Category Archives: Holiday

Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns are one of those quintessential items that you always see pop up around Easter. Traditionally the buns are eaten on Good Friday before Easter Sunday, always with a cross made with icing on top. My family decided to host Easter brunch again this year and the Englishman and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to bring some delicious hot cross buns to share with everyone.

Since we were going to have lots of other treats and sweets at the Easter brunch, we decided to make the hot cross buns with just a simple glaze on top and made the crosses out of wheat dough. The buns were still plenty sweet and a hit amongst the crowd! If you wanted to add icing to your hot cross buns, I recommend this recipe.

These hot cross buns were so good that I’m thinking I need to make these more than just once a year.

Ingredients:

1 cup rye flour

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 cup raisins

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

3 cups warm water mixed with 1 packet of bakers yeast

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 cup wheat flour

1/2 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix the 1 cup rye and 3 cups all-purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and raisins in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix your sunflower oil, brown sugar, and water and yeast mixture.

Slowly add the wet mixture to your large bowl and continue to mix well until your dough is nice and sticky.

Roll the dough into balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Let the dough balls rest on the baking sheet for 30 minutes.

Take your maple syrup and lightly glaze the rolls – they should be slightly sticky. Take your 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/3 cup water and mix together to form a paste. Put the mixture in a piping bag or a ziplock bag and cut a small hole in the corner (thank you Alton Brown). Use the bag to draw a cross on the top of each roll.

Place buns in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. Pull from the oven and enjoy warm.

The hot cross buns taste best on the day they were made, but will last 2-3 days after.

Merry Christmas Eve!

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Merry Christmas Eve! Hopefully by now you have done all your Christmas shopping, finished your baking, and are ready to kick back, relax, and enjoy the holiday.

If you are still in the need of one more Christmas treat or need to bring something to a Christmas Day breakfast/brunch/lunch tomorrow, this Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffin Recipe from Nigella Lawson is sure to be a big hit! I’ve already had a couple of the muffins (for quality control of course) and can’t wait to share them at our Christmas breakfast.

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins (adapted from this recipe)

*Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup white chocolate chips for sprinkling
1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons sunflower oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray the inside of a muffin tin so the muffins do not stick.

Put flour, baking powder, cocoa, baking soda and the 3/4 semi-sweet chocolate chips in a large bowl and mix well. Slowly fold in your wet ingredients (egg, vanilla, almond milk and sunflower oil) and continue to mix. The batter should be a bit on the lumpy side.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin (or paper liners) and sprinkle the 1/4 cup white chocolate chips on top. Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the muffins from the tin, let them cool and enjoy.

Merry Christmas!

Two Days before Christmas

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‘Twas two days before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even the cat on the couch.

Everyone was nestled all cozy in bed, with visions of delicious peppermint bark dancing in their head(s).

Me in my scarf and the Englishman in his hat, decided to head out for one final Christmas grocery lap.

While heading to the store the crowds began to gather, we knew we had to pop in to Starbucks to see see what was the matter. And what should my wondering eyes should appear, but a red cup filled with Christmas joy and cheer.

When we returned home it was time to call them by name: On chocolate, on vanilla on peppermint and parchment. Now white chocolate, now candy cane, now water to boil and peppermint oil. As I began to gather my ingredients and melt them by hand, the Englishman was making bread, oh what a great man!

He was covered in flour, from his head to his toes, and produced a batch of Christmas bread, warm cinnamon wafting in my nose. It was time for me to finish creating my Christmas treat, so I too would have something to contribute to our feast!

With a twinkle in his eye and a twist of his head, he looked on enthusiastically as I continued with my holiday spread. The chocolate chilled and ready to go, just add some crushed candy cane on top of it like snow.

We packaged our goods up and covered them in holiday wrapping, placed under the tree, where the cat was napping. With a sigh and a smile, we exclaimed in delight – Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

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Per usual, the holiday season is rapidly approaching and I once again find myself unprepared. Gifts still need to be purchased, the tree needs to be decorated and holiday goodies need to be baked. Between a trip up to San Francisco/Napa (more on that soon) and a busy work schedule, there hasn’t been much time for holiday cheer.

For my first holiday baking venture this season, I decided to go with one of my favorite recipes – Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. These cookies are made with white and semi-sweet chocolate chips, and are loaded with other good things like oats and butter. They aren’t quite as decadent as other holiday treats, but they are the perfect cookie to get me in the holiday baking mood. Plus, they taste pretty amazing with a cup of Trader Joe’s candy cane green tea.

These cookies come together in a flash so if you need to bring a dessert to a holiday party or potluck, may I recommend these little oatmeal gems?

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup regular oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350°.
Combine your dry ingredients in a large bowl – flour, oats baking soda, and salt and blend well. Add butter, vanilla and egg into the bowl and continue to mix well. You can use a stand mixer or just mix well by hand. Slowly fold in the chocolate chips.
Drop dough onto a baking sheet greased with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes depending on how warm your oven runs. Let cookie cool for 1 minute, then place on a wire rack or plate and enjoy!

