Tag: Gift

Earl Grey Madeleines

Note: This post is sponsored by Adagio Teas. Opinions are mine alone.

I’m excited to share this recipe for Earl Grey Madeleines, plus an easy suggestion for a personalized gift option for tea lovers!

My sister is getting married later this year so I have been immersed in all things bachelorette, shower, and wedding over the last few months. Her bridal shower is coming up soon, so naturally, I have been thinking of different gift options to help celebrate my sister. I love a good themed gift that adds a bit of personalization, so I was thrilled when Adagio Teas contacted me recently about doing a post highlighting some of their awesome products.

Adagio’s website has an impressive number of loose teas, plus teaware, pantry items, and gift selections that can be easily curated into the perfect gift. I was immediately drawn to a 20oz Particle Teapot that is just the right size to brew tea for two. The enameled glazed iron pot is both a kettle and teapot, and includes a stainless steel infuser basket so you can steep the tea leaves right in the pot.

I scrolled through their extensive tea selection and chose a random assortment of sample sized teas so that I could include a bunch of different types in my gift for my sister. Naturally, I picked up a few for myself as well, including Earl Grey Bravo, a blend of artisan black tea from Sri Lanka, flavored with bergamot.

source: adagio.com

It probably goes without saying that I wanted to make something that would go well with the teapot and teas, so I decided to make these yummy Earl Grey Madeleines, using Earl Grey Bravo and raw honey from Adagio.

My family loves quite a range of tea, but Earl Grey is definitely a favorite of ours, so I wanted to incorporate that into the gift.

My sister is having a display shower, where gifts will not be wrapped, so I packaged them up in a large cookie jar, along with the teapot and a few sample sized teas, including Peach Oolong, Buddha’s Dream, 40 Winks, and, of course, Earl Grey Bravo.

Ingredients (makes 2 dozen madeleines):

  • 2 cups cake flour (or all purpose flour and cornstarch, directions here)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
  • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • the zest of 2 lemons
  • 1 tablespoon loose Earl Grey tea, finely chopped
  • 3 eggs plus 1 egg white, at room temperature
  • 5 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
  • cooking spray
  • confectioners sugar, for dusting, if desired

note: you’ll need a madeleine pan to make these.

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Bourbon Truffles

These Bourbon Truffles are another recipe I made for New Year’s Eve. I have actually made this a few times and have altered it slightly from the original Williams-Sonoma recipe to suit my tastes.

I lowered the amount of bourbon so that there is a hint to enhance the flavor of the chocolate without overpowering. (The first round of making these it was like taking a shot with every bite, whew!) I also kept having trouble with the coating (my chocolate kept seizing) so I’ve altered that a bit to make a smoother coating that’s easier to work with.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • 6 oz. milk chocolate chips
  • 6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
  • Cocoa powder for dusting

Coating:

  • 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
  • sprinkles, for garnish, if desired

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Star Anise Snickerdoodles

Boy did I start my cookie baking late this year! I can’t believe Christmas is just days away. I was recently sent a beautiful carved cinnamon bark box with 3 oz of Vietnam cinnamon by World Vision so I wanted to make a cookie recipe that would feature cinnamon, so I had to make snickerdoodles! This recipe for Star Anise Snickerdoodles from Cooking Light adds ground star anise to traditional sugar cookies for a subtle different take on the classic.

World Vision is a Gift Catalog that allows you to give a truly meaningful gift this holiday season.  The catalog is filled with items for every budget ($16 to $39,000) that help children and families in need worldwide. The World Vision Gift Catalog offers an alternative (or addition to) traditional holiday gift giving. You can choose a gift for these families that fits your financial abilities and personal tastes. For example, a gardener may enjoy giving hybrid or drought-resistant seeds to a farmer with a donation of just $17 to help one family.

With a financial contribution, the gift giver can select one of 36 items that you will get while helping a person in need. The cinnamon used in this recipe comes with a donation of $85. The wonderful people at World Vision Gift Catalog have offered to give another Prosperity Cinnamon Box away to a lucky reader!

More after the recipe …

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground star anise (about 2 pods)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

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Mother’s Day Gift Idea: Homemade Body Scrubs

So this is kind of a random blog post for me, but I have been experimenting with homemade body scrubs as a Mother’s Day present for my mom and I thought I’d share them so that others can make them at home too! They are super simple, plus they are made mostly from ingredients you can find in your pantry!

To snazz them up for gift giving, use some ribbons or tissue paper. Be sure to add labels so that the recipient knows what’s inside!

I’d suggest using organic ingredients when you can, just to keep mind of potential adverse reactions. I found organic sugar, olive oil, and coconut oil at Essene in Queen Village (Philadelphia) but I’m sure Whole Foods has a selection as well.

These body scrubs are completely customizable. You just need an ingredient that works as an exfoliant (sugar, salt, coffee grounds, oatmeal, etc.) and then an oil to moisturize (olive, almond, coconut, walnut, etc. — these are sometimes referred to as “carrier oils”) To make them smell amazing, add a little bit of essential oils, which can be found at specialty shops or online. A favorite local store of mine is Herbiary. You can even add food coloring if you’d like the color to pop. Here are a few of the ones I made this week to give you some inspiration:

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Gift Idea: a*pour toi Boxes & Giveