Posted: December 23rd, 2011 | Author: Jennifer | Filed under: fooooood, Holidays | Tags: Christmas, desserts, food, recipes | Comments Off
The White Chocolate Gingerbread Cookie
I switch up my Christmas cookie recipes a bit every year, but these ones are so good it just doesn’t seem like Christmas without them. I got this recipe orginally from House and Home magazine back in 2007, but I can’t seem to find a link to it on their site. So I’m reposting it here in it’s entirety, for you to make and enjoy as much as I do:
White Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients:
6 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 tsp ground ginger
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup minus 2 tbsp molasses
2 eggs
4 squares white chocolate
Instructions:
Step 1: In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and salt.
Step 2: In a standing mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until pale yellow.
Step 3: Add the molasses and eggs to butter mixture and mix on low until combined.
Step 4: Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until well combined. Divide dough into three discs and wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour.
Step 5: Pinch off 1 tbsp of dough and roll around on a plate of sugar. Place balls 2″ apart on ungreased cookie sheets; press thumb into centre of each ball of dough. Bake at 350° for 14 minutes. Cool on rack.
Step 6: Chop 4 squares white chocolate and microwave on high power for 20 seconds at a time. Stir until smooth. Chop 2 oz. candied ginger and stir half into melted chocolate. Fill indents of cookies with this mixture. Top with reserved ginger. Stack in bows and wrap with cellophane.
This year, I actually didn’t roll them in sugar before baking nor did I add candied ginger to the white chocolate. But they still turned out to be pretty darned amazing. There is just something about the white chocolate and sharp ginger flavor that is just plain magical.
Food Links
A sampling of the yummy things from across the web that caught my eye this week:
The Savory
Roast carrot and avocado salad { Sacramento Street }
Broccoli cheeze soup { Oh She Glows }
Stuffed potato skin shells { Healthy Tipping Point }
Roasted fennel white bean dip { Food52 }
Zesty and spicy roasted brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes { Mango Tomato }
The Sweet – one last holiday edition
Peppermint crunch truffles { Bakers Royale }
Pfeffernusse ice cream sandwiches { Eat Live Run }
Candy cane whipped cream { Signed by Tina }
Peppermint hot fudge sauce { Smiten Kitchen }
Ina Garten’s rugelach { Mint Loves Social Club }
Bon appetit!
If you are looking to give your space a dose of style- whether you are splashing out or on a budget – drop me a line. Check out my Hire Me! page for more details.
Posted: December 21st, 2011 | Author: Jennifer | Filed under: DIY, Holidays | Tags: Christmas, diy, projects | Comments Off
With just days left to go before the big day, there are still a ton of wonderful Christmas DIY projects being posted by so many talented bloggers. Here is a great sampling, all of which have me wishing there were more hours in the day. Enjoy!
1 - Gift idea: hot cocoa in a jar { Lauren Conrad }
2 - Faux bois vases { Centsational Girl }
3 - Holiday favours { Camille Styles }
4 - Gold holiday gift wrap { 100 Layer Cake }
5 - Felted bell ornaments { The Purl Bee }
6 - Holiday garland { PS I Made This }
7 - Last minute style ideas { Poppytalk }
8 - Felt holiday necklace { Say Yes to Hoboken }
9 – Gift tag downloads { Hey Look }
If you are looking to give your space a dose of style- whether you are splashing out or on a budget – drop me a line. Check out my Hire Me! page for more details.
Posted: December 24th, 2010 | Author: Jennifer | Filed under: Holidays, The Travel Bug, Weekend Links | Tags: holidays, hotels, houses | Comments Off
Ok, holidays, I am ready for you! Bring it! I am so excited to begin the fun. However the holiday also means that I will be taking a wee little blog break. Not to worry loves, I will check in before the New Year. So I will leave you with a final list of fabulous links for those moments of boredom in between the merry-making. Enjoy!
House Tours
This beauty was featured in the Vancouver Parade of Renovated Homes last year and I am still kicking myself for not
going to see it in person Contemporist
Concrete in Chile Hindsvik
The Hotchkins residence in Vancouver, WA Contemporist
More Swedish amazing-ness The Brick House
Palm desert modern Freshome
A cool wintery hotel in Switzerland Remodelista
The full before and after shots at Signed by Tina
Miscellany
Gorgeous photography of BC snow at Life.Style.Etc.
A peek into Bijou and Boheme’s into beauty bag at Estetik
And just in case you need a break over the next few days, check out this collection of this year’s best viral videos at Videogum
If you are looking to give your space a dose of fabulosity – whether you are splashing out or on a budget – drop me a line. Check out my Hire Me! page for more details.
Posted: December 23rd, 2010 | Author: Jennifer | Filed under: Holidays, Wishlist Wednesday | Tags: Christmas, gifts, holidays | Comments Off
For the past few weeks I’ve been giving you loads of Christmas-shopping inspiration for all the different people on your list. But today, it’s all about me! Here they are – the things I’ve been dreaming about lately:
1 – An owl umbrella stand (because we live in Vancouver) from The Cross – $195 CAD
2 – A Bamileke headdress in white, like this one from Safari Fusion – $650 AUD
3 – A Vitamix mixer so that I can juice up a storm – $649 CAD
4 – A new compact DSLR for improved blog photos – like this one from Panasonic Lumix DMC G10 – $599 CAD
5 – A french bulldog puppy! Priceless. 
On a side note, I know this whole series may sound incredibly materialistic to the outside observer but to me it is more about dreaming and list making than actual shopping. It’s more like virtual shopping with the bonus of no large credit card bills! Truth be told, although I spend a ton of time with family over the holidays our central focus is definitely not on gift-giving. In the end, I am extremely unlikely to receive any of these things but it’s still so much fun to dream…
If you are looking to give your space a dose of fabulosity – whether you are splashing out or on a budget – drop me a line. Check out my Hire Me! page for more details.
Posted: December 22nd, 2010 | Author: Jennifer | Filed under: DIY, Holidays, Weekend Links | Tags: Christmas, decor, diy, holidays | 1 Comment »
{My version of this wreath (more here). I changed up the flowers though.}
It’s almost time. Things are getting frenzied. I finished all my holiday shopping a while ago but I’ve been in some stores lately on non-holiday business and things are crazy out there. It can be stressful but I kind of like the madness too – I think the key is that I don’t have to be out shopping.
My Christmas decorations this year were pretty simple. My house is kind of a mess from impending renovations so it seemed kind of silly to go all out this year. But I still had to do something.
{Gifts count as decorations right?}
So easy it is: DIY wreath. Paperwhites in a vase. Ornaments in a few bowls. Add sparkly lights and that is it. In the end, I’m pretty pleased with it. Sometimes less is really more, especially at this crazy time of year.
Last Minute Christmas Links
Here is some last minute inspiration for those of you still working your Christmas magic:
Three last minute ideas at Bright Bazaar
Shiny red inspiration at The Decorista
A downloadable craft book for you by Paper N Stitch Blog
The Brancholier by Brooklyn Limestone
Ornament mobile by Not Martha
Budget friendly gift wrap at Currency (via DesignSponge)
Minimalist wrap at Remodelista
A Tord Boontje inspired garland – for $3! At Curbly
If you are looking to give your space a dose of fabulosity – whether you are splashing out or on a budget – drop me a line. Check out my Hire Me! page for more details.