Afternoon tea shower

Today I'm sharing some information for hosting the most darling afternoon tea shower! At the beginning of the month another neighbor and I hosted a baby shower for yet another neighbor. We decided to host afternoon tea and enjoy each other's fellowship along with a fun shower activity. All the details are below!

We hosted the shower at two o'clock in the afternoon. This allowed us to provide an array of savory and sweet tidbits but not have to worry about anything too heavy. This works perfectly for a tea spread! Our savory items included pimento cheese and crackers, chicken salad cups, and cucumber sandwiches. The sweet items included mini vanilla cupcakes, sweet orange knots, meringue cookies, and strawberries.

The Savories

For the pimento cheese and crackers, I served my favorite go-to store brand. It's Palmetto Cheese spread and it's always a winner at parties. Served along with wheat crackers. This pimento cheese is a great shortcut. I was tempted to make my own but I was making everything else and thought this would help me out!

For the chicken salad cups, I made chicken salad. My chicken salad of late consists of chicken pulled from a rotisserie chicken and shredded, tossed with diced celery and pickles, a little dijon mustard, salt and pepper, and mayonnaise. I spooned the chicken salad into phyllo cups that I warmed / crisped in our toaster oven according to package directions. I prepped the chicken salad the day before the shower but filled the cups the morning of. 

For the cucumber sandwiches, I used a white loaf from a local bakery (but honestly think Wonder bread would've been better) and removed the crusts. I peeled and thinly sliced one cucumber. For the spread I mixed equal amounts of mayonnaise and soften cream cheese with electric beaters (probably ended up with about 3/4 cup of the mixture but I added more after initially mixing it together because it didn't look like enough). Once they were incorporated I added freshly chopped dill and salt and pepper. I spread the mixture on each side of the bread before layering the cucumbers and cutting the sandwiches into thirds. The sandwiches were prepared the morning of the shower.

The Sweets

For the sweet orange knots, I found these while browsing Pinterest and they were a hit! Here's the recipe. I made these the morning of the shower.

Orange knots from Little Dairy on the Prairie 

Makes 16 knots

Ingredients

   For the knots

1 16 oz. can refrigerated biscuits

3 tbsp butter, melted

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp orange zest

   For the glaze

½ c. powdered sugar

1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tsp orange zest

Directions

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix granulated sugar and 1 tbsp of orange zest together in a shallow bowl.

  Cut each biscuit in half. Roll each biscuit into a rope. Tie each rope in a loose knot. Tuck the ends underneath the knot. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet.

  Brush tops of knots with melted butter. Dip buttered tops in orange sugar mixture.

  Bake for 8-10 minutes. Watch carefully so sugar doesn’t burn.

  While knots are baking make an orange glaze. Mix powdered sugar, orange juice and remaining orange zest together.

  While knots are still warm brush them with orange glaze. Let cool for about 2-3 minutes. Serve.

  Orange Knots may be stored in an airtight container and served the next day. They are best warmed in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds.

For the meringue cookies, one of my go-to make ahead cookies you can find the recipe on the blog here. These were prepped the day before the shower. They need to be left in the oven for a few hours (they're made by placing them into a preheated oven and then turning it off) so it's easy to make them right before bed and you'll wake up to these wonderful dessert bites.

For the mini vanilla cupcakes, I've started making this recipe this year to replace buying boxed cake mixes! It's tasty and really highlights the vanilla flavor. Here's the recipe and here's the link to the buttercream frosting we recently shared and I've been making it to go along with the homemade cupcakes. The frosting was tinted pink because a baby girl would soon be making her arrival!

Yellow Cupcakes from Betty Crocker
   Yield 24 cupcakes or 48 mini cupcakes
Ingredients
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup milk

Directions
   Heat oven to 350F. Place paper baking cup in each of the muffin cups. Grease and flour muffin cups or spray with baking spray with flour.
   In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
   In a large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bowl occasionally. Beat 2 minutes longer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after addition. Beat in vanilla. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture, about 1/3 of mixture at a time, and milk, about 1/2 at a time, beating just until blended.
   Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.
   Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown (for cupcakes and 17 to 20 minutes for mini cupcakes) and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans; place on cooling racks to cool. Frost with desired frosting.

The Beverages

Our tea shower obviously featured a variety of tea bags to choose from but also an infused water! This was a great addition to offer to the teas. The water was infused with strawberry, lime, and mint. We had the various tea bags set out in a serving bowl and then a kettle of hot water ready to go. All the teacups were set out on the serving table. Between the other host and myself we had a mix and match assortment of teacups that really set off the shower!

