Happy Friday! Before we officially take a break for the holidays, here's one last New Year's Eve idea for you to ring in 2020 with glitter and glam...
Happy Friday! Before we officially take a break for the holidays, here's one last New Year's Eve idea for you to ring in 2020 with glitter and glam...
While I will be in my pajamas (and likely in bed) when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, I still wanted to share a few of my favorite festive outfits with you for IF I were to go out on the town this New Year's Eve! Here are some looks to inspire your party-going attire! Check it out...
It's been a crazy and hard year for me working on this house project on top of having a full-time job, business, and maintaining my life as a mom, wife, boss, and friend. I am SO ready to be done—not only to get back to some semblance of normal for my life but also so I can move in to our new house, decorate it, and show you the final reveals! I know there is a light at the end of this VERY LONG tunnel, and I can't wait for it! We have a bunch more peeks to show you after the holidays (and maybe a surprise or two)...
But, in the meantime, here's a video update with a peek of how things are coming together! There have been lots of little delays as we near the finish line (which is so normal with these projects), but we're hoping to be moved in early next year...fingers crossed! If you have any comments or questions, let me know!
{Photo by Lily Glass. Video by Jenner Brown. Construction by Boswell Construction, Architecture by Project M+, Interiors in collaboration with Cleo Murnane at Project M+.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and I'm SO ready for the holidays to arrive! Aside from being able to slow down and spend time with family, my favorite part of the holidays is all of the delicious treats...like Neapolitan cookies! I love how they mix in THREE different flavors. So today, we're sharing a twist on the classic recipe for a festive version perfect for the holidays. The recipe calls for matcha instead of chocolate, making them a bright pink, white, and green! They're so colorful, tasty, and keep well so you can gift them for the holidays, too.
In partnership with KitchenAid, I'll show you how to whip up these Matcha Neapolitan Cookies with the KitchenAid Artisan® Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer and Sifter+Scale Attachment. My Stand Mixer has been a key player in all of my baking over the last several years, and the Sifter+Scale Attachment is a total game changer. All I have to do is attach the Sifter+Scale Attachment to the power hub of my Stand Mixer, and voilà! HANDS-FREE sifting. The attachment also has an easy-to-use digital scale for a level of precision way beyond me. Come see how...
You'll need...
For the Base Dough
- 2-1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk (room temperature)
- 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Strawberry Dough
- 1-1/2 Tbsp flour
- 1 Tbsp strawberry jam
- optional: pink food coloring
Matcha Dough
- 1 tsp matcha powder
Topping
- white melting chocolate
- shredded coconut
Here's how...
1. With the KitchenAid® Sifter+Scale Attachment attachment, sift flour, salt, and baking powder into stand mixer. Gently transfer dry ingredients to a medium bowl, set aside.
2. With paddle attachment, mix together butter and sugar until creamed. Add in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
3. Divide dough evenly into thirds.
4. To make the strawberry dough, add one portion of dough back into the mixing bowl, add flour, jam, and food coloring (if desired), and mix until fully combined.
5. Make sure to clean out the mixing bowl before beginning to make the matcha dough, to ensure that none of the doughs mix. Place another portion of the dough into the mixer and add matcha powder. Mix until fully combined.
6. Line a 5x9" loaf pan with parchment, using enough so that the paper comes up over the edges of the pan. Begin layering dough, starting with the strawberry layer, followed by vanilla, and then matcha. Using your hands, try to make each layer as even and level as possible. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Remove dough from pan and peel off parchment paper. Trim the edges of the dough to get cleaner sides and then cut the dough in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 1/2" slices (about 16 per side).
9. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, and place dough squares about 2" apart. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges are just slightly turning golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes before moving cookies to a cooling rack
10. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Dip the cookies and top with coconut.
This recipe makes about 32 cookies. If you're going to prepare the dough for more than an hour in advance, place them in the refrigerator (rather than in the freezer!) to harden. Dough can be made up to three days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
Ta-dah! They're so colorful, fun, and make great gifts. Giving (and receiving!) treats for the holidays has always been one of my favorites, and these cookies are perfect for that because they don't crumble easily and bring that extra dose of holiday flair that I love. Enjoy! And, let me know if you make them this holiday season!
