Snickerdoodles

I hadn't baked in a while, so by request of BBE, I made Snickerdoodles! Just the name is so fun, right? I usually think these cookies are kind of boring, but since it was a request I complied :) I did some searching around in my cookbooks and on some different websites to find a good recipe. The one I decided on is on one of the cooking blogs I really love - {Lovin From the Oven.} Not only have I really liked all the recipes I tried from this blog, but what drew me to this particular recipe is that it was kind of revamped to where she tried others & combined them to make this one great! All the work is done :)

So from her to me to you guys, Snickerdoodles that are sure to delight!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For rolling:

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with

an electric mixer on high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and

beat until smooth.

2. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and

cream of tartar.

3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for

30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator.

     **I left the dough in the fridge for about an hour, & it was still pretty sticky. I don't know if leaving it even longer would do anything though

5. In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the

topping.

6. Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a

ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it

onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.

7. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies

may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are

removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be

soft and chewy in the middle.

      **I baked the first batch just like she said in her recipe (for 12 minutes to be safe!), but they were too mushy. I put them in for 2 more minutes but still not happy with how they turned out. The second  batch I baked at 325 for 13 minutes - perfect! Could just be an oven thing, but 14 minutes at 300 left them too mushy & they didn't continue cooking afterwards enough for my liking! {Picture below}

Makes about 16 cookies.

These are the first batch right when they came out

This is after they had been sitting a while. You can see they're kind of flat

Left = First Batch, Right = Second Batch

Second Batch is thicker & overall better :)

The reason for so many pictures?? I know everyone knows what batter looks like when you mix it...but I got a new camera for Christmas! So, yes I do take every opportunity I can to use it :)

Enjoy these yummy Snickerdoodles!!

XOXO,

Ashley

Hmmm...decisions, decisions

So I'm trying to figure out another background/header/etc for my blog, but I'm at a standstill. I just don't really like anything! So I just have to say, please excuse the mess that is happening right now & bear with me. I went back & forth between Vday theme, trying to find something neutral that I won't have to change every month, to whatever this green stuff is right now. Ha. Anyway. I will find something soon. Until then, check out these blogs that were recommended to me recently. They're both fashion blogs, & I just LOOOOVE them!!

Love Maegan & Capitol Hill Style

xoxo

BRRR - Baby, it's cold outside!

I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted! My goodness. This is just an easy idea to get something up on the wall that doesn't cost a lot & is actually useful! Yay for that!

I saw the idea in a boutique down the street from me as a way to display the scarves they had for sale, & I just had to do it in my own little apartment :) Now that I live where it's actually COLD in the winter time, I wear a scarf everyday! I thought this would be a great way to have them out instead of stuffed in a drawer where I can't even see what options I have. Plus, this area of our entryway was just plain & screaming for something to go there.

The letters {found by my fabulous Momma!} were about $2 a piece. Two were already black & two were white, I had a can of black spray paint so VOILA! they are all black. Super easy & BBE even likes it. Perfect!

XOXO,

Delicious Peanut Butter Cookies

When BBE (best boyfriend ever) & I decided to go to New York City to celebrate (1) our 3 year anniversary, (2) my birthday, & (3) him being done with finals, I started looking for a hotel that was less than $150/night – no luck! Lucky for us, his wonderful childhood friend offered us her place while we were there free of charge! How lucky are we?? Since we couldn’t offer her money (Hey! We’re broke!), the next best thing to show someone you appreciate them is…baking! And bake I did J

I had never made peanut butter cookies before, so I decided to do a trial run before baking the ones I wanted to take to NYC with us. BBE loved that idea! They turned out AMAZING. I would suggest these cookies for family during Christmas time or for a holiday cookie exchange...or really for anything! They aren’t the usual chocolate chip or sugar cookie, so it's a nice change.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup smooth peanut butter (or chunky if you like that kind of thing...gross)
Hershey's kisses
Sugar in the raw


*I prefer to use Spenda Brown Sugar Blend & Sugar Blend when baking

 


Directions:
1. Sift together dry ingredients & set aside. (I didn't have a sifter when I made them, & they tasted great without sifting!) Cream butter & sugar in bowl using paddle attachment. (I don't have a paddle attachment, & they turned out great!) Add egg & vanilla & beat until combined. Add peanut butter & continue beating on low speed. Add dry ingredients & beat until just blended. Cover dough & transfer to refrigerator. Chill until firm [about 1 hour]
2. Heat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with a silpat (You guessed it, don't have one of these either! I just sprayed the cookie sheet with some non-stick spray...worked great!) Form dough into one inch balls. Roll balls in sugar. Place balls on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart & press down slightly with your palm - not too hard because next, using the tines of a fork, make a crisscross pattern in the dough. [If you push down too hard with your palm, the cookies will be too flat once you make the crisscross pattern]

After pressing them slightly with my palm

Crisscross pattern with a fork - ready for the oven!

3. Bake until rich golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool.
*If you want to use Hershey's kisses like we did (YUM!) add the kisses about 1 minute after they're out of the oven. I also sprinkled a little extra sugar on the top - what calories??

ENJOY!