The Activity

What new parent to a newborn doesn't need some diapers?! And diapers with cute messages at that! The other host put everything together for this activity and it turned out really well. She had various cut out shapes to write "Midnight Messages" to the new parents and craft tape to attach to the diapers.

The new parents welcomed their baby last week and we wish them all the best as they embark on this new adventure!

Jamaican Night for the Bachelor Finale

It's no secret that we're fans of The Bachelor franchise. We tune into the dramatic show and love watching how everything unfolds even if it is predictable. It seems that people are split on the show - either love it or love to hate it. I think it's a great show to promote dialogue about relationships and what's working on the screen and what's not. Patrick and I are under no delusion that it's not reality television and there's very much a template for the show throughout the season but that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable. We're able to watch it and reminisce about some of our first dates and be so thankful that we found each other and we're done with dating! The Bachelor really doesn't deserve the bad media it gets but to each their own.

With all that being said some seasons are more exciting than others and the drama is built up a lot more! Every now and then with these extra exciting season premieres or finales I'll plan something a little special. For the premiere of Juan Pablo, a Venezuelan native, we made a traditional dessert from the area - dulce de leche and served it with apple crisps. And then for Bachelor Chris's finale we made Fantasy Sweet cocktails.

Well Bachelor Ben did not disappoint all season long! We were particularly excited about his season finale and to see who he would choose. For the first time ever the lead had told the final two women that he loved them both which has never been done before!!!

The finale aired in Jamaica so we celebrated the episode with Jamaican night - a deliciously marinated Runaway Bay Jamaican chicken, coconut rice with mango and pineapple, a side salad, and rum ice cream. It was the perfect meal to accompany Ben's proposal to Lauren B!

At first Patrick was skeptical of Jamaican night but enjoyed our meal. The marinated chicken and rice side would be perfect for a summer grill out. I wouldn't be surprised if this makes an appearance at our outdoor table this summer. Check out the recipes below.

Runaway Bay Jamaican Chicken

Ingredients

1 large red onion

3 cloves garlic 

1 habanero pepper, seeded (we subbed a jalapeno pepper)

1 tbsp fresh ginger root 

1/4 cup olive oil 

1/4 cup brown sugar 

3 tbsp red wine vinegar 

3 tbsp orange juice concentrate, thawed (we subbed orange juice)

1 tsp soy sauce 

2 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 

1/4 tsp ground cloves 

1/2 cup chopped cilantro 

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste 

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

   In a food processor, combine onion, garlic, habanero pepper, and ginger. Pulse until ingredients are minced. Blend in olive oil, brown sugar, vinegar, orange juice concentrate, soy sauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cilantro, salt, and pepper. In a container, combine marinade with chicken. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

   Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil grate. We used our stove top grill pan.

   Grill chicken for 10 minutes per side, or until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Coconut Rice with Mango and Pineapple inspiration from Food Network

   6 servings

Ingredients

2 cups jasmine rice

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

1 tsp kosher salt

1 mango, 1/2" dice

1/4 of a fresh pineapple, 1/2" dice

Directions

   Rinse and drain rice in cold water. Place in a saucepan with water, coconut milk, and salt. Place the pot over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Stir and reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cover the pot tightly with the lid. Continue cooking for 15 minutes.

   Remove the pot from the heat and let stand 10 minutes, covered. Fluff with fork, add mango and pineapple, and serve.

Rum Ice Cream

   Makes 1 quart

Ingredients

1 cup milk

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup dark rum

2 – 3 eggs (depending on their size)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

7/8 tsp salt

Directions

   Place eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Using a whisk, whip eggs until frothy.

   Add 1/4 cup of the brown sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of the salt and whisk until well blended.  Set to the side.

   Place milk, cream, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until hot, but do not boil.  Remove from heat.

   Combine the cream into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly.

   Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to the heat.  Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture reaches 175F on an instant read candy thermometer.  Again – DO NOT BOIL. Immediately remove from heat and strain the mixture through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a metal bowl.

   Add the rum and stir until blended.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 6 to 20 hours, but do not hold the mixture more than 24 hours before making the ice cream.

   Transfer the mixture to the container for the ice cream machine and freeze according the manufacturer’s instructions.

   Ice cream may be stored in an air-tight container in the freezer for about 7 days.

Blue Party

March Madness is just getting started! Have you been enjoying all these tournament games? Before tournament games can begin the regular season must first come to an end. Anyone tied with the Blues Rivalry (AKA Carolina and Duke) will know that the last regular season game is always a Battle of the Blues. This final Carolina/Duke matchup is typically 3-4 weeks past the first meeting of the season.