{Photos by Lily Glass, Concept/Production/Styling by Julia Wester, Production Assistance by Jess Hong. Written by Traci Michael and Joy Cho.}
We're wrapping up our Color Adventures for 2019 with red outfits! Red is truly a color I don't often wear, so it was a challenge to find ways to incorporate it into my wardrobe. BUT, I found some red pieces I love and paired them with neutral and lighter shades so it didn't feel quite as intense. Check it out...
It's officially the week before Christmas! So today, we're sharing one last DIY that'll bring color and cheer to your home! And the best part? It's simple enough to make while drinking hot chocolate and watching your favorite holiday movie. Take a look...
If you live in a smaller home, here's a fun DIY that uses every inch you have by maximizing wall space! We took colorful ceramic houses, painted them, and then created festive winter scenes with them on vertical shelves. Check it out...
It's no secret that I'm in love with charcuterie boards! They're one of my go-to's when hosting parties because they're made of easily-sourced ingredients, can be assembled for both large or smaller gatherings, and they are pretty enough to double as a centerpiece. When entertaining, I like to add my own personal touch whenever possible to bring an extra pop of color to the table.
So today, in partnership with KitchenAid, I'm showing you how to create three delicious dipping sauces (bright pink beet hummus, garlic herb yogurt dip, and spinach cream cheese dip!) using the 7 Cup Food Processor. Come see how...
The KitchenAid® 7 Cup Food Processor is the real MVP because it's so easy to use. Sometimes I avoid cooking for parties entirely because of the clean-up, but the bowl, lid, and accessories are ALL dishwasher-safe, which gives me one less thing to have to wash by hand. It's also really simple to use because it has a one-click, twist-free bowl assembly, latched lid, and a sealed and leak-resistant work bowl.
Beet Hummus
- 17 oz. store-bought hummus
- 5 baby beets, diced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Feta, olive oil, lemon zest (for garnish)
Here's how...
1. Wash, trim, and dice beets.
2. Add beets, hummus, and lemon juice to the KitchenAid® 7 Cup Food Processor.
3. Pulse until fully combined.
4. Top with olive oil, crumbled feta, and lemon zest.
Spinach Cream Cheese Dip
- 8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 large handful spinach
- 1/3 medium shallot, sliced
- Pomegranate seeds, chopped dill (for garnish)
Here's how...
1. Sauté spinach.
2. Peel and cut shallots.
3. Add cream cheese, spinach, and shallots to the KitchenAid® 7 Cup Food Processor.
4. Pulse until fully combined.
5. Top with pomegranate seeds and chopped fresh dill.
Garlic Herb Yogurt Dip
- 17 oz. Greek yogurt
- 1 bunch dill
- 1 bunch chives
- 1/2 clove garlic
- Chopped pistachios (for garnish)
Here's how...
1. Peel garlic clove and cut in half.
2. Loosely chop herbs.
3. Add yogurt, garlic, and herbs to the KitchenAid® 7 Cup Food Processor.
4. Pulse until fully combined.
5. Top with chopped pistachios.
The sauces add such a fun element to the table! I could've easily used plain hummus, but bright pink hummus is way more fun and is exactly the unexpected splash of color and flavor that I love.
Enjoy! And let us know if you make any of these dips for your upcoming holiday gatherings!
{Photos by Lily Glass, Concept/Production/Styling by Julia Wester, Production Assistance by Jess Hong. Written by Traci Michael and Joy Cho.}
Are you ready for the Color Adventure of the month and the last theme of the year!? For December, we're decking the halls with all things RED! Red has always been one of my least favorite colors because it feels so intense. So many people LOVE red, though, so I'm trying to get on board! So today, we're showing you how to style with the bold and bright color without letting it completely steal the spotlight from everything else in the room. Check it out...
