EAT DRINK PRETTY

Momma/baby must haves: hospital bag

2012-01-26T05:00:00.008-06:00

So maybe this is a post that you'd be more likely to see on a mom blog, but these things have been on my mind and so you're seeing them here on Eat Drink Pretty. I hope you don't mind.

I am 33 weeks pregnant. This pregnancy has been flying by. So fast. I heard that pregancy goes by slowly and that has not been true for me at all. Now watch I say that and the next 7ish weeks will drag by....I think it helps to keep busy (and I definitely have been with work, baby showers, getting the nursery ready, etc).

Lately I've been thinking about packing the hospital bag. A few mom friends/colleagues have said to be prepared and have your bag packed. A few of them have went into pre-term labor and ended up running around the house throwing items into a bag and not having the things they needed.

There are some great hospital bag check-lists out there and so obviously the items I have pictured above aren't comprehensive (I didn't include things like nipple cream, etc)...but if I have forgotten anything glaring, please comment and let me know. Or are there any unexpected items that wouldn't show up on a check-list that you would suggest I bring?

Here is a list of my must-have items so far:

1. Coming home outfit for Juliet: I found this sweet vintage rose one piece that I adore. I can't wait to see my baby girl in it! I'll bring an alternative option or two in case this one doesn't fit.

2. My iPhone: I don't leave the house without it so of course I'll be sure to have it with me in the hospital. I have started a labor/delivery playlist on my iTunes and also plan to bring speaker adapters.

3. Infant car seat: I received this Maxi Cosi car seat for a baby shower gift from my mother-in-law. Erik and I plan to install it in our car within the next week or so. Question for you mommas out there, I'm thinking about adding an infant insert for more support in the car seat. I've heard these are actually not supposed to be used because they take away from safety of the car seat. Is this true? This is the one I'm thinking of using.

4. Camera: I'll be sure to pack my Canon Rebel xsi. I have no clue if Erik will remember to take a single photo or if I'll remember to remind him to, but I really hope we are able to capture some great images of our sweet girl.

5. Diaper bag: I am in love with my Timi and Leslie Charlie bag. It was a gift from my family at my baby shower. It's HUGE and will fit everything I need (I think).

6. iPad: do I need this? I thought it might be nice to have to pass the time; watching movies, etc.

7. Chap stick: I've heard that hospitals are very dry and to not forget lots of chap stick. My fave is vanilla-flavored Soft Lips.

8. Video camera: I have a flip cam and I love it because it's small and super portable. Again, who knows if we'll remember to take video, but I hope so.

9. My favorite lotion: Bliss Sage Body Butter. I love the way it smells and it moisturizes well without being greasy.

10. Laptop: I'm thinking of bringing my MacBook Pro...but is this overkill on the technology? I thought perhaps I'd be ambitious and upload photos from my Canon...but maybe I won't even have time to think about doing this? I know I can always use my phone to text friends/family photos.

11: Boppy: when I visited my sister-in-law in the hospital when she had baby Chloe she had her boppy and seemed to use it a lot.

12: Breast pump: do I need to bring this to the hospital???

So what do you think? What am I missing? What am I planning on bringing that is completely ridiculous? I'd love your advice!

Real party: a nautical-themed baby shower

2012-01-25T05:00:00.003-06:00

Maylene of Malu Boutiques submitted this sweet baby shower with a nautical theme that she planned for her nephew. The dessert table looks so yummy and my favorite treats are the little glasses filled with jello that look like boats. So cute.

As told by Maylene:

"I was so excited to have had the chance to plan my nephew’s baby shower. The venue was at my sister-in-laws house. We had chosen a nautical theme of dark blue, bright yellow, and neutrals. The dessert table was accessorized with a canvas blue and ivory stripe cloth. It worked so well with the theme she had chosen. The sweet treats table included a sail boat theme cake, cupcakes, vanilla pudding, strawberries stuffed with cheesecakes filling, cookies, chocolate covered marshmallow and chocolate cover donuts."

