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lots o' cookie recipes

With talk of the holidays and cookie party's on the brain, here's a few recipes that sounded easy and/or fabulous!

3 INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter ( I use crunchy)
1 egg
mix all 3 ingredients, make balls and roll in sugar. Press with fork.
Bake at 350 for about 9-11 minutes.
I actually triple this recipe. Everybody goes nuts for these.


CAKE MIX COOKIES
Get a box of cake mix. Any kind. Add 1/2 cup of oil and two eggs. Mix and drop on cookie sheet. Bake for 9-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

MONSTER COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
* 3 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon corn syrup
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
* 4 1/2 cups rolled oats
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 cup candy-coated milk chocolate pieces
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a very large bowl, beat the eggs.
3. Add the remaining ingredients in order, mixing well.
4. Use an ice cream scoop to put on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

MINI MUFFIN REESE’S BROWNIES
ingredients:
1 box brownie mix (nothing fancy! Dunkin Hines Chewy Fudge will work better than anything that costs twice as much)
1 bag Reeses mini peanut butter cups
Prepare brownie mix as directed on box. Spray muffin tin with Pam. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full with brownie batter. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. While brownies are baking, unwrap enough mini peanut butter cups for each muffin cup (my pan holds 24). Immediately push one peanut butter cup into each brownie. Cool in refrigerator, if possible, or if you live in Vermont, pop 'em right outside for a nano-second and you're good. To remove brownies from muffin tin, make sure they're thoroughly cooled and use a knife or spoon. They should pry out easily if you sprayed the tin well with Pam Makes around 48 mini brownie peanut buttery bite thingies.

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP SQUARES:
Prep: 30 minutes, Total: 2 hours 30 minutes
Makes 24
2 cups (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.

cute dresses

ae wrap dress: $39.50

ribbon embroidery dress from anntaylorloft.com: $89.95

Sunday finds!

my old favorite shot: (Thanks Jenn!)
GEORGIA PEACH
1 part Peach Schnapps
1 part Southern Comfort
1 part Cranberry Juice



link to hat from gap.com: $12.99

link to scarf from gap.com: $16.99

Saturday Finds

- Luv the designs from this Laguna Beach, CA letterpress studio: cotton idea studio



photographer Ute Barth's simple, beautiful photos. Link to a book of her work.


- Obsessive Consumption, a blog where the author draws picts of the purchases she makes to near obsession.


- Listography Journal: Your Life in Lists. I luv the idea of this book, being big on lists myself. You can also check out the author's website at listography.com


- Print out your own wrapping paper w/ free designs from Blueprint mag's site



- screenprinting how-to's from gigposter.com, and also some pretty amazing design.

- I luv this musical trio on name alone: The Wailin' Jenny's
- a diy on how to insert an eylet
- design*sponge's recommended business books for women

The best pumpkin pie ever!

This is my all time favorite pumpkin pie. It's easy and requires no-baking!

Ingredients:
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, softened

1 Tbsp. cold fat-free milk

1 Tbsp. sugar

1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping

1 ready-to-use reduced fat graham cracker crumb crust (6 oz.)

1 cup cold fat-free milk

1 can (16 oz.) pumpkin

2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Reduced Calorie Pudding & Pie Filling

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves ( I didn't have any last time & subsituted pumpkin pie spice)

BEAT Neufchatel cheese, 1 Tbsp. milk and sugar in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in whipped topping. Spread onto bottom of crust.

POUR 1 cup milk into medium bowl. Add pumpkin, pudding mix and spices. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. (Mixture will be thick.) Spread over Neufchatel cheese layer.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until set. Garnish with additional whipped topping, if desired. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 4 hr 20 min
Makes: 10 servings

make your own cookbook

check it out at tastebook.com. You can add personal recipies, or pull from the epicurious archives.

orangebeautiful

great design from orangebeautiful a Chicago paper goods company.

Sunday Finds!

elf super glossy lip shine set

j crew strapless wool jersey dress: $69.99

mark lip glosses: $10

freddy and ma custom handbags
ae downtown wide leg pant

ae signature bag; $9.95

ae dot lace racerback tank: $9.95

ae hoodie: $39.95

Gap strapless shirred dress: $69.50

logo from aesthetic apparatus

I luv everything these guys do! Yet another example of fab design. Also, they've just re-done their website. Definitely worth checking out. link to aesthetic apparatus

inspiration from planet propaganda

Some design work i luv from Planet Propaganda

DIY swimsuits

To say the very least, I am intrigued w/ this idea from Martha Stewart's Blueprint Magazine. The thought being you can make your own swimsuit for under $20. Check out the link and click on the slideshows to see how they're put together and what the DIY suits really look like. Link to Blueprint How To

Sunday's finds!

Sequin Clutch from Sephora: $18

Sephora Blockbuster palette: $48

Pink Train Case from Sephora: $98

Rockport Pompert: $160

BCBGirls top from bluefly.com: $36

Velvet Sashed Dress from The Gap: $69.50

Zebra Tote From Give Simple: $24

Jute Tote From Give Simple: $9.99

Personalized Stationary from Iomoi: $68 for box of 20



from now defunct mag House & Garden's feature on Gwenyth Paltrow's Hampton's House: luv this kitchen & dining room!

Storage from The Container Store

Clear Shoe Boxes from the Container Store A case only costs $34!!!!!!!

Clear Boot Box from The Container Store. $47.94 for a case of 6

Large Tribecca Boxes

Large Tribeca bins from The Container Store

Organizing Solutions for Any Home

I liked this article from Real Simple. It's got some great ideas and solutions. Below are some highlights.

Break With Tradition

(Luv this idea!) In the dining area, two tables on casters are pushed together for family dinners, pulled apart and supplied with extra chairs when more seating is called for, and rolled against the wall to hold buffet platters for large gatherings. For more intimate dinners, an electronically controlled curtain drops from ceiling to floor to separate the dining and living areas.

Room Curtain
Reproduce the effect of Lauri’s curtain with Smith + Noble’s Calypso wall- or ceiling-mounted roll-down shade in various sizes ($388 for 127 by 120 inches, www.smithandnoble.com).

Tables on Casters
Lauri designed her dining-room tables and had a furniture maker build them. She added Payson casters (from $13 each, www.paysoncasters.com for stores).

STASH IT. “I’m a big believer in cubbies,” Lauri says. “They’re great for everything, and they suggest an organizational process to kids.”

Wall Cubbies
Translucent white Cubitec shelving is available at Design Within Reach ($195 per unit, www.custominserts.com).

FILE IT.

Binders
To chronicle kids’ budding art talent, you could use simple vinyl binders from Staples (ones similar to those shown here, $7.50 each, www.staples.com) or more elegant linen-covered designs from Pina Zangaro ($19 to $23 each, Binderfinder, www.binderfinder.com).

JAR IT.

Where there are kids, there will be stuff — and lots of it, scattered everywhere. In the children’s rooms and bathrooms, Lauri keeps their precious things in containers that look good enough to be showcased on shelves and countertops. She has focused on transparent holders so the kids can find what they’re looking for with fewer “Hey, Mom’s.”

Storage Jars
Lauri’s clean-looking jars from the Container Store come in sizes from 1 to 16 ounces (90 cents to $2 each, www.containerstore.com).

Gift Wrap Organizer

I luv giving gifts, & also luv this organizer from The Container Store that you can hide away in your closet.

what I'm listening to now

Endless Road - The Right Way to Nowhere (available late 2007)

Shelby James & the Crying Shames - Cadillac Valentine (available now)