My Favorite Things, Part II

Last night Shaun and I decorated our Christmas tree and we are so happy with the outcome! I will post pics later on or tomorrow!

Meanwhile, as the countdown to Christmas continues, I'm dreaming about some more great gifts that I'd love to find under the tree this year!

I said it last year and I'll say it again. I love all of the Anthropologie aprons! I have one,  yet it's not enough. These aprons are so pretty and frilly that they look like actual dresses! Talk about cooking in style.

Since I'm all about cupcakes, and always, always, always make a mess when transporting them to the muffin tins, I'm completely smitten with this cupcake batter dispenser! What will they think of next?

And while we on the subject of cupcakes, our friends Kristen and Ryan gifted me with this sweet cupcake plunger when they saw it and thought of me and my baking. How sweet and thoughtful is that? After my Dexter cupcake spackling debacle, this is the perfect way to fill those cupcakes quickly and easily!

 

This adorable sushi set is such a fun way to enjoy sushi at home! Who needs those wooden chopsticks that break when you pull 'em apart?

I'm a sucker for warm beverages, and even more so for cute vehicles for said warm beverages. I mean, can you look at these and not smile? Try it. You can't.

Though I'm going to try and DIY my own this weekend, how fun are these marshmallow pops? I wish I had these for lunch today.

That's it for today. What's tickling your fancy this holiday season?

My Favorite Things, Part I

Want to contribute your favorite cookie recipe to our  Virtual Cookie Swap? Email them on over (with photo, please!) to theavidappetite [at] gmail [dot] com, we'll start posting them as they roll in!

Since I'm not doing an official gift guide this year as my research time has been spent on cookies galore, I thought it might be fun to round up some of my favorite things that I've received in Christmases past or things that I would be thrilled to open on Christmas morning! Though not all things are food related, they are gifts that I love - either for function, thoughtfulness or both! Here's a few to start off with...

First up, magazines. Though I like mine of the food variety, any subscription to a glossy magazine is a great gift that really does keep on giving. Am I the only one who get unnaturally happy with excitement when they pop up in my mailbox each month? Currently, I have Food Network & Real Simple, but am always scouring for new ones!

 

Though they may be overdone (apparently there are glitter ones now?!), I can't help but continue to obsess over my Kona Uggs which have lasted me through 4 winters and are still going strong. As opposed to the original Ugg style (which I also own in red), these guys actually offer support for the tootsies while keeping 'em warm.

My kitchen wouldn't be complete without my set of mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons. While any set will do, I have a Williams-Sonoma set that I Love oh-so-much in a pale green color (though all I could find online are red, for which I also tend to have a penchant!):

 

Last Christmas, my sister Kimberly gave me a few of "The Classics" including Sense & Sensibility and Great Expectations. They have been published in fancy schmancy hard cover editions which really brighten up my bookcase. I absolutely love this since I haven't read many of these but feel it's necessary to co-exist in society. Know what I mean? Anyhow, I think it's a great gift for any readers in your life!

A great stocking stuffer that Shaun once received from my parents was a boatload of spices and a spider utensil. Since Shaun loves to deep fry tortilla chips, the spider really comes in handy for fishing 'em out, which the spices keep them deliciously seasoned. Oh and the giant containers are still going strong in our spice cabinet.

 

A cute puppy. A mere 14 years ago, this little cutie pie joined the Cannon family on Christmas Eve. Can you think of a better gift to find under your Christmas tree?

It's especially cute when you hide a t-r-e-a-t inside her stocking for said pup to find...

So there you have it. Part 1 of our fun gift round up. Since I have many more gifts that have tickled my fancy, I'll continue to post more things in the coming days. But what I really want to know is: What are some of the best holiday gifts that you've received?

Cookie Swap: Almond Sweets

If you want to try my holiday sweets, be sure to head over to Carrots 'n Cake this morning where you can bid on my - and many more bloggers' - baked goods for a great cause!

It's flurrying here in Manhattan this morning, and there really isn't anything better. This weekend, Shaun and I got our Christmas tree! Though the decorating is still a work in progress, I'm happy to say that it's up and almost fully lit. Though Christmas tree hunting in an urban area isn't quite the Griswold Family Christmas, we still had a blast! For the past three years, we've gotten our trees at 14th Street Garden Center in Jersey City - classically located just outside the Holland Tunnel. We highly recommend this nursery if you live in the area. We got a nice sized tree and snapped up a poinsettia to boot. Here's Shaun scanning the aisles:

Once the tree is completely decorated, I'll share a pic with you! Meanwhile, I got to baking yesterday. Though I'll be baking with my mom (stay tuned for lots of recipes and ideas for holiday baking!), I just couldn't wait to try some out on my own and share a recipe for our virtual cookie swap! After scouring many cookie books and magazines, I chose to start with Almond Sweets, a crumbly Italian cookie ball coated with sweet almond frosting. Oooooh mama.

Though the frosting is very sweet, the cookie is hardly sweet at all, making it the perfect cookie balance. And have I ever told you of my obsession with extracts, particularly almond? I really just cannot get enough of the pure and delightful scents of extracts and Shaun will sometimes find me just sniffing them while I bake. Please don't judge me.

Anyhow, the point is that these sweet treats are delicious and super simple to boot. So try them. Immediately.

Almond Sweets
*Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens 100 Best Cookies
Makes 60 cookies
For the cookies:
3 C all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C cooking oil
1 tsp vanilla
For the almond icing:
1 C confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
2 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, oil and vanilla.

Beat in the flour. Once combined, roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, frost 'em!

To make the frosting, mix or whisk together the sugar, extract and milk until completely combined and no lumps. Frost and coat with sprinkles. Note: Since the frosting hardens very quickly, I added sprinkles after every third cookie that I frosted. Any more than that and it was too late! Instead of the sprinkles sticking, they merely bounced off the top of the cookie.

Luckily, since sprinkles are of the utmost importance to me, I learned my lesson quickly so I could end up with treats that look like this:

 

Say it with me...mmmm. So there you have it. My first recipe for the virtual cookie swap! What do you think? Do you already have your bake on this holiday season? If so, what have you been up to? And bonus question: Do you also have a weakness in the kitchen that you'd rather not share with the world (but will anyway, since I told you mine!)?

For more cookie ideas, check out our Cookie Swap page!