Beautiful, themed cookies.
Gorgeous tablescapes with simple tall branch centerpieces.
Lovely invitations.

Thanks so much to Maylene for sending this lovely baby shower my way!

Vendors:

Invitation and styling: Malu Boutiques

Food labels: Crazy Designs
Cake and Cupcakes: Cakes by Jeanette
Cookies: Sweet Dough

A Sunday family lunch

2012-01-23T05:00:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I had my family over for a pasta lunch. Erik was out of town ice fishing up north so I thought I'd keep myself busy cleaning/prepping/cooking for a fun lunch. My house is pretty small so having 9 of my family members over was a bit cozy, but it worked out great.

On the menu:

Spinach artichoke dip with baguette
Crackers and cheddar
Fruit salad
Caesar salad
Lasagna
Vegetable alfredo fettuccini
Garlic bread
Brownies with vanilla ice cream

My family helped out by bringing a dish to share. I was in charge of appetizers and the pasta. I kept it pretty easy with my go-to lasagna recipe. I also threw together the vegetable pasta that included kale, squash, red pepper, tomatoes and a light cream sauce.

My favorite course was dessert.
After my family left, I cleaned the kitchen and then relaxed on the couch. My kitty had a rough afternoon sleeping.

I had a great weekend that was spent with a lot of "me" time. I relished it knowing that this was probably one of the last weekends I'll ever have all to myself. Baby girl is due in just 7 weeks (give or take a week or two). I took major advantage of the weekend and watched lots of Food Network, got a pedicure, hung out with girlfriends, snuggled with my kitty and even enjoyed take-out Chinese food on the couch in my pjs. It was an awesome weekend but I was definitely ready to see my honey when he got back from his trip.

I hope you all had great weekends as well!

Real party: a vintage winter one-derland first birthday

2012-01-19T05:00:00.041-06:00

Seri of Little Miss Party Planner blog submitted this gorgeous, light and airy vintage winter one-derland birthday party that was thrown in honor of Colette turning one. Colette's mom Traci chose a pretty color palette of muted pink, soft gold, ivory and burlap brown for the color story.

Photo credits to Raquel Bianca.

I can't get enough of little girl shoes, so cute!
You all know how much I love quiche, how delicious do these look?
More yummy food. I'm a big fan of parties that really put a lot of effort/focus into the food served, it's such an important element.
And what's a birthday party without tons of sweets? I want a slice of that cake!
How cute is the name Colette??
A beautiful drink bar.

A unique, pretty way to display crudite in glass vases.
I want one of each of those desserts!!!
The cute little birthday girl, Colette. What a lucky little girl to have such a beautiful first birthday party!

For tons of details as told by Seri, please check out her blog post.

My shabby chic baby shower

2012-01-16T05:00:00.012-06:00

My girlfriends hosted a wonderful baby shower for me last Saturday with a shabby chic, pink theme. They used my baby girl's nursery as inspiration and I was thrilled with all the details and delicious food at the shower. Best of all, all my favorite girlfriends and female family members were there to share the day with.

All the tables had a pretty pink tablecloth, a mason jar wrapped with lace and filled with baby's breath and paper poms handmade by my friend Melanie.

My sister Katie and I.
I made the decision before the shower that I would bring my camera but hand it off to a friend to take photos, so the camera was on auto function and the photos are not the greatest, but the cute details were captured plus a lot of photos of my guests and I, which I'm really happy about.

That's my 31 week bump. Getting bigger.

There was a long food table with brunch items and lots of desserts, including these pretty macarons.

The menu included:

Quiche
Baked french toast
Caprese salad
Croissants
Scones
Fresh fruit
Cheese
Muffins
Vanilla cupcakes
Red velvet cupcakes
Macarons
Candy
Chocolate chip cookies

My girlfriends know how much I love brunch and since the beginning of my pregnancy I haven't been able to get enough sweets so they had no shortage of desserts/treats.

