THE BEST SPICED COOKIE RECIPE

If you saw my last post on hand lettered recipes, you'll know how much I'm obsessed with Alyssa Makes Something's work! This order was super special. My husband and I had a friend, Jeani Cooney, who passed away this year. She was the mother bear of his whole office and was beloved by every single person who knew her. At company softball games she would bring her famous "sports cookies" and they are SO GOOD. And I am a major cookie snob. Oats, chocolate chips, and spices of cinnamon and nutmeg are a surprising and delicious combination. The cookies are dense and chewy will make your whole house smell like Christmas. 

We purchased the digital option of the hand-lettered recipe and had it printed as a keepsake for the entire office to enjoy for the holidays. I made the cookies this holiday season with my five-year-old and told him all about Jeani and about how we will always thing of her when we make these sweet cookies. So happy to pass on our memories of her through this recipe.

Download printable recipe hand lettered by Alyssa Makes Something right HERE.

* TIPS: All I had at the time was margarine and not Crisco, but it worked just as well. I use a little less nutmeg than Jeani calls for, and I also sprinkle the top of the baked cookies with a little fleur de sel or kosher salt right after taking them out of the oven. Like any cookie dough, it's way better the next day and even better on the second or third day. We make the dough and just scoop out what we want to eat that day. Leave the rest in the fridge with saran wrap pressed against the dough.

Hope you can make these cookies and share them with the ones you love!

xo

-L

GIFT GUIDE: HAND LETTERED RECIPES

 Most thoughtful holiday gift ever! 

Etsy shop, Alyssa Makes Something, creates custom prints from your own recipes! Just send her the recipe, and she will turn it into a treasured family heirloom. You can even get a digital copy to share with the whole family or even print on tea towels- wouldn't that be cute? Her hand lettered, watercolor recipes are the sweetest (pun intended) gifts you could give. Turnaround time is 1-2 weeks for the original print and 3-4 weeks for the digital version. It's first come first serve, so get on it, people! Alyssa is a working mama just like us. We love supporting small businesses and momtrepreneurs!

I had this challah print above made for my mom. It is the BEST. The recipe is actually by our close family friend, Carol, so of course, she and her daughters are getting a print too! Carol made this challah for everyone at my wedding. Like every single table got one. Seriously. Not only do I love eating it, but I love the memories we have surrounding it. Friday nights with family and friends, eating this soft, chewy bread, spread with butter or dipped in honey... drool. Every time my mom would make challah, the whole house was filled with the smell of baking bread! That's probably my favorite smell in the whole world. That and my newborn babies. Equally delicious. 

Full recipe below.

RECIPE: 

Mom's Famous Challah

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp honey
1 pkg yeast
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 c bread flour
1 egg yolk

Dissolve 1 tsp honey in 1/2 c. warm water in large mixing bowl which has been rinsed with hot water. 

Sprinkle yeast on top, mix, let stand 10 min.
Stir in oil, 1/2 c. warm water, sugar, 1 tsp honey, salt, eggs, and 2 c. flour. Beat well. 

Stir in remaining 2 c. flour. Dough will be sticky. 

Knead 2-3 minutes with a bread hook attachment or turn onto a floured board and knead. 

Round up in greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 2 hrs. Gently put finger in top; if dough stays indented, it's finished. If it bounces back, continue to rise.

Punch down, cover, let rise again 45 min. 

Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Divide into three sections and loosely braid*, tucking in the ends. 

Cover, rise 20-30 minutes. 

Brush with beaten egg yolk and 1 tsp water. Optional: sprinkle with poppy seeds. 

Bake 400 degrees 15 min. Put a toothpick in the center of a braid and check for doneness. My mom and I like to under bake it just a tad so it doesn't dry out- we like it a tiny bit gooey but it's all to your preference.

Eat! Delicious with butter and/or honey. Perfect the next morning for french toast.

