Festive Friday - Part IV

Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas to you ALL!

Christmas is a time for celebration, love & traditions. My mom's mom use to make the most amazing Red Velvet Cake during the Christmas season.
it is the BEST red velvet recipe i have ever tasted. i miss her daily but little things like this keep her alive in our hearts!

ENJOY!

Janet's Red Cake Recipe

CAKE
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup red food coloring
1 1/2 tablespoon cocoa
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cup flour (not self rising)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream shortening & sugar. Add eggs and beat. Make paste of food coloring & cocoa. Add to batter. Add flour, salt and buttermilk, alternately. Add vanilla, mix baking soda and vinegar and blend into batter. Bake in 3 greased 9" layer pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Put together with filling.

FILLING
5 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 pound butter
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Warm milk and mix it with flour to make a paste like heavy starch. Add sugar and vanilla to flour/milk. Mix. Beat in butter and continue to beat till consistency of whipped cream. Frost between layers and on top. Not on sides.

Wishing you & yours an incredible Christmas Day.
Remember to love the ones you are with & cherish the moments we have together!

xoxo

Let it Snow, Let is Snow, Let it Snow!

DAY 1 with DK

danny & kristen headed home yesterday. as ALWAYS we had a fantastic time with them. they arrived early saturday morning (they took the red eye) & we started our day with a tasty breakfast.

we picked up the pups from their bath & headed to...

this was D's first time in NY & K's second time.

the park changes so much from week to week or day to day depending on the weather!

we wanted to get on with the day so we snagged a cab and
headed back to our place to drop the pups!

we headed down to Chinatown & Little Italy for some shopping and lunch.
there was a parade in the street...it had started to SNOW!

a yummy lunch in little italy!

remember our finished tree post? well, that was the first night with DK. Snacks, a fire & snow!
here are the pups experiencing snow for the very first time.

abs exploring. she seems to like it.

heading down to the river.

poolside went snowside

i promise there is WAY more to come! we were busy bees while they were here.
Happy Christmas Eve!
xoxo

DK in NYC!

they have arrived and we are having a blast. but, i also made a promise to you faithful blog readers to post a finished photo of our tree. to make up for keeping you patiently waiting, i am bringing you a few snaps of our tree.

the first night DK was here it snowed, snowed & snowed! we made the house feel festive with a fire, as we enjoyed watching the snow swirl around outside. we did head down to the river around 10pm to take in ALL the snow!

this adorable "D" ornament was a super sweet gift from Andrea, Evan & Gav.

they always give the most thoughtful gifts.

i didn't even think to buy an ornament for our first year married...

so thank you guys for doing it for us!

we made some tasty treats to chomp down on and...

fresh apple cider!

oh & the snow!! it was A.MAZ.ING!

we have been busy. trust me, we have a lot more photos of the snow & the rest of our trip! we have already taken over 500 pictures. we have a lot to pick from!

the countdown is on to Christmas!! are you ready?

Festive Friday - Part III

and we are back. barely. tonight, in honor of my hair, i bring you white chocolate-gingerbread blondies! no i have never made them & i don't know if i will. but, i liked the name & they look pretty tasty. maybe in January when i am bored out of my mind because it is so cold.

here is what you need

Ingredients

Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch squares

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
• 10 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

and here is how you make them...

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 17-by-12-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment cut to fit, and coat parchment. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
2. Beat butter and brown and granulated sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in white chocolate.
3. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 2-inch squares or desired shape. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

i know that i still owe you finished pictures of our tree. i will take care of that this weekend. oh & i cannot wait for our Christmas Festive Friday. it is such a special, special recipe to our family. thank you mama for the idea. it is perfection & i cannot wait to share it.

can you believe Christmas is a week away?

this year December has flown by!