Yum.

Just a quick little gush about last night...
I quite possible have the most amazing boyfriend in the world. I thought the dinner was amazing, but even more so was the adorable card and gorgeous diamond necklace... love you.

Le Tartuffe was DELICIOUS! I tried foie gras for the second time in my life, and was completely blown away by the scallop and lamb dishes.

Dessert of dark chocolate and pecan pie and strawberry crumble with olive oil infused ice cream (top),
and a dulce de leche creme brule with banana bread (bottom). Yum.

Oh, and I wore things the other day.

draped cardigan - Jacob (2011); tee - walmart (2011); jeans - American Eagle (2011);
biker boots - thrifted (2008)

Sweet Somethings: Chewy Gingerbread

I get SO MANY compliments on these little beauties. They stay deliciously chewy and freeze really well. If you end up bringing them somewhere as a sweet treat, be sure to bring a few copies of the recipe! You can find the original here.

You will Need:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F, and cream together butter & sugar. Then beat in the rest of the "wet"ingredients.
2. Gradually stir the "dry" ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in a bit of sugar, flatten slightly, and place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
   

Easy peasy, and super delish.
Enjoy with Egg Nog or a Hot Toddy :)

Sweet Somethings: Cranberry Walnut Biscotti

With Christmas only days away I've kicked my holiday baking into high gear!

This was my first attempt at biscotti and it was actually surprisingly simple.

You will need:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups walnuts (or any nut you'd like!)

Directions:

• You start by mixing the oil and the sugar together until you get a really creamy paste... I don't know if anyone's ever made pizzelle, but it kind of looks like that. Add the rest of your "wet" ingredients and mix well.
• Next add your flour, salt, and baking powder. I like to "beat" my mixture with a fork. The dough is REALLY soft and I hate trying to un-stick it from the egg beaters.
• Then add your dried fruit and nuts. I chose cranberries & walnuts, but you could use just about anything. You could even throw a little lemon or orange zest in there for some extra fruitiness!

• When you're done mixing in your deliciousness, you're going to form two logs on a parchment lined baking sheet (about 2" wide by 12" long). Don't forget to wet your hands with COLD water, otherwise the batter sticks to you like mad.

• Bake at 300F for about 35 minutes, or until your logs are lightly browned on top.
• Let them cool down for about 15 minutes, then cut diagonally with a serrated knife into 3/4" slices. If you DON'T wait, your biscotti will turn into a crumbly mess - be warned!
• Put them back in the oven for another 10 minutes, or until the sides are browned as well...

And voila! Yummy biscotti that you're not paying $2 a piece for!

Sweet Somethings: Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Monday was the bf's 26th birthday so I had to make him his favorite dessert - cheesecake.

I swear, there wasn't actually anything orange in the cake. My camera is strange some times.

People think cheesecake is intimidating, but I assure you it's a piece of cake. Pun intended.

For the crust:

1 1/2 cup of crushed craham crackers
1/2 cup of sugar
4 tbsp melted butter

For the Cheesecake:

3 sticks of cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup of cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix

SUPER EASY!

1. Mix together all the ingredients for the crust and press into the bottom and one inch up the sides of an 8" or 9" springform pan.
2. Cream together the sugar and cream cheese. (Don't skip this step or your cheesecake will be lumpy!)
3. Add in the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla and mix it real good.
   
4. Pour half to 3/4 of the batter into your pan.
5. Mix in your chocolatey goodness to the remaining batter and then pour that on top.
   
6. Swirl with a knife to get a ribbon-esque look.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees until the edges are firm but the middle is slightly jiggly still.
   

I got lazy and topped it with cherry pie filling, but you could also sprinkle your favorite chopped fruit (like raspberries... mmmmm) with sugar and let it sit for a couple minutes so it gets all juicy and top it with that.
And voila! In less than an hour you have a gigantic piece of deliciousness to enjoy :)

Sweet Somethings: Italian Orange Juice Cookies

I've been doing quite a bit of baking this holiday season, so I thought I would share some of my favorite recipes with you all!
My mother and I just baked a batch of these last night and they are SO good. The recipe is one her and my grandmother have used forever, but if it's yours, or you've read it somewhere online, just let me know and I'll be sure to give credit where it's due!

Italian Orange Juice Cookies

1 Cup Shortening
1 Cup Sugar
6 Eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla
5 Cups Flour
2 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 Cup Orange Juice
Icing Sugar to Roll Cookies In.

1. Preheat your oven to 350*F and grease up a couple of cookie sheets.
2. Combine shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla in one bowl and mix it real good.
3. Combine your flour and baking powder in another bowl and give it a good stir.
4. Alternate adding the dry mixture and the orange juice to your original bowl until it's all gone and well combined. Don't worry, the mixture is supposed to be sticky!
5. Put icing sugar in a shallow dish and use a tablespoon to scoop out your sticky mixture and plop it in.
6. Roll it around in the icing sugar until its fully coated and forms a kinda-sorta ball, then it's ready for your baking sheet!
7. Bake 12-15 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned. This recipe makes about 48 cookies.
   

These cookies are VERY moist and cake-like and freeze really well too. We also made a couple with teaspoons, adorable little bite size cookies. Delicious!