My friend Libby and her husband made this gorgeous toy chest, personalized with my baby girl's name. I LOVE it.
There was a drink bar with mimosas, sparkling peach juice, coffee and bottled water.
Kristin created these cute water bottle wraps.
Each guest wrote out a wish for my baby girl and pinned them to a birdcage. The hostesses collected all the wishes and tied a piece of lace ribbon around them to create a wish book for me.

The pretty invite.
Yummy cupcakes, I got to take leftovers home!

My sister-in-law, Nikki and my mother-in-law, Karen. Erik's mom Karen traveled from North Dakota to attend my shower along with three of Erik's aunts.

The gals set up baby photos of me.
Three of the hostesses and my three best friends; Amy, Kristin and Melanie.
My mom and I.
My mother-in-law and I.
Good friends Natasha, Emily and Shannon.

I couldn't have been happier with the shower and astonished with the TONS of presents I received. My baby girl has more clothes than me now! I also received the diaper bag I've been coveting (the Charlie by Timi and Leslie), a video monitor, that awesome toy chest, books, baby lotions, a pink Vikings jersey and lots more. I spent hours organizing everything in the nursery yesterday.

Thanks so much to Kristin, Amy, Melanie, Jill, Libby, Katie and Nikki for your help in throwing me a fabulous shower!!

A lady bug dessert table

2012-01-12T05:00:00.038-06:00

Jini of Cakery, an event styling company, submitted this sweet lady bug dessert she designed for her daughter Maya's birthday.

All the desserts were impressively homemade by Jini.

Delicious, pretty cake pops.
Yum, how delicious do those fruit kabobs look?
Beautiful lady bug cupcakes.

Desserts in jars never get old.
Thanks so much to Jini for the lovely submission!

Vendors:

Party Printables from Mon Tresor
Styling by Cakery
Favor Jars from Sharnel Dollar Designs
Props : Mai Style Party Boutique, Pom Pom Princess, Mon Tresor, Candy Soirees and Pinwheels and pearls

Real party: a rainbow themed 2nd birthday

2012-01-10T05:00:00.004-06:00

Katena of Taylor Made Baking blog sent me this adorable rainbow-themed birthday party she designed for her little girl Claire's second birthday.

I love the big, beautiful colors in this party. Katena did an amazing job with all the details, my favorite being the dessert table with that amazing rainbow cake. Wow.

Katena made the rainbow garland herself and the "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" print is from Scissors Paper Rock Design.

Those rainbow, layered cupcakes in jars look amazing (most of the desserts were homemade by Katena).
Favors were mini gumball machines filled with candy.

This cake is incredible. It would take a TON of patience to bake a cake with that many layers. I'm beyond impressed.

Thanks so much for the lovely submission, Katena! Your daughter had a beautiful birthday party!

Vendors:

Milk glass stands, tablecloth and sambellina party goods by Sweet Style.
Confetti treat bags by Sharnel Dollar Designs.
Gumball machines, lollypops, rock candy and mini pegs by Occasion by Design.
Timber crates by Lily Chic Events.
Striped popcorn boxes by Little Sooti.
Clothespin Doll Cake Topper by Enchanted Belles.
Rainbow Print by Scissors Paper Rock Designs.
Rainbow Party Dress from Pecan Sandies.

A baby-filled weekend

2012-01-09T05:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was spent finishing the nursery (thanks to the help of my husband), taking an 8-hour childbirth preparation class and taking maternity photos. It was all about the baby last weekend for sure.

The donuts/muffins/flowers were just a few of the details that I incorporated into the maternity photos Erik and I took yesterday with Canary Grey Photography. Wing is awesome, super sweet and talented. She and I "met" last year when we partnered for a giveaway on my blog. Remember this amazing winter session she took for the winning couple? It's still one of my favorite couple's shoots of all time.