Today's post is all about the viewing party we hosted for the first matchup which happened to fall on my birthday! Here's the Paperless Post invite we sent to our neighbors:

If you're hosting some sort of basketball viewing party over the next month then take note! This is an easy prep spread and the dip can even be made ahead. We served everything on our ottoman in the living room so we could all seat ourselves on the sectional and not miss any of the basketball action. We had a serving tray to corral the plates and napkins as well as the chips and dip. Then we placed our large bamboo cutting board next to it which completed the spread.

The spread included chips and spinach-artichoke dip, shrimp cocktail, and crackers with salami and goat cheese. We first made the spinach-artichoke dip as a holiday appetizer a few years ago and it's become our go-to dip when we're not serving salsa with chips. You can find the recipe here. I made it the day before our party and warmed it before tipoff. I'm fairly sure the whole dish was polished off by the end of the game. For the shrimp cocktail, I purchased raw shrimp that I shelled (left the tails on) and then quickly boiled for a few minutes until opaque and pink. They were served with a prepared cocktail sauce. And the crackers with salami and goat cheese should need no explanation. 

As I said this viewing party was coinciding with my birthday and a birthday isn't complete without cupcakes! I attempted Carolina and Duke cupcakes but I put too much blue for the Carolina ones... oops. All were still tasty!

As with all Carolina-Duke games only one of us goes to bed happy. Fortunately we split this season so it we were happy and sad. Hopefully there won't be any tournament matchups!

Don't let the Madness be too maddening. And if it is just have a cupcake. 

Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake

When you're hosting a themed potluck sometimes it can be easy to stray from the theme for the dessert portion of the meal. On Saturday night we planned a Mexican potluck and when no one claimed making the dessert I set off to find one that would be the perfect festive end to the evening! After Patrick vetoed dulce de leche brownies I quickly turned to finding a Mexican chocolate dessert. Mexican chocolate is basically cinnamon chocolate so not too odd. This Mexican chocolate pound cake fit the bill and tasted great! It was slightly on the dry side so serve with a dollop of whipped cream or extra chocolate sauce.

Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake from Southern Living
   Makes 16 servings
Ingredients
8-oz semisweet chocolate baking squares, chopped*
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk

Directions
   Preheat oven to 325°. Microwave chocolate baking squares in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 minute and 15 seconds or until chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring at 15-second intervals. Alternately melt the chocolate in a double boiler (which is what we did). Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate, chocolate syrup, and vanilla until smooth.
   Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (14-cup) tube pan.

   Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and let cool completely (about 1 hour and 30 minutes). Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Be on the lookout for this Mexican potluck post!

Peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies

Are you on the hunt for a new go-to cookie recipe?? Well I was a few weeks ago and decided to make these peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies from Sara Foster. They were delicious and my husband says they're the most amazing cookie ever! They merge the best of peanut butter cookies and chocolate chip cookies so you can't help but take his word for it.

Before the snow storm hit the other week we had neighbors over for dinner. I wanted to make something for dessert but didn't want to fuss with a cake despite my new plan for amping up my baking skill set. I thought a cookie would be just perfect. Patrick and I usually turn to the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe that's on the back of the bag but those flatten out so much and we thought something else would be better. Not wanting to be flooded with random recipes from the Internet I turned to my cookbooks and the peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie from Sara Foster's Fresh Every Day cookbook fit the bill.

Typically when I make a batch of homemade dessert goodies the surplus get sent with Patrick to work. Knowing that the snow and ice would derail Patrick from going to work the next day I decided to be super crazy and double the cookies so I could take the surplus to all the neighbors on the street as a snowed in treat!

After easily prepping the dough, baking these to perfection, and my husband declaring them the most amazing cookie ever I've decided they're my new go-to cookie recipe!
Try 'em and let me know what you think!

Sara Foster’s Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies from the "Fresh Every Day" cookbook
   Makes about 20
Ingredients
1 stick salted butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
   Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease two cookie sheets. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and peanut butter until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg until combined. Meanwhile, in a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir this into the butter mixture in thirds, stirring until the flour is no longer visible. Stir in the chocolate chips and drop onto a baking sheet, using an ice cream scoop, several inches apart. Bake, rotating about halfway through, about 14 minutes. Cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

And if you, too, make a double batch and want to share with neighbors, colleagues, friends, family, your mailman, or whoever this is how I packaged them up. In an effort to not only deliver something sweet I wanted to include something healthy. Something healthy ended up being two clementines. I wrapped up four cookies in plastic wrap and put them into the bag with the clementines. Then I finished the bags by adding a "happy snow" note. I thought they turned out really cute! They were also well received.

Cupcakes and buttercream frosting

Hope these sweet desserts brighten up your January morning! I'm trying to amp up my baking skills and some lucky friends will get to be the beneficiaries of those tests.

