Friday, December 20, 2013

 



 
The Christmas holiday is upon up. It is time to turn up the Bing Crosby and delight in the holiday spirit. The last 3 weeks have been one big whirlwind and I'm behind on my shopping. This weekend I plan on knocking it all out along with a  Christmas Party. The snow has fallen here in NYC leaving a glistening blanket covering Central Park and I am hoping the temperature drops again so we can have a white Christmas.
 
Here is a post I found that you might want to take a look at as you too finish up your holiday preparations:
 
 
And while I am incredibly excited for Christmas’ arrival, I am just as excited for the downtime after the 25th. I have books I want to read, resolutions to make, and time I want to spend with friends I call family and family I call friends.
 
What do you have planned this weekend?
 
 
Whatever it may be, take a look through the blog the past week and maybe it will help with your shopping list. Be safe, make memories and savor the time spent with family and friends.
 
With Love,
 
Meems
 
 

Thursday, December 19, 2013

SEMESTER IS DONE AND THIS IS HOW IT FEELS.....

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 


& Then this happens..............




xo
Meems

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

GET IN THE MOOD ALREADY!

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

WINTER GINGERBREAD CHEESCAKE.


Source via Taste Your Life


Need I say more?! Gingerbread and cheesecake? Sounds like Heaven to me!

I came across this recipe and just had to share. I will be attempting this beauty and will document it for you. In the meantime, here is the recipe. Should you make this for the ones you love or yourself  - send me a pic, Id love to see your creation!


Preparation: 40 minutes.


Baking: 85 minutes.

All ready: 4 hours or second day.

Serves: 12.


Gingerbread bottom:

2 ½ cup all purpose flour

½ cup liquid honey

1 egg, whisked

½ cup caster sugar

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp spice


Cheesecake:

750 g cream cheese

2 eggs

100 ml double cream

6 tbsp liquid honey

1 tbsp spice

3 tbsp muscovado sugar


Ganache:

150 g dark chocolate

3 tbsp double cream



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter 21 cm round baking pan .

Place butter, honey and sugar on a pan and heat until it's well melted, stirring from time to time. Set aside to chill. In a medium bowl place sifted flour, soda and spice. Mix in whisked egg and honey mixture, knead the dough until well combined. If you think its too liquidey add 1 or 2 tbsp of flour.

Line pan with the dough: both bottom and sides. Bake for 15-20 minutes

Mix cream cheese with eggs, cream, honey, sugar and spice. Pour into baked gingerbread bottom and bake for another 50 minutes. Set aside to chill : first in the turned off oven then outside it.

Melt the chocolate in a small pot with cream, honey and spice. Spread on baked and chilled cheesecake. The best for cheesecake is to stay all night in the fridge. & VOILA!

xo
Meems

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

THIS IS FOR YOU

 


 
To me, the holiday season is such a special time. A time of family, friends and celebrations with those you love. When people are kinder, words are loving and homes are filled with glowing candles and jolly holiday décor.

However, to some, this time of year can be overwhelming…. amongst the stresses, the bills and the to do’s & forgetting about taking care of themselves.

You need to remember to take care of yourself, mentally, physically & emotionally. “You time” is important! If you are not the best “you” how can you the best for others. Here are some tips on getting the Grinch out of you:

Stay Rested - Sleep in. Let your body wake up naturally on your day off and don’t get overwhelmed with your to do’s. You will get more done when your well rested and not pulling a “Grinch”. If you can’t sleep in later, take a cat nap. Before  my parties & gatherings, I allow 20 minutes for a cat nap. The nap distresses me and gets me ready mentally. Mental health is just as important as your overall physical health.

Dieting - Don’t feel guilty if you fall of the wagon in terms of your diet. You can always jump back on when you’re ready. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If you have committed to eating healthy, let those around you know or bring your own food readily made to enjoy at your family/friends party. If you get any looks or comments, kindly tell them you are  setting yourself up for your own personal success and those that love you will be supportive.

For the spiritual & religious - Read an advent and/or attend mass this time of year. The music, the energy, the flowers are beyond beautiful and how can you leave not feeling uplifted. Try reading an inspirational quote that pertains to your situation and allow the words to inspire you and get you out of your funk.

Just say no -  If your too busy with work, children and gift wrapping it's okay to decline a party invite. You cant be everywhere all the times.

Take it in! Try to enjoy the holidays. Schedule a baking day with your friends/family. Throw on some holiday music, light your decorations and buy a pine scented candle. Watch a  holiday movie! There are certain movies that bring out the holiday nostalgia and instantly transport me back to the simple years of my youth. What’s your favorite holiday memory? Relive it.

Remember to take time for yourself & yes you do have time for you. Make the time and enjoy your holiday.
 
Happy Holidays to you and yours.
xo
Meems
(a repost of last year...)

Monday, December 16, 2013

A GIRL'S WEEKEND BREAKFAST


HOME IS WHERE THE LOVE IS!

 


Happy Monday! This past weekend was quite the whirlwind. I managed to get 3 papers done for class as well as complete 2 rounds of baking totaling about 380 cookies. Here is Round 1 of my Christmas cookie bake-athon!




 HERE IS WHAT WE BAKED:
  • Pignoli Cookies
  • Sugar Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Thumbprints with Milk and Milk and White Kisses
  • Pecan Snowballs
  • Coconut Graham Cracker Bars topped with Milk Chocolate & Peanut Butter
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies dipped in Ganache and SeaSalt
  • Snowballs with Pecans and Ghirardelli Morsels


Also, a few pieces of furniture for our home arrived earlier than expected. Ill show you my favorite.... I've been obsessed with Pier 1's Hayworth Collection for a few years now but the vanity they have in the collection only has 1 shallow drawer. I wanted a vanity mirrored but functional for my needs. So, I've been on a mission the past 6 months to find the perfect mirrored vanity and here she is! This is the Powell Mirrored Vanity, you may find her on Joss and Main, Amazon or even One Kings Lane. I also found the sheepskin rug on GILT. Having the sheepskin under your feet is just an added bit of luxury.
 
 


Our bed is the Colette Bed by Crate & Barrel and the sheets are Hudson Park found  at Bloomingdales, the white percale with dove stitching. I added the gray pillow by Restoration Hardware to bring out the dove colored stripes in the sheets. The Dove stripe is a grayish color.

 

I also managed to find this beautiful Gray Brindle Argentinian Cow Hide from Gilt, originally over $899 & I bought this steeply discounted during Black Friday. Plus, they offered an additional 40% off of the Gilt price . I should have bought 2! 




What did you do this past weekend? 


 




xo
Meems



Sunday, December 15, 2013



I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Much more to come next week on the blog!
xo
Meems