For my maternity photos, I wanted a natural, cozy vibe with Erik and I. We took the majority of the photos in our house; in our kitchen (with these "props"), in our living room, in the nursery (which is why I had to finish it this weekend!) and outdoors. I was really hoping for snowy, wintry outdoor photos but with this crazy weather we have almost no snow on tht ground. I'm sure Wing still captured some great photos.

To be honest, taking maternity photos is a bit awkward. You hold your belly in almost all the pictures and feel huge and not really sure if you are going to be one of those women who look super cute pregnant or the opposite, huge/cow pregnant woman. We'll see which category I fall into when I get the photos (there could be a bit of both). Wing did an awesome job of directing the shoot with great ideas and helped us feel comfortable. Lifestyle shoots (as well as weddings) are really her specialty and she said she was very inspired during our shoot, which was really cool.

Pregnancy is going really well and I feel pretty great still (31 weeks!). Though I'll admit that with each day I feel like I'm getting bigger and bigger and have even caught myself sporting the "pregnant waddle" from time to time. Erik made the lovely observation on Saturday at our childbirth class that I "look bigger than a lot of the other pregnant ladies". Thanks honey.

Erik was sort of a good sport during the photo shoot. He puts up with a lot from me with my blogging/photo shoots/detail obsession and overall type A craziness. But he did have his share of complaints during the shoot ("are we done yet?"). I will forgive him that, though because he spent a lot of evenings last week hanging up frames on the walls in the nursery and helping me get everything done. We are so ready for our baby girl, but still have to wait 2 months! Hopefully it goes by fast.

Wing also took a bunch of photos of our baby girl's shabby chic nursery, can't wait to share them with you!

PS. I ate WAY too many of these donuts after the photo shoot! Oops.

Healthy kale recipe round-up for the New Year

2012-01-05T05:00:00.021-06:00

{Photo credits: Martha Stewart}

I was feeling a bit uninspired this evening so I texted my sister and asked for blog post ideas. She just started Weight Watchers back up again after a bit of a hiatus over the holidays and her response was "how about a healthy recipe round-up"?

It was a great idea so here you go. Six delicious kale recipes to get you on the right track for the New Year.

Kale and white bean soup
Whole wheat pasta with kale and fontina
Cannellini and kale soup
Sausage and kale soup
Crostini with kale and parmesan
Kale with tomato, garlic and thyme

I am obviously NOT on a diet because I'm pregnant. Actually, this is the first time in about 10 years that I haven't been on a diet for the New Year. Guess how much I love being pregnant right now? A lot.

No dieting.
No worrying about counting points.
No feeling guilty for eating chocolate muffins for breakfast or grabbing handfuls of Skittles for a snack.

Ok so I know I should still be eating healthy, and I am, for the most part. But man...I DO NOT miss the D-word at all.

Girl's dinner club

2012-01-04T05:00:00.009-06:00

{Instagram photos taken with my iPhone 4}

Last Friday three of my best friends and I got together for dinner at my place. My friend Amy was in town from DC and she insisted on making the entire dinner. She did an amazing job cooking a gourmet vegetarian meal.

On the menu:

Wine and sparkling juice
Olives, cheese, crackers
Salad with sweet potatoes, quinoa, dried cranberries and balsamic vinaigrette
Chipotle white beans with tomatoes and kale
Popovers
Macarons and flourless chocolate cake

There is not a whole better than a Friday evening hanging out with my girls.

Chocolate peanut butter swirl muffins

2012-01-02T05:00:00.006-06:00

Did you all have a wonderful New Years Eve? Mine was great. Erik and I met a few friends for dinner then went to a couple parties.

When I woke up on New Years Day all I could think of is chocolate. I wanted to eat chocolate for breakfast. So instead of tearing into the Christmas cookies I have in the freezer, I got online and found this chocolate muffin recipe. It's chocolate, but still appropriate (kind of) to eat for breakfast.

