the tiny hummingbird

Hello Weekend

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend is going to be a good one, I already know it, because we have a wedding to attend and I love weddings! Our friends John and Rachel are getting married and we'll be at the Roger Williams Park casino to celebrate with them. I've been planning my outfit in my mind for weeks now because it seems like it's been a while since I've had an excuse to get dressed up. Matt and I also have plans to start an exciting new project that we hope to work on throughout the winter and debut in the spring. There's so much going on in my brain right now I have to go try to sort it out. While I do that, check out my favorite things this week...

- love this bright Valentine's Day dinner party
- these tips and tricks from the newly opened Mignon Kitchen Co. are brilliant
- perusing this list of up & coming blogs
- give your bookshelf a makeover
- a way to get your glasses on the cheap
- why didn't I think of this?!
- I listed washi tape gift tags in the tiny hummingbird shop this week... order a set for your gift-giving needs!
- this is a great post on babywearing
- the colors & confetti at this birthday party are sweet
- technically, this DIY gold striped wall is from last week but I just found it. And I want it!
- pink hair, glitter mouse ears, and a cheetah cardigan is my dream look

Happy weekend!

show your colors

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

(image via design seeds)

You may have noticed some changes around the tiny hummingbird lately... I cleaned up my sidebar, added some shiny new social medial icons, and changed the name of my etsy store to match my blog. Now Matt is helping me design a new banner and some graphics to help categorize different topics. I'm using this color palette from design seeds to tie all the new elements together. The yellow, mossy green is my favorite color of all time, and turquoise comes in a close second. I also love the purple-y brown and shade of navy so dark it's almost black. And adding pink never hurts. I'm so excited for the tiny hummingbird's makeover.

DIY washi tape gift tags

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

This simple DIY project came together in under thirty minutes.

You only need two things for this project - washi tape and key tags. I got my tape at the post-holiday sale at Anthropologie (they're all from mt) and I got my key tags at Office Max.

Instructions aren't really necessary but I'll explain anyway. Here's what you do. First, rip off a piece of tape about an inch long.

Stick the piece of tape to a key tag.

Repeat with more tape and more key tags. And that's it! You're done. Now repeat, repeat, repeat.

Find a simple package that needs a little dressing up, add a ribbon, and tie on a tag. Now your present looks ready for the party.

Don't want to do it yourself? Washi tape gift tags are now available in the tiny hummingbird shop!

classic banana bread

2012-01-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

Baking banana bread is probably one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen for at least three reasons - it makes the whole house smell delicious, it's incredibly easy, and it gives new life to old bananas. This recipe is an adaptation of the one my mom always used when I was growing up, so it was the first one I ever made. While I've tried lots of variations over the years, I always come back to this old stand-by because it's so simple. Try it and let me know what you think.

Banana Bread
Ingredients
4 very ripe mashed bananas
2 beaten eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 2/3 cup flour
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions
Mix all ingredients together. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 325° for 50 - 60 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Slice and serve.

Really the only change from the original recipe is substituting applesauce for shortening or oil. And this time I added a cup of 60% Ghirardelli chocolate chips because I just can't resist them. Okay, I confess - I add chocolate chips pretty much every time I bake banana bread. I'm bringing this loaf to our moms' group this morning as a not-quite-breakfast snack. What baked goods do you try to pass off as breakfast?

{the not-so-secret ingredient}

menu of the week

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Now that we finally have snow on the ground I can't wait to cook dinners that are warm and comforting, like beef stroganoff on Wednesday night. It's one of my most favorite foods ever. I'm trying a couple new dishes, too.