For this specific day I wanted to work on my frosting piping skills. We've piped frosting a few times before but Patrick has been the froster extraordinaire. Now I'm ready to step into the frosting spotlight! I debated coloring the buttercream for these cupcakes but decided I should focus on one thing and I had chosen piping. After some research I decided that the Wilton 1M star tip would give me the results I was looking for. I wanted something that would be impressive with just a few swirls around the cupcake. The Wilton website describes the 1M star tip as: "...another quick way to decorate your cupcakes or cakes. It just takes minutes to pipe a fancy iced swirl and add colorful sprinkles."

The 1M Star Tip from Wilton.com

After the cupcakes were baked and the frosting made I piped the frosting from the outside perimeter to the center of the cupcake.

The lucky beneficiary of these cupcakes was a local friend who was celebrating her birthday a few weeks ago. We had them over for dinner and a game night complete with surprise birthday cupcakes. The remaining cupcakes went with Patrick to work. His co-workers may have a steady stream of sweets coming in over the next little bit.

I tried a new buttercream frosting as well. It was from Betty Crocker's "The Big Book of Cupcakes". I chose it because it doesn't have shortening in it - the ingredients are simply butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting from Betty Crocker
   Frosts 24 cupcakes (makes about 3 1/2 cups)
Ingredients
6 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 tbsp vanilla
3 to 4 tbsp milk (I had to double this amount)

Directions
   In large bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 3 tbsp of the milk.
   Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar.

On to the next trial - mixing frosting colors!

Christmas Eve: Chicken Marsala & Chocolate Mousse

Did you know that Patrick proposed almost four years ago?! If you need a reminder, or you're a new blog reader, we took a spring trip to Asheville in 2012. He proposed at the Biltmore House and Gardens and after the proposal we visited the winery and purchased a few bottles of wine.

Now you're probably thinking I'm getting my holidays mixed up and that a proposal has nothing to do with a Christmas Eve dinner (as the post title has promised a Christmas Eve dinner featuring chicken marsala and chocolate mousse).

Well one of those purchased bottles of wine after the proposal was a Merlot and we saved it to drink at Christmas. Christmas 2012 was half way between our engagement weekend and our wedding (August 2013). It seemed fitting to have the wine then and I thought it fitting to have a bottle of Biltmore Merlot every Christmas thereafter. This Christmas we toasted our seventh Christmas together and drank our fourth bottle of Merlot (first bottle, second bottle, third bottle) on Christmas Eve.

Our menu featured chicken marsala served with rice and sauteed kale and instant chocolate mousse for dessert. Here's a printable google doc for everything. This was our first time making chicken marsala and we really liked it! Enjoy!

Martha Stewart's Chicken marsala
Serves 4
Ingredients 
3/4 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, butterflied, pounded thin
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
10 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 C dry Marsala wine
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon (3 tbsp)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp chopped oregano
Directions
   Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a large, shallow dish; set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Dredge chicken in flour, tapping off excess; set aside. Add 3 tbsp oil to skillet. When oil is shimmering, add chicken, and cook until lightly browned, about 3 min. Turn over, and cook 3 min more. Remove chicken to a plate; set aside and keep warm. Wipe skillet clean, if necessary.
   Heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in skillet. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are dark golden brown and the liquid has evaporated, 5-7 min.
   Remove skillet from heat, and add wine. Return skillet to heat, scraping up any brown bits. Add garlic, lemon juice, butter, and oregano. Cook for 10 min until reduced and slightly thickened. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with oregano.

Sauteed kale
Ingredients
2 slices bacon
2 tbsp evoo
1 small onion, diced
Salt and pepper
Dash of red pepper flakes
2 handfuls of kale, chopped
Apple cider vinegar
Directions
   Add bacon to a skillet set over medium heat. Once fat has rendered, add a little olive oil and cook onions until soft. Add salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Then add kale. Cook until just barely wilted (and still bright green) and add to a serving bowl. Drizzle with a little cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar) to taste. Garnish with chopped bacon.

Nigella's Instant Chocolate Mousse
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 ½ cups marshmallows
½ stick soft butter
9 oz good bittersweet
  chocolate, chopped
¼ cup hot water
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
   Put the marshmallows, butter, chocolate and water in a saucepan. Use low heat to melt the contents, stirring every now and again. Remove from the heat.
   Meanwhile, whip the cream with the vanilla extract until thick, and then fold into the cooling chocolate mixture until you have a smooth, cohesive mixture.
   Pour into 4 glasses (about ¾ cup each) and chill.
   Serve with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

Cookies and Cocoa

Remember the other week how I hosted a cookie party on National Cookie Day without even knowing it was National Cookie Day?? Well I did it again! We hosted a Cookies & Cocoa holiday open house complete with hot cocoa bar on National Cocoa Day! Who knew what intuition I had!

