Thursday, January 19, 2012

Tate's Bake Shop

We just started selling these cookies by Tate's Bake Shop at work and OH MY GOD! They are so delicious that I knew I had to share them with all of you.  Right now, we only have the Chocolate Chip, which are to die for, but I am really excited to try their other flavors as well.

The funny thing about them is that they sort of look like they are cooked a little well done, but when you take your first bite, they taste like perfect homemade cookies.

I seriously cannot stop eating them!


The other flavors that they carry are White Chocolate Macademia Nut and Oatmeal Raisin. And tons of other treats as well like pies, dessert bars, and breakfast cakes. Yum! 

I am also in love with their packaging.  Their logo, boxes, and bags are so cute.  They are great for gifts, check out their Assorted Cookie Gift Pack below. 

And their pricing is so reasonable.  For the Gift Pack below, you get 3 boxes with 12 cookies in each for $25!

And they are great for wedding favors, check out the cute boxes below in white and Tate's traditional green.  Each box has 6 delicious cookies.  I would love to attend a wedding with these as favors! Mmmm!

 


They also have a store in Southampton that I would love to check out.  It looks sooo cute, and I would love to check out some of their other products.

Tate's Bake Shop
43 North Sea Rd.
Southampton, NY 11968


And lastly, who would not want to be able to make these amazing cookies, I feel like I need their cookbook desperately!

pictures via Tate's Bake Shop

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Lilac Bijoux & ZENGO

For MLK Weekend, I went down to Maryland to visit one of my best friends, Lauren.  We had such a great weekend.  On Saturday, we went to Annapolis for some shopping, drinks, and dinner.

We came across the cutest boutique, Lilac Bijoux.  They had some great dresses and amazing jewelery.  They have a great online store, so check them out.
 

I found the cutest earrings. They are the perfect summer earrings. Check them out...


Then Saturday, we met up with our friend, Kristen, for DC Restaurant Week at ZENGO.

What I loved about ZENGO was that alot of restaurants normally have a set menu with limited options for Restaurant Week, but at Zengo, you could choose any Appetizer and any Entree from their normal menu. And for Dessert, they gave you a choice of 2, but I did not see their Dessert Menu to know what I missing.




Everything there was so delicious, but there were a few dishes that I have to mention because they were sooo good...

First, these were the Thai Chicken Empanadas with Chile Poblano, Ozxaca Cheese, and Mango-Curry Salsa. Amazing!

 

Then, there were the Pork Mushroom Gyoza Dumplings with Garlic, Porcini, and Black Vinegar Soy Sauce.  I love dumplings and these were veryy good.

 

And, to complete an amazing meal was one of my favorites for dessert... CHURROS!! 

Cinnamon Sugar Churros with Mexican Hot Chocolate! Mmmmmm! 

 

I cannot wait to try their location in New York!

Lilac Bijoux pictures via Lilac Bijoux
Zengo pictures via Zengo and Yelp 

Friday, January 13, 2012

BIRCH BOX - January


I love receiving my BirchBox delivery every month.  It is so exciting to open the cute little box and see what suprises are in there.  I apologize for not showing you the boxes from the last two months, but everything has just been so crazy. 




So here is this month's BirchBox contents:

So far, I have only tried the LARABAR, which was pretty good.  I liked the flavor, but the consistency was sort of weird to me.

I am excited to try the Archipelago Pomegranate Body Soap.  It smells soooo good, it was the first thing that I noticed when I opened the box.  The soap is also very pretty, it would be a great addition to a guest room.

Inside the box, they also send a little magnet and a list of
Mini Detoxes for your life in 2012:

Your Mind: Turn off your computer, iphone, or blackberry one hour before bed.  You'll sleep soundly and  
wake up sunny, not stressed.

Your Relationships: Send your grandma a handwritten note, give your little sis a call, or tell a colleague they’re doing a great job.

Your Closet: Take out anything that makes your feel less-than-awesome and donate it to a charity like Dress for Success.

Your Diet: Cut out processed foods for a few days.  Focus on fruits, veggies, whole grains, and plenty of dark chocolate.

Your Bathroom Cabinet: Check expiration dates and throw out any products past their prime.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Saltine Cracker Toffee

This is one of my favorite recipes, it is sooo easy and soooo delicious!!! Check out The Girl Who Ate Everything Blog for more pictures and for so more delicious recipes.

Saltine Cracker Toffee

40 salted saltine crackers or enough to line your pan
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips
(optional) 3/4 cup chopped pecans

*You can either use salted butter or salted saltines but not both. I used salted crackers and unsalted butter in this one.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Line saltine crackers in a single layer on the cookie sheet. 
 
