The Friday Five 11.23.12

1. What I’m Watching: We all know I have terrible taste in television. The only time I watch something worth mentioning is if a boy sits me down to watch a show. Last week I saw the pilot episode of Homeland.

Let’s just say that Claire Danes’ character is a wreck and makes me feel like a normal human being. I’ll probably only watch this show again if said boy puts it on in my presence. 

2. What I’m Eating: Tis the season for gluttony. Who wore leggings to Thanksgiving dinner? This girl. Last weekend, my grandmother introduced me to Talenti Sea Salt Caramel gelato.

This stuff is ridiculously sweet to the point where you’ll be satisfied with just one serving. The chocolate caramel candies inside are deeeeelicious. I’d just pick those out if I bought a pint. 

3. Recipes I’m Bookmarking: Peppermint Sugar Cookies. So festive! 

4. What I’m Listening to: WHY WHY WHY did I not go see Passion Pit when they came to Charleston? Seriously regretting that. Their song “Where I Come From” is on the Breaking Dawn 2 soundtrack and I’ve probably played it 400 times in the past week.

Regardless of whether or not you are a Twihard, all of the soundtracks are full of great music. I promise!

5. GIFs I’m Loving: Cheers to you, Boding!

WHEN I WANT MY ROOMMATE TO DO SOMETHING WITH ME

WHEN MY ROMMATE GETS HOME AND I’M EXCITED BECAUSE I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL HIM

WHEN MY ROOMMATE AND I ARE THE BEST DRUNK CHEFS

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Next week I’m hosting a jewelry giveaway with the etsy shop Peppermint Lollipops. In the meantime, Jenny has offered a discount code for my readers to enjoy! From now until Sunday Nov. 25th, use coupon code BLACKFRIDAY30 to receive 30% off all items in her shop. Here’s a little preview:

Have a great weekend!

Please don’t get trampled by Black Friday shoppers!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies–Brrr, It’s Cold!

In my head I’m belting out “Baby, it’s cold outside!” It’s in the 40s right now. The 40s. Last week I was complaining about the 50s and I feel like a jerk for that. I’m sorry! I was adjusting. Funny thing is, I’m going to North Carolina next weekend and it’ll be even colder there. Thank goodness I’ll have the mittens my Grandma made me. Maybe when I’m there she’ll teach me how to make a pair. That would be sweet!

Meanwhile, I’m doing everything I can to stay warm. I’ve got on my fuzzy socks and am under about 42 layers of blankets as I type this. If I had hot chocolate, I’d be drinking that, but instead, I have cookies. Of course I have cookies.

Mexican Hot Cocoa Cookies, from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon chile powder

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down side of bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat until combined.

2. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and chile powder (if using). Using heaping tablespoons, form balls of dough and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place, about 3 inches apart, on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. (Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Martha Stewart is a genius. Her recipes, or at least those that I’ve tested, are solid. They’re not fussy, they’re to the point, and they are good. Very good. I’ve made these cookies several times and they are always a crowd pleaser. They’re sweet with just a subtle hint of spiciness. If you didn’t know the recipe called for chili powder, you’d wonder where the kick came from. They’re light, tender cookies that will stay soft for a couple days. But don’t expect them to last that long – they’ll be gobbled up in no time.

Next time it’s too cold outside to leave the house, fire up that oven and get to baking.

Might I suggest having a couple with a glass of hot chocolate?

The chocolate chip cookie is a classic. What is your favorite unconventional cookie?

New Seasonal Food Finds

One of the main reasons I love having a food blog is because I get to share new food precuts with my readers. Whenever I find something fun, be it a food, restaurant, recipe, or trend, I share it through every social media platform possible: facebook, twitter, instagram, youtube…you get it. Here are some new gems I’ve discovered.

1. I first spotted these Toasted Coconut almonds at Target. Into the basket they went and (after paying) into my mouth they went.

Honestly, I was underwhelmed. They smell really good, but the flavor just isn’t quite there. Boo. I went online to look up other flavors and found these promotions.

Have you tried any of these three flavors? I suppose you could very easily create these at home.