When we were entering the holiday season I had no idea that we'd host three parties but everything worked out just fine. This holiday open house is something that I was particularly looking forward to because it was a casual "drop by if / when you can" party for our neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family. It was such a nice way to open our home and let everyone know how much we've enjoyed spending time with them this past year and building relationships.

The invitation was for "Cookies & Cocoa" so I knew those items needed to be well represented. The cookies were all set out on the kitchen table. There was trash, chocolate espresso snowcap cookies, brownies, saltine toffee, peanut butter blossoms, and sugar cookies. (Many thanks to my mom and a friend who each contributed a sweet!) We set out a hot cocoa bar along the stove and had cocoa warming in the crockpot. There were also a few savory options set up - veggies and dip, chips and salsa, baked brie with cranberry sauce and walnuts, and a baked crab dip. If you're interested in one of these recipes for the savory items please visit this holiday party google doc (link) which has all the party recipes from the dinner club cocktail party and the holiday open house. All the cookie recipes are below! Here are some snapshots:

Saltine toffees on upper dish; peanut butter blossoms on lower dish

Saltine Toffees as made by a friend who offered to bring them to the party
Ingredients
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
1-2 sleeves saltines
12 oz chocolate chips (can use more)
Directions
   Preheat oven to 350F, line a 9x13 baking sheet (with sides) with aluminum foil. Spray foil and lay out saltines so they cover the whole pan 1 saltine thick.
   Melt butter and brown sugar together. Bring mixture to a boil, while stirring constantly, let mixture boil with white frothy bubbles for 3 minutes until it creates a syrupy consistency
   Once it has boiled for the appropriate amount of time, take off heat and pour over the saltines. Use a large metal spoon to spread over all the saltines while being careful to not bunch all the saltines up.
   Place in oven and cook for 15 minutes. The sugar and butter will bubble and melt into the saltines.
   Remove from oven and pour chocolate chips over the saltines. Then with a knife begin to spread the chocolate chips out evenly as they melt. It will take a minute for the chocolate chips to begin to melt so be patient while spreading them around - they will melt and will then be really easy to spread and create an even coat across the saltines and caramels. Be sure to have a flat surface when pouring the caramel over the saltines and while spreading the chocolate chips so your bars will be even and not super thick.
   Place whole cookie sheet in the freezer overnight. The next day pull aluminum foil off and break into small pieces (1"x1" or 2"x2"). Best when served out of fridge or freezer as caramel will get very sticky on your teeth when biting these bars.

Peanut butter blossoms followed the Land O Lakes recipe
   Makes 48 cookies (I must've rolled my cookies too big because I didn't come close to 48 cookies)
Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
48 milk chocolate candy kisses, unwrapped - we used dark chocolate kisses
Directions
   Heat oven o 375°F.
   Combine 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, butter and peanut butter in bowl. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and salt; continue beating until well mixed. Add flour and baking soda; beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.
   Shape dough into 1-inch balls. If dough is too soft, refrigerate 30-60 minutes. Roll balls in 1/4 cup sugar. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
   Bake 8-10 minutes or until very lightly golden brown. Immediately press 1 chocolate kiss in center of each cookie. Remove to cooling racks.

Chocolate espresso snowcap cookies from Martha Stewart
   Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tsp instant espresso
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tbsp milk
Confectioners' sugar, for coating
Directions
   In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat in milk until just combined. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.
   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Pour confectioners' sugar (about 1/2 cup) into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar two times, letting them sit in sugar between coatings.
   Place on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 12 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Sugar Cookies from Bake at 350 blog
Ingredients
3 c unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 c sugar
2 sticks (salted) butter, cold & cut into chunks
1 egg
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
Directions
   Preheat oven to 350.
   Combine the flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.
   The dough will be crumbly, so knead it together with your hands as you scoop it out of the bowl for rolling.
   Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4" to 3/8" thick, and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets (it's recommended to freeze the cut out shape on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before baking) and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
   Decorate as desired; I used the same royal icing from her blog and featured on the spiced pumpkin cutout cookies I made last month. I split the royal icing batch into thirds - left 1/3 white and dyed the remaining thirds red and green. My colors were a bit on the pastel side so I'm looking forward to mastering the correct colors in the future! I did have red sprinkles on hand that I put on the red icing to give it a bit more red!

