative. Pasta. When life is good, and when life gets crazy, I turn to pasta. And just as it has for years, this one hit the spot. Read more This past Friday night was meant for celebrating. The weather was sit-out-on-the-deck-in-the-cool-evening-breeze perfection. And a very special birthday girl turned the big 3-0. Friends, meet Stacey. Read more TGIF, friends. Hope that you all have had a lovely week, and that a relaxing weekend lies ahead. Read more Ever since my friends and I met for a tapas happy hour at our neighborhood Spanish restaurant a few weeks ago, I’ve had sangria on my mind. Read more Read more I’ve always said that I like a good balance of cooking and baking in my life.
M&M Cookie Pie I wish I could say that I was away on some terrific adventure, or that I have been so inspired to create magical dishes that I have been too busy in the kitchen with a knife in one hand and a spatula in the other to blog anything.... but, no. I have been just busy with life-things. Adult things, really. Part of my birthday package from my mother last month included a large stack of mail, and a container of M&M's shaped like the great state of Texas.Awesome.I wanted to make cookies, but I didn't want to make cookies. M&M Cookie Pie 1cup + 1 tbs AP Flour 1/4 tsp baking soda 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 Texas shaped container of M&M's- OR- 1-ish cup. Preheat oven to 325* Cream butter and sugar. *FAQ's*- "No white sugar?"
Picky Palate ZsaZsa Bellagio Homemade Facial Scrub Instead of Soap First, clean your face with water only. Never use soap. You can open your pores with hot compresses (washcloth) For a facial scrub, moisten oatmeal to a "goo", use it to scrub your face (not around your eyes). Wash off with cool water.You may also make a paste of the oatmeal and allow it to dry... remove with cool water.You may also beat an egg white, put it on your face and let it dry, rinse with cool water. Honey for Best Facial The best facial mask that i have found is honey. Exfoliating Mask For an easy exfoliating mask, mix three tablespoons olive oil or any good oil and one tablespoon kosher salt mix and gently rub into dry skin. Egg Yolk The best homemade facial mask that I have used is a raw egg yolk. just apply the raw yolk to your face and neck for 30 minutes and rinse with cool water. For trouble-prone skin, mix oatmeal with water to form a paste. For normal to oily skin, use an egg white. For dry skin, use an egg yolk. Oatmeal sour cream avocado
Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle I have one very distinct memory of the end of summer. We were at a neighbors house – specifically in their pool – which was awesome because we didn’t have a pool and I’d jump at any chance to swim. Lots of people were there, lots of kids, my brothers, neighborhood friends, tons of food and a particular plate of chocolate chip cookies that I was doing a number on. But then it started to get dark. And sort of late. So I got out of the pool. As a side note, I should mention that this was probably the night before a really important morning – which included shaving my legs for the first time after my mom made it clear that I wasn’t allowed. Don’t worry. So do you want to hear about this mess in a dish? My mom used to make the best trifle when I was younger. I thought about it. Actually, all I could think of was chocolate and peanut butter. Here’s the deal. Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle 1 batch of your favorite brownies, boxed or from scratch, cooled and cut into cubes 2 cups heavy cream
Blueberry Breakfast Cake Breakfast cake, coffee cake, whatever you want to call it, it’s overflowing with blueberries and absolutely delicious. The crumb topping really is enough for this, but I always have to have a pretty white drizzle on top. :) However, you can certainly leave it off if you like. I would imagine this would be good with other fruits too, such as raspberries, sour cherries, blackberries, or cranberries in the fall. No matter what fruit you decide on, definitely add this to your “to do” list! Blueberry Breakfast CakeRecipe from Annie’s Recipes printable version 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 egg, lightly beaten 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries TOPPING: 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (I used ground hazelnuts I had in the freezer) 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 tablespoons cold butter or margarine
Golden Graham S’more Bars S’mores are one of my favorite things on this planet…literally. If something is s’mores flavored you better believe I’m going to be trying it. I’ve posted several s’mores items in the past and I just couldn’t let the summer get away without one more s’mores treat. These were so fun to make and to eat! They had a great crunch and the best part is you can eat these year round because you don’t need a bonfire! Golden Graham S’more Bars Source: CDKitchen.com Ingredients: 1 10 oz. bag mini marshmallows (Approx. 6 cups) 1 12 oz. package semi sweet chocolate chips 5 tbsp. butter (I used 2 1/2 tbsp. butter & 2 1/2 tbsp. smart balance to save even more calories) 8 cups Golden Graham cereal (one 12 oz. box) 1 tsp. vanilla (optional) Directions: Place package of chocolate chips in the freezer to chill. Meanwhile, melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Press cereal mixture into prepared baking pan.