A Side of Sweet

Rustic Winter Cake Design + Espresso Cardamom Buttercream

This lovely rustic cake design wrapped with fresh thyme is the perfect wedding or holiday cake. Also includes a recipe for espresso cardamom buttercream.

I recently had the chance to participate in a holiday concept photoshoot that was organized by Amanda of Advice from a Twenty Something. It was an amazing day of holiday cheer, with beautiful food, great drinks and so much party inspiration!

In addition to being a ‘model’ for the shoot (aka party guest), Amanda also asked me to provide a holiday cake for the shoot. As if I needed an excuse to make a cake!

Given the rustic vibes of the shoot and the neutral tones, I thought a rustic ‘naked’ cake design would be perfect. I’ve been craving cardamom everything lately and I thought the spice would be the perfect addition to a simple buttercream frosting. In order to balance out the intensely aromatic taste of the cardamom, I added some espresso. The result is heavenly.

Fresh Herbed Cream Cheese Dip

Gluten Free Vegetarian

An easy make-ahead appetizer recipe for fresh herbed cream cheese dip accompanied by a fancy (but easy!) crudité platter.

When I’m planning our annual holiday feast, I always choose the appetizers first. They are so important! Inevitably, I get tied up in the kitchen making 18 things at once and things turn into a stage-5 disaster zone. People start to arrive and I am standing there, slightly sweaty, with all the burners in use and my mixer on full speed. Having appetizers prepped is incredibly helpful in making sure people aren’t standing around awkwardly, wondering whether they should volunteer for dish duty or run for the hills screaming.

Appetizers are also a great way to ensure people congregate where you want them. Despite the disaster situation, I always have a small table of appetizers in the kitchen. I keep them in the kitchen so I don’t get left out of all the fun as I finish making our meal. Our holiday guests can mingle and chat, and there’s less pressure on me as I wrap up the cooking. It’s a win-win!

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5 Great Red Wines for the Holidays

Here are 5 great red wines just in time for the holidays! Don’t be intimidated, there’s a recommendation for any budget, from cheap to baller status!

Don’t show up for that holiday party empty-handed. Here are some great, easy-to-drink red wines that will work for any budget. You can also buy all of them online, meaning you can skip the overwhelming rows and rows of wine at your local liquor store – and picking something based on the label. Not that you do that…. Read More »

Our Holiday Cards + Newsletter

It’s that time again! It seems like just yesterday we were wrapping ourselves in colored lights for our holiday cards. This time, instead of going it alone, we roped our amazing friends, Jessica and Mitch, to help us out. They just so happen to be the brains behind Ritual Photowork, so I knew the result was going to be amazing…. Read More »

Behind-the-Scenes :: Williams-Sonoma Holiday Photoshoot

A behind-the-scenes peek at the Williams-Sonoma catalog holiday photoshoot. I lucked out and got the chance to be a part of the action!

My first memory of Williams-Sonoma was while trolling the mall as an angsty teenager, looking for the latest Bath & Body Works deal (buy 10, get 10 or something like that?) I’ve always been drawn to beautiful kitchen things, even at that age. I broke off from the girl pack for a quick peek, enticed by the smells and the copper cookware hanging just inside the door. It was definitely a magical place. However, given that my corner of the world at that time included a twin bed and a ceiling full of glow-in-the-dark stars, my domestic desires didn’t end up fulfilled until many years later with a purchase of a Le Creuset dutch oven from WS.

Given this early love for all things Williams-Sonoma (talk about #kitchengoals, y’all) it was a surreal experience to be included in their current holiday 2015 catalog…. Read More »

A New Way to Drink Wine

The first time I heard of the Coravin was at a high-end wine tasting in Napa, at a winery that was doing a tasting of its archives. Instead of opening the precious bottles, some of which were valued at thousands of dollars, they used the Coravin to take wine out of the bottle without exposing it to air.

I was amazed at this revolutionary way to enjoy a wine collection slowly over time, and the ability to try each bottle again and again to see how it changes with age. Even though our own wine collection is in its infancy, it’s still nice to try some of those nicer bottles of wine that we plan to put away…. Read More »