31
Dec
2013

A Look Back at 2013

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I love these little year end wrap ups bloggers are doing and couldn’t resist one myself! Of course it would take me close to three years of blogging to realize how valuable all those posts are when looking back on the previous year. So if you’d like… feel free to join me on a food filled trip down memory lane!

In January I shared one of my faaaavorite granola recipes , challenged you guys to “not be afraid to want a lot,” and took  you on a little tour inside my home in honor of my collaboration with Joss & Main.

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In February… Read more »

30
Dec
2013

Pear, Fig, Cambazola, and Arugula Baby Tarts

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Hello, friends! Are you still in the midst of the holiday haze? Same-sies over here. Today I’m only somewhat going back to work… wrapping up a few projects for 2013, but mostly taking the next week to reflect heavily on the past year, and plan and plot for 2014. 2013 was an amazing year, but I’m so looking forward to gathering up the lessons I’ve learned, wiping the slate clean, and relishing in a fresh start. But not quite yet! We’ve still got New Year’s Eve celebrations, and I’ve got a sweet little appetizer to add to your spread. One of my favorite restaurants in my hometown serves a really thin crust pizza covered in fig spread, pears, goat cheese, and truffle oil. I decided to recreate that pizza in the form of baby tarts, using creamy cambazola to make things a little more decadent. If you have truffle oil or truffle salt on hand, definitely use that in place of the salt and olive oil in the recipe. Just be sure you make these for a crowd! I did my recipe testing and baking while I was home alone for the night and am quite sure I’ve already hit my personal quota for puff pastry consumption in 2014! Read more »

23
Dec
2013

Urban S’mores

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In all honesty, I was gonna post a salad recipe today. I was! I realize the last three recipes on the blog have been desserts. Tis the season? Tis the season, indeed! I’m going out with a bang with these indoor s’mores, and come the New Year, when everyone’s all focused on being healthy, I’ll bring it on the health front. Consider that a sincere promise from my sugar filled tummy to yours.

Now let’s talk s’mores at home. We have neither a fire place nor a fire pit in our NYC apartment, but we do have a gas stove. Side note, a fire pit would be really weird. Anyway, when I spotted this s’mores kit,  Read more »

21
Dec
2013

Life Lately | December 21st |

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Morning, lovelies! I hope you’re settling in to your long winter’s break. We kicked off things last night with a few too many glasses of champagne at one of my favorite neighborhood spots. Today I’m excited to be doing a whole lot of lounging and then heading into the city to see the tree, take in the holiday windows, and drink more champagne at the Plaza! It’s been forever since I did a ‘Life Lately’ post, so here a few fun links, recipe ideas, and more, to accompany your weekend cocoa and lounging:

Have a good one friends! xoxo

Image Source: Because I’m Addicted

20
Dec
2013

Three Easy Holiday Wrapping Tips

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During high school I worked at a fancy boutique in my hometown. I subsequently hated working in retail (I much preferred waitressing), but something I unexpectedly loved was wrapping gifts during the holiday. The store owners had set up the most beautiful wrapping station in the basement of the store, with all kinds of gilded ribbon and creamy papers. Though they had set designs (i.e. what paper you use with what ribbon and so on), it not only gave me a much better eye when it came to wrapping gifts, but also made me a much better wrapper! If you’re like me, and scrambling to get your wrapping done this weekend, here are three simple wrapping tips to make your gifts a little extra special:

1) Not every package needs to be red and green! In fact, I think the less traditional color palettes are the best. One option is using a graphic print style paper and pairing it with a glittery ribbon that really pops and has some texture.

2) Big bows are fun, but I think a classic and luxurious velvet ribbon can be even nicer. I like pairing a deep color, like this navy blue, with a whimsical pattern. Also, have fun with the placement of your bows- not everything needs to be down the center of the gift.

3) When using a somewhat muted or mild paper, make the gift shine by utilizing two ribbons. Place a thicker ribbon on the bottom, and a thinner one on top so they’re both visible. When choosing ribbons consider texture. For the base ribbon you want something simple that will serve as a clean foundation, like this wide natural ribbon.  For the top ribbon you want something that will really stand out,like this bright red velvet ribbon. Get creative with your ribbon placement, like wrapping around the edges instead of the center of the gift. The gold ribbon would have worked well, too!

There you have it! I hope those tips are helpful. Anyone else playing elf this weekend? Have a great one!

A huge thanks to Minted who generously provided all this beautiful wrapping paper! They have gorgeous paper, tags, ribbon, and more for wrapping gifts for every season.