2. It seems that there are about 70 different flavored creamers out there, and most that I’ve tried have been somewhat nauseating. The S’mores flavor, however, is right up my alley and perfect for the coming chilly months.I also need to try the Salted Caramel flavor. I will wait until they go on sale at Publix because I don’t love the idea of spending silly money on things that just fatten me…. ok that’s sort of a lie.

This list started out strong (healthfully speaking) but it’s about to go down the clean eating drain. Please accept my apologies for this and for almost lying to you in #3.

3. Jell-O. Gingerbread and Candy Cane. Should I buy these? I feel like it’s the equivalent of eating fair food. Could be the worst moment of my life or the best moment of my life. But nothing in between. 

4. Yoplait Pumpkin Pie and Apple Crisp flavored yogurt. I was a huge fan of Trader Joe’s pumpkin yogurt, but for some reason I’m nervous to try these.

5. I gagged a little when I saw this but had to include it anyway. Pumpkin Spice cream cheese.

6. Pumpkin is taking over! Who’s sick of it? I’m not. Yet. Give me a couple more weeks. These sound crazy sweet.

7. Now this I could get on board with, especially with a healthy serving of peanut butter. Weirdo combo?

8. First there were the Birthday Cake Oreos. Then there were the Candy Corn Oreos. Now there are Gingerbread and Peppermint Oreos.

Interesting fact: In 2010, Nabisco came out with Peppermint. I wonder if they’re the exact same thing.

9. Like I said on Friday, I am ecstatic for these to appear at, let’s face it, Target. All the good seasonal junk is exclusively at Target.

10. Last but not least, I’m praying to the chocolate gods that these come back. Pray with me!

What seasonal items are you loving?  Anything you’re sick of?

Do your teeth hurt after reading this post? I’m off to brush mine.

The Friday Five 10.26.12

1. What I’m Eating: Every candy in sight? No, seriously. I can’t stop eating plain M&Ms. At the Blackbaud health fair one of the vendors handed out these pill containers full of them. How funny is this? I like opening up a container, throwing them all back at once, and watching people’s reactions. Not pills, just candy!

I’m also dying for these to come out. I cannot wait!!!

2. What I’m Pinning: I want to darken my hair. I always say this, I know.

3. Recipes I’m Bookmarking: Sriracha-Sesame Turkey Meatballs.

4. What I’m Listening to: Grade 8 by Edward Sheehan. 

Enter video caption here

5. GIFs I’m Loving:

EVERY OCTOBER

THE WEEK BEFORE AND AFTER HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloweekend!!

Oikos Greek Frozen Yogurt Giveaway!

Oh yes, you read that right.

Despite the weather cooling down, I’m still eating frozen yogurt. I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t enjoy it just as much in the Winter as I do in the Summer. I think it’s even better in the Winter because it doesn’t melt in 5 seconds. Agree?

Oikos Greek Frozen Yogurt is a great option for a healthier dessert. Each 1/2 cup serving is around 100 calories and packs 6 grams of protein -- 50% more than traditional frozen yogurt. Even better, it’s made without the use of toxic, persistent pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones. What’s not to love?

I was recently given coupons to purchase 5 pints of the frozen yogurt. I couldn’t decide which flavor to try first, so I asked my instagram friends.

I took Lindsay’s and Allison’s advice to try a little bit of each at once! I happily agreed and plopped a spoonful of each in a bowl.

My thoughts? The blueberry and super fruits are incredible! I shoved a spoonful in Boding’s mouth this morning and he said “Oh, are you kidding me? That’s unbelievable.” I’m not a fan of chocolate frozen yogurt, so he judged that one. He said it was great! The vanilla was pretty standard and would be great with toppings. The only one I didn’t care for was the honey. It was just funky.

The Oikos Greek Frozen Yogurt is available in six different flavors:

The Giveaway

One of you will win:

• 5 coupons for for free pints of Oikos Greek frozen yogurt
• a $25 Whole Foods gift card for toppings

To enter: Tell me your favorite frozen yogurt + toppings combo. For an additional entry, feel free to tweet about this giveaway (@christinaorso) or post a link on your blog. Leave a separate comment for each entry.

Giveaway ends Sunday, October 28th at noon. Good luck!

What I’m Loving Wednesday 10.3.12

1. I’m loving that it’s October, but Charleston’s weather is still in the 80s.  I’m not ready for Fall clothes. I hate Fall/Winter clothes. They make me feel dark, boring, and frumpy. Thank goodness I can still wear shorts and dresses for a few more weeks.

