Pile of Shingles

This is the 4th year that I've participated in the Salted Cookie swap. One of the benefits of the swap is that you end up with a pile of new recipes across all the participants.... but each year I'm still finding myself searching the internet for inspiration. I had never made the biscotti before but had heard it was very easy. I also felt like it was going to be very shipping friendly. I do love the challenge of making macarons but have never felt comfortable shipping them. Macarons are left for local friends. End result? Biscotti is very easy to make. You might be initially thrown by how dry the dough looks but have faith. It will work out.   Previous swaps:  salted brownie cookies  (2020),  peppermint meringues  (2019),  matcha green tea cookies  (2018)   DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven 375°F. Whisk the 4 eggs with the sugar until they become light and fluffy. Use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer for better results. Add the zest of 3 oranges, honey, baking powder, dark ch...

These cookies might be some of the best I've ever made. They are so delicious. I've previously made other miso cookies - but took this recipe up a notch. I had a strong craving for a big, warm, fresh from the oven chocolate chip cookie last night. But I didn't want just any cookie, I kept thinking of the Chick Fil A cookies. They are wonderful. Great balance of chewy and chocolate and structure. While I have never looked up the recipe, I think there is just a bit of rolled oats in the Chick Fil A cookies. So, after finishing my last work meeting for the day at 7:30... I quickly whipped together these miso chocolate chip cookies. But what made them different? ONE - I super whipped the sugar and butter combo so that it was extra extra light and airy. You'll know you've gone far enough when the batter lightens up in color. I'm almost not sure you can over mix at this point. A true baker might disagree though.... TWO - To be honest, I did not measure the exact amou...

Life is too easy. I clearly don't have enough going on, so I've decided to also try and freshen up my front room. This space has been on my radar for a long time. I'm a big front door person, so this is literally the first thing people see in my house. And it's just not that great.  But it has a lot of potential. Because of the obvious other projects happening (ahem - garage project)... there are a couple drivers in this project: try to limit the scope to something reasonable try to keep the budget low try to not DIY everything So, I'm kicking off this space for the next 8 weeks as part of the One Room Challenge. Design Intentions: My goal is for this to not seem like a nothing space.  This is a 1900s beach house, so it was the "parlor". I'd like to just feel proud and that it doesn't look like a dumping ground. It might not get used a whole lot because it is a little weird but I need it to just be better than it is :-) There is nothing tying anyth...

One month in ... and lots of progress has been made. We've got all the framing done (I think), the roofing laid out, and just need to make it actually livable. So, electrical, plumbing, insulation, drywall, windows, shingles, and doors. Pretty much nothing left to do. In real life when you compare the pictures from one week to the next, this week might not actually look like that big of a jump - but it did take a lot of thinking to figure out the mudroom roof layout. I feel like in the blink of an eye it could look like a real garage. what happened this week: - more kitchenette design talk - roof went on the new mudroom - talked to the patio guy about doing the granite steps for the new mudroom entry - took advantage of the Wayfair Wayday Sale - 2nd floor got framed out - windows arrived! Kitchenette talk - more to come on this. I connected with my sister's friend who runs a custom woodworking business out of Rhode Island called Riveted Woodworking . Truly trying to find the b...