Christmas All Over

I love Christmas time but I always find myself overwhelmed and under prepared!  I'm ignoring the fact that I have not bought one morsel of a Christmas present, card or stocking stuffer.  Instead I will decorate & hopefully get our tree, drink hot chocolate & watch my favorite Christmas movies!

White Christmas

 

 

 

A Christmas Story

 

 

 

From Cupcakes and Cashmere

 

My dream entryway

 

Rainy Day Inspiration

Empire Strikes Back

I am a bit obsessed with Boardwalk Empire.  What an amazing show about gangsters, bootleggers and other unsavory gentlemen...and the women who love them. And speaking of the women, I am in love with all of their costumes. There are so many gorgeous pieces available that are inspired by Boardwalk or the Jazz Age in general.  And thanks to Ebay and Etsy a TON of fabulous vintage jewelry! Here are some of my favorites.

Beaded Dress, Topshop $510

 T-Strap Heels, ModCloth $128

 

Cloche Hat, Forever 21 $10

Beaded Earrings, Etsy $60

 

Get Ur Bake On

This past weekend I made a variation of Martha's Banana Cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Icing.  Scrumdiddlyumptious perfection!

To make cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 ripe bananas), plus 1 whole banana, for garnish (optional
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
To make frosting...I doubled the recipe because it wasn't enough for me ;)

1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon honey
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In separate bowl, mix together butter, bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Combine banana and flour mixture. Spoon batter into muffin cups. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely on a wire rack.  Top with frosting.

Ring A Ding Ding.

Due to being consumed by all things wedding related, I am taking a blogging hiatus until mid-November.  The next posting you read will be written by a married woman :)

Girl Crush

Christina Hendricks at the Emmy's.  Perfection!

Clam Bake For Dummies.

Having just returned from my UBER-relaxing vacation to the Outer Banks, I definitely have seafood on the brain.  Part of me is dying to buy a ton of fresh crabs & clams, a gi-normous pot and host a good ol' fashioned clam bake!  But then I remember that I'm weird about having to kill creatures that are alive when you purchase them and...oh yeah I live in the city.  Here are some delicious summer recipes that are simple, quick and have a clam bake essence.

Buttery Crab Bake
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 stick of butter, melted
2 pounds crab meat
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients in small glass baking dish.  Bake for 25-35 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Can be served with dishes listed below and also fabulous with steak or pasta!

French Potato Salad
2-1/2 pounds fingerling or small new potatoes, halved (quartered if large)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons vinegar - sherry or white
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 medium red or yellow onion, sliced
Salt & pepper to taste
  
Directions

1. You could boil the potatoes but that takes forever!  It's easier to microwave them in batches of up to 6, which takes about 15-17 minutes for larger potatoes.  Just make sure they are fully cooked through.
2. In large bowl, whisk together oil, mustard, vinegar, shallot & season with salt and pepper. Add potatoes and onion and toss to combine. Best serve at room temperature but can be stored refrigerated.

 Corn, Tomato & Avocado Salad 

1 large package frozen corn
6 roma tomatoes, cut into large chunks
2 ripe avacadoes, cut into large chunks
1 medium white or yellow onion, finley chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Thaw corn and combine with tomatoes, avocados and onions. 
2. Add olive oil, vinegar, and salt & pepper.  Serve immediately or chilled.