Our Valentine's Day Dinner Plan

Butternut squash, mushroom and fontina nachos with crispy sage by How Sweet It Is

While most years Ryan and I have looked at Valentine's Day as another opportunity to get dressed up and spend a night on the town, ever since moving into our new house we have slowly started transitioning into total homebodies. Maybe it's the fact that it's been so cold outside and our fireplaces, cozy blankets, and cuddly pup make our home feel that much more cozy, but to be honest, there's nowhere we would rather be than our little yellow cottage!

So this year for Valentine's Day we will be staying in, opening a bottle of wine from our last trip to Italy, and making dinner together. Thanks to my vegetarian diet plus the fact that our wedding is just a little more than six months away, we have been eating very, very healthy. We decided to ignore the wedding diet for the evening and instead have indulgent night of comfort food. As an afternoon snack we're going to have butternut squash, mushroom and fontina nachos with crispy sage. For dinner, a simple salmon filet roasted with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper, John Legend's famous macaroni and cheese, and roasted carrots and onions with fennel and mint. And last but not least, homemade chocolate cupcakes with sea salt buttercream. A cozy night at home with Ryan, Yoda, and some delicious food? I can't imagine anything better!

Recipe :: Fall Leaf Cookies

One of my favorite family traditions is my annual trip home to Oakwood, OH every autumn to make Fall Leaf Cookies with my mom.  I have fond memories of sitting together in the kitchen after school, sipping hot cocoa and decorating dozens upon dozens of cookies.  Over the past twenty years we have tweaked the recipe several times and thankfully my technique has improved a bit {I can only imagine my first attempts as a six-year-old looked more like a messy art project than vibrant autumnal leaves}.  The best part about these cookies, asides from how delicious they are, is that while they look quite impressive are actually incredibly easy!

Recipe :: Thomas Keller Oreos

One experience that is high on my bucket list: eating and drinking my way through California's Wine Country.  When I do, I will most definitely be visiting Thomas Keller's famed The French Laundry for dinner and stopping by his Bouchon Bakery {at least once} for breakfast.  Knowing this, my best friends mom bought me a signed copy of Keller's beautiful Bouchon Bakery cookbook for my birthday last year.  I spent hours just flipping through the amazing photos and reading about Keller's life.  However, his recipes are very, very detailed and complex...so for the past 9 months it has remained unused as I was honestly extremely intimidated to dive it.  But, after our trip to NYC this past Christmas and visiting Bouchon first hand, I realized how unbelievably amazing his treats were and knew I had to give one of them a shot.  So, I decided to take a stab at my favorite treat, his famed TKOs {aka Thomas Keller Oreos}.  

The chocolate shortbread cookies themselves turned out absolutely fantastic.  Seriously, you know a cookie is going to be good when you are literally nauseated by consuming so. much. dough.  The creme was made with a white chocolate ganache, and to be honest, didn't turn out quite as I had planned.  I am absolutely sure that this was due to a mistake on my end {I didn't have quite the right amount of white chocolate, wasn't able to weigh my ingredients, etc.}, because if you read the reviews on Amazon it is clear that Keller is a genius and his recipes {if followed correctly} are foolproof.  It was my first take at ganache so I expected that it wouldn't turn out quite perfect.  But, trust me...if made correctly these babies are unstoppable!

PS - If you haven't entered to win a gorgeous print of your choice from Hannah Gentiles, don't forget to do so here!

TKOs {recipe via The Bouchon Bakery Cookbook}

WHITE CHOCOLATE FILLING

4.4 ounces (125 grams) white chocolate, chopped

0.5 ounces (15 grams) unsalted butter

1/2 cup + 1 teaspoon (125 grams) heavy cream

CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD

1 3/4 cups + 1 1/2 tablespoons (259 grams) all-purpose flour

1 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons (87 grams) unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder

3/8 teaspoon (1.6 grams) baking soda

8 ounces (227 grams) unsalted butter

2 teaspoons (6 grams) kosher salt

3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (161 grams) granulated sugar

3 inch fluted cookie cutter {I used this}

Pastry bag with a *recommended* 3/16-inch plain tip

FOR THE FILLING

Melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring constantly.  Meanwhile, bring the cream to just under a simmer.  Pour the cream over the melted chocolate and whisk to combine.  Pour into a container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to 1 day, until completely chilled.

FOR THE SHORTBREAD

Place the fliur in a medium bowl, sift in the cocoa and baking soda, and whisk to combine.  Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment.  Turn to medium-low speed and mix until smooth.  Add the salt and mix for another 15-30 seconds.  Add the sugar and mix for about 2 minutes, until fluffy.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Add the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing on low speed for 15-30 seconds after each, or just until combined, then mix until the dough begins to come together.  

Mound the dough on the work surface and, using the heel of your hand or a pastry scraped, push it go ether into a square block.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until firm.  (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month).

Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

Unwrap the dough and place it between two pieces of plastic wrap.  With a rolling pin, pound or roll out the dough to flatten it, turning at 90 degree angles frequently (to prevent the dough from cracking as it's rolled).  Roll out to a 1/8-inch-thick sheet.