These muffins were awesome, very chocolatey. They not only have cocoa power but also chocolate chips. The peanut butter swirl is a nice addition. It was hard for me to only eat one. But I did. I swear.

Chocolate peanut butter swirl muffins (recipe adapted from Annie Eats)

Yield: about 20 muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1¼ cups buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the peanut butter swirl:
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tbsp. milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin tins with paper liners. To make the chocolate muffin batter, combine the butter and 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth. (Alternatively you can microwave in 20-30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.) Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk or mix briefly to combine. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, egg and vanilla and whisk until combined. With the mixer on low speed, blend in the buttermilk mixture just until combined. Blend in the melted chocolate mixture. Stir in the remaining chocolate chips with a spatula. Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each no more than 2/3 full. (These muffins will rise a lot!)

To make the peanut butter swirl, combine the peanut butter and butter in a heatproof bowl and microwave briefly until smooth. Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth. Drop a small spoonful of the peanut butter mixture on top of the chocolate muffin batter. Swirl together using a skewer or knife.

Bake 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sierra Mist giveaway winner

2011-12-31T13:25:00.001-06:00

Thanks to all who participated in the Sierra Mist giveaway, there were some realy awesome recipe ideas!

The winner is AubreyLaine whose recipe idea was:

"Coconut rum and sierra mist!"

Have a wonderful New Years Eve!

Real party: my North Dakota baby shower

2011-12-30T05:00:00.051-06:00

Over the holidays my mother-in-law, Karen hosted a baby shower for me. She really put in a lot of effort to make the shower lovely. My favorite element of the shower was the dessert table. We had cake, cookies, cupcakes, cinnamon twists, cream puffs, lemon bars and jelly beans. I'm embarrassed to admit I ate one of everything...ok, not all in the same night, but over the course of the next few days.

My sister-in-law, Nikki of Lovely Scribbles designed the invitations.
Karen had pink roses at the table with pearls draped over the vase. Karen's good friend Joan helped with all the decorations.

The cake was super cute, made with fondant and buttercream, to look like a little girl's dress.

Pretty bunting that said "it's a girl".

Adorable onesie cookies and sugar cookie sandwiches. The little sandwich cookies were SO GOOD.
More pretty centerpieces and an old photo of Erik and I right when we first started dating. Don't we look young?
My mother-in-law and I snapped a quick photo before leaving for the shower.

Erik's cousin Michelle made me an awesome diaper cake.

Karen had all the guests write advice on a little card for Erik and I. There were some pretty funny ones.
Pretty, yummy red velvet cupcakes.

Tons and tons of presents. People are way too generous....and they love to buy cute clothes and blankets for baby girls. We received so many cute onesies, one piece pajamas, blankets, socks, booties, etc. Erik and I could barely fit them all in our car on the way home.

Huge thanks to Karen for hosting such a wonderful shower!!!

Cranberry kiss mocktail and a Sierra Mist giveaway

2011-12-28T05:00:00.020-06:00

I have a fun post for you today that includes mocktails and a giveaway. Ok, so maybe it would be a bit more fun if the drink was a cocktail, but hey, I haven't had a drink in about 7 months so it's all about the mocktail for me these days.

The Cranberry Kiss mocktail is something I whipped up with the holidays and New Years Eve in mind. The key ingredient is Sierra Mist Natural, which gives it those festive bubbles! Pretty, aren't they?

Cranberry Kiss (Mocktail)

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Sierra Mist Natural
• 2 ½ oz. cranberry juice
• 1 mint leaf
• Fresh lime juice (about 1/4 of a lime)

Directions:

1. In a martini shaker, muddle one mint leaf with lime juice

2. Add cranberry juice to the shaker; shake well and strain into a champagne glass

3. Top with Sierra Mist Natural

4. Garnish with three cranberries skewered on a toothpick

Now for the giveaway...Sierra Mist and I would like you to share a creative cocktail/mocktail recipe. One winner will receive a Sierra Mist Natural holiday gift pack which includes:

Martini shaker
Drink garnish/sugars
Party glasses
$50 Amex Gift Card (this will come in handy with all those after-the-holiday-sales) or perhaps you are hosting your own New Years Eve party?

