February 13th, 2009
We discovered letterpress circa Christmas 2005 and have loved it ever since. Houston designers have developed gorgeous lines of stationary for any occasion. Classic enough for your mommas – clever enough for you, these papers might be just what you need for your next shindig. Best of all, sign up for “fire emails” and get 60% off when they have additional space on the press. For more, check them out.

January 31st, 2009
We love avocado. We eat it on turkey sandwiches. On pita bread. In sushi. Heck, we even eat it plain. But there is not way to eat avocado better than…guacamole. Two ideas for your superBOWL of guacamole this weekend:
1. Dos Caminos. Click here for the secret recipe.
2. Wholly Guacamole. Having the ladies over for a superBOWL of guacamole? Try this heathier alternative with all natural ingredients.

December 30th, 2008
Need something quick and easy for a NYE party? We’ve always loved the flavors of chutneys – they taste fancy without a lot of effort. Take
this app and serve with
Carr’s crackers.
Ingredients:
- 1 (8-ounce) round Brie or Camembert Cheese
- 1/2 cup mango or cranberry chutney
- 2 tablespoons dried currants
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cheese on cookie sheet and set aside.
In small heavy saucepan, combine chutney and currants. In small bowl, combine cornstarch, curry powder, and water and blend well until smooth. Stir into chutney mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Set aside to cool while Brie is baking.
Bake cheese for 10-15 minutes or until softened. Remove to serving plate and top with chutney mixture. Serve with toasted baguette slices, crackers, and pear slices.
December 12th, 2008
We don’t often see elaney ladies on the couch eating Lay’s potato chips with a can of Dr. Pepper circa 7th grade afternoon snack. But back in the day, watching Saved by the Bell, those chips were good. So let’s do it gourmet and try some Neiman Marcus potato chips. What a fun little hostess gift or holiday treat!

December 11th, 2008
Yet another thing we love about the holidays is seasonal food. Now normally, we advocate healthy eating, but the chilly winter months require a little more meat on your bones, and sausage meat is one easy way to accomplish that. Easy easy easy recipe:
2 cups Bisquick
10 oz. Cheddar Cheese
1 lb sausage
Mix the Bisquick and cheese, then add sausage. Cook at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve warm.
So bad, but so good.

November 6th, 2008
Impromptu dinner party dilemma? No problem. Keep some La Petit Francais baguettes in your freezer, and your guests will think you flew to Europe for them. Imported from France, we do not know why these baguettes taste so much like you purchased them from a man named Jean-Pierre at his family’s boulangerie with little poodles running by and women in Prada eyeing you, but they do! And we like anything that makes us seem cultured and sophisticated. So, pick these up at Publix, then muse about how “the only good baguettes are imported.”


November 1st, 2008
Need a last minute treat for the neighborhood? Try these cute little mummy cupcakes. Worried they aren’t edgy enough? Fear not. It’s totally okay not to be uber-trendy during the holidays. It makes you seem festive – like you don’t take yourself too seriously.


Carrot Cake Cupcakes with white chocolate cream cheese icing:
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces white chocolate
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/8 cups white sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
- In small saucepan, melt white chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth, and allow to cool to room temperature.
- In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and orange extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream.
- Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix in the oil and vanilla. Fold in carrots and pineapple. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. Transfer to the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before topping with the icing and sprinkling with remaining walnuts.