Certain foods always spark favorite memories, and bing cherries are at the top of the list. My Dad and I shared a love for these and especially for bing cherry ice cream. So today these sweet cherries will be added to some homemade bing cherry ice cream. My favorite recipe can be found here.
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I knew the moment I spotted these charming stainless steel tins they would be coming home with me. They remind me of tea time in the English countryside.
Just the perfect size to gift cookies to a friend, or save some for us to enjoy later.
Sources:
Grey Velvet Ribbon: EAB Designs
Tin: World Market
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This little folk art Valentine's doll traveled home with me in my suitcase. A Nicole Sayre design, she's made of pressed paper, and was given to me by my sister during our recent visit to California. Isn't she adorable?
I love the little sparkle on her shoes!
This morning, I baked up a batch of our favorite chocolate chip oatmeal cookies to gift to my Valentines.
Love these canister jars from IKEA for packaging cookies. They are just a few dollars and by attaching a simple tag you have a wonderful gift from the heart.
Wishing you all a fun and romantic Valentine's day!
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When the weather turns cold, we love enjoying a cup of hot spiced cider or hot chocolate in the evenings. This summer, I came across a pair of vintage plaid thermoses and knew they would be perfect for outdoor holiday outings as well as our indoor hot beverage station.
With the thermoses, I can make the spiced cider ahead of time and it will keep hot for hours. You can find our traditional recipe here. The recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, but I only add 1/4 cup and find it plenty sweet.
My hot cocoa recipe can be found here. Cheers!
Sources
Hot Chocolate Sign - Lily & Val on Etsy
Peppermint & Vanilla Stirrers - Hammond's Candies
Mugs - Sophie Conran for Portmeirion
Jars - Weck
Thermoses - Vintage
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Although it's always nice to spend time in the kitchen when it's a blustery day outside, it's equally as nice on a warm and sunny December day. I love the afternoon light that streams through our windows.
I came across these pretty bottles a few months ago. Perfect for keeping olive oil right by the stove top.
One of our two Santas that make their home on our kitchen table during the holidays. Their little coats are made from vintage wool blankets.
Two of our favorite homemade Christmas treats. Cookies made with the cookie press and then sandwiched together with melted chocolate. Just like Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies, but so much better! And our traditional biscotti ready for dipping in a cup of hot tea.
I love that Clementines are in season during the holidays. There's no better treat than one of these sweet little gems and I eat them by the handfuls.
Our kitchen has an open view to our Christmas tree. Here you can see some of the pom-pom garland I made and our new little round lights. I'll be back soon with some photos of our hot chocolate and cider station we have set up. Cheers!
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So happy to be starting our Christmas baking today. First up, cookie press cookies - the most delicious but sometimes most frustrating cookies to make. Let's hope the cookie press will be kind to me today and easily release all of those beautiful intricate shaped cookies!
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The day before Thanksgiving always begins with our pie baking. Currently, large beautiful snow flakes are falling outside and we have about an inch of snow on the ground. The perfect baking day! Here's a preview of the pie crusts the girls and I have been making. Sources for the pie cutters can be found below.
Wishing you all a most happy Thanksgiving! Many new items are now available in the EAB Designs shop, and the Pemberley Collection, for your holiday shopping. Also, our popular personalized stockings are ready to ship as well.
Leaves are formed with decorative cutters for pastry and cookies,
available at Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table.
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After a week of steady rain and overcast days we woke up to a beautiful, sun-filled and breezy autumn day. The windows are open and we're enjoying lots of our traditional fall activities.
For breakfast, I made this strata again along with our traditional pumpkins muffins, from the Book of Bread. Then we were on to cookie baking. Here's a peek at some of our decorated sugar cookies.
We always use the Martha Stewart traditional sugar cookie recipe with royal icing frosting.
As I type this the pumpkins are being carved for next Friday. A tip I learned to preserve pumpkin carvings is to rub petroleum jelly over the cut edges and then place a cool damp cloth over the surface. Afterwards, place the pumpkin in a cool basement or garage and keep replacing the cloth. We've done this in the past, when carving our pumpkins early, and it truly does help preserve them. With sunny days in the forecast, I hope to be able to photograph some projects which I'll share next time. Enjoy your Sunday evening!
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On Sunday evening, I made these Zucchini and Corn Parmesan Fritters for dinner and they were beyond delicious! With an abundance of fresh corn and zucchini available at the farm stands, it's the perfect time to mix up a batch. The recipe is from a favorite food blog of mine, the Flourishing Foodie by Heather Hands. If you enjoy wonderful recipes and beautiful food photography, you'll definitely want to add her blog to your must read list.
And don't forget to squeeze on the lemon juice - it adds the perfect flavor!
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Who doesn't love a madeleine? A delectable, moist little cake with a charming shape and simple ingredients - butter, flour, eggs and sugar. To achieve a lovely domed shaped prepare the batter the day before, then bake them off the next morning with little effort. We enjoyed them during our Breakfast at Wimbledon this morning.
Although simple to make you will need a madeleine pan. I love this one, non-stick and a pretty golden color.
A quick dusting of powdered sugar right before serving. I love them warm from the oven.
Sharing is always a good thing, so I packaged some up as a treat for our neighbors. There are many recipes available on the web with interesting variations. I used a traditional recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking cookbook - a favorite of mine.
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Yesterday morning I picked up some artisan rolls to go with a quick dinner I was preparing. This morning as I was preparing breakfast, I realized I forgot to serve them and they were no longer crunchy but soft and chewy. When I have leftover day old bread, or in this case forgotten bread, I love to make homemade croutons. Just break apart the bread, add some extra virgin olive oil, fresh ground pepper and toss in some minced fresh herbs (today it was rosemary). Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, stir then bake for an additional 6-8 minutes until golden brown and crispy. While still warm, I sprinkle them with my favorite salt. They'll be perfect atop a spring pea soup I'm making for tonight - that is if there are any left at the end of the day as they also make an irresistible snack.
This is my favorite finishing salt, Fleur de Sel de Camargue. It's not inexpensive, so sprinkle it on your dishes just before serving. You'll love the flavor it brings to your dishes. It also makes a most welcome hostess gift, in lieu of a bottle of wine.
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Sugar cookies, fresh out of the oven, and waiting to be decorated. These have been an Easter tradition in our house since the girls were little. Too adorable, once decorated. (I'll share photos later.) The bunny hatching from the egg, and the chicken were sold as copper cookie cutters from the Martha Stewart catalog many years ago. I never owned the cutters, but rather simply drew the images onto thin cardboard and cut them out like a paper doll. We lay the cardboard images over the rolled dough and just cut around it with the tip of a sharp knife. A simple method for whatever custom cookie shape you may need. Back to baking! Have a wonderful evening.
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I appreciate all things creative and am inspired by the smallest of details. Here is where I love to share projects, designs and favorite things. ~ (more)
