{In the Kitchen} Pumpkin Spice Biscotti

For your holiday dunking pleasure, here's my recipe (adapted from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking)

Preheat oven to 350*

In medium bowl, mix:
2 cups flour
1.5 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

In mixing bowl, beat on medium speed for 3 minutes:
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
Beat in on low speed until blended:
1/2 cup melted (and cooled) unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
Add dry ingredients and beat until combined. Dough is soft and very sticky.

Divide dough in half. On a sprayed baking sheet / parchment sheet covered baking sheet, shape each half into a 10"x3" log, 3" apart. Bake for 23 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300*.
On a cutting board, use a serrated knife and cut logs crosswise into 3/4" slices. Place them cut side down on baking sheet, 1/2" apart, and bake for another 17 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then cool completely on wire racks.

Store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

A Skully Christmas

Happy Last Week of the Year! This week is always difficult for me (though not in a bad way). Christmas is over and it's always so much fun that it's sad when it's over, but the New Year is a week away and there are always tasks to complete by then, the most important being the goal-setting & resolution-making. I take my goals very seriously, especially when it comes to my business. Last year, I was determined to take it full-time, and I did that. Now I need to make it grow. So these next few days will be setting my goals and listing the steps needed to achieve them. (Personal resolutions, too. Lots to think about...)

But back to Christmas. So far, we've had three Christmases: an early one with Mom, brother, and his girlfriend, Christmas eve with Mom, Christmas day with Dad, stepmom, grandparents, brother & girlfriend. And since my brother's gifts didn't arrive in time, there will be another christmas. Darn : )

There seemed to be a bit of a theme with a few of the gifts I received this year:

Sealing wax stamp

Clutch/Wristlet

Awesome sparkly necklace from Prague, my new Go To piece :)

What can I say, I love the skulls! And my family knows that.

I hope you had a lovely holiday, however you chose to celebrate it (or not!) For me, christmas means Family, Food & Fun, and that I had.
Bring on the new year!

Cheers,
ashley

Croquembouche, Part Two

For the dessert, today: fill the poufs, make caramel, and assemble. How hard can it be?

Filling poufs with custards. Fun watching some of them expand.

Croquembouche, Part One

For christmas eve this year, I thought it would be nice to attempt a fancy dessert. Something borderline insane for someone with 2 jobs, a house, 3 pets, a b.f., and regular holiday hosting duties.

A croquembouche will do nicely.

After reviewing a few recipes online, settled on this one. An astonishing number of eggs are required. I used 18. MADNESS. But it seemed basic enough. Never made a custard before, or caramel, but the poufs are easy. Usually i make gougeres (choux pastry plus gruyere) using "Aunt Martha's" recipe (similar to this one but w/o the herbs) and figured that I could have adapted it for the desserts, but stuck with the food network one for ease.)

So HERE WE GO.

Fourth of July Feast for Two

Since we had no plans, the day before we decided to grill up some hot dogs. A quick run to the store on Tuesday, in which I managed to get everything home on the scooter, INCLUDING the charcoal, and a little time in the kitchen on Weds, and BAM. Feast.

Cooking the corn for just a tiny bit longer...

Feast!! with chili cheese dogs and "fried" baked pickles.

Homemade wheat pretzels, sweet corn, salad with tomatoes from the garden, spiraled hot dog.
Plus, the edge of my festive dress- fireworks! (Not really, but I can pretend.)

Then we watched Thank You for Smoking. Such a funny movie- I giggle through the whole thing. I decided to buy it to add to my "patriotic collection"- all about individual choices. Rock.

Didn't see any fireworks, but did hear lots of popping from the neighbors.

XMas with the kids

Playing with his new toys, and wearing his winter sweater.

Modeling her new necklace. Collar and catnip fish from Lizziebees

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!

This was the first Thanksgiving Dinner that I cooked. I've always helped, or contributed something, but this one was all me. The turkey was only a little dry, gravy a little salty, but it was a very good meal. Maybe next time I'll try a whole turkey? (Need to get a roasting pan.)

We had turkey breast (cooked in the dutch oven with wine, veggies and broth), turkey legs (because apparently it's not a "real" thanksgiving without them), rosemary roasted sweet potatoes, lefse & jam, stuffing, pickle-things, mac & cheese, green beans, cranberry sauce with cinnamon and lavender, and mini apple pies (found on pinterest).

The table setting was simple: no table cloth, no placemats. A darkly colored scarf acted as the runner, with a centerpiece of mini pumpkins, rosemary sprigs, clipped crepe myrtle branches (the only fall-colored leaves in our yard), mixed nuts and mercury glass candle holders. Place settings were made up of our black Rosanna dinner plates (acting as chargers) and my Grandma M's Rosenthal dinner plates.

And now back to normal. Pizza for dinner? ; )

Holiday Card Giveaway

Because I'm in a good mood, enter to win this letterpressed holiday card from inviting.

To enter, leave a comment: What was the best part of 2009?

I'll select a winner by random on Monday morning, and I get up early, so enter by Sunday night just to be sure.

Also, become a fan of inviting on facebook.
Or, follow inviting on twitter.
It'll make me happy. Really.

Holiday Stuff

First, probably the best "modern" (well, non-classic) holiday song. : )



Second, check out inviting's etsy shop for letterpressed goodies.

And third, here's our tree!


P.S. Need help tying bows? This fabulous little video will help!

Holiday Decorations

Spent Thanksgiving afternoon giggling with a marathon of The Office and decorating/crafting. Fun day. : )

The dining room, all glowing and glittery for the winter holidays:Close up of paper ornaments (very easy to make!)And the (indoor) holiday wreath. Found the poinsettias in a box and I think they look okay there: