NYC Window Shopping

I'm pretty much finished with shopping, but if you're still searching for that perfect trinket for cousin Sally and Uncle Joe-Bob, why dontcha take a break from the mall and head to Manhattan's famed 5th Avenue for a little shopping? All you'll need are a big furry hat, a pair of fingerless texting gloves and two fistfuls of hundred dollar bills. Or, you could just relax in front of your computer and do a little virtual window shopping, completely free of charge (though you're free to tip your guide after the tour. I hear she likes lollipops and expensive coffee drinks.)

The stores really go above and beyond to make an impact. Love this huge bow.

And a glowing belt buckle! How awesome is that? Think they make one in my size?

Naturally the Mikimoto store features garlands with enormous pearls. So, so pretty.

Tiffany's keeps it classic with their trademark red ribbon Christmas decor.

Henri Bendel is magical without the Christmas decorations, but becomes truly ethereal with these floating ballerinas strung up all over the store. 

The best windows (in my opinion) are always at Bergdorf Goodman's. They are wildly imaginative, outrageous and magical.

How amazing is this?

This was my favorite. Unbelievable.

Hope you all enjoyed the tour today. You can see yourself out. The subway's to the left; the bus is to the right. Don't forget to pick up an "I heart NYC t-shirt" before the train leaves the station. 

Cookies with Cherries, White Chocolate and Pistachios

Uh-oh. My belly's achin' and it ain't even Christmas Eve yet. I got one more baked goodie for ya, and it's a goodie. These cookies with cherries, white chocolate chips and pistachios are the perfect balance of red, green and FAT--luscious, buttery, pre-New Year's Resolution fat. 

 

Here's a tip to save time during the holidays. Make several batches of one type of dough, then add variety with different mix-ins. Good combos are dried cranberries and chocolate chips, toffee chips and chopped pecans and basic sugar cookie dough with finely grated lemon or orange rind. 

 

For these cookies, I used my basic sugar cookie dough and mixed in the chips, cherries and nuts before refrigerating.

Sugar Cookies (originally printed in Bon Appetit)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

 1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp salt

Beat the first four ingredients until well blended. Mix in egg and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt, then mix in. Cover mixture and chill until firm, about 30 minutes or up to one day. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and butter two baking sheets. Roll into balls and bake until very lightly browned. 

Delish! 

What's on your baking list this week?

Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies

First off, let me begin by saying I am not a fan of cheesecake. Or of peppermint. But this isn't about me. This is the season of giving. As such, I'm giving you a recipe for something you might enjoy--peppermint cheesecake brownies. I didn't try them, but they are boyfriend-tested and friend-approved. They will fill your belly and freshen your breath at the same time. Plus, the recipe's from Cooking Light so you won't need to go up a pant size after eating one or seven. Score!

Here's the link to the recipe for: Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies

Bring one for the hostess of this weekend's Ugly Sweater or White Elephant party. Make sure and attach a bag of cocoa for extra brownie (wink, wink) points. 

Glazed Sugar Cookies

Forget the fancy pies and layered cakes. When it comes to holiday desserts, all I really want is a rich, buttery sugar cookie. To me, there is nothing more festive or delicious.

This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe. It's from Bon Appetit, which gives it automatic street cred. These cookies are soft and tender and not overly sweet (that's what the glaze is for!). However, if you're looking for a dough to roll out with your favorite Santa-shaped cookie cutter, this isn't it. It's possible it was just us, but my friend Crystal and I had a really hard time shaping this dough with cookie cutters. So we went with simple circles and pretended they were ornaments!

 

Sugar Cookies (originally printed in Bon Appetit)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

 1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp salt

Beat the first four ingredients until well blended. Mix in egg and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt, then mix in. Cover mixture and chill until firm, about 30 minutes or up to one day.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and butter two baking sheets. Roll into balls and place on prepared sheet.

Once cookies have cooled, it's time to brush on your glaze. This icing is perfect--it tastes great and dries to a nice shiny finish. Mix up a batch, then separate into cups and add food coloring. I used wide craft brushes to apply the glaze.

Cookie Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

 2 tsp water or milk

2 tsp corn syrup

 1/4 tsp almond extract

I don't know about you, but I try not to futz around too much with decorating. A few simple dots and shapes does the job for me. I don't have any piping gear on hand, so I picked up these condiment dispensers at the dollar store. I'm thinking of auditioning for Top Chef: Desserts next season with these decorating skills!

 

Happy Baking! Check back tomorrow for another cookie recipe...

Bake-a-palooza 2010!

Break out the butter and pull out the parchment paper...Christmas is next week and it's time to get your bake on! Know what's more fun than spending a Saturday mixing wet ingredients in a Kitchen Aid? Having someone else sift the dry ingredients!

Last year my friend Crystal and I decided to double-up on our baking efforts and spend a Saturday rolling out dough a deux. Let me tell you, baking with a buddy is so much more fun that solo sifting and we were able to churn out three different goodies in only a few hours.

 

 We called it "Bake-a-Palooza" and we just celebrated our 2nd annual tradition.

 

The Roster

I like to have everything set out before she comes over so I'm not fumbling through cabinets with flour-coated fingers. I always make sure to pull out the eggs and butter about an hour before we start baking so the butter will be softened and the eggs will be easier to crack open.

 

If you're going to be doing a lot of baking next week, I can't speak highly enough of Sur La Table's brand of bakeware. This was my first time using my new professional aluminum baking sheets (2 for $20!) and they are phenomenal. Everything baked incredibly evenly and you don't even need a spatula to lift cookies off the sheet. Get you one! (PS: No one paid me to say that. When I find something really great, I like to spread the word!)

 

I wrapped up all the cookies in tiny clear bags, then tied on a label and a bag of tea or hot chocolate. Stay tuned all week for Christmas cookie recipes!

Eggnog Latte

Picture this: You're at your local mall, elbowing pushy parents for that (insert 2010's version of the Teddy Ruxpin here) and trying to determine if buying shower gel for your co-worker is akin to telling her she has B.O. You're feeling tired, and cranky and are quickly losing that holiday spirit. You need a pick-me-up.

And hark! The angels sing! There it is, advertised in big red letters at your favorite ubiquitous coffee shop. The eggnog latte. It smells like Grandma's kitchen and feels like pure yuletide joy running down your throat. But...ouch! You've already spent a lot buying toy train sets for the wee ones and a tie clip for your father-in-law. Can you afford to spend another 5 bucks on one coffee?

The short answer is no. Go home, and make it yourself. It's really, really easy. All you need are these four things: really strong coffee, regular or soy milk, eggnog, and pumpkin pie spice.

Eggnog Latte

• 1/3 cup 2% milk
• 2/3 cup eggnog
• 1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger brewed espresso
• 1 pinch pumpkin pie spice

Directions: Heat milk and eggnog in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking to create a foam. Pour in a jigger of espresso or really strong coffee, then fleck with a pinch of pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg.

There now, don't you feel better? And if you haven't submitted your final laminated list to Santa yet, make sure you ask for one more gift--a gym membership. Because you've just ingested half your daily fat allowance in three gulps. Happy Holidays!