Trash as made by my mom
Ingredients
1 stick of butter
1 cup of peanut butter
1 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 12 oz box of Rice Chex
1 box of 10x powdered sugar
1 trash bag ( I used a 4 gal size garage bag)
Directions
   Melt butter, peanut butter, and chocolate chips in saucepan.
   Pour in cereal and stir until cereal is well coated. ( I tried to be as gentle as possible).
   Layer cereal and 10x sugar in trash bag.
   Shake well. Be careful. It can be messy.

And then there was a hot cocoa bar to wash down all the cookies! Despite the weather nearing 70 degrees our guests were still interested in having some cocoa and having fun at the cocoa bar.

We set up the hot cocoa warming in a crockpot. There was also coffee and a pitcher of water.

Patrick was in charge of the cocoa! Somehow I bargained with him that I would do the cookies if he would be solely responsible for the cocoa - how could he not pass up that deal?! Here's what he did:

Hot Cocoa
Warm together: 1 gallon whole milk, 3/4 cup cocoa, 3/4 cup sugar (ended up being sweeter than I liked, so I would do less), ~1 tbsp vanilla, sprinkle cinnamon, and ~1 tsp salt.
May initially warm up on the stovetop and then move to the crockpot. If you are planning to add more to the batch we would recommend keeping it on the stovetop so the milk will be heated quickly.

The hot cocoa bar was a lot of fun to set up! We had mini marshmallows, whipped cream, caramel sauce, and chocolate sprinkles as options for toppings and pirouettes and candy canes for the stirrers.

We had almost thirty in the house throughout the "floating" time that was given. What a festive way to spend the afternoon - with friends and family, cookies and cocoa!

Cheers! From our cocoa mug to yours; have a wonderful holiday!

Dinner club cocktail party

Last weekend was the weekend of parties for us! We hosted the dinner club on Friday night for a casual holiday cocktail get together, attended a wedding on Saturday, and then hosted a holiday open house on Sunday. We're featuring a roundup of the dinner cocktail party today and then the holiday open house tomorrow! If you've still got some holiday hosting to do hopefully this will give you some ideas.

We co-hosted the cocktail party with another couple in the dinner club. And you know what that means?! We only had to do half what we usually do for a party. Love co-hosting! Patrick and I were responsible for a few savory dishes, the desserts, and the wine. Our wonderful co-hosts provided the majority of the savory dishes including cheese fondue and the other drinks. They brought over a festive holiday punch that really set the mood for the party. Check it out...

Doesn't it look wonderful?! We had holiday music playing in the background and enjoyed everyone's company. Knowing we had a party just two days after this one I made sure I was super organized going into the weekend. I tried to do as much prep beforehand as I could. I made a google doc with all the recipes that I would need to be making for the cocktail party and the holiday open house. Then I had a to-do list broken out into each day beginning with Thursday for what I could make ahead and when to do it. Check out the document here (link) if you'd like to check out any of the recipes.

Here's a brief rundown of what we prepared for this party:

Veggies and dip - Mix equal parts of yogurt and sour cream; combine with ranch seasoning packet. I doubled the dip so I could have it for both parties. We served with broccoli florets, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and celery.

Chicken salad and crackers - Always good to have some protein offerings at any party! For this chicken salad I took the meat off a rotisserie chicken and shredded it. Then I added a dollop of mayo, spoonful of dijon mustard, handful of almonds, some diced pickles, and salt and pepper.

The brownies were a box mix. You really can't go wrong with a box mix for brownies in my opinion.

Red velvet trifle - I googled quite a bit and ended up following the recipe from Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen which puts a white chocolate spin on it. Check out the Red Velvet White Chocolate Cheesecake Trifle recipe here (link).

And finally there were some blackberry cheesecake bites - This was my favorite dessert! I followed Pioneer Woman's recipe (link)t and it couldn't have been easier.

Cheers!

Cookies and Wine Pairing Party

Did you know that December 4th was National Cookie Day?? Yeah, I didn't either. But I think my subconscious did! I unknowingly planned a cookie and wine pairing party for last Friday evening which just happened to be National Cookie Day. I hosted the pairing party for the new members of the Junior League as a social.

I spent quite a bit of time researching what pairings to feature at the party. It wasn't the easiest thing to find information on. If, however, you'd like to have specifically a Girl Scout cookie and wine pairing then there is a plethora of information for that! This "Baking Bites" website gives a good rundown on pairing wines and dessert. The majority of my information and pairings came from this "Swirl Savvy" blog post and then a bit of additional information from this "Vine Pair" graphic.

I landed on 7 pairings: Sugar Cookies & Prosecco, White chocolate-based Cookies & Moscato, Gingerbread Cookies & Riesling, Snowball Cookies & Pinot Grigio, Chocolate peppermint Cookies & Cabernet, Dark chocolate-based Cookies & Red Zinfandel, and finally Chocolate chip Cookies & Cabernet. Before the party I sent out a sign up to everyone coming and had the ladies choose which cookie or wine they wanted to bring. This worked out perfectly!