2. Danielle and I didn’t plan on both wearing colored jeans on Saturday; she appeared at my apartment glowing in these orange jeans right after I had just “painted” on my electric blue.

Let’s just say they did not go unnoticed and we are both convinced we should wear colored jeans every weekend.

3. Because it’s October, my brain wants me to eat Fall-ish breakfasts. Check out this sugar bomb of a breakfast combo. It’s pretty much dessert.

4. Speaking of sweets, Amanda and I have been trying to cut back on our sugar intake during the week. We were craving something sweet after our salty dinner (of course), so I dug into my stash. I asked her, “Who ran 5 miles today?” She looked at me and said “Um, we did…” And then I gave her five pretzel M&Ms.  One M&M per mile seems logical, right?

That picture makes me laugh; it just looks so pathetic.

5. I found this prayer in The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook and made it pretty with instagram (@christinaorso). I just love it!

6. Random purchase of the week: Scentportables from Bath & Body Works. They were buy 3 get 1 free, so I left with Marshmallow Fireplace, Mahogany Leather, Apple Crumble, and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin.

My car currently smells like mahogany leather. I’ve got cloth seats, but trust me, I’m tricking everyone.

7. I ordered an Iphone cover on Etsy last week and I’m really excited for its arrival. Here is the proof. Cute. Cute. Cute. I can’t wait to see it in person and slap it on my phone. Gently slap.

Check out the store PrintsandPapiere. They have a ton of styles.

Have you jumped on the colored jean bandwagon? What’s your favorite color to wear?

What does your car smell like? Don’t tell me garbage or french fries!

Bell’s Brewery Beer Dinner at The Coastal Cupboard

One of my favorite stores in the Belle Hall Shopping Center is The Coastal Cupboard, “the Lowcountry’s most complete kitchen store.” They’ve got all sorts of tools, gadgets, gourmet food products, and gifts. I could spend hours just poking around looking at all the fun kitchen toys. Aside from being a store, The Coastal Cupboard offers cooking classes taught by Chef Stephen Harman.

My friend Eric, another food writer, and I were both invited to select a class to attend. The Bell’s Brewery Beer Dinner appealed to both of us, so we signed up, and my “sister wife” Amanda came along for the fun. The class started at 6:30, shortly after the store was closed so we had the entire place to ourselves (and about 18 other guests).  We were seated and given the recipes with room to take notes.

We got down to business right away. And by business I mean beer. The first bottle we tried was Lager of the Lakes. I’m not much of a lager fan, but I actually quite liked this one! While we sipped, Chef Stephen started on the first dish: Maple Bacon Mac N Cheese.Look how creamy that is. Guess how. Butter, flour, whole milk, maple syrup, and cheese. Paula Deen would be so proud.

The second course was Rahmschnitzel, which is essentially veal cutlets that have been breaded and pan seared, then cooked with cream, lemon juice, and herbs. MORE CREAM!

The Rahmschnitzel was paired with a Pale Ale. I liked this one a lot too.

The next dish was sort of a bonus; the chef was braising pork for another event but let us have quite the sample…and I’m so glad he did. It was fantastic! Alongside the pork were braised mustard greens.

The third beer we tried was Two Hearted Ale, which Eric said is one of the best-rated beers. I liked it, but had to give it to him or else I would have been bouncing all over the place. ;)

Our fourth and final course was dessert of course! For this, we tried the Kalamazoo Stout. I’ll be honest – there was no chance in hell I was drinking this. It was way too heavy for me. A man beer if you will. I was much happier with the dessert.

We had a slice of Chocolate Stout Cake with a scoop of Molasses Stout Ice Cream, both of which had been prepared in advance. I’m not really a fan of chocolate cake (weird, I know), but this was so rich, I couldn’t resist eating half of it. The ice cream? Oh, that went down easily.We had a great time at the cooking demonstration. Stephen gave us great tips, let us ask questions, and was very personable. I’d love to go to another class. Eric and I both suggested they do a class on pickling. Pickles + beer = heaven.

Thanks to The Coastal Cupboard for having us! Check out more classes here.