scenes from home

1. cozy blanket and a book
2. stacked wood
3. christmas reads
4. red barn
5. blue skies in brooklyn
6. snowed in at my parents' house
7. drew and i on christmas
8. one of my favorite stores
9. dad's plants
10. best friends reunion in nyc
11. allie and i
12. morning walk with drew
13. tree at larry lawrence
14. planning on never leaving my kitchen again

three-ingredient peanut butter cookies

if you're still looking for a holiday cookie recipe, i'm popping in today to give you a quick and easy one! i whipped these up last minute before going to a christmas party (and they were eaten shortly thereafter, hence the lack of a picture). i made some as regular cookies, and some with hershey kisses in the middle for peanut butter blossoms. they're delicious either way.

three-ingredient peanut butter cookies (makes about 2 dozen)

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar (plus extra for rolling cookies in)
2 eggs

preheat oven to 350 degrees f. mix peanut butter, sugar and eggs in a large bowl. once mixed, roll the dough into small balls, coat evenly with sugar and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

if you're leaving them regular, press a fork lightly down on the batter to make crisscrosses. if you're making peanut butter blossoms, leave them in ball form until they are done cooking, then gently press a hershey kiss in the center immediately after removing them from the oven and allow to cool completely.

bake cookies for about 12-14 minutes.

happy holidays!

friday

happy friday! after a wake up call at the crack of dawn, a cross-country flight and a hellish commute in new york city traffic, i am home for the holidays. there's a heavy blanket of grief hanging over our corner of connecticut right now—it's prompted me to be so grateful to be home, surrounded by the people i love the most. i'll be splitting my time this trip between my family and drew's family and i'm planning to completely overdose on christmas spirit. i just want to savor and stockpile every moment and happy memory here to bring back with me to portland in january.  

ps - if you're in portland this weekend, check out my article on tabor bread!

peppermint brownies

baking (and eating) these brownies proved to be very therapeutic this past weekend. if you make these—and resist downing the entire batch (and a bottle of wine) with your loved ones in one sitting—you could package up a few and bring them over to a friend or neighbor. i think we could all use a heaping dose of holiday cheer and community support right about now.

peppermint brownies adapted from sprouted kitchen

5 tbsp butter (i used salted and just omitted the salt from the original recipe)
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp peppermint extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut flour

preheat oven to 350 degrees f. grease an 8x8 baking dish with butter and set aside. in a saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat. remove from heat, then stir in sugar, vanilla and peppermint. next, whisk in eggs, one at a time. add the flour and whisk until combined (until the batter starts pulling away from the edges of the pan). pour into greased baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, let cool completely, then slice and enjoy.

thoughts

i normally try to keep my content light and happy on here, but between the clackamas shooting right in the backyard of my portland home, and the newtown shooting right in the backyard of my connecticut home, i feel compelled to post about all of this senseless tragedy that has plagued so many innocent souls over the past week. i am left feeling helpless, disenfranchised and terribly heartbroken for all the victims and their loved ones. barring any sweeping political statements about gun control or mental health, i can safely say that our country is broken—something needs to change before more people commit the same horrific acts. i'm still having a hard time collecting my thoughts completely, but i think this article from the onion pretty much sums them up.

friday

happy friday! besides packing to go home to connecticut for christmas, i'm hoping to do a little holiday baking this weekend. don't forget to enter my giveaway with portland store, eden (you don't need to live in portland to participate)!

my eyes + edge articles from this week:
<< portland cookbook social
>> bar dobre
<< pearl+ soaps

urban weeds

eek! i'm on urban weeds, portland street style blog today—so exciting! i'm pretty camera shy, but lisa warninger has a knack for making people feel completely comfortable in their own skin. see the whole post here!

photo by: lisa warninger

giveaway: eden

eden is one of my favorite stores in portland. owner cindy rokoff has strayed from the typical portland aesthetic of sparse minimalism in favor of a layered, feminine vibe with a heavy art deco influence. whether you're looking for an elegant vintage dress, a book on the rolling stones or a raccoon skull, eden's got you covered. it's also quickly becoming a destination spot for exquisite fragrances that you won't find in a department store (including portland's very own imaginary authors and slumberhouse perfumes). with a dedication to supporting local designers and an eye for exotic pieces from afar, eden is the perfect one-stop shop for all of your holiday shopping needs. and in the spirit of the holidays, cindy has generously offered the winner of this giveaway a gift card of $10 off any purchase over $75 - plus free ground shipping for purchases over $100!

below, you'll see that i rounded up some of my favorite items from eden's online store. all you have to do is head to the eden website, choose your favorite product and leave a comment here with the product and why you chose it. the giveaway will close on wednesday, 12/19. i will randomly select a winner and notify them via email. good luck!

1. voluspa branche vermeil corta maison candle - $25

2. vintage handmade bolivian blanket - $295

3. scotch nail polish (to hell with swords and garter) - $15

4. jesseca anne leafy nouveau locket earrings - $40

5. d.s. & durga eau de cologne (siberian snow) - $89

6. vintage pallavi indian silk ikat pillow - $95

since you brought it up

the equals record's "since you brought it up" column encourages us to embrace our flaws, anxieties and doubts instead of tucking them away until the holiday season (and all the pressure that comes with it) subsides. ashely first shared her experience with unemployment, and i was so inspired by her honesty, that when she asked if i'd be willing to contribute, i couldn't pass it up! thanks ashely, for inviting me in to such a supportive and genuine community—it felt great to get that off my chest.

you can read it all here.

image via the equals record

i heart portland

i got up nice and early on saturday, grabbed my friend kyle and headed to the portland bazaar. as i had anticipated, i was overwhelmed by all of the vendors—too many great ones to choose from! beam & anchor, summerland, stone & honey, olo fragrance and bridge & burn were some of my favorites this year, for sure. for shopping fuel (/breakfast), i had the most delicious 100% whole wheat chocolate chip cookie from bakeshop. and i may or may not have treated myself to a thin silver stacking ring from favor—i'd been pining for one, so i finally gave in.

friday

happy friday! with the holidays coming up, there's no shortage of shopping events (featuring our talented local artisans and makers) coming to portland. here's a quick breakdown of the ones i'm planning to attend this weekend:

tonight
our british invasion
give good gift

tomorrow
give good gift
the portland bazaar
crafty wonderland

sunday
the portland bazaar
crafty wonderland

my eyes + edge articles from this week:
>> we all put together a top 3 holiday guide
<< dine out pdx

our british invasion

this friday, december 7th, eyes + edge is co-hosting a luxury lingerie event. pretty ladies will be modeling three british lingerie lines (lascivious, kriss soonik and dirty pretty things) that are exclusive to oh baby lingerie here in portland. there will be djs, cocktails and small bites. also, some lucky ticket-holders will win swag bags filled with goodies from sephora, lush, imaginary authors, blush beauty bar, mag big and more.

tickets are $12 and you can purchase them right here!

our british invasion
the space
1030 nw 12th ave
portland, or

friday, 12/7
6:30-9:30

truffle salt popcorn

my favorite thing to order at bamboo sushi is the truffle avocado nigiri: buttery avocado slices over a little ball of rice, topped with a generous sprinkle of truffle salt. it inspired me to purchase my own jar of salt to keep on hand at home, and i'm now completely obsessed with putting it on popcorn. i use the plain popcorn that comes without oil or salt, pop it and add a drizzle of coconut oil. after i coat the popcorn evenly with the oil, i toss it with (a lot of) the truffle salt. best snack ever.