Easter Cake Pops!

I decided to bring some Easter cake pops for the Virginia Tech spring game scrimmage tailgate. Here's what they look like. Inspired by Bakerella.

With the stick in a basket

Without a stick

Brownies - The Cashmere Sweater

Thanks to the cold and the snow, I've been baking a lot this winter. I found this pic from January's bake-a-thon where I'm showing one of the hostess aprons I got for Christmas (both form Anthropologie) and some brownies I made from scratch! I got a cute new cookbook (also for Christmas) from a great girlfriend. This book is all about which classic desserts match which classic pieces of your wardrobe. The forward is even written by Isaac Mizrahi. It's called Sweet Chic. She won me over when I read the recipe for brownies, "the cashmere sweater" of desserts, and she mentioned that she loves boxed brownies as much as homemade. I liked her brownie recipe because it uses semi-sweet chocolate chips (which I always have on hand)instead of cocoa. The end result was delicious and rich.

Peir 1's Holiday Guide

I was so impressed with this. Too many awesome photos to post. It's a little overwhelming for one page - but you won't regret checking it out!

http://www.pier1.com/TopMenu/GetInspired/HolidayPlanner/tabid/921/Default.aspx

Hostess Gifts

As you know, Thanksgiving is tomorrow! If you're like me and visiting someone else's house - it's always nice to bring something to contribute.

I'm going to my mothers house and am bringing an appitizer and a dessert - more on that later. However, I know my mom has spent a lot of time, energy, and making this special dinner for us. So just as I would for a less familiar host, I'm bringing a hostess gift.

Hostess gifts can be many things. One of the easiest/traditional is a bottle of wine. You can dress them up in festive gift wrapping (there are some great wine gift boxes at Target) or even in wine bottle outfits. You can make the wine a little more personal by bringing your favorite wine to share, or something local. If you're not sure what to bring, ask the salesman at your local wine store even some local grocery stores have wine experts. (try total wine, Kroger, or Wegmans)

Here are some other ideas from Pier 1.



















Some other ideas I've given in the past:

• Aprons - Try seasonal from William and Sanoma, or vintage hostess aprons (look at places like Homegoods, but for a sure this try Anthropologie).
• Candy dish - with after dinner mints or seasonal candy. For an Easter dinner I gave a bunny shaped candy dish (from Crate and Barrel) filled with pastel after dinner mints with a condiment spoon for serving. The spoon also adds a little something attached to the bow.
• Baked Goods - if all else fails an easy dessert or roll that can be enjoyed later (if the hostess already has something planned)

This year I'll be bringing my mom a serving tray. I picked gold because I've chatted with her about the colors she is using on her table, but a neutral color or something season would work too.