*Traditional challahs are braided in one row as shown in the watercolor print. On holidays or special occasions, it's made into a circle. I actually prefer to bake in a circle because the width is consistent all the way around and will bake more evenly.
*I used THIS hair tutorial for a 4 strand braid lol!!

I also had this recipe made for a surrogate mom, Karla, who always bakes for our family!! Her cinnamon spice bread is my FAV. You have to try it.

Alyssa killed it on these prints! On to order more......

Now stop reading and go bake these recipes!

-L

ICE CREAM SOCIAL - SIP AND SEE

My oldest friend, Rebecca, just had Ada, the sweetest little bean you ever did see! Remember her baseball themed bridal shower HERE? We had an ice cream bar then (her fav), so my mom and I went with a whole ice cream theme for her sip and see! I basically have no imagination and wanted ice cream. BTW a sip and see is a baby shower AFTER the baby is born- you sip drinks and see the baby. Get it? Might be a southern thing, I don't know!

Colors and design began with this adorable invitation by Rock Paper Scissors.

Frozen water balloons = the cuter cousin of ice cubes.

Loooove how Rock Paper Scissors designed the ice cream cup labels and cone wrappers!

DIY GIANT ICE CREAM CONES:

-honeycomb balls (here and here)

-kraft wrapping paper

-double stick tape

For the cone, follow THIS template... just eyeball it and make it giant! It's a little tricky, not gonna lie. Cut out and tape the ends of the cone together. Stick the honeycomb ball in and gently tape with double stick tape. I was laying mine flat on the table, so I didn't need to secure it well. If you're hanging them, I'd make them with the tiny honeycomb balls so they'll be lighter.

Pinwheels, plates, and napkins by Meri Meri.

It's not a party without Aunt Ellie's Campfire Crispies! This time we went with gluten free Oreo flavor. Yuuuuum.

We got these adorable scoops HERE and painted them. We're thinking about selling these little scoopity scoops painted custom in our ETSY shop- what do you think? They were perfect for ice cream toppings.

Table runner by Kitchen Papers.

I used THIS tassel tutorial and used my Silhouette for the letters.

Here's the new mama Rebecca and sweet Ada! Imagine knowing someone for your entire life, then they're in labor, and you're crying alone in your car just sitting in your driveway so your kids don't get freaked out that you're crying. Yep, that was me.

Ice cream parties are the easiest because there's no cooking or baking! Everything is store bought but looks special depending on how you display it. Sweet and simple!

-L 

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE FOR THE LADIES

Drool-worthy gifts for the ladies in your life AKA for yourself. TREAT YO SELF!

Click item name for the link:

1. SLIPPERS could you wear these out of the house? Hmmmm...

2. BANNER Our talented friend The Bannerie knows how we do. I got this for my new office!

3. LEATHER TOTE Looks like the perfect size to hold all your junk and your kiddo's inevitable change of undies.

4. TURTLENECK SWEATER Worried I'd wear this too much?? Not that worried.

5. FAUX FUR SCARF For feeling a little jazzy! How cute for a holiday party.

6. GOLD SCISSORS I just need this, okay? I'd definitely be more productive and creative.

7. LEOPARD CLUTCH Wear with jeans and a tee, or dress up with a cocktail dress!

8. DOORMAT Because you need a daily reminder.

9. CAMERA BAG Let me repeat. A camera bag!! With room for your other stuff!!! Perfection!

10. GLITTER EARRINGS Again, perfect for a holiday party or date night.

11. NECKLACE We looooove this jewelry company and everything they do.

12. CALENDAR Would love to frame these after the month is over! Gorgeous.

13. IPHONE CASE Have it. Love it. The clear design lets your phone peak through. FUN!

14. SWEATS Daily uniform, come to me!

15. AGATE BOOKENDS Wouldn't this looks look gorg on a dresser or bookshelf? 

16. NAIL POLISH Perfect for the holidays - or any time really! 

17. COFFEE CUP A mantra was never more true.

18. SCARF - Gorgeous patterns and colors. Extra big to wrap around like a vest.

19. SOCKS Cozy comfies are always a good idea.

20. FEATHER PEN To make you feel super important, even when you're writing your grocery list!

There you go! Just a small sample of some of our fav gifts out there!