Korean style vegetable stir fry - Whenever I ask Matt what he wants for dinner his answer is "vegetables," which isn't very helpful. So instead of just making vegetables I'm going to make a stir fry, but I'm not using instant noodles like the recipe says. I think they mean ramen, but we have lots of soba noodles and I think they'll make a good substitute.

mushroom, onion, and swiss panini - I can already hear the complaints about the mushrooms, but I plan on prepping a few other fillings so Matt doesn't have to be subjected to fungus in his sandwich. Any suggestions for things that go with swiss cheese besides mushrooms?

beef stroganoff - While this dish may take a while (figure about three hours including prep), it's so worth it! Plus it makes your house smell amazing while the beef simmers on the stove.

apple, cheddar, and squash soup - I found this through my friend Alex's pin and it was the best butternut squash soup I've ever hard. Although it would be hard not to please me when it comes to anything with butternut squash in it. I'm a bit obsessed.

broiled salmon with polenta and roasted broccoli - My favorite way to prepare salmon is sprinkling it with salt and fresh ground black pepper and then broiling it. It only takes about seven minutes for two one pound filets. Sometimes I slather barbecue sauce on top, but this week I plan on keeping it simple. The polenta will be sliced and baked (I have one of Trader Joe's pre-cooked organic rolls) with extra virgin olive oil and some salt, and the broccoli will get the same treatment.

As always, I'll try to have some sort of salad each night of the week, and dessert (until they're gone) will be the whole wheat chocolate chunk cookies that Matt made over the weekend. Don't be fooled - they may be made with whole wheat flour but there are two sticks of butter and two cups of sugar hiding in there.

P.S. This is unrelated, but I heard a rumor about Domino over the weekend... could it be true?

Hello Weekend

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

(image via the city lights just blur)

After weekends in a row of holiday festivities and birthday parties, I'm relieved to say we don't have much going on this weekend, especially with the snow that finally fell over Rhode Island. We're hoping to do a few things around the house, like hang some frames that have been waiting since the summer, sift through clothes to create keep & donate piles, and inventory the contents of our chest freezer in the basement. I know, fun times. Really, though - I love the feeling of satisfaction I get after accomplishing simple tasks like those, especially when they've been hanging over my head. Know what I mean?

- just pinned these confetti shooters for future parties

- wish I could type on this chromatic typewriter. beautiful. via Making it Lovely

- a neon striped sweater for all you pregnant ladies out there, via My Life {as a Sugar Lander}

- can't wait for my new raspberry colored moccasins to arrive at my door!

- I know I said I'm cutting back on baking but I just have to make these cookies

- I want to throw a San Francisco themed birthday party

- another fun use for paper lanterns

Hope you weekend is a good one!

Happy Birthday, Sophie!

2012-01-19T11:38:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to share these photos from my friend Amanda and Jared's second daughter Sophie's first birthday party for a while, but I uploaded them to blogger and then forgot about them. Today seemed like a good day because this morning they're finding out the gender of the baby Amanda is due with in June. So exciting! Sophie turned one on November 9th so clearly I'm a little behind, but I still wanted to share all the fun details of her birthday party...

tissue paper pom poms

ribbon & paper bunting

a cake smash photo shoot

mason jars & striped straws with flags

cupcakes complete with toppers

a sand castle cake

salt water taffy favors

Sophie!

Amanda chose an off-season pool party theme because Sophie loves the water. Lots of the kids wore their swimsuits and all the details were tied to the theme or colors of the invitations Amanda sent out. Check out the work of Loralee Lewis to see the invitations and lots more.

travel: Burlington or Bust

2012-01-18T11:47:00.003-05:00

This sudden onset of true January weather is making me long for a vacation somewhere sunny and warm. Over the summer we visited Burlington, Vermont and stayed at a house on Lake Champlain. While I realize Vermont is neither sunny nor warm now, it certainly was in August.

(image via Church Street Marketplace)

If you visit some time in the near future it will probably look more like the above photo. Here's a short list of things we did while we were in the area. Keep in mind, we are always on the lookout for freebies so many of the activities are quite touristy...

- visit Church Street and shop and eat to your heart's content

- grab a bite to eat at Three Tomatoes Trattoria. I loved the chicken and cheddar hot-pressed panini and the spinach salad.