Using the fluted cutter, cut rounds from the dough.  If necessary, push the trimmings together, refrigerate until firm, and reroll for a total of 16 rounds.  If the dough softens, return to the refrigerator until the cookies are firm.  Arrange the rounds on the pans with about /4 inch between them.

Bake for 15-17 min, turning the pans around halfway through, until the cookies are fragrant with small cracks on the surface (because the cookies are so dark, it can be difficult to tell when they are done).  Set the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 5 - 10 minutes, then transfer cookies to the rack to cool completely.

TO ASSEMBLE

Place the filling in a bowl and beat until smooth.  Transfer to the pastry bag.  Turn half of the cookies over.  Pipe 1/2-inch long teardrops in a ring on each one, beginning 1/8 inch from the edges of the cookie, and then working toward the center to cover the cookie.  Top each with a second cookie and press gently to sandwich the cookies.  Enjoy!

Recipe :: Blackberry Lavender Scones

I remember being a little girl and my mom asking me to go out into the garden to pick some fresh rosemary for dinner.  Walking barefoot through the yard, I stopped to smell my favorite flowers and wander through the herb garden.  After a few tries I found the rosemary and ran inside to give it to my mom for the dish she was making.  As we sat down for dinner we bit into the tender grilled chicken and noticed it had a rather unique, floral flavor.  It was then my mom realized that I had grabbed the lavender, not rosemary, and subsequently one of my favorite childhood dishes, "Lavender Chicken," was created.

Years later, although I have finally learned the difference between rosemary and lavender, I still am drawn to the fragrant aroma of lavender.  While it may not be for everyone, I absolutely love the flavor and depth it brings to a recipe - especially baked goods.  So today I will be sharing with you one of my favorite scone recipes from Joy the Baker that I first made last year on Mother's Day.  This recipe can be adapted numerous ways, I am envisioning lemon poppy seed, strawberry rose petal, raspberry dark chocolate...the list goes on and on.  Enjoy!

Blackberry Lavender Scones {recipe via Joy the Baker}
Makes 10-12 large scones

INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon dried lavender
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
1 cup fresh blackberries
1 beaten egg and granulated sugar for sprinkling on top before baking

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, lavender, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Cut in butter (using your fingers or a pastry cutter) until mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Work the butter into the dry ingredients until some of the butter flakes are the size of peas and some are the size of oat flakes.  

In another bowl, combine egg and buttermilk and beat lightly with a fork.  Add to flour mixture all at once, stirring enough to make a soft dough.  Fold in the blackberries.

Turn out onto a floured board and knead about 15 times.  Roll or pat out into a 1-inch thickness.  Cut into 2-inch rounds using a round cutter or cut into 2×2-inch squares.  Reshape and roll dough to create more scones with excess scraps.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet.  Brush lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Serve warm.  Scones are best the day they’re made, and though they can be frozen and lightly reheated in the oven if you need a future treat.

Recipe :: Fall Leaf Cookies

Today I am very excited to share with you my favorite family tradition.  My mom and I have been making these cookies {recipe from a 1993 issue of Martha Stewart Living} since I was in first grade.  Twenty years later we have made them together every year, minus one {sorry Mom!}  These leaf cookies are always a crowd pleaser, I swear every year I make them people tell me I should open up my own bakery.  The best part about them is while they are quite impressive to look at they are so so so easy {I know a lot of people say that, but in this case it really is true}!  

Fall Leaf Cookies

Makes approximately 40 large cookies, 60 small

COOKIES (Recipe via)

6 egg yolks

4 eggs

2 cups butter, softened

2 1/8 cups white sugar

7 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each.  Add the vanilla.  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt - stir into sugar mixture.  Cover dough and chill for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).  Grease cookie sheets or cover with parchment paper.  On a floured surface roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick and cut into desired shapes using leaf cookie cutters.  Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven.  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

ICING {Recipe via}

6 cups sifted confectioners sugar

6 large egg whites (we use powdered whites, just to be safe)

Almond extract to taste

Food coloring

Put sugar in a mixing bowl.  With the mixer running slowly add the egg whites, allowing sugar to absorb them.  Add just enough egg whites to get a smooth, slightly liquid consistency (you may not need all 6).  Add almond extract and mix well.

Divide icing into small bowls and add food coloring as desired (we typically make red, yellow, green, and orange for these cookies).

ASSEMBLY

We love to play around when decorating these cookies, and since the icing is a nice, smooth consistency it allows us to swirl the icing to create a veiny or ombre-esque effect.  

To create our "standard" cookie as photographed below, I typically spread one color on one side and a different on the other, leaving about a quarter inch in the center bare.  Using a toothpick add a third color to the center of the cookie.  Make sure you use enough icing so all of the colors are easy to swirl and work with.  With your toothpick, lightly "pull" the center color through each side, creating the look of veins.  Continue until you have reached the desired effect. 

Let dry, and watch your friends be amazed!