::HINT HINT WINK WINK::

-L

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE FOR THE BOYS

Heeeeere we go, people! T-minus 24 days (or 15 days if you celebrate Hannukah like me) 'til Christmas! Here are my picks for the little dudes in your life. 

Click the item names below for the links:

1. ALPHA POPS: These are genius. Combining a kid's favorite food group and learning? Check. Match uppercase and lowercase letters, match colors, use for imaginative play. Yum- I mean- fun!

2. BROTHERS BANNER: Sweet little sign for bros bein' bros. Cute for a playroom or a new big brother. Love this Etsy shop- lots of rad designs!

3. KIWI CRATE: Yet another genius idea! Monthly subscriptions (3, 6, or 12 months) of creative and educational projects for kids of all ages. AKA no work for you mamas to come up with something to battle the "I'm bored's".

4. SPY GLASSES: Because every little boy wants to be a spy!

5. NINJA TURTLES WALKIE TALKIES: Duh.

6. SHARK AQUABOT: Swims in water! The only kind of pet I'm okay with right now.

7. HARRY POTTER BOOK SET: A special keepsake plus it comes in a cool trunk! You know me and my true love for Harry Potter. My husband and I passed that love onto our son. He's not quite ready to read the books, but he's seen the first movie about 50 times. This month.

8. KINETIC SAND: An OCD mother's dream come true! Sand that isn't messy! You can squeeze it, mold it, shape it, let your kiddo really experiment with it. Comes in lots of fun colors too.

9. TWIST AND DRILL: If your kid loves to pretend to play power tools as much as mine, they'll love this! The drill actually works and twists the screws in to build cars and trucks. Good for hand eye coordination and pretend play.

10. HI/BYE HAT AND GLOVES: For friendly kids to say hi and bye to everyone they pass on the street. Warm and wooly but don't put these in the dryer... been there, done that. Now Max wears them.

11. THE BOOK WITH NO PICTURES: Fun and silly and written by one of my fav comedians, B.J. Novak. I think any kiddo would get tons of giggles out of this one. 

12. STAR WARS COOKBOOK: Make ice saber popsicles. Enough said.

13. WOODEN CHESS SET: Chunky chess pieces perfect for chunky little hands with directions engraved at the bottom. A great first set for early learners.

Any gifts we missed? We'd love to know. Happy shopping!

-L

ARI'S 4TH BIRTHDAY - PIZZA PARTY!

Ari turned 4 yesterday! I cannot believe I have a four-year-old. What?! After Max's 1st birthday party last month (HERE) I was pretty spent, so it was music to my ears when Ari declared he didn't want a party! Background... he's not too into other kids his age and much prefers adults. We're working on it at preschool and with play dates, but honestly it was his birthday, so he should get to do what he wants, right? Ari's request was going to his fav pizza place, Mellow Mushroom, with just the family. So that's what we did!

I kept decoration to the bare minimum (to my standards) and just made these little pizza party hats, a pizza cake, and pizza tattoos. 

Pizza Party tattoos in our Etsy shop HERE

For the pizza cake, I just used sour straws and chocolate cheerios for the "pizza toppings". I tinted frosting red for the middle layer and yellow for the top. You guys... I totally attempted a brown crust out of frosting and failed miserably. Scraped it off and stuck with a clean yellow top! 

I thought these pizza hats turned out pretty well and were super simple! For the tutorial and more DIY party hat ideas, click HERE.

Here's my birthday boy checking out his cake sans pants.

That's a wrap! Now to move into our new home NEXT WEEK.... oy.

-L

Ari's Modern Animal Themed 2nd Birthday Party HERE, HERE, and HERE.