- tour the Lake Champlain Chocolates factory... so many yummy samples! Some things I bought to enjoy later - a sea salt caramel, a wild honey & fig truffle, and a chocolate peanut butter cup. Find Lake Champlain Chocolates at your local Whole Foods.

- shop for groceries at City Market. We shopped here almost daily and found loads of local fruit, vegetables, yogurt, cheese, and milk.

- drive to Shelburne Farms where you can milk a cow, collect eggs, spin wool, hold a chicken, and observe cheesemaking. We ate lunch there, too - most of the little food truck's offerings are from the farm!

- sample ice cream at the Ben & Jerry's factory tour

- gorge yourself on countless cubes of cheddar cheese before the tour at Cabot Cheese

Now for some gratuitous photos of Ezra...

Look, here we are proving that a mother doesn't need to have a daughter to dress her child in outfits that match hers. And this wasn't even on purpose! I wish he still fit into those pants.

menu of the week

2012-01-16T11:26:00.002-05:00

(image via a farmgirl's dabbles)

Each Sunday I spend about a half hour planning our meals for the week to simplify grocery shopping and hectic afternoons. I decided to start sharing my weekly menus here because I figure that I'm always looking for new recipes, so maybe you are, too.

pan seared flat iron steak from Rhodemont Farm with roasted potatoes and broccoli - I haven't made beef at home in a while so this is going to feel like a treat for us. The potatoes and broccoli are a great combination - I love to roast them simply with extra virgin olive oil and salt & pepper at a high temperature so they get all those crispy brown bits that I can scrape off the pan and eat as an appetizer.

frittata with spinach, potatoes, and leeks - This is a new recipe from Cooking Light's way to cook vegetarian that my friend Kayla let me borrow. I'm planning on adding mushrooms because in my opinion mushrooms make almost anything better. Unfortunately for Matt, he doesn't agree with me but he can just pick them out.

lasagna soup - My cousin Stephanie recommended this recipe to me a few months ago and it was so yummy and perfect for a cold winter night. The cheesy topping makes it.

black bean and sweet potato tacos - We can't get enough of these sweet tacos and have been having them probably every two weeks. Matt likes his with a dollop of sour cream and I like to add chopped avocado.

pork jowls with beans - This is going to be an experimental dinner as I've never cooked with pork jowls before, either cured or fresh, so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully I'm successful! The folks at theKitchn were super helpful, but if you have any tips, please share!

Every week I only plan for five dinners assuming that one night we'll have leftovers or go out to eat, and I try to make a green salad every night. Our breakfasts are pretty standard - oatmeal with nuts & fruit, eggs, the occasional German pancake - and lunches are usually leftovers or, if there aren't any, grilled cheese or peanut butter & jam. Sometimes I plan for snacks or dessert, but one of my resolutions involves less sweets so I'm trying to bake less, as sad as that is. Read more about how I plan meals here and here.

Hello Weekend

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

(fine art by Tom Gastel)

One change I instituted this week at the tiny hummingbird was not forcing myself to post every day if I didn't feel I had something I wanted to share. More changes to come, including a site redesign and hopefully some regular columns. I'll be working on things over the next few weeks and a bit over the weekend if I can squeeze some time in between our friend Pasha's birthday party tonight, Amanda's daughter Amelie's 3rd birthday party tomorrow morning, and dinner with friends in New Haven tomorrow night. I'm making individual root vegetable gratins with Comté and tallegio. While I make myself nervous tweaking the HTML of my blog, check out these links...

- I want to sew a whole colony of penguins

- there's a sale on pretty calendars over at simplesong

- excited for more frequent issues of Styled. from a subtle revelry

- a look inside Coco Chanel's apartment

- say hello to homemade nilla wafers

- love this new use for tissue paper!

- next time we fly I'm definitely packing a plane picnic

- this statue is my favorite

- theKitchn answered my question yesterday!

