A little tapas soirée

Over the weekend, my Boston based bridesmaids threw me a bridal shower at this fabulous tapas bar in the South End. Now can I just say for a second that I have the BEST friends?! The day was beyond special- every detail- and the food was delicious. This was my third time setting foot in a tapas restaurant within 2 weeks and I realized how much I truly LOVE them. So needless to say, I hit up Pinterest for some recipes that I'm dying to try on my own and I couldn't resist sharing with you all!! Please let me know if you give one a go- or if you have any other recipes that I can't live without.

Steamed Clams in Garlic-Saffron Broth

Sweet Potato Tapas

Croquettes with Serrano Ham and Manchego Cheese

Pork Empanadas with Thyme

* All photos are courtesy of respective sites

Independence Day party prep

This time of year I can't help but to fall into the trap of thinking that everything red, white & blue is appropriate to buy, make or eat. Seriously, it's what we do in America, right?! Well in honor of the grand celebration tomorrow, I'm finding these easy summer treats pretty irresistible. If you're headed to a celebration of any kind, consider whipping one of these up...

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Whatever you end up feasting on tomorrow, may it be filled with deliciousness!!

Fruit infusion

When the warm weather hits, the last thing I want is a heavy meal. Especially now that I'm going to be a Mrs. soon, I'm looking to start a stock pile of seasonal recipes for my man {farewell to my dinners of wine and cookies} and for entertaining. As of late, I've been loving all of the recipes that rope in whole fruit for some fresh, spring flavors!

Fabulous flat breads

I've had my eye on this yummy nectarine + fresh basil + balsamic reduction pizza ever since I stumbled upon it on pinterest. Fruit on a pizza may not go over well with my man, but you better believe that I'm up for the adventure!! Perhaps this is best saved for a dinner with girlfriends... :)

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Fancy salads

What could be better on a warm evening than a good salad? This Bacon, Pear & Blueberry mix sounds like the perfect blend of sweet and savory and could be eaten solo for a light meal or paired with an entree. I'll definitely be filing this recipe away for the next barbecue I host or attend!

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Sip on sangria

Every year as we wait for the first slew of warm days, I dream of what kind of sangria will be the first of the season. Just the other week I spotted this recipe for Spring Sangria and it sounds every bit delicious! Strawberry, pineapple and citrusy flavors paired with white wine & seltzer... doesn't it sound refreshing? We might just have to give it a go this weekend!

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Do you have any fabulous recipes that combine sweet & savory? If so, please share! :)

Have a lovely long weekend!!

The sweetest of all

Happy Monday! Wow, what a weekend that was!!! How did you East Coasters all survive Nemo? It's absolutely crazy to think that I missed the ENTIRE storm {while weekending in Minnesota} and came back to the city slowly getting back into the groove of things with mounds of white lining the streets & cars buried and the subway finally up and running today. Stories of a crazy weekend will be coming for weeks, I'm sure! Things feel more wintery than ever though, and it's just in time for Valentines week! We saw this super cute & fabulously festive cheesecake over on Cooking Classy and it seems like a perfect treat to whip up while we're passing time bundled inside!!

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Do you have any fun Valentines week plans yet? Any plans to make a special dinner or craft a delicious treat to share with your most loved ones?

Cheers to Christmas & a happy 2013!

We can hardly believe that Christmas is almost here! We've been busy finishing holiday shopping, polishing up those pretty presents, spending some extra time in the kitchen getting use out of the kitchen-aid and now we're packing up to head on our way to spend time with friends and family. So as we depart, we leave you with one last delicious, Christmasy, hand-crafted cocktail recipe...

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While we won't be posting until after the New Year, we will certainly be thinking of you, wishing you the happiest Christmas yet and a very safe & sparkly celebration to ring in 2013. Cheers!!

xoxo,

Anna & Emily

Holiday fave: Eggnog!

From the moment those festive little red cups debut at Starbucks, our seasonal fixation with eggnog begins. Eggnog lattes, mistos, milkshakes, cheesecake... from November- January, we can't seem to get enough. A few years ago, I attempted to make an eggnog buttercream frosting, which turned out decently, but I'm ready and willing to give up perfecting that eggnog frosting in order to try this recipe for Eggnog Cupcakes + Spiced Rum Buttercream Frosting! LOOK OUT!!

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The downside to said obsession? When it's over, it's over... in years past, that day comes in January where we can't seem to bare the thought of consuming another eggnog flavored treat. Until then... we FEAST! If you're a fellow nog lover, we hope you try out {and enjoy} this recipe!!

Sweeten up the season

One thing I look forward to most about the holidays is the Christmas Cookie Baking day that my mom and I designate each year. The perfect time to crank up holiday tunes, sip on some cocoa & peppermint schnapps and dirty up the kitchen... and our holiday aprons! Oh sweet memories! Sadly, this year with my mom still in Seattle and me in Boston, said cookie baking day will look a little different. Even still, I'm managing to bite my lip and make a list of holiday treats I plan to bake before I head out west. Some of these are favorites and some are newbies. What are your staple holiday cookie recipes??? Please share!

{Recipes clockwise from top left: Sugar cookies; Red Velvet + peppermint whoopie pies; Outrageous chocolate cookies; Chocolate hazelnut & caramel thumbprint cookies; Stained glass trees; Candy canes; Raspberry almond linzer; Chocolate hazelnut biscotti}

Fall Fave: Vanilla Pear Cocktail

It's Friday! Hope you have some fun and festive plans for the weekend! We're continuing birthday festivities and aptly soaking up time with a dear friend who flew in from Seattle yesterday as a surprise. It's going to be a fabulous few days! As we head into the weekend, I can't resist sharing my signature birthday cocktail that I found on Two Tarts. In case you're on the hunt for some seasonal libations, this Vanilla Pear Cocktail is one you must try!