The pairings were all placed around the dining room table and the tasting happened at everyone's leisure. I was really proud of myself for using our Christmas dishes (the salad plate) and stemless wine glasses - no paper products! I had paper napkins but I actually forgot to put them out so this was really a zero waste party! Well, I guess technically I need to retract that statement. I cut out wrapping paper to place as a border around the table. Since there would be lots of small amounts of wine being poured I didn't want anyone to have to worry about dripping on the tablecloth so this was a good (and festive) way to protect against wine drips. The wrapping paper was later recycled though!

Now here are the tasting notes for the different pairings and I'm sharing the recipes for the cookies if they were homemade. The pairings are presented from light intensity to strong. The sugar cookies and prosecco are light on the palette and therefore were our first pairing while we end with the richness of chocolate chip cookies and cabernet. The tasting notes were printed onto the red card tents with a gingerbread man sticker on it!

Sugar Cookies & Prosecco
   The quintessential Christmas cookie, Prosecco’s hint of sweetness and bubbles go perfectly with the delicate flavors of the cookie. The bubbles in this sparkling wine go wonderfully with the crunchy sugar coating on the cookies as well.

White Chocolate-based Cookies & Moscato
   White chocolate tends to be more mellow and buttery in flavor, making it an ideal candidate for Moscato. This dessert wine will pick up the creaminess of the white chocolate. Moscato fabulously accompanies any fruit-filled cookie as well.

Red Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate Chips adapted from Inside BruCrew Life blog
   Prep Time: 45 minutes Cook Time: 9 minutes Yield: 36 cookies

Ingredients
1 red velvet cake mix (18 oz.)
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions
   In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix and butter, Add the egg, vanilla, and cream cheese and beat until mixed thoroughly. Stir in the chips by hand. Chill the dough at least 30 minutes.
   Roll the dough into 1 -1 1/2 inch balls. Bake on a nonstick surface at 350F for 9 minutes. Let rest on pan for 2 minutes before removing to parchment lined counters. Cool completely before storing in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Makes 36 cookies.

Gingerbread Cookies & Riesling
   The slightly sweet flavors of the Riesling make it an ideal pair for the spicy flavors of ginger. The wine will be a perfect match, showing delicious honey, vanilla & fruit flavors and is sure to be a holiday hit.

Snowball Cookies & Pinot Grigio
   Also often called Italian Wedding Cookies, these crumbly goodies are perfect with Italy’s most popular white wine.

Wedding Cookies
Ingredients
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup nuts (I used pecans)
1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)
3/4 cup butter (I used room temp butter)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp rum
2 tsp cold water
confectioners sugar for rolling

Directions
   Mix butter and flour, then salt, rum, water, nuts, and chocolate chips.  Form into small balls.  Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes.  Roll two times in confectioners sugar.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies & Cabernet 
   A holiday favorite! Cabernets are a great match for any variation of mint and chocolate because they have pronounced minty nuances of their own. They offer a cornucopia of rich raspberry, blackberry and cherry, with hints of clove and mint that explode on the palate.

Chocolate Peppermint Crackle Cookies from Southern Living
Ingredients
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate baking bars, chopped
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions
   Microwave first 3 ingredients in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 to 2 minutes or until butter and chocolate are melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in granulated sugar and next 2 ingredients until blended. Stir together flour, cocoa, and baking powder in a small bowl. Stir flour mixture into chocolate mixture until well blended. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour to 5 days.
   Preheat oven to 350°. Carefully drop dough by level spoonfuls into powdered sugar, using a 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop, and roll to coat. Place coated cookies 1 inch apart on 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
   Bake, in batches, at 350° for 10 minutes or until cookies are crackled. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 20 minutes).

Dark Chocolate-based Cookies & Red Zinfandel
   Dark or bittersweet chocolate needs a stronger wine with concentrated fruit notes, and perhaps a hint of its own chocolate notes. Zinfandels have a history of perfecting the dark chocolate match, resulting in an unparalleled tasting combination.