Happy, happy Friday to you! xo.

out to eat | Providence Restaurant Week

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

(image via XO Cafe)

For those of you who don't know, next week is restaurant week in Providence. Not sure what that means? It's a great opportunity to eat at that restaurant you've been dying to go to or to revisit an old favorite, and for a fraction of the usual price. You can enjoy a three course lunch for $14.95 or a three course dinner for $29.95. Check out the restaurant list & menus here. I'm trying to convince Matt to take me on a date one night. Here are my top picks -
Chez Pascal for butternut squash bisque, a haddock filet with brown butter vinaigrette, and warm bread pudding.
Bravo Brasserie for the bravo salad and a grilled salmon filet.
XO Cafe for chicken liver pate, farmers market risotto, and apple and pear polenta crisp.
Where would you go?

just add color

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I changed our bedding over to the winter stuff, but it was looking cold and cheerless to me.

See how stark it all looks? Everything was blue or white with the exception of the books on my nightstand! We were definitely in need of some sprucing up.

Colorful home accessories to the rescue!

A sewn paper garland ($7 at anthropologie's post-holiday sale!), a quilt my mom made for us, a couple hayward pillows and one tempo pillow later and I think things are looking much better.

Sweet dreams are definitely in store tonight.

le macaron

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Finally I can say that I have conquered the macaron, and I did it before the end of 2011 like I hoped I would. I must confess that I was quite intimidated by macarons but after making them I don't know what all the fuss is about. The process involves quite a lot of steps but overall it isn't difficult at all. I used Martha's recipe and made the chocolate variation with chocolate ganache filling. Of course I'm still only a novice macaron baker but here are my tips if you want to try a batch yourself -

- Do your homework. I suggest reading this post by Brave Tart, and then read her post on macaron myths and then the one on the ten commandments. Consider yourself prepared. Well, at least I did after I read them.

- Do yourself a favor and buy almond flour (I bought mine at Stop & Shop in the natural foods section) instead of crushing almonds in a food processor. You'll save a step and some time.

- Don't have a pastry bag? I didn't either. However, I did have this handy tool that I bought at Target. I had to refill it once but it worked out just great.

- Find a little circle shaped object (I used the lid from a bottle of olive oil) that you can use to trace circles onto the parchment paper with a pencil so you can at least attempt to make the shells all the same size. I flipped the parchment over so the batter wasn't actually touching the pencil circles.

- Most important tip - enjoy them! Even if the tops don't match the bottoms and they're lopsided and the ganache oozes out. Not like any of that happened to mine. Wink.

the drawing board

2012-01-04T11:22:00.000-05:00

(image via Honey & Jam Photography)

With a whole twelve months ahead of me I've been making plans and dreaming big. I want to be more intentional about blogging so I'm going to take the rest of the week off (and possibly some of next week, too) to collect my thoughts and continue brainstorming. Today I'll be warming my toes by the fire and drinking mug after mug of hot raspberry tea. While I fill up my notebook with my own ideas, do you have any to share with me?

the new year

2012-01-03T13:48:00.002-05:00

(illustration by Paper and Canvas)

Along with some resolutions, I have a list of things I'm looking forward to this year.

resolutions

-eat sweets no more than once per week

(but I will make exceptions for chocolate mousse and other uncommonly good chocolate desserts)

- commit more scripture to memory. (I'm starting with Psalm 119:105.)

