I Heart Cocoa

Last week it finally got cold enough for me to have my first cup of hot cocoa of the fall. This is one of my favorite guilty pleasures during the colder months (or cold spring/summer nights camping). Last year, Bethany and I even had a blind hot cocoa taste-test, where we unbiasedly selected a packet of Swiss Miss as the tastiest just-add-water cocoa against two other name brands. Yeah – we know we’re dorks.

Anyway, I finally got around to flipping through my Williams-Sonoma catalog and found myself zoned out on a two-page spread dedicated to this chocolaty treat. Yumms!!  I want to buy the Froth & Pour Hot Choclate Pot this year. At $30 it's not a tough sell.

I love most anything Ghirardelli (turtle brownies anyone?!). Whenever possible milk and cream should be used to make hot cocoa. If you're mixing this up at the office, try adding 2-3 creamers after the hot water. Fluff is a great addition but can be tricky to eat. Mini marshmallows = no brainer, if you've got'em then use'em. Whip cream, whatever kind you like, is also a welcome addition.

- Kate

Fall Food: SOUP for you!

The briskness in the air warranted cravings for soup at my house tonight.  I adapted an old Bon Appetit recipe to include sausage and nixed the gravlax for a more fall-feel.  It's super simple and pretty quick, but here are a couple of small changes to include the sausage:

Brown the sausage in either butter or olive oil before you soften the leeks and fennel.  Remove the sausage and set aside, and use the pan drippings to saute the leeks and fennel later.  (I  used apple sausage from the farmers market - just made the day before from a local farm and it was awesome.  Would also work well with any kind of flavored sausage like sage or Italian. )  Continue on with the recipe, and add sausage after you've blended the ingredients together so that your sausage doesn't have the consistency of applesauce and you can get a spoonful of meat with each bite.


As for the potatoes, I didn't have Russet potatoes so I used a "medley" I had from Trader Joe's that included purple potatoes, red potatoes and fingerlings.  It worked just as well.


I used an immersion blender because the recipe said it would work better, but I think you'd have more control with a blender or Cuisinart. I like more "chunk" and less puree for this soup.


We skipped the croutons in favor of some crunchy bread.  I had some ciabatta rolls which I cut in half and spread butter over.  Add a sprinkle of Asiago and Parmesan cheese over top and place in toaster oven until crispy.  You can cube them and use as croutons or as bread on the side.


Enjoy and stay warm, ladies and gents!


-Bethany

Recipe: Summer Chickpea Salad

One of our blogger inspirations, Lauren from Pure Style Home, offered up this fabulous recipe a few months ago and I became a fast-fan.  I supplement dried chickpeas (and revive them by soaking) to counter the salt content in the canned variety but you can play around with it however you want. The paprika and capers really make this salad and with all the fresh tomatoes going on right, it is fab. As Lauren said, trust me - it's great!  

Here's a link to Lauren's recipe and while you're there, check out her blog.  She's local :)

-Bethany

Favorite Finds: Reader's Choice

Hello all! Today I was just spending a bit of time wandering aimlessly through the shops on Etsy.com. Of course I was finding loads of stuff that I’ve convinced myself I must have or must but for someone I know. Following is a collection of items that I love. We’d love to see your favorite etsy items. So… comment with a link and tell us why it’s your favorite find.

Letterpress Recipe Cards and Recipe Box
Mustard and Black Spaghetti Strap Cocktail Dress
Coral Hued Stone with Gold Bead Accent Necklace
Three Big Birch Trees – Wall Decals
Large Wood Letter K
Ginko Mustard – Decorative Cushion Cover

Kate