Happy Monday lovebugs,
If you haven't already left home for home with the fam, you're going to need the perfect travel outfit. Fear not, I've got you covered. Comfort for delays, style for sitting next to that unexpected hunk of man, and layers for the undeniable climate changes inside whatever mode of transportation you will be enjoying.
Happy Friday! Here are my favorite recipes this week. Merry Berry Christmas, Sugar c/o Southern Living
Ingredients
5 fresh raspberries
4 fresh blueberries
2 fresh blackberries
1 1/2 tablespoonslight agave nectar
5 fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoonsfresh lime juice
1 cupcrushed ice
6 tablespoonswater
2 tablespoonsginger ale
Directions
Muddle 5 fresh raspberries, blueberries, 2 fresh blackberries, light agave nectar, mint leaves, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Stir in crushed ice and water. Cover with lid, and shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled (7 to 10 seconds). Pour mixture into a 16-oz. glass, and top with ginger ale. Garnish, if desired.
1½ - 2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (most of the fat cut and discarded)
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
5 tbsp. honey
4 cloves of garlic, minced
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 8x8" oven-proof pan with 2 layers of tin foil. I HIGHLY advise using foil in this dish because soy sauce & honey are STICKY and tend to adhere heavily on glass dishes when cooked at high temperatures. Unless you want to be scrubbing forever, use the foil!
In small bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ground ginger, and pepper.
Place the chicken thighs in the foil layered pan then pour the mixture on top of it. Turn the chicken around in the sauce to make sure it gets all coated.
Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the tops are not browning too quickly. If they are, cover with foil and resume baking until chicken is done.
Remove from oven and let chicken sit for 5 minutes then transfer to a plate. Do NOT discard the liquid.
Immediately after plating chicken, pour sauce over top of chicken. It's delicious so you want all the sauce you can get!
Serve with white or brown rice and some steamed veggies.
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
½ cup white chocolate chunks
For the Frosting:
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup white chocolate, melted
Directions
To make cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour three 9-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment and grease parchment.
In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined. Beat in vanilla and peppermint extract. Add ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add half of the buttermilk then ½ of the remaining flour, then the rest of the milk and the rest of the flour, beating well after each addition. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the white chocolate into the batter until well combined.
Divide the batter evenly into the prepared baking pans. Bake cakes until the center springs back when touched and a tester comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Let cakes cool in pan for at least 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
To make frosting:
Whip butter for 6 minutes on medium speed using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer. The butter will become pale and creamy.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Then increase speed to medium and mix for 6 minutes until the frosting is very light, creamy and fluffy. (Optional: color a cup of the frosting with one or two drops of pink food coloring. Use this to fill the cake).
To assemble:
Place one layer of cooled cake on a cake plate. Spread about ½ cup to a cup of frosting on top of the first layer. Place another cake layer on top of frosting. Top with more frosting and spread evenly. Finally top with the last cake later. Spread frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Smooth frosting and decorate as desired. Top cake with peppermint meringue cookies.
Ok lovebugs, it's been a long week and it's time for some comfy class. I'm talking about velvet. I love velvet in December because it's dressy or casual. This fabric is perfect for winter and especially the holiday season. Let's look at some great velvet pant options.
I love Loft pants. You can throw them in the wash, you can wear them to work, you can wear them for play. They work for everything and they hold up for years.
Let's talk footwear inspired by men. Brogues to be exact. The Brogue shoe has some history: it is a style of low-heeled shoe or boot traditionally characterised by multiple-piece, sturdy leather uppers with decorative perforations (or "broguing") and serration along the pieces' visible edges. [Source] I love these shoes because they're functional, masculine, and preppy. Let's look at some options.
And for something a bit different but still on major sale, these no lace beauties.
I really like the brogue trend because it injects some masculinity into your look but you can play off it and wear a big bow top or a very feminine necklace to balance it out.
