Nice Scents

It's cold and gloomy in LA, and I'm snuggled up on the couch dreaming of warmer days. Here are some things that make me feel sunny and warm, even if it's freezing outside.

1. Votivo Red Currant Candle - soooo good. It's my go to housewarming present. I've never met anyone who didn't like it!

2. Basq stretch mark oil - I have no idea if this works. I can only tell you that it smells delicious enough for me to use it every day, and it really moisturizes for the entire day. I'd use it even if I weren't pregnant.

3. Fresh Sugar Lychee - any permutation of this is wonderful. It's tangy and not too sweet, so perfect for your morning shower. The lotion is also great and very light - more for summer than winter.

4. Ole Henriksen On the Go Cleanser - it smells like Tang. It's not too drying on my pregnant skin, and it gets your face so soft and clean.

5. Hiris by Hermes - the most delicious perfume ever. I've been wearing it since I discovered it in Paris in 1999. It's not too sweet or heavy, it's just the most delicious shadow of iris ever. Being that they are my favorite flower, I love that their root smells so good. Plus, I love the pretty blue bottle.

Any other summery, happy pampering products that I should know about? I have some vacation time coming up and could use some at home pampering!

Just Because

Cats are such good company. They love snuggling and sitting on the couch. So, in the holiday spirit of cozy snuggling and being lazy at home, here are a couple pictures. (Please note, the cat in the chair was shooed away immediately after that photo and DID not eat dinner. That was also not his place setting!) I love my pets, but they do not eat their meals on the good china!

More Sweets

This was a pretty good weekend. We got our tree and lights up (we have sort of a Charlie Brown tree, but it's tall and we bought it from the Boy Scouts, so it was worth it to help them). And, we had a whirlwind time at Toys R Us buying toys for Toys for Tots. It's so fun to pick out toys...apologies if the ones we picked are too noisy, but there are so many nice ones out there. Since it's such a bleak year, we thought it was important to make sure a few more kids have presents this year.

I also got the rest of the curtains hung, though it looks like Smith and Noble has let us down again and we are missing a panel. But, the guest room has lovely black and white damask curtains, and we have a really nice cream linen one in the living room.

But, that's not the point of this post. I wanted to share a new and delicious recipe that I discovered this weekend. I have always loved gingerbread cookies around the holidays. They are the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. Plus, I think they have enough flavor and kick to stand up to a cup of tea or coffee. But, I didn't feel like making roll-out cookies because I think the roll-out gingerbread men get a little tough from all the re-rolling and flour. I was browsing through the big, yellow Gourmet cookbook and stumbled upon this recipe. Please, make time out of your holiday schedule to try these. They are easy to make and so delicious. I made one modification (I never keep shortening in the house) so feel free to use shortening instead of butter.

Molasses Spice Cookies (Gourmet Cookbook)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon (I was generous with this)

1 tsp ground ginger (I was generous with this too)

1/2 tsp ground cloves (I substituted allspice and a little nutmeg)

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter (or shortening if you want to follow the recipe)

1 cup packed light brown sugar (I only had dark brown, and liked it)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup molasses

Granulated sugar (like Sugar in the Raw) for dipping the cookies

1. Sift together flour, soda, spices and salt. Set aside. In bowl of stand mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. (The recipe says 1 minute, but I think it took about 5). Stir in molasses and lightly beaten egg to sugar and butter until just combined. Add flour in 2-3 batches, mixing well. Now, pop the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

2. Grease two large cookie sheets and preheat oven to 375 with rack in middle of oven. The recipe says to roll level TABLESPOONS into balls and dip in sugar. I rolled mounded teaspoons into balls because I like smaller cookies. Make sure to place the cookies (sugar side up) about 3 inches apart on the baking sheet, because they do spread during cooking.

3. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the tops are cracked. I let cool on the cookie sheet for about 2-3 minutes before cooling further on racks. They stay nice and soft, and I think they will keep in a Ziploc baggie for a week or so.

I'm enjoying them with a cup of tea in front of my beautiful tree and twinkling lights. I hope you can enjoy them too!

More Maternity Clothing...

So, I'm very impressed with Isabella Oliver - I ordered on and my shipment arrived today. Apologies for the bad photos - this is the nursery aka the junk room during our recent renovations, and I need to spend this weekend cleaning it out for our houseguests next week (and for Baby this spring).

I'm in love with the wrap sweater - it's so big and cushy, but not too baggy, so you still have a little shape. The red dress I love too - the material is fantastic, but I think I'm going to return for a larger size. This fits me perfectly right now, and I want to make sure I get more than a month out of it! That's the problem with maternity - when stuff fits too well, you get worried that it won't fit for very long! But, I'm really pleased with the quality and the speed of shipment. Plus, inside my package was a nice little card stating that they are doing a non-maternity line - my eyes will be peeled (I can't believe a time will come without maternity clothing!).