- floss daily (don't laugh, I'm serious)

things I'm looking forward to

- finding new sources of local food in Rhode Island

- starting more family traditions with Ezra

- making some changes to the tiny hummingbird

Nothing too crazy, but I think it's enough to help me focus this year on things that will yield results. Health, spiritual growth, and dental hygiene. Quality food, family bonds, and you. What are your goals for the new year?

hello weekend

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

(image via The Ball Drops Here, photo credit: The New York Times)

As we wrap up 2011, I'm thinking of all that's happened over the past year, and I wanted to say thanks for taking time out of your day to read what I write over here in my little corner of the internet. I appreciate every comment and hope you'll keep reading! My plans for the tiny hummingbird are always evolving and we'll see where this year leads me. Instead of a link list from greater blogdom, here's a list of some of my favorite posts from each month, the tiny hummingbird in review.
January - we embarked on a healthy living adventure and officially announced Ezra's arrival (I just watched this mini movie -again- thatMatt made of Ezra's first day and I choked up... love him!)
February - celebrated one year of blogging and threw a bridal shower and a personal shower for Hillary.
March - thought about priorities, started ice cream season off right, and made Matt an embroidered love note.
In April I bought myself flowers.
May - completed operation cardigan and made a triple chocolate cake that I must make again.

June - fell in love with macarons and sat with Ezra for a special photo shoot

July - discovered The Locals and hung some things in our dining room.

In August we tried being vegetarians for a week

In September I sort of went missing.

October - made a baby quilt with a guitar motif and a list of goals (click the link to see how I did).

November - shared Ezra's birth story, finally finished his room, and celebrated his first birthday.

December - made chocolate pretzel pie, cookie stars, and shared a tutorial for an advent calendar.

Many blessings to you in the new year, dear readers... here's to 2012!

recap: Christmas at Kelli's

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

Each year my friend Kelli hosts a Christmas party for the ladies in our Sunday school class. She always decorates beautifully so I couldn't resist taking lots of pictures of details from the night.

Everyone seemed excited about the hot chocolate bar Kelli had set up. There were lots of mix-ins to add to your cup of cocoa, like crushed peppermint, chocolate shavings, miniature marshmallows, and white chocolate chips.

Even the windowsill above the kitchen sink was decked out for the holiday!

Kelli got a Silhouette as an early Christmas gift and she put it to the test, creating lots of pretty decorations for her home. I especially loved how she displayed a manger scene on these hanging plates.

A simple ticking wreath embellished with rolled fabric flowers dressed up the dining room windows.

Potted greens added a festive touch to shelves along the dining room walls.

The candlelit mantle along with the lights on the Christmas tree caused the living room to glow.

Another pretty wreath hung from the windows opposite the Christmas tree and stockings hung from the stairs.

Even better than all the decorations was the sense of community we shared that night. We chatted over various appetizers, soups, and salads, and then focused on Jaclyn as she spoke about the way Jesus came to earth, shedding new light on an old story. Afterwards, we indulged in lots of sweet treats and participated in a gift exchange. If you can believe it, I'm already looking forward to next year's party! Thanks for opening your home to us, Kelli!

recap: Christmas Day

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here's Ezra on Christmas morning. Wondering why his outfit looks familiar? That's because he wore it to dinner on Christmas Eve. I did laundry at around 11:00 pm (and we took showers and a bath to wash away the odor of fried calamari and smelts) so he could wear his candy cane stripe shirt again to church on Christmas morning. He wanted a more casual look the second time around so I let him wear his mini skinny jeans. Opening gifts was over quickly and then...

of course, Ezra enjoyed playing with the wrapping and boxes more than he enjoyed the actual gifts.

surveying the damage

playing with an empty yogurt container

playing with a decorative ball that belongs on the mantle

and just looking cute

recap: Christmas Eve

2011-12-27T11:08:00.000-05:00

Although I know there are more important and meaningful things to consider, this year my favorite part of Christmas Eve was Ezra's outfit. He wore a bow tie, for crying out loud! (Thanks, Laura!)

With his already flyaway hair charged with static electricity he looked like the mad professor. Now if only I could dress Matt, too...

Ezra spent much of the night banging away on his great-grandmother's piano. The kid doesn't even need to read music.

He spent the rest of the night handing clementines to unsuspecting family members to peel for him. Note the bulging cheeks.