In a small pot combine sugar and butter and bring to a boil. Once mixture is at a boil, continue boiling for 3 minutes. Mixture should be a deep caramel color. Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers completely.

Bake at 400 degrees for 5 to 6 minutes. It will get all bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and let sit a couple of minutes to melt. Sometimes I melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for about 1 minute then spread it on. Spread melted chocolate and top with chopped nuts if desired. Cool completely and break into pieces.

recipe & picture via The Girl Who Ate Everything

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Our Visit to the Met

This past Saturday was such a beautiful day that Joel and I decided to take a walk to The Met.  Living just a few blocks away from it, you would think we would go all the time, but I am sad to admit that this was our first time there!  Living in the city, where everything is sooo close, it is often too easy to take it all for granted.  So, we are trying to get off on the right foot this year with taking advantage of living in New York City.

We had a great time at the Met and got to see so many interesting things.


Joel's favorite exhibit was The Temple of Dendur, which was amazing.  It was given to the United States by Egypt as a gift in 1965.  The walls of the temple are full of carvings of religious and mythical concepts.  In front, is a beautiful reflecting pool that represents the Nile.  It was spectacular and so cool to walk inside the temple.

Joel was amazed by the fact that they could transport something so big and recreate it inside the museum, so I did a little more research into the transportation process. 
"The temple was removed from its original site  in 1963 in order to save it from being submerged by the construction of the Aswan High Dam.The stone blocks of the temple weighed more than 800 tons in total with the largest pieces weighing more than 6.5 tons. They were packed in 661 crates and transported to the United States by the freighter S.S. Concordia Star."1

My favorite part was seeing all of the amazing paintings by artists like Van Gogh and Picasso and Monet.  The most exciting for me was seeing Bridge Over A Pond of Water Lillies by Claude Monet.  When I was little I used to have a book about him and this painting and it was amazing to see the actual painting in real life.


All in all, we had a very successful day at The Met.  I am looking forward to the next museum on our list and also to returning to The Met soon.

pics via The Met

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

2012 Planners

I have been looking for a new planner for 2012.  When it comes to planners, I am typically very picky.  For the last two years I have ended up settling on the standard At A Glance Monthly calendars for work.  This year, I need to be a little more organized, so I have been on the hunt for something a little different that is a little smaller so that I can throw it in my bag.  I have been doing some research and came across some great possibilites on La Dolce Vita and College GlossHere are the planners that I am considering:

1. My At-A Glance Monthly Planner ($20) - maybe in a smaller version, but nothing beats the big spaces and professional look.


2. Laurel Denise Planner ($35) - These planners are so cute, and I loveeee the design.   It allows you to see the month, the current week, and your daily/weekly to dos all at the same time.


3. 8 Days A Week Planner ($18) - I love how colorful and fun this one is. It has columns for Sunday through Saturday, plus an additional space for Someday.


 4. Erin Condren Life Planner ($50) -  I love the tabs and all of the different sections inside, but most of all I love the customizable cover!


5. Kate Spade Desk Top Spiral Planner ($38) - Love this cute planner.  Its a September 2011-December 2012, too bad I didn't get one earlier.    


6. Lilly Pulitzer Large Agenda ($25) - This one is so cute too, and its a August 2011-December 2012, plus it includes cute little stickers.
 

7. The Container Store's Mini Three Ring Binder ($16) - I love these little binders, they are so cute.  And with the filler paper you can customize them to exactly what you need.


8. Sarah Pinto Weekly Planners ($20) - I love these preppy planners. They have great monthy and weekly pages too!


9. Filofax Apex Personal Organizer ($36) - Love these cute planners with tons of filler options. They are super durable, come in cute colors, and i love the elastic closure.


10. Moleskine 12 Month - Color A Month Planner Set - I love these cute little notebooks.  I love how you get a nice clean brand new little book for each month.


Now, it just comes down to the hardest part, making the decision...

Monday, January 9, 2012

My 2012 Resolutions


1. Learn Spanish.
(Already started my Rosetta Stone, so hopefully, I am off on the right foot here)
2. Take Dancing Lessons.
3. Take advantage of living in NYC.
4. Blog more.
5. Save more money.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Happy New Year

 
  
 

Happy New Year! I cannot believe that 2011 is officially over!  It was a great year with so many wonderful and exciting things that happened!  I am really looking forward to what is to come in 2012.  It is going to be an amazing year with many changes and things to look forward to.  Can't wait!

 via 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11