How to enter:

Leave a comment on this post with your own Sierra Mist Natural mocktail/cocktail recipe idea (it doesn't have to be exact...for example, you can write, "I would love a cocktail with Sierra Mist, vodka and a splash of pineapple juice")

I will choose one comment/winner using random.org. Giveaway ends Friday, December 30 at midnight. The winner will be announced on Saturday, December 31st. US residents only.

Be sure to check out Sierra Mist on Facebook and submit your recipes on the Sierra Mixolgy tab!!

Disclaimer: I have partnered with Sierra Mist for this giveaway post. They provided me with the prize as well as compensation. The photos, recipe and opinions are my own.

Christmas in North Dakota

2011-12-27T05:00:00.014-06:00

Every other year Erik and I spend the holidays with his family in North Dakota. The days spent are filled with lazy kitties, tons of food, relaxing and quality family-time. Usually we sit in Erik's mom's hot tub and drink booze but this year with a baby on the way there was none of that (for me, Erik still did plenty of both).

Here is our Christmas in photos.
Christmas Eve dinner was awesome, we started off with appetizers including bruschetta, oysters and crackers (Erik's favorite), cheese and crackers, shrimp cocktail and cookies (yes, I ate cookies before dinner!). If I can't drink wine then I should eat sweets, right?

One of Erik's mom's friends makes these amazing cinnamon twists. They are delicious with a cup of coffee, or anytime really.
The traditional Christmas Eve dinner includes lobster tails and prime rib. Next to chicken and dumplings (which we had on Thursday night) this is Erik's favorite meal.
Dessert was homemade maple nut ice cream. Amazing.
I missed my kitty Kody, who is a terrible traveler and stayed home. Karen (Erik's mom) has two cute kitties that we snuggled with all weekend.
Present time! This year Erik's mom bought us a washer and dryer. Best Christmas present ever. We also got a few other things including a Keurig coffee maker, gift cards, clothes, etc. She gives us way too many presents every year.
Erik and his mom on Christmas day.
Breakfast on Christmas day included chocolate chip pancakes!
I ran outside when I saw the gorgeous orange sky as the sun set across the flat plains in North Dakota. Lovely and strange, there was no snow in ND for Christmas this year. It was also 40 degrees when we left to drive back to MN. This type of mild weather is crazy! But it sure makes the 6 hour drive nice and easy.

Karen hosted a wonderful baby shower for me while I was in North Dakota. She had a dessert table filled with an adorable cake and tons of other sweets (she reads my blog everyday so she knows about my pregnancy-induced sweet tooth!). Our nursery is filled with gifts (cute baby booties, clothes, gear, etc). People are soooo generous. I'll be sharing photos from that shower this week!

I hope you all enjoyed the holidays!!

Holiday cookie recipe: frying pan cookies

2011-12-24T10:59:00.000-06:00

Frying pan cookies (recipe adapted from Cooks)

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. chopped dates
1/4 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cap full of vanilla
3 c. Rice Krispies
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped fine
1 bag coconut

Preparation

Mix dates, butter, sugar and eggs in frying pan. Cook 10 minutes or until dates are soft. Cool some, then add vanilla, Rice Krispies and walnuts.

Butter your hand well, roll mixture into balls then roll balls in coconut.

Holiday cookie recipe: Russian tea cake cookies

2011-12-24T01:00:00.002-06:00

Russian tea cake cookies (recipe adapted from Allrecipes)

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. I also like to roll mine in the sugar a second time.

Holiday cookie recipe: Christmas cornflake wreaths

2011-12-23T11:11:00.000-06:00

Christmas cornflake wreaths (recipe adapted from Kelloggs)

Ingredients

1/3 cup margarine or butter

1 package (10 oz. about 40) regular marshmallows

1 teaspoon green food coloring

6 cups cornflakes

Red cinnamon candies

Preparation

Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in food coloring.  

