Month: December 2016

ruby mimosa

ruby mimosa

We barely finished this post in time for New Year’s Eve. Frantically running from room to room trying to find the last bit of daylight to photograph these cocktails yesterday, we even gave up at one point, thinking it was too late. But desperate to make it work, we searched around all the windows one final time with cocktails and camera in hand, pointed and ready to catch any last golden rays this quickly-disappearing sun had to offer. The room was growing darker and the drinks were looking worse by the second. Waving the glass left to right and up and down near the front door window like someone who’d had too much to drink, we discovered one precise location where a miracle beam was shining through. We immediately grabbed the piano bench since it seemed to be the correct height for the cocktail to reach this light that would only last for a few more moments. Of course the seat was too short by just a few inches, so we turned to the bookshelf behind us and grabbed the thickest book we could find. Our hearts were racing and the stress levels in the house were peaking as we set the cocktail on the vintage hardcover and snapped the shot. And the picture above is the result of this frantic photo near-fiasco. But it was all worth it, as you are about to see.

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pistachio feta dip + Napa recap

pistachio feta dip

Tuesday, December 6th, 3:30am. The alarm clock we typically want to throw across the room sounded different that morning. The day we had been looking forward to for months had arrived, so it was easier to get out of bed at that unseemly hour. We had been invited by Teri Turner, the force behind No Crumbs Left, to attend a gathering of bloggers in Northern California where we would eat, cook, and meet in person for the very first time, even though we were already friends through the community of Instagram. Since our little Nissan Leaf only has a range of 84 miles, we rented an SUV to transport us to Napa, along with suitcases, pots and pans for cooking, ice chests full of ingredients, and the most exciting cargo of all: our friend Christine from What Do You Crave! Of all the attendees, Christine was the only one we previously knew. We became fast friends this year, and were beyond excited to road trip with her up to the Bay Area!

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triple chocolate peppermint parfaits

double chocolate peppermint parfaits

This post was created in partnership with KitchenAid. They provided a KitchenAid® Pro Line® Series Blender free of charge but all opinions are our own.

Sweets or not to sweets, that was the question. As we sat there finishing those brownie-like chocolate sugar cookies, we thought we’d try switching things up and post something on the healthier side. Well… clearly from the photo above, that’s not happening today. Maaaybe next time—although we can’t promise anything because this is a special time of year when eating apple-cider cookies for breakfast with your gingerbread hot chocolate is totally acceptable. So have a salad for lunch and save room for these cups of heaven for dessert: triple chocolate peppermint parfaits—here to make your holidays merry and oh so bright.

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chocolate sugar cookies

chocolate sugar cookies

The holidays are here, and the cookie kick continues. Our local stores are running out of apples after the mountains of apple cider snickerdoodles we have baked these past few weeks. Thankfully, the lovely Natalie and Holly at The Modern Proper invited us to join their virtual cookie party, so we changed course to a new recipe we could binge on which will last us through the new year. The very first place we turned to was Sarah Kieffer’s new release, The Vanilla Bean Baking Book. From its glowing reviews, we knew we would find a competent cookie contender in her wonderful new book filled with classic desserts and sweet treats. Just as we expected, these chocolate sugar cookies were beyond our expectations, an ultra-chewy and chocolatey contribution to the Modern Proper’s virtual #CalmAndBrightCookieNight cookie exchange.

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gingerbread hot chocolate

gingerbread hot chocolate

We must be dreaming. We are sitting here sipping hibiscus margaritas—a tangy and refreshing cocktail from one of our favorite bloggers, Christine Carlson—and are overwhelmed with excitement. In just a few days, we are taking a road trip with Christine up to Napa Valley to spend the week with a talented group of food bloggers from all over the United States and Canada (links below), hosted by the brilliant Teri Turner of No Crumbs Left. Aside from enjoying massive amounts of locally-made wine, we will be cooking together, collaborating on recipes, sampling Napa’s award-winning restaurants, visiting picturesque wineries, and attending a lecture by renowned photographer George Lange. Our adventures will be well-documented on our Instagram story, so join us as we eat and drink allll the wine in Napa. But before we head north, we want to leave you with a sweet and comforting treat to keep you warm and cozy all season long. Meet your new winter remedy, and welcome gingerbread hot chocolate to your life.

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