Category Archives: Holiday

And I’m back…

Posted in Entertaining, Holiday by

So after a two week hiatus to take my first set of law school exams, I am back to blogging. Even though I haven’t had much time to write posts lately, I have done a lot of cooking and baking. I’m very excited to share a bunch of new recipes with you guys in the new year! Today I don’t have a recipe to post, but I did want to share some pictures with you from last night’s holiday cocktail party that Dave and I threw.

I finished finals on Monday and decided to throw a Tuesday night party before everyone leaves town for the holidays. Since everyone would be coming straight from work, we had lots of hearty appetizers (think mini pot pies, and amazing crockpot mac and cheese), plenty of drinks (especially for those of us who just became real people again after finishing our exams on Monday), and as always, lots of desserts (you’ll see mini peppermint brownies, salted caramel bars, and mini eggnog cheesecakes on the blog soon).

And to help everyone capture the holiday spirit, I set up my own photo booth and made props from some craft supplies I picked up last week. I also had as many holiday decorations as I could possibly fit in our small apartment.

Ok, on to the good stuff – the photos. Credit goes to Thomas Brunet who took most of these photos since I was still busy setting up…

The food:

holidayparty1

holidayparty2

holidayparty3   holidayparty4 holidayparty5

The desserts:

holidayparty6

holidayparty7

holidayparty8
The drinks:

holidayparty9

holidayparty10
(more the aftermath than the original set up)

The decorations and photo booth:

holidayparty11

holidayparty12

holidayparty14 holidayparty13

Baked Apples

Posted in Breakfast, Dessert, Fall, Fruit, Gluten Free, Holiday, Winter by

So this post goes really well with my post from earlier this week – the roast chicken. Both these dishes are so easy and are perfect for late fall/early winter. They’re warm and make your kitchen smell delicious. We also used to have these all the time as kids so they remind me of fun filled childhood days spent playing games in front of a fire (not sure how often that happened, but I seem to remember it).

bakedapple5
Continue reading →

Bourbon and Orange Pecan Pie

Posted in Dessert, Holiday, Pies/Tarts/Crumbles, Winter by

So in honor of Thanksgiving, which is right around the corner, I wanted to share a pecan pie recipe with you. But not just your average pecan pie. I chose to make one with a few extra special flavors – orange and bourbon. This pie will make a great addition to the dessert course on Thanksgiving! So if you feel like impressing your family, volunteer to bring a dessert. No really, I know what you’re thinking, ugh the last thing I want to do on Thanksgiving is bake. I just want to watch my parents do all the hard work, and sit around working up my appetite. But this is really REALLY easy. Yes, even for you novice bakers. I PROMISE!

pecanpie5
Continue reading →

The 7 Layer Bar

Posted in Bars, Dessert, Holiday, Uncategorized by

This is hands down the easiest cookie to make ever. No really, it is. You pour some stuff in a pan and bake it. Oh and here’s the best part, PEOPLE LOVE THEM. So just keep how easy this is a secret – deal?

layerbars3

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (just put crackers in a bag and take your anger out by mashing it up)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a 13 x 9 inch pan with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.

3. Cover bottom of pan evenly with graham cracker crumbs. Now layer the three different kinds of chips. Pour the can of condensed milk all over the chips. Then add a layer on top of coconut.

layerbars2

layerbars1

4. Bake for about 25 minutes, edges and coconut will have started to brown. Once the pan has cooled, lift the foil up and out of pan. Set on a cutting board and slide bars off foil before cutting.