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12 oz (1.5 cups) pear juice

6 oz vodka

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

vanilla sugar, for rim

1 cup ice, plus more to serve over

Mix pear juice and vodka in a pitcher or shaker. Split open the vanilla bean, and scrape the seeds into the juice and vodka. Add 1 cup ice, then give it a good shake. Pour into cocktail glasses over more ice and serve with sugared rim. {this recipe makes 4 drinks}

Giving thanks

The fabulous thing about November is that the entire month has a vibrant undertone of THANKFULNESS. I don't know about you, but it's been so refreshing to see on Facebook and Instagram, people posting about things and people that mean the most to them. Seriously, we're just super thankful for this time of year and the opportunity to be surrounded with optimism and encouragement.

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While we're all gearing up to feast on delicious food this week, we're thankful for the opportunity to try our hand at some new recipes. We're feeling a little adventurous and determined to perfect some pies this season... and these little mason jar pies are the challenge of the week.

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And how cute are these festive pie cutters from Williams-Sonoma?! With how much we obsess over details, we think these little leaves couldn't be a cuter addition to a Thanksgiving dessert. What recipes do you have your eyes on this year??

Happy Veterans Day!

Just in case you're cozied up at home in honor of Veterans Day, we wanted to send along some inspiration for a festive brunch... or even breakfast for dinner!! Red Velvet Pancakes are guaranteed to be delicious and topping them off with blueberries and fresh whipped cream just puts them over the edge! Agh!!

 Get the recipe {here} and ENJOY!!!

Happy Veterans Day to all and a huge THANK YOU to all of those who have sacrificed so much to serve our country. We are so blessed by your service!!

For all that ails you

Now that Friday is upon us, we're super bummed to admit that round 2 for Fall colds is upon us. Ugh. I fear this will be a weekend of sweats, tissues, movies and warm bevs to soothe the throat. The silver lining however, is that THIS is the prime time to craft one of our all time favorite cold-soothing cocktails... a hot toddy.

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If you too are suffering from the Fall cold, follow these directions and drink up! Hopefully you're feeling fabulous though and have super fun plans for the weekend. We'll assume that's the case. ;)

Happy Friday!

Here's to brunch

These 4-day weeks just fly by!! Hopefully your week has been quick and painless... and now we're off to enjoy another weekend! Tomorrow in celebration of a dear friends birthday, we're going to toast to the year ahead at a ladies brunch. Brunch happens to be one of my favorite meals and I'm just rearing to indulge in all things breakfasty... including a bellini.

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If you'd like to start your Saturday or Sunday with one of these delicious White Peach + Cardemom bellini's, you'll need these ingredients:

* ½ large white peach (roughly chopped) * ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice * 1½ tablespoons sugar * 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom * Champagne * Edible gold glitter stars {obviously}

Visit Everything Fab for the specifics on how-to make & pour the perfect drink. Cheers!!

A weekend wind down

Happy Friday! What is on your to-do list for the weekend? One thing we've been dying to do is make some of the boozy popsicles on Endless Simmer, a brilliant foodie blog. Each of these mouth watering recipes read to be refreshing and are a fun way to cool down... for those of age. This one is on the top of our list:

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The recipe for peach syrup can be found here. And while on topic of popsicles, have you seen this Zoku Quick Pop Maker from Williams Sonoma? GAHH! If only we discovered this sooner... it could have changed the ENTIRE summer. This will surely be on the "Must Have" list for next summer.

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Have a lovely weekend!!

To try: white wine sangria

In our book, hot weather calls for sangria and this east coast heat wave has left us thirsty! While perusing recipes and comparing notes with friends, I was reminded of my all time favorite white sangria courtesy of Williams Sonoma. If you follow this recipe exactly, you'll end up with a dangerously delicious summer beverage... enjoy!

You'll need:

Ice cubes as needed

4 cups dry white wine

1/4 cup amaretto liqueur or apricot or peach brandy

2 Tbs. sugar

1 ripe peach, pitted and sliced

1 ripe nectarine, pitted and sliced

1 ripe apricot, pitted and sliced

1 cup pitted and sliced cherries

Mix the wine, liqueur and sugar {stir until the sugar dissolves} in a large pitcher. Add the peach, nectarine, apricot and cherries to the pitcher and stir. Let it sit for 30 minutes- 1 hour {so the fruit gets nice and juicy} and then add ice to the pitcher. Serve in chilled glasses with ice.

Fancy some french toast

Hello there and happy Friday! Today, we've got breakfast on the mind {this is not unusual} and are feeling inspired to try a new recipe tomorrow morning. While searching our favorite food blogs and scouring for some irresistible photos, we stumbled upon these delectable breakfast treats that are making the mouth water. French toast has always been a fave, but now that we're older and much more... ummm, sophisticated {?}, the standard french toast can leave much to be desired. Are we alone in this?!? Anyone? Well, here are a few from our "must try" list, in case you'd like to join us in this adventure:

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Have we created a monster?! Perhaps breakfast for dinner is in order... :) Happy weekending!!

*All photos are from respective sites, linked below

Riesling strawberry slushy

You know when you're surfing Pinterest and then bump into something so mind-blowing that you freeze and stare... you picture your life with that something... and then, you get that burst of urgency to wipe away your plans for the remainder of the day to go buy or make that thing?! Yep, we suffered from this scenario just the other day and here's the culprit: A Riesling Strawberry Slushy.

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In this case, life might in fact be better while sipping on this fruity, boozy cooler. Join us in trying it this weekend? :) Happy Friday, lovelies!!!