Chocolate Biscotti from David Lebovitz
   Yields 50 to 60 cookies

Ingredients 
   For the biscotti
2 cups (280g) flour
3/4 cups (75g) top-quality cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup (125g) almonds, toasted and very coarsely-chopped
3/4 cups (120g) chocolate chips
   For the glaze
1 large egg
2 tablespoons coarse or crystal sugar

Directions
   Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
   In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
   In a large bowl, beat together the 3 eggs, sugar, and vanilla & almond extracts. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients, then mix in the nuts and the chocolate chips until the dough holds together.
   Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into two logs the length of the baking sheet. Transfer the logs onto the baking sheet, evenly spaced apart.
   Gently flatten the tops of the logs. Beat the remaining egg and brush the tops of the logs liberally with the egg. (You won’t use it all). Sprinkle the tops with the coarse or crystal sugar and bake for 25 minutes, until the dough feels firm to the touch.
   Remove the cookie dough from the oven and cool 15 minutes. On a cutting board, use a serrated bread knife to diagonally cut the cookies into 1/2-inches slices. Lay the cookies cut side down on baking sheets and return to the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, turning the baking sheet midway during baking, until the cookies feel mostly firm.
   Once baked, cool the cookies completely then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. If you wish, the cookies can be half-dipped in melted chocolate, then cooled until the chocolate hardens.

Chocolate Chip Cookies & Cabernet
   America’s favorite red with America’s favorite cookie. Chocolate goes great with Cabernet, especially if the chips are of the dark variety. The fruit and acidity of the Cabernet will compliment the richness of the chocolate without either obscuring any detail of the other.

Tips / Notes 
-Set a knife next to each plate so that the cookies can be cut into smaller portions! This is a lot of sweet stuff! Also make sure to have a water pitcher on the table.
-The Gingerbread & Riesling as well as the Chocolate peppermint & Cabernet were our favorites.
-Have some goody bags on hand to divide the leftover cookies with folks.
-Make sure to have a small savory spread as well so if someone wants something heavier after all the cookies and wine they'll have it.

Patrick had an orchestra rehearsal on this particular night but I saved him a cookie from each pairing and there was plenty of wine leftover for him to have a personal cookie and wine pairing.

Here's the savory spread - chips with spinach artichoke dip, antipasti platter - olives, assortment of goat cheese, salami and crackers, and grapes.

And that's how you have a cookie and wine pairing party!

Spiced Pumpkin Cookies

I have gotten myself into trouble. I am now infatuated with cutout cookies and all the endless possibilities there are with royal icing decorating. It's like you can make a coloring book out of your cookies. A year or so ago a friend asked me if I had ever dabbled in royal icing and my answer was "what's royal icing". You might not know what royal icing is but you'd definitely be able to recognize it. It's a hard white icing that's often colored and used on sugar cookies (and many other desserts). The royal icing is piped around the cookie as an outline and then it is loosened with some water and the inside is "flooded" with this looser icing. I made these pumpkin cutout cookies a few weeks ago and ever since then I've been browsing cookie blogs and Instagrams in awe. Can't wait to make some Christmas sugar cookies!

Spiced Pumpkin Cut-Out Cookies from Bridget Edwards at Pioneer Woman
   Servings 12 (I had more than 12 cookies but I probably rolled them too thin; still tasty!)
Ingredients
3 C unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves
3/4 C salted butter, cut into chunks
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C Packed Light Brown Sugar
1 egg
1/2 C pumpkin puree
Royal Icing, Unflavored

Directions 
   Whisk the flour, baking powder, and spices together. Set aside.
   With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until light and creamy. Beat in the egg and pumpkin, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
   On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing just until combined, scraping down the bottom of the bowl occasionally.

   Refrigerate the dough for 20–30 minutes before rolling. The pumpkin makes it a little sticky.
   Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
   On a floured surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out the shapes, then freeze on the cookie sheet for 5–10 minutes before baking. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting out cookies.

   Bake for 10–12 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies. Let rest on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
   Once the cookies are cooled, decorate with royal icing.

Royal Icing Recipe from Bake at 350 blog
  This will cover 2-3 dozen 3.5 inch cookies in 2 colors
Ingredients
4 tbsp meringue powder
scant 1/2 C water
1 lb powdered sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp light corn syrup
few drops clear extract (optional)

Directions
   Combine the meringue powder and water. With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat until combined and foamy.
   Sift in the powdered sugar and beat on low to combine. (Do NOT skip the sifting!) Add in the corn syrup and extract if desired. Increase speed to med-high/high and beat for about 5 minutes, just until the icing is glossy and stiff peaks form. (You should be able to remove the beater from the mixer and hold up and jiggle without the peak falling.) Do not overbeat.
   Cover with plastic wrap touching the icing or divide and color using gel paste food colorings.
   This "stiff" icing is perfect for outlining and even for building gingerbread houses and monogramming. To fill in your cookies, add water to your icing a teaspoon at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula, until it is the consistency of syrup. This technique of filling a cookie with thinned icing is called "flooding."

The cookies are particularly delightful with real pumpkin. They're soft and chewy too which is how Patrick likes his sugar cookies!