My Favorite Meal of the Week – Sun-dried Tomato Pasta Salad

Posted in Appetizers, Dinner, Holiday, Pasta, Summer, Vegetarian by

Continuing from my post last Sunday, here is another great recipe for a Fourth of July BBQ! I used to think I didn’t like pasta salad, but turns out, I just don’t like the traditional mayonnaise based ones. But if you take out the mayonnaise, I’m a big pasta salad fan. A friend had made one last year for the Fourth that I loved, and after a lot of research I think I found a similar one.

pastasalad5
 Continue reading →

The Most Patriotic Cake Ever – An American Flag

Posted in Cake, Dessert, Holiday by

So if you’re hosting a little Fourth of July get together, or are in charge of bringing dessert to the BBQ you are attending, then pay attention. This cake is what you should bring. And the best part is that it’s really versatile. Even if you don’t get a chance to make it this week for the Fourth, you can make it another time! I’ve done it as two round cake layers for birthdays, and as a large rectangle that I decorated as a flag for the Fourth last year. I even just did it yesterday for the joint birthday party I threw (more pictures to come)!

lemoncake8
Continue reading →

My Favorite Meal of the Week – EASTER Edition

Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Entertaining, Holiday, Spring by
Last year, we had a last minute Easter brunch for a few friends and had so much fun that we decided to do a bigger (more official) one this year. As you know by now, I love brunch. But it is also the hardest meal to host because it requires a lot of last minute things being done in the morning. And after throwing a brunch at the holidays (and being in sweats when the first people showed up), I was determined to get things done on time for this one.
image

Our menu involved the following items (and was written out on a sign for our guests to see):

– Scrambled eggs wrapped in bacon (see recipe here)
– Blueberry muffins with lemon streusel topping (see my recipe here)
– Mustard potatoes (see recipe here)
– Mini yogurt parfaits with homemade maple granola and strawberries (see granola recipe here)
– Buttermilk donuts (see recipe on the blog next Sunday)
– Chocolate chip banana bread (see recipe here)
– Spinach salad with caramelized onions, candied nuts, blue cheese and bacon (see recipe here) Continue reading →

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Posted in Cookies, Dessert, Holiday by

When it comes to sugar cookies, there are good ones and bad ones. My favorite happen to be the ones you find in a grocery store that are light and fluffy, and a little bit thicker.

For Valentine’s Day, I decided to make cookies for everyone I know here in DC and had looked at tons of recipes trying to find one that would give me this perfect end product. I ended up settling on the “Olinger family recipe” with a few small tweaks. My coworker had brought her family cookies in at the holidays, and I had fond memories. And I wasn’t let down! They were a big hit!

image

Continue reading →

Happy Holidays – “Gingerbread” Houses

Posted in Holiday by

Just wanted to get in one more post before I head out to California. But don’t worry, after a week in CA, I’ll be back with lots more delicious baked goods (many of which will probably go against some of your New Year’s resolutions, but oh well).

This past week, I have been squeezing in a few of my favorite holiday traditions—ice skating in the sculpture garden, watching Christmas movie after Christmas movie, eating lots of holiday cookies, and making gingerbread houses!

While many of you may imagine gingerbread houses made with, you know, actual gingerbread, I’m here to show you my version. It’s called graham crackers. YES. It’s cheaper, easier to buy, and well just really awesome. This is how I grew up doing it, and I’ve kept the tradition alive in DC. This year, my two awesome friends, Kelsey and Colleen, hosted the party. Between the amazing quesadillas and the 20 bowls of candy, it was pretty fantastic.

This is how my house turned out:

image
For any of you who want to make your own at home, I’ve included the recipe below for frosting, and a list of some of our favorite candy. And come on, I know you’re looking at mine thinking, “Wow, I could never do that!” I’m here to tell you, yes you can – just use the gumdrops. Great structural design.
Continue reading →

Holiday Cookies – Part 2

Posted in Cookies, Dessert, Holiday by

These double chocolate peppermint cookies are a bit of a legend in my house. My mom makes them every winter, and quite often, a good chunk of the dough doesn’t even ever get baked because my brother and I eat it before it ever hits a cookie sheet.

image

In order to earn the name “double chocolate,” these cookies require a LOT of chocolate. This does make them a bit time intensive (and expensive), but this year I tried using the Cuisinart to replace some of the chopping, and I have to say, I think they’re just as delicious.
Continue reading →