Cravings...

Ever had a craving so bad you just had to indulge? Well, this photo from the Tartlette blog does that for me!

Never mind the fact that I want to eat a few chocolate-filled macaroons just like these right now, but this GORGEOUS photo makes me want to spend a few hours just being creative playing with color and styling pretty photos.

Sometimes a girl needs to indulge all of her cravings, don't you agree?

What are you craving right now, this very moment?! :)

Oh, So Thankful...

Via marthastewart.com

The day after Thanksgiving is always a swirl of relief (made it through another holiday!), guilt (shouldn't have had that second glass of wine!) and pure joy :)

My family is the result of that joy, I am so very lucky to be surrounded by the most loving, caring, happy, funny, sweet, intelligent and just plain fabulous people!

I "co-host" the holiday with my mom and while it's a bit of an undertaking, it is so wonderful to welcome the family and watch as they enjoy the festivities!

We usually have a set menu with familiar favorites on it, however this year...we added two NEW favorites! Please try these...you'll be glad you did!

1. Crunchy Baked Fennel.

This crispy and delicious recipe comes from Food & Wine Magazine. Roasted sliced fennel is topped with crunchy Japanese Panko Crumbs that have been toasted and mixed with sauteed garlic, shallots and fresh tyme and olive oil. I added chicken broth instead of white wine before baking but either way would be so delicious!

2. Ciabatta Stuffing.

My clever mother adapted her recipe from Giada DeLaurentiis' Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta. What'd she do different? Nixed the chestnuts (not a fan) and pancetta (too salty for our crowd) and instead, pumped up the autumn flavors with Craisins and pine nuts. This stuffing is so moist and the Ciabatta bread just soaks up the flavors! Yum.

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday!

Asian-Inspired Dinner Party

I've been super busy working so I decided to take a break last night and plan a fantasy dinner party.

I have a few gorgeous, colorful Japanese tea tins lying around that I think would be perfect to re-create this lovely photo from Martha Stewart Weddings.

On to cocktails...everyone's favorite part. I think I'll go with deliciously sweet and simple Lychee martinis. For the Lychees, buy them in the can so you get the fruit and its juice...look for them in Asian grocery stores.

I'd also have a few bottles of crisp cold Sake so that I could use this oh-so-chic Sake bottle and matching cups from Crate & Barrel.

Next, some yummy appetizers. Trader Joe's has great selections in their frozen aisle...mini cilantro chicken wontons are delicious, low-cal and easy to prepare. Simply saute for 5 minutes with oil in a frying pan and then steam for 2 minutes. Serve them with a little soy sauce on the side and you're done.

Ok, next I think that I would go for one of my favorite recipes from Real Simple, Soy and Ginger Salmon. It's a quick marinade of low-sodium soy, garlic, honey, ginger and red pepper flakes. Let the salmon marinate for 30 minutes in it and then send the fish under the broiler for about 8-10 minutes. Serve it over white or brown rice with a side of sugar snap peas and you've got yourself an elegant, delicious dinner. It reminds me of the delicious Miso Salmon at The Cheescake Factory (pictured here).

And for dessert...green tea ice cream topped with shredded coconut.

What do you think?