XOXO,

Fall Recipe - Apple Pie

Some where along the way, apple pie has become my signature dish for all family gatherings. I don't really have a consistent recipe that I follow, but it always turns out yummy! I need to start adding in more of my own touches, but here's what I did for this Thanksgiving in Richmond with my long time friends :)

Crust Ingredients:
* I make more crust than it says to because when I "weave" I seem to need more for some reason - could it be that I eat it?? Possibly. So this is the Deep Dish Double Crust instructions
2 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 stick (or 1 cup) WELL CHILLED Crisco All Vegetable shortening
6-10 Tbs ice cold water

Instructions:
1. Blend flour & salt in medium bowl.
2. Cut the stick into cubes (about 1/2 inch) and cut it into the mixture until it's all mixed with some small pea-sized pieces remaining.
3. Add about half the recommended Tbs of water & mix around with a fork. Add water by Tbs until the dough is moist enough to stick together.
4. Eat some.
    **Some people may find step 4 unnecessary and kind of gross. I assure you it's necessary & delicious!
5. Divide into 2 balls & roll them out. I use wax paper instead of a floured surface because it works better & it's MUCH cleaner!
6. One goes in the bottom of your pie pan (duh!)
7. Keep the other ball cold while you prepare the filling!

Filling Ingredients:
6 apples, peeled & sliced
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbs flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbs lemon juice

Directions:
1. Peel & slice the apples. I like to make a game out of it - can I peel the apple in ONE try? [Think Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle] Try #1 was SO close, but I got it on try #2!! So proud of myself :)

Try 1

Try 2 - success!!

2. Mix together the sliced apples & all ingredients in a large bowl until the apples are covered. Pour them on top of the pie crust & try to arrange them so they're kind of level.

3. Roll out remaining dough & cut it into strips for weaving. This takes some trial & error to get it right. 

 **My tips: don't roll it too thin or it will be hard to rearrange once it's on the pie. You can kind of see in the picture below they way I've found it easiest to weave - lay all the horizontal strips down and then fold them over as necessary to add the vertical strips. The dough definitely needs to be cold! 

The horizontal strips on the left are folded up so I can put a vertical strip down

Ready to bake!

3a. I always add extra butter to the top of the crust too. I melt about 1 Tbs of butter and pour it over the crust so it gets in the holes. Butter just makes everything better!

4. Put in the oven at 425 for about 45 minutes. 

On display at Pam's, yummy!

If you have any tips for an apple pie recipe, let me know! Always looking for ways to make it better :)
XOXO,

Honey Lime Chicken & Veggies

This has become my quick go-to weekday meal when I just don't know what to make! It's so simple, yet Sebastien always has seconds (or thirds)! It's always nice when he gets excited about it every time we have it. Plus it's made with stuff that we always have at the house, so I don't ever have to make a special trip to the grocery store - amazing :)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
10 ounces chicken (I usually use 2 chicken breasts)
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bags Asian veggies (steam in the bag kind - picture below!)

Directions:
1. In large plastic bag, combine flour & cayenne pepper. (I've started using more cayenne than just the 1/4 tsp because we like our food hot!)
2. Add 10 ounces cut into strips. Shake to coat.
3. Brown chicken in butter on all sides.

I cut them smaller before serving, but it's easier to cook this way!

4. Combine lime juice, honey, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce & pour over chicken.
5. Cook 1 - 2 minutes.
6. Add veggies to the pan (after you've steamed them of course) & mix it around just to get the sauce on everything... duh.
7. Enjoy!

*Last time I made this (last night), I added a little more of everything so we had more sauce to cover all the veggies. We're having the leftovers tonight! Perfect :)

XOXO,

Antique Shopping

Moving has been ... interesting. I don't necessarily have a smaller apartment, but the space is definitely laid out differently. I went from having a bathroom with 2 sinks & TONS of counter/cabinet space, to having a bathroom with a pedestal sink & a medicine cabinet. Don't get me wrong, my bathroom here is ADORABLE! We even have original black & white tiles :)

However, less counter and storage space means I can't really get ready in my bathroom. Problem? Mom will fix it! Now I just get ready at my desk! Great plan!

Oh but wait... my desk only has 2 drawers, so where can I keep all my desk stuff if I have to keep my make up & hair stuff in there too? Problem? Mom will fix it! "Get a new desk!" Easy enough.

So when Mom came to town, we decided to go to some antique shops in search of a keyhole desk because they have drawers down both sides. Sounds simple (& FUN!), but it wasn't so simple... and not so fun after awhile :( 

We looked all on Craigslist (eh), but I really wanted to have the fun of finding it at an antique store! So we went to Alexandria, VA - unsuccessful. It was a cute town for sure but didn't have what we were looking for...buuuuut it did have 2 GORGEOUS lamps & a mahogany planter for Mom! Yay!

The next day we went to Fredericksburg, VA - unsuccessful. Again, a cute town but didn't have what we wanted...except a cute "arrow" that sticks out from the wall with cute, festive wooden things hanging off of it! (For me) It's way cuter than it sounds.

We were having trouble finding any keyholes desks let alone ones that we liked. So...we went to Lucketts.

Yes, Lucketts, VA. The name alone says WINNER! Haha. But it was the BEST place for antiques. We actually came across this antique place on the way to Lucketts from Fredericksburg. Check it out! You will see why we had to make a Uturn!

Isn't it fabulous?? I was completely in love when we got inside & KNEW this is where I would find my desk. SUCCESS!! It was a type of store where a few different vendors rented out a space & displayed their pieces. Here is some of what they had downstairs:

OMG - LOVE LOVE LOVE. Seeing these pictures makes me wants to go back. There are so many treasures to be found in places like these. There was a whole upstairs too!

 I actually didn't take any pictures when we got to Lucketts because we were in a HUGE hurry to beat the closing time clock, but I ended up getting an awesome shelf at one of the stores there. It sits a little crooked, but I believe it was the top of a different piece of furniture. It's really different, and I LOVE it so much. Pictures of that later - still have to repaint it. 

Pictures of the desk later too because it went under a renovation! Just wanted to share some great places to go antique shopping and remind everyone of how much more fun it is to find a really special piece & change it to make it exactly what you want. Thanks for reminding me of that, Momma!!

XOXO,