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last year i bought a small thymes frasier fir candle and loved it so much i knew i'd make it my main candle for this holiday season. it has a great, not overpowering pine tree scent. but i'm loving it so much i know i'll burn through it before christmas is here. any suggestions on another holiday candle? what are your favorites?
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pretty much any recipe i see on orangette i know is going to be good. case and point, her spaghetti and meatballs. even my good eater friend courtney agrees! so when i saw this recipe for salted peanut butter cookies i knew i had to make them.
these cookies are so flavorful and the recipe makes so many. perfect if you need to make cookies for a large group!
240 grams (2 cups plus 1 tsp.) pastry flour
5 grams (1 tsp.) baking soda
12 grams (1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp.) kosher salt
275 grams (2 sticks plus 3.5 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
200 grams (about 1 ¼ cup, packed) dark brown sugar
170 grams (¾ cup plus 2.5 Tbsp.) sugar
2 large eggs
400 grams (1 ½ cup) natural salted creamy peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
170 grams chopped milk chocolate
Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, combine the pastry flour, baking soda, and salt, and whisk well.
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. (You can also do this by hand, with a sturdy spoon.) Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, and beat on medium-low speed to blend. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing on low speed until incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the chocolate, and beat briefly on low speed, just until evenly incorporated.
Using an ice cream scoop – mine has a capacity of about ¼ cup - scoop the batter onto the prepared sheet pan, taking care to leave plenty of space between cookies. (I limit it to six cookies per pan; if you add more, they run together.) Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and pale golden around the edges, but their tops have no color. (The cookies will not look fully baked, and this is important! The chewy texture of these cookies depends on it. They’re not nearly as good when baked until golden and crisp.) Transfer the pan to a rack, and cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan. They will firm up as they cool. (Also, they taste better when fully cooled. Promise.)
Repeat with remaining dough.
Note: This dough freezes beautifully. Actually, I like the texture of these cookies best when they’re baked from frozen. Scoop the dough onto a sheet pan and freeze until hard; then transfer the dough mounds to a freezer bag or other airtight container. Do not defrost before baking, and plan to add four or five minutes to the baking time.
if you're free on december 1st come down to west elm for their handmade holiday workshop. they are partnering with etsy to host the event and benefit the ronald mcdonald {the mother of all trades voluenteers there too!}
light refreshments will be served while a local etsy craft leader shows guests how to make beautiful tree ornaments. These ornaments will be added to a tree that the store is creating for the ronald mcdonald house.
There will also be an “etsy mini-market" comprised of 5 local etsy sellers who will set up shop and sell their handmade goods during the event:
· Simply Hue Designs (Art Prints)
· Elisabeth Space (Jewelry)
· Uzura (Eco-Friendly Clothing/Bags)
· sidney ann (Accessories)
· Manzanita Kids (Wood Toys)
if you can't make the event, the west elm store will host an ornament and gift drive from nov. 21st till dec. 4th. customers can buy an ornament to decorate the tree that will go to the ronald mcdonald house. or you can purchase gifts to fill the baskets around the tree. the tree, ornaments, and gifts will be delivered to the ronald mcdonald house on december 5th.
how great is that? the perfect way to get started on your giving back this season!
i know everyone loves the friends thanksgiving episodes... {i don't agree with ew's ranking. the one where ross got high is easily #1}
...but i'm partial to the how i met your mother thanksgiving episodes!
if you haven't seen them, i highly recommend watching them. happy thanksgiving!
...and for those of you in slap bets, happy slapsgiving!
'that's THREE!'
this year my family is looking for a new 'green' to serve at thanksgiving. i came across this recipe from bon appetite and thought it looked good. the description says it really 'cuts through the richness of the thanksgiving meal' and they really got me excited. i did a trial run over the weekend and it's pretty good. even if you're not a kale or brussel sprouts lover, you'll like this.
it's thanksgiving week and i'm sure you're doing your meal planning and making. i'm responsible for pies. i'm making pumpking pie {duh!} and i always make a second pie. this year i'm getting a little crazy and making hand pies. here's the recipe i'm using for apple hand pies. these will make great leftovers!
and if you're curious, here are pies i've made in previous years - cherry pie, apple, pear, cranberry crumble pie, french apple tart and french pear pie.
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
3 small baking apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and diced (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
Two (14.1-ounce )packages refrigerated pie dough (each package contains 2 rounds of dough)
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
in a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. set aside.
in a deep skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. add the apples and 1/3 cup of the sugar mixture. saute for 3 to 4 minutes, or until just tender.
in a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch, lemon juice and water, then add to the apples and stir. cook until the juices thicken and bubble, about 1 minute. set the filling aside to cool.
heat the oven to 350 degrees. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
one at a time, on a lightly floured surface unroll each of the 4 rounds of pie dough. using a 3-inch circular cookie cutter, cut out 9 rounds from each piece of dough for a total of 36 rounds.
in a small bowl, beat together the egg and the milk.
to assemble the hand pies, place 1 dough round in front of you. lightly brush around the edges of the round with the egg mixture. place 2 teaspoons of apple filling in the center of the dough. top with a second round of dough. gently press down so that the filling is enclosed and the edges of the top round meet the edges of the bottom round. use a fork to crimp and seal all around the edges. brush the top with more of the egg mixture and sprinkle with the reserved cinnamon sugar. use a paring knife to poke a hole in the top to vent steam. repeat with the remaining dough rounds and filling.
place the hand pies on the baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between them. bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
i am so excited for this post! one of my greatest childhood friends, lucas field, has released his first solor record! lucas and i went to school together since pre-school and it's so fun to listen to the amazing music he's made. he's so talented! {and look at his cutie basset hound!}
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check it out! amazon. itunes. spotify.
in case you missed it:
:: warm up with salmon pesto soup
:: love pomagranates but hate the mess? here's how to cut one.
:: the rosanna/butter london/potluck paris sale is happening tonight!
:: ryan gossling wasn't named the sexiest man alive, boo! but his movie drive and the soundtrack were awesome!
:: momofuku's milk bar has the best cookies, make your own.
i can't take credit for this post. the mother of all trades made it. and brought it to me when i wasn't feeling well. how sweet is that.
it's such a good soup, one of my favorites. and this time of year is such a good time for soup!
salmon pesto soup
...a helpful tip via sous style my new favorite site!
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if you like jewelry, beauty and tablewares {and who doesn't?!} you definitely want to check out rosanna's ladies night out this friday, november 18th from 4-7 p.m. rosanna's warehouse outlet store will host potluck paris jewelry, the pearl lady, and butter london. expect great deals on jewelry, nail polish, and rosanna products.
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i've been to rosanna and potluck sales before and scored some great finds! this sale will be amazing and butter london will make it even more fablulous! happy shopping!
rosanna warehouse outlet [emphasis on the warehouse so dress warmly!}
6755 East Marginal Way
friday, november 17th, 4 - 7 p.m.