To top off the photo sharing, here's a self-portrait of me and Matt. Can I say self-portrait if I'm not the only one in the photo? I'm saying it. Heck, I already said it. Hope your Christmas was lovely! I'll share more photos of Christmas events later on this week.
Ezra's outfit: collared shirt from Crazy 8 / chinos from The Children's Place / Chuck Taylors by Converse from Marshalls / bow tie from Crew Cuts

hello weekend

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

(image by Matt)

What is there to say about this weekend? It will be a whirlwind, that's for sure. Tonight (fingers crossed) we'll just stay home and relax... we're having breakfast for dinner and I can't wait to indulge in some French toast made with homemade bread and a cup of tea. Tomorrow we'll be at my parents' house in the afternoon for a lunch of homemade pizza (topped with pineapple - my favorite!) and then back in Cranston for dinner at Matt's grandmother's house. We'll leave with our bellies full of the seven fishes and our hair perfumed with eau de fried squid. Ezra is having a bath no matter what time we get home. On Sunday we're having breakfast with my family - bowls of hearty oatmeal all around - and then going to church to remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus. Later on we'll head to Matt's parents' house for dinner and more gift exchanging. How are you spending the holiday weekend?

- have to throw a party so I can use this idea for confetti invitations

- love the idea of a family gift swap

- save these holiday party invitations for next year

- definitely making dark chocolate bark as soon as I can think of an excuse

- I want to dress Ezra just like these guys

- see my favorite gift tag for Christmas (it's free!)

- how to do your own glittery nails

- take a minute to read "of all the ways he could have become"

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

P.S. Start planning for next weekend and check out these spots to celebrate New Year's Eve in Providence.

a little Christmas party

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

If I were going to host a little Christmas party this is how I would do it...

{light some votives}

{fill up a few glass bottles with sparkling water and other fizzy drinks}

{bake like crazy}

{serve everything on these pretty confetti plates}

{work on our Charlie Brown Christmas puzzle while listening to Charlie Brown Christmas music}

{send everyone home with one of these rustic gold bells to remember the night}

all images via Crate & Barrel except the cookies (via Martha Stewart) and the puzzle (via Amazon)

a belated birthday quilt

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

In October my mother-in-law celebrated a milestone birthday and she asked if I would make a quilt for her redecorated bedroom. Well, really she asked for a quilt and then told me it could a birthday gift. 'Sweet,' I thought to myself. This year's gift was clearly a no-brainer. Little did she know that it would come closer to being a Thanksgiving gift than a birthday gift. Oops!

She had the floral fabric left over from the newly reupholstered cornices and the solid green was a remnant from the trim on a set of pillow shams. Since the fabric she gave me to work with was all home decorator I stuck with that weight for the rest of the fabrics I chose. All are from Joann, even the prints she gave me to start with.

I didn't have a pattern in mind when I began the project, but the size of the oddly shaped floral fabric remnant dictated how I would begin. Basically, I was forced to cut the floral fabric into twenty-two inch wide strips that were really really long. I cut the strips into more manageable pieces and ended up with nine rectangles, about 9" by 22."

I brought them along to the store to pick out some coordinating prints and solids and chose a stripe in the same colors, a brown and cream print (does anyone know if that one has a name?), a solid blue, and a solid brown. Each fabric was cut into strips of varying thicknesses. Then I laid out three of each fabric into three columns, playing with the design until I was happy with it.

The back is the same blue from the front, and you can see a tiny triangular label in the bottom right corner. My mom helped me with the free motion quilting since she has more experience with it, her machine is better equipped to handle it, and she knew I was anxious to get it done... this being December. And my mother-in-law's birthday was in October. I think the quilt ended up measuring about seventy inches by fifty something. I'm so precise.

The quilt is bound in the main floral print. Let me say that making a quilt out of home dec isn't the easiest thing to do. That was one thick stack of fabric when I was binding the corners.

