holidays in los angeles

I'm wrapped up in a blanket next to my first full-size, proper Christmas tree that isn't in my parents' house and feeling very cozy and very happy about this holiday season. It's been an interesting and challenging year in LA, so it feels very important and worthwhile to make the holidays here peaceful and joyful. So far, so good. Thanksgiving was a Friendsgiving, with six friends from Washington gathering around a table in California. Angela helped me cook and decorate all day, making all of my favorite recipes my mom made growing up while drinking mimosas and piling up the dishes, and everything turned out kind of perfect. I was a very happy hostess. 

PS: a little craft paper, a DIY Craigslist table, some pinecones gathered from our last trip to the mountains, and some tapestry candles made for a sweet winter tablescape  with just enough room for plates full of food and a few wine glasses per person. 

Pumpkin Streusel Donuts

I sealed my own fate when I ordered two donut baking pans this week. It's all over. But really, how was I supposed to stop myself after seeing this recipe for Pumpkin Coffee Cake Donuts?

To make matters worse, there's an expected high of 100 degrees today -- so baking these & washing them down with hot coffee was straight silly. But dammit, it's the 20th of September and we need pumpkin! 

These are fluffy, cakey, and stupid good when served still warm. I'll refrain from saying how many are already gone an hour later, lest you be tempted to judge me. Next on the donut baking list we have banana with chocolate glaze, buttermilk with strawberry glaze, and maybe some sprinkles thrown in there somewhere. Let the games begin! 

This recipe is from the Delightful E Made blog, with instructions slightly adapted. Bon appetit!

Ingredients

Donuts:

1 box spice cake mix 

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 eggs

3 Tbsp butter, melted

Streusel topping:

½ c. brown sugar

½ c. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

2 Tbsp butter, melted

Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. milk

½ tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cake mix, pumpkin, eggs and butter. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix on low until all ingredients are smoothly combined. 

In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour and spices with a fork. Drizzle the melted butter over the mixture and combine. The streusel will be crumbly.

Spoon donut mixture into piping bag & fill circles until 2/3 full. Top each with generous amount of streusel mix.

Bake for 9-10 minutes. Let the donuts cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Gently loosen from the pan using a butter knife, and switch to a rack or pan to cool. 

Glaze: combine the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Stir together until smooth. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the top of the donuts. 

Serve with lots of coffee or milk! 

Dark Chocolate Avocado Cookies

Just a note to say that I made these Dark Chocolate Avocado Cookies  this week and they were rich, fudgy perfection - with no butter! So they're, like, healthy. I'm fairly certain. 

That's all. 

my favorite cookbook: potato cinnamon rolls

This year, I've decided to begin the process of curating a cookbook of my very favorite recipes. Most of these will come from the minds of my mom and sister, as they both have a knack for opening their refrigerator and casually tossing together a dish as stunning as it is mouth-watering. It will include my dad's famous chili, my own chocolate chip cookies, and a few other favorites from friends and family. And then, of course, some classics. 

A few months ago I had the inspiration to make cinnamon rolls from scratch. I'd never attempted homemade bread before, and I slightly underestimated the time & effort it took, but I fell in love with the process. It takes patience, and time, and attention to detail. You have an hour here, 15 minutes there, where you simply have to wait for the yeast and flour to rise and double in size (suitable activities for the interim include pouring a glass of wine, watching two episodes of the office, taking a neighborhood walk, or attempting to scrub the dough and flour from your entire kitchen). When your project is finally finished, your house smells like your favorite bakery and it is just so rewarding to take your first bite. 

So yesterday, with a whole Sunday evening and a new audience to win over, I made these Potato Cinnamon Rolls from Better Homes & Gardens again, a recipe recommended by my mom. They are so damn good. And we are so obviously not engaging in any start of the year cleanses, even though we definitely should be. These are going in my favorite cookbook under breakfast, desserts, comfort food, and also things to eat on Sunday evenings. 

Find the recipe and tips here! 

peppermint and chocolate and all that is good

Okay, so Christmas is over. But it's still cold. And you still want chocolate. And you have about a thousand candy canes left over  that you're probably a day away from throwing in the trash. And I've been craving a mug of decadent peppermint hot chocolate all month. So here are a few ways I tweaked classic recipes to use up your candy cane supply while you stay cozy in the cold month of January:

1. Martha Stewart's Peppermint Hot Chocolate: Rich, dense, and beautifully bittersweet. I followed the recipe exactly, but then added a dash of vanilla extract in with the salt at the end. Then, I added even more peppermint with a healthy dose of Candy Cane Whipped Cream.

2. Candy Cane Whipped Cream: Mix one cup heavy whipping cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar. Mix until cream forms stiff peaks. Add 3-4 crushed candy canes & several drops of peppermint extract, and mix until just blended.

3.  Chocolate Peppermint Cookies: Again, just a twist on a classic. I followed this Double Chocolate Dream Cookies recipe by Very Best Baking, doubling the salt & vanilla as usual. Along with the chocolate chips I added three crushed candy canes, and crushed a few more to sprinkle on top. These are fudgy & dense with the perfect added crunch of candy cane. And probably not great for your January diet. (#worthit)

s i p p i n ' : mango mojitos

I love Sundays. They are the start to my weekend and I like them best lazy, sun-drenched, and with good food and drinks--and they are even better when Evan is here to spend them with me. I get about two Sundays a month with him, and we savor them! This Sunday being the USA world cup game, we knew we'd spend our afternoon watching, but not before a few hours spent splashing at the beach and a stop at the store for fresh fruit to drink and use to cheers when our guys scored. He had the idea for mango mojitos, and I happily obliged, excited to take from the mint plant I potted this week. These are perfect for a post-beach relaxed evening! 

Most recipes call for a mango puree, but being without a blender, I simply muddled them with the mint. They get fruitier as you drink! This recipe makes two cocktails, but we continued to refresh our drinks with extra materials as they emptied...cheers!

1 ripe mango

several sprigs of fresh mint leaves

sugar or simple syrup, to taste

2 limes

light rum (we just used bacardi)

soda water

Remove pit and slice mangos into small chunks. Place half of the amount in each glass, along with several mint leaves. To help the muddling, I added a splash of rum and a small spoonful of sugar to each glass. Muddle ingredients, then squeeze lime juice over top (do this to taste, I love lime so I ended up with one small lime's worth of juice in each). Pour in a shot (or two) of rum, top with soda water, add a mango garnish, clink your glasses together & enjoy!