hot buttered rum

i don't know where you are spending your holidays,

but i'm at home in bellingham cozying up with family

and partaking in all of our usual traditions.

one of the things that always makes me feel at 

home around the holidays is some hot buttered rum :)

this year, i decided to make my own!

recipe adapted from emeril lagasse,

as shared on not without salt

ingredients

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 cups dark brown sugar

rum!

directions

1. cream together all ingredients.

2. rollup mixture with parchment or wax paper.

cover well and refrigerate or freeze for later use.

(but let's be honest, you're going to use it now, so put it in the fridge)

3. in a mug, add a tablespoon of your mixture.

top with a couple of ounces of rum and roughly half a cup of hot water.

stir until dissolved.

(feel free to tinker with this ratio to your liking) :)

4. top with some fresh grated nutmeg and ENJOY! :)

marcy & luke's wedding video :)

watch it here!!!!!!!

whistler top ten

1. a road trip!

2. amazing friends

3. playing in the snow

4. this amazing cruise director

5. whistler village

6. game nights

7. skibunnies & snowboarders

8. these amazing girls

9. our little ski in/ski out place on blackcomb

10. an all around incredible weekend :)

nutmeg & black pepper popovers

today i'm off to one of my favorite places 

in the entire world... whistler!

 a magical little ski town that always 

makes me feel like i'm at the north pole!

CANNOT WAIT!

in the meantime i'll leave you with these 

AMAZING and festive popovers.

recipe via bon appetit

ingredients

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

3 large eggs

2 1/2 cups whole milk

3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

directions

1. preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. whisk flour, parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

3. whisk eggs and milk in a large bowl until well blended.

4. gently whisk in flour mixture, 

followed by 3 tablespoons of melted butter.

(do not overmix)

5. grease muffin tin with melted butter.

pour batter into prepared tin, filling cups 3/4 full.

**the only trouble i had with this recipe was that the popovers 

got stuck on the bottom of my muffin tin. 

i used melted butter for greasing, but a 

non-stick baking spray probably would have been better!

6. bake popovers until puffed, golden brown, 

and crispy around edges, 30-35 minutes. 

using a thin knife, remove popovers from pan.

serve immediately.

brunch lately.

i love brunch.

would you be surprised if i told you i pretty much 

go out for brunch at least once every weekend?

it's one of my favorite hobbies!

it's the perfect way to start the day...

favorite people and amazing food.

YES PLEASE!

here is where i've been recently...

1. volterra

2. senor moose

3. maltby cafe

white chocolate peppermint cookies

i wish december never had to end! 

all my presents are wrapped and under the tree.

my christmas cards have been mailed.

my house is decorated.

holiday plans have been made.

now if only the season could last 4 months instead of 1! :)

recipe via food network

ingredients

• 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• *i also used some dark chocolate for the glaze*
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 teaspoons heavy cream
• 1 to 2 drops peppermint extract
• 3 or so candy canes, roughly crushed

directions

1. position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven
and preheat to 350 degrees. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

***i don't actually think the swapping of the pans
halfway through baking was necessary. if it made these again,
i would just keep the rack in the middle and check the cookies
frequently as you approach the end of the bake time.

2. place one-third of the white chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl;
microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted. set aside to cool slightly.

3. whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer
on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
eat in the melted white chocolate until smooth,
then beat in the egg and vanilla.
reduce the mixer speed to low;
add the flour mixture in 2 batches and beat until combined.
beat in half of the remaining chopped white chocolate.

4. roll heaping tablespoonfuls of dough into balls
and arrange about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
bake the cookies, switching the position of the pans halfway through,
until the edges are slightly golden, about 15 minutes.
let cool 3 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

**feel free to shorten the bake time a bit on these if you don't want a crunchy cookie**

5. make the glaze: microwave the remaining chopped white chocolate
(you can use the same bowl as before) in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted;
stir in the heavy cream, and peppermint extract to taste.
dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze and return to the rack.
sprinkle with the crushed candy cane and let set, about 1 hour.

  

these cookies got a bit too crunchy for me.

i would shorten the bake time a bit.

also, be sure to use high quality chocolate, or melting will be difficult!