Ezra was keen on interrupting my quilt photo shoot and insisted on incessantly poking his Grandma's gift with a stick. My little boy is already obsessed with sticks.

{couldn't resist posting this photo of his chubby hand}

dinner with friends

2011-12-20T08:00:00.001-05:00

From these photos, it would appear that the friends we had dinner with are a reindeer and a moose because, as usual, I forget to take any pictures once people arrived at our house. Our friend Elsa was in town for a couple of weeks so we had her and her new boyfriend, AJ, and our friends Dave & Hillary and Ed & Laura over for dinner on Friday night. I took lots of photos of our Christmas decorations and sadly not one of any people.

birch bark reindeer :: mossy pot & bronze ornaments :: candles

tea lights :: olive leaf votive :: birch bark moose

our advent calendar is slowly being covered by Christmas cards

twinkle lights illuminating a silhouette of Ezra

more twinkle lights!

a little country church :: bread basket :: salad dressing

Haha... our night was much more than random Christmas decorations, but you'll have to take my word for it.

cookie stars

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

To kick off the week before Christmas, I'm sharing what I thought was a fantastic idea (if I may say so) for easy and festive cookies. Have any parties to go to this week? Were you pegged to bring a dessert on Christmas Day? These cookies have your name written all over them. They're also delicious, as cookies should be. The process is simple. Whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough (I used this classic recipe) and instead of making drop cookies, spread the dough into a baking pan. Bake as directed. Mine only took about twenty-two minutes in a 375° oven.

While the giant cookie rectangle is baking, rummage through your kitchen drawers to find your favorite cookie cutters. I selected four stars of different sizes. When the "cookies" come out of the oven, you can do one of two things. Either allow the cookie to cool and cut out your shapes later, or get right to work.

We had plans to go out as soon as my oven timer dinged, so I was forced to let the cookie cool before cutting. I think it would have been easier to cut the star shapes if it hadn't cooled for a couple of hours. Ten to fifteen minutes would have probably been enough. Then I wouldn't have needed to use my entire body weight to press the cookie cutters into the cookie bar and a dishtowel to protect my hands from the sharp edges that were digging into my flesh. Learn from my mistakes, please.

Anyway, cut out whatever shapes you like from the cookie bar and then enjoy! This is now my official method of making chocolate chip cookies. I know bar cookies aren't new, but I've never really made them before and they're so much easier than drop cookies. One pan makes for much less clean up, and you're not waiting for batch after batch to come out of the oven. So chocolate chip cookie bars it is, and if I'm feeling fancy I'll dig out the cookie cutters. Maybe next time I'll make some wild animals!

Bonus: there are a lot of cookie scraps left over, and you don't even have to share those with your guests.

hello weekend

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

(image via Garden City's facebook page)

Tonight Matt and I are spending time with some friends, one of which we don't get to see very often and her new beau! We're keeping it simple and just making pasta and Italian bread. My friend Hillary is bringing a salad and my friend Laura is bringing dessert so I'm off the hook for two courses. And of course there will be tea. This weekend also brings another Christmas party, this time with our youth group at church. I've spent a month wrapping empty boxes for the centerpieces and I can already see them being turned into projectiles and hurled across the gym. Anyway, here are my favorite finds from the week... I'm going to click away while enjoying the scent of baking bread. What are you up to this weekend?

- found my 2012 calendar... and it's free!

- it's official: the color of the year is tangerine tango

- give the gift of a mini frying pan. no, really!

- want to pick up a box of ginger pear tea next time I'm at Trader Joe's
- check out this holiday mixtape if you're in need of Christmas spirit
- on the merits of saving old recipes
- this winter hat would look so cute on my head (and that's a compliment to the hat, not to me)
- Jonathan Adler teams up with Skip Hop
- aaand here's another free album for your listening pleasure - Hey, It's Christmas, volume 2. (Check out volume one while you're there, too.)
Don't forget: the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!