Add cornflakes cereal. Stir until well coated. 

Portion warm cereal mixture evenly by using a 1/4 cup dry measure coated with cooking spray.

Using sprayed or buttered fingers, quickly shape into individual wreaths. Dot with cinnamon candies or Skittles.

Store in single layer in airtight container.

Holiday cookie recipe: snickerdoodles

2011-12-22T16:16:00.000-06:00

Snickerdoodles (recipe from Food Network)

Ingredients

For the topping:
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
or (for holiday baking) use red and green sugar

For the cookie dough:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

To make the cookie dough, stir together the dry ingredients.

In a bowl with a paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add the sugar and continue to mix, then add the eggs, corn syrup, and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Chill dough 1 hour if it's sticky or difficult to handle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll balls of dough about the size of a walnut then roll them in the cinnamon sugar (or red/green sugar) to coat. Place on an un-greased sheet pan 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until puffed up and the surface is slightly cracked. Let cool on the sheet pan a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

Holiday cookie recipe: peanut butter blossoms

2011-12-21T08:08:00.000-06:00

Peanut butter blossoms (recipe from Bakerella)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, slightly softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
Hershey’s Kisses or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, or both

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Sift flour, soda and salt with a wire whisk and set aside.
Beat butter and peanut butter
Add sugar and beat until fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla.
Add flour mixture and combine.
Roll dough into 1 to 1-1/2 inch balls and then roll the balls in sugar to coat.

With Hershey Kisses or Peanut Butter Cups:

Place rolled balls on parchment paper covered baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and press an unwrapped Hershey’s Kisses candy or Peanut Butter Cups into the center of each cookie.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Holiday cookie recipe - Farmhouse chocolate mint cookies

2011-12-20T12:00:00.004-06:00

Farmhouse Chocolate Mint Cookies (recipe via Nikki of Lovely Scribbles, original source is the Gooseberry Patch Old Fashioned Country Cookies cookbook)

Ingredients

3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. water
12 oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 lb. Andes Mints

Preparation

Place butter, sugar and water in sauce pan on low heat until butter is melted. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat. Continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted. Pour into large mixing bowl and let stand 10 minutes to cool slightly. With mixer at high speed, beat in eggs one at a time. Reduce speed to low and add combined dry ingredients beating just until blended. Chill dough 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Take tsp. full of dough and roll into balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake 11-13 minutes (do not over-bake). Immediately place mints on hot cookies. Allow to soften, then swirl mints over cookies. Remove from cookie sheet and cool completely.

Holiday cookie recipe - chocolate candy cane cookies

2011-12-20T05:00:00.007-06:00

Chocolate candy cane cookies (recipe from Epicurious)

Ingredients

Cookies
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg

Filling
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops (or more) red food coloring
1/2 cup crushed red-and-white-striped candy canes or hard peppermint candies (about 4 ounces)

Preparation

For cookies:

Whisk flour, cocoa, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Beat in egg. Add dry ingredients; beat until blended. Refrigerate dough 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out dough by level tablespoonfuls, then roll into smooth balls. Place balls on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Using bottom of glass or hands, flatten each ball to 2-inch round (edges will crack). Bake until cookies no longer look wet and small indentation appears when tops of cookies are lightly touched with fingers, about 11 minutes (do not overbake or cookies will become too crisp). Cool on sheet 5 minutes. Transfer chocolate cookies to racks and cool completely.

For filling:

Using electric mixer, beat powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl until well blended. Add peppermint extract and 2 drops food coloring. Beat until light pink and well blended, adding more food coloring by dropfuls if darker pink color is desired. Spread 2 generous teaspoons filling evenly over flat side of 1 cookie to edges; top with another cookie, flat side down, pressing gently to adhere. Repeat with remaining cookies and peppermint filling.

