Welp, the holidays and wintery weather have descended upon us (read: my entire house has come down with some terrible, no good, very bad cold). My recovery game plan? A whole week of hearty soups. I’m making their benefits twofold by making double batches of each and freezing extras for the crazy weeks ahead.
For as long as I can remember, peanut butter blossoms have been a given at my family’s annual cookie swap. Showered with a light layer of crunchy sugar and filled with a signature chocolate kiss at the center, I could always count on them to be nestled amongst all the Christmas cookie classics. This year I’m bringing a spiced twist to the spread. It’s everything you’d expect from peanut butter kiss cookies, with a subtle hint of warm cinnamon.
While you dream of having a commercial-grade, high-end oven, what you’ve likely got is whatever cheap oven your landlord purchased 700 years ago. Sure, you can turn the dial to your desired temperature, but you know from experience (and many batches of burned cookies) that you can’t trust that thing. That’s why it’s absolutely essential to have an oven thermometer, like this trusty one from Rubbermaid.
Itty bitty means you can eat more than a few of these brownie bites and no one will take a second glance. That’s exactly the kind of treat we like to feature on our cookie plates and holiday dessert spreads. These are especially awesome because they also happen to be gluten-free, thanks to the exclusive use of almond flour. Almond flour makes treats extra fudgy and moist, like your favorite flourless cake, but in perfect two-bite portions.
I’m all about storing things based on how I use them. For example, I keep all of my coffee and tea things together, my cooking oils and vinegars on the same shelf, and my baking items all grouped together. I have always been pretty impressed with myself — and then I found one simple hack that made me feel a little silly. It was so simple and yet, I had never thought of it or seen it before.
Here’s a hint: It involves temporary hooks and canisters.
Now that the weather has turned from chilly to cold and the holidays are approaching, it’s officially time to break out your stockpot and roasting pan. Just the idea of a savory something simmering in the oven or on the stove all day is enough to warm your bones! Unfortunately, it only takes a little recipe miscalculation or a slightly longer cook time to end up with a scorched pan — and those caked-on burnt bits are notoriously hard to get off.
Before you break out the big guns, keep this in mind: Depending on what your pan is made of (most of the ones on the market are made of stainless steel, enameled cast iron, or aluminum with or without a nonstick coating), you can damage it if you use a too-scratchy scrubber like steel wool or an ultra-strong cleanser. So start with the gentlest possible fix and work your way up to something stronger only if necessary.
Here are a few methods you can try to remove those burnt bits from a scorched pan.
Rich, tender challah bread is a treat on any day, but the distinctive braiding of the loaf might be something you’re not quite ready to tackle. Instead, try these pull-apart challah rolls that are tender, rich with eggs, and baked in a regular baking dish.
Don’t be deceived by their pretty appearance; there’s actually no braiding involved when forming the rolls. In fact, if you can tie a knot, you can make these soft and pillowy rolls!
Toffee is one of the best holiday gifts you can give friends, family, and yourself! It can be made in advance, and one batch makes a lot but you only need a small piece of the crisp, rich, chocolate-y treat to be satisfied. All you have to do is cook butter and sugar together into a buttery caramel, then let it cool with a layer of melted deep, dark chocolate and toasty almonds on top until you can break it into beautiful shards. As someone who grew up buying Almond Roca as a treat, this homemade version is loads better and a welcome addition to a holiday dessert table or cookie plate.
Nothing justifies a big splurge on a pricey item you’ve had your eye on like a Cyber Monday sale. But even at a steep discount, some Cyber Monday deals can still cost you a pretty penny. We get it.
And while we highlighted an awesome Vitamix blender as an incredible Cyber Monday deal (marked down 46 percent from an original price of $550!), we’re also highlighting this Blendtec blender, which is significantly cheaper and has a lot of similar features as the higher-end Vitamix.
Look, I love The Container Store. I could spend hours wandering the aisles thinking about which bins would be just the right size for my many disorganized zones. But sometimes their idea of how organized I could possibly be is so far off from my reality that I have to chuckle. Take this pantry, for instance: It’s modeling an elfa pantry kit that comes with all the shelves, brackets, and accessories you need to replicate this pantry in your home. But when I see this pantry, I don’t think about how it would work in my home — I mainly wonder, who has this many cake stands?
Once I get past the many pastel-hued serving pieces and enviable square footage, there are actually lots of good lessons to steal from this configuration. Even if the whole thing isn’t realistic for you either, try incorporating some of these tips to make your own pantry just a little bit better.