*Makes 2 dozen cookies depending on how big you make your spoonfuls

Thanksgiving Weekend in Photos

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Another Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone, and although this one wasn’t quite as busy as Thanksgivings past, it was still a nice one filled with family, friends and good food.

I was unfortunately sick the entire week leading up to (and on Thanksgiving) so I didn’t get to eat as much stuffing as I would’ve liked, but I’ll definitely make up for it next year.

Here’s the weekend recap in photos.

Thanksgiving spread complete with cranberries, (demolished) turkey, potatoes, green beans and bread:

Lots of kitten stretches and cuddles:

Leftover pumpkin pie:

Wine and Italian Food:

Visits to the Goat Hill Tavern:

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I love Thanksgiving not only because of the delicious food (my dad makes a mean stuffing) but also the fact that it is the official kick start to the holiday season, which means lots of celebrating with friends and family.

So in the spirit of the holiday, here are just a few things I am thankful for this year…

My Family – Both sides of my family are pretty amazing and I’m lucky to have all of them in my lives.

Our new home – The Englishman and I were fortunate enough to be able to purchase a home this year, and for that we are very, very thankful.

The Englishman – He’s my rock and I can’t wait to start wedding planning for next year. We also love to have a good time together.

My Friends – They are pretty much the best around, not going to lie.

Pip! – Pip just came into our lives a little less than a week ago, but he’s already made quite an impression.

Sweet Potato Bites – I love writing in this little ol’ blog and hope to do more of it in the coming year.

Holiday Baking/Desserts- I’m definitely on the holiday baking wagon. Current favorite treat is this grain-free ginger spice cake.

What are you thankful for this year?

4th of July in Photos

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Is it just me or was it kind of random that the 4th of July fell in the middle of a work week? It’s definitely been a little harder to get back into the swing of things this AM, but it’s nothing a strong cup of tea and a Pure Barre class can’t fix.

I hope everyone had a fun holiday yesterday! Mine included some 5k running, BBQing, and relaxing which was exactly what I wanted. Instead of a lengthy recap, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

Accessories for the 4th of July 5K (the sunglasses ended up coming off):

Ready to Run (and a new PR for the Englishman!):

Red Pants and White Sandals:

Delicious Food:

Mile High Apple Pie:

Pie and Cookies, a serendipitous combination:

Mother’s Day Spa Day

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Is it just me, or is spring totally flying by? I feel like we just finished March, and now we are about to leap into May. April basically just came and went/

May is one of my favorite months because the weather starts warming up (ok, going from 70s to 80s in SoCal), the days are really starting to get longer, and summer is right around the corner which means delicious food on the grill, fresh watermelon and drinks al fresco.

May also means Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Traditionally my family goes to brunch on Mother’s Day and we enjoy delicious food, drink champagne, and have a great time. But in addition to a yummy brunch I was thinking of doing something else for my mom to help her relax and enjoy her Mother’s Day weekend. I’m a big fan of spas (who isn’t?), and Burke Williams is offering some awesome Mother’s Day spa packages this year for Mother’s Day throughout their locations in Orange County and Los Angeles.

I have only been to Burke Williams a couple of times, but every time I have went it was an enjoyable experience and I always leave telling myself that I must do this more often.

If you are a spa fanatic like me, then definitely check out the deals below – they are just too good to pass up this Mother’s Day! And I think it’s the perfect thing to treat mom to before enjoying that brunch and champagne!

Burke Williams Mission Viejo Deals:

Relax Package: Just $159 (regular price $205)

Enjoy a 25-minute Sugar Glo with your choice of a 50-minute Burke Williams Massage -or- a 50-minute Spa Style Facial with peel.

Escape Package: Just $259 (regular price $335)

Indulge in a 25-minute Sugar Glo with a 50-minute Burke Williams Massage -and- a 50-minute Spa Style Facial with peel.

For Two – A Special Mother/Daughter Experience: Just $289 (regular price $370) *I think I need to do this one with my mom!

Each of you will enjoy a 25-minute Sugar Glo with your choice of a 50-minute Pure Relaxation Massage or a 50-minute Spa Style Facial.

Mother’s Day Deals at Burke Williams Orange, West Hollywood, Torrance, Santa Monica, Pasadena and Sherman Oaks:

Relax Package: Just $145 (regular price $180)

Enjoy a Spa Pedicure with your choice of a 50-minute Burke Williams Massage -or- a 50-minute Spa Style Facial with peel.

Escape Package: Just $245 (regular price $310)

Indulge in a Spa Pedicure with a 50-minute Burke Williams Massage -and- a 50-minute Spa Style Facial with peel.

For Two – A Special Mother/Daughter Experience: Just $275 (regular price $360)

Each of you will enjoy a Spa Pedicure with your choice of a 50-minute Burke Williams Massage or a 50-minute Spa Style Facial with peel.

All of the spa deals above will be available until Sunday, May 13th. Visit a Burke Williams location nearest you or reserve online at www.burkewilliamsspa.com. Be sure to mention this deal when making an appointment!