Place crushed candy canes on plate. Roll edges of cookie sandwiches in crushed candies (candies will adhere to filling). (Cookie sandwiches can be made ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.)

Holiday cookie extravaganza

2011-12-19T05:00:00.012-06:00

The holiday baking party I hosted was SO MUCH FUN. And a bit chaotic. Beyond holding the party at my house, I didn't do much for hosting. My aunt, sister, mom, sister-in-law all brought ingredients, cleaned the kitchen as they baked and were in general, awesome guests.

Here is our day in photos. I'll post more cookie photos with all the recipes tomorrow so stay tuned.

The photos above are of my mom and sister. Cute matching aprons, huh?

I made a yummy spinach, onion and cheese quiche for breakfast. I make a lot of quiche and this one is at the top of my fave list. The recipe calls for cottage cheese, which I really liked. My sister brought white chocolate raspberry scones and my mom brought a fruit salad. We properly fueled before a big day of baking!
My kitchen is not very big, so the idea of baking 8 different baked goods was a bit scary. We had ingredients piled on top of more ingredients.
I made chocolate peppermint cookie sandwiches.
Nikki made chocolate Andes mint cookies.
We made wreaths, so simple and so damn good. I could eat a hundred of these. Instead of red hots I used Skittles to embellish the wreaths. Wrigley's sent me a HUGE box of candy the other week so the Skittles came in handy.
My aunt made Russian tea cake cookies.
My mom made snickerdoodles (about to go in the oven). These are so classic and taste best with a huge glass of milk.
My niece Chloe also joined us.My sister Katie made peanut butter blossoms with peanut butter cups and Hershey Kisses.

My aunt also made frying pan cookies.

We had tons of cookies for everyone to take home.

After all was said and done, my kitchen was still a bit of a disaster but it didn't take long to clean up. And then I realized I had about 100 cookies in my house all within reach. And so I packed a big container to send with Erik to work on Monday and I'm taking the rest with me to the office. I hope my coworkers are hungry!

I loved having a whole day set aside for hanging with some of my fave ladies and baking. Can't wait to do it again next year.

Baby girl must haves: cutest clothes

2011-12-16T10:10:00.000-06:00

{Photo credits: GAP}

These aren't must haves, they are "my baby girl already has" them items. Someone please take my credit cards, PayPal account, debit cards, and any cash away from me. And please let me NEVER walk by Baby Gap again.

But seriously, how can you not indulge in these things? I've never seen anything cuter. And the ONLY reason I bought that hat is because my little girl will be about 4 weeks old on Easter and I just keep thinking about how she'll be my cute little bunny in this hat. I mean....are these thoughts even rational?

Etched rose bubble dress
Bunny hat and mitten set
Cable knit empire dress

You can also follow my obsession of cute baby girl clothes on my Pinterest board.

In my defense (Erik, if you're reading this) all these items were on sale, I promise.

A holiday baking party

2011-12-15T05:00:00.001-06:00

{Photo credits: Martha Stewart (quiche, fruit salad, champagne cocktails), Epicurious and My Baking Addiction (cookies and donuts), }

I am hosting a little holiday baking party on Saturday. My mom, aunt, sister-in-law and sister are coming over bright and early and we are baking cookies, having brunch and enjoying Christmas music.

We are making 3-4 cookies, a couple still TBD but on the list for sure is:

Chocolate candy cane cookies (my choice)
Peanut butter blossoms (my sister's choice)

They aren't fancy but I love the corn flake green wreaths, do you know what I'm talking about? They are so yummy! I also want to make simple sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies. We'll see.

For brunch I'm making a quiche, fruit salad and my sister is bringing mini pastries. We'll also have some sparkling mocktails. So excited!

Check out these free downloadable/printable labels that I posted last Christmas designed by Lindi of Love the Day. They would be a cute addition to any cookie packages you bake up!