And, I just wanted to recommend this wrap dress from GAP. It is a wool jersey, so it's really soft and comfy, but there is such a nice amount of fabric in the wrap that I think I can go pretty far along in it.

Now, I have to put on about fifteen layers of clothing for an outside Christmas party tonight. Stay warm and happy weekend!

Sweets for the Sweet

These are some of the most delicious sugar cookies - and the recipe is so simple. It was in this month's Gourmet, and Orangette posted it on her blog. I baked them last Friday to bring to a party, and the few that I kept here are still delicious, a week later in a ziploc. Plus, they are easy to make!

Danish Butter Cookies (Gourmet and Orangette)

4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 pound (four sticks!!!!) unsalted butter (best quality you can find) left at room temperature for an hour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg (beaten for egg wash)

colored sugar for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line baking sheets with parchment.

2. Whisk flour and baking soda together and set aside. (I would be inclined to add a little bit of salt next time, but they were pretty darn good without it...it's your preference).

3. Beat butter (this would be really hard without a machine - the Kitchenaide is much stronger than I am!) until fluffy (use paddle attachment). Then, add sugar and flour mixture, beating until just combined.

4. Divide dough in half and shape each half by rolling between two pieces of plastic wrap until 15"x10" rectangle. Chill on tray until firm - about 30 minutes. I didn't roll out first before chilling, and I DEFINITELY recommend doing that next time, as I had to let the dough soften after resting in the fridge. Cut out into whatever shapes you like (I love stars) and place on baking sheets. If you like, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.

5. Bake cookies for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Then, may I suggest whipping up a cup of very bittersweet hot chocolate and enjoying a few of these by the fire? They smell delicious, and are really pretty. They are a little delicate, so I'm not sure that I would ship them, but even the broken ones are good eats.

Gougeres (or Cheez Its for Grown Ups)

I love Ina Garten! She really does such a great job of writing clear and precise recipes. Everything that I try from her books just WORKS! And, these little puffs are no exception. They are easy to make, and even better, they taste delicious after they are baked and cooled, then frozen and reheated. What could be better for a snack with wine?

So, here's her recipe. Please try them; they are so easy and delicious. I bet you could mix up the different kinds of cheeses, or add some different spices to kick them up. The recipe is from "Barefoot in Paris" which is so great.

Gougeres

1 cup milk (I don't think the fat content matters much, so I just use 1%)

1/4 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Pinch nutmeg (I like nutmeg, so I use probably a bit more than a pinch)

1 cup all purpose flour

4 extra large eggs

1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese (plus extra for sprinkling)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)

1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash

1. Preheat oven to 425. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.

2. In saucepan, on medium heat milk, butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper until milk is scalded. (Scalded seems to mean just below boiling.) Add the flour all at once, reduce heat to LOW, and stir vigorously for about 2 minutes, until the mixture comes together in sort of a smooth mass.

3. (This is the best part). Take the mixture and dump in the food processer fitted with a steel blade. Immediately dump in eggs and cheese and pulse to incorporate until dough is smooth and thick. I bet you could do this by hand as well, but it would definitely be aerobic cooking, as the dough is on the thicker side.

4. (Ina uses a pastry bag, but I don't have one, and I think they turn out just fine) Scoop teaspoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared parchment paper (leave some space between them because they will spread). Cover with egg wash and sprinkle with reserved Gruyere.

5. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

6. If you make them in advance, cool them thoroughly on racks, before freezing. You can then reheat them on trays in a 425 degree oven for 5 minutes.

(If you are reading this and are NOT pregnant, these are so delicious with all kinds of wine...and my favorite - Champagne). They are ok with water or non-alcoholic beverages, but are DELICIOUS with wine. Have a glass for me!

Cheers!

(P.S. The photo above is one I found on wikipedia - mine are more "homeade" looking, but still chic and delicious!)

Baby, It's Cold Outside

I went for a walk around the neighborhood this evening and basked in the legitimately COLD (and not just weenie California cold) weather. It is in the 40's tonight. Baby and I stayed bundled up with a cashmere sweater, scarf and three layers. Lululemon should think about doing a fleece pant for this sort of weather! It was so nice to get out, even though it was pitch dark.

Now that I'm home, I just unpacked a box of Christmas goodies from Crate and Barrel. All we need is the tree, and some little hooks that won't totally destroy the paint over the fireplace, and I can display my goodies! I also got some adorable little glass beaded snowflake ornaments.

Plus, I'm a huge nerd, but I love coming home to LOTS of old fashioned mail. And, the Christmas cards have started arriving! They are all displayed on the fridge, and I'm so excited to track all the kids and babies, not to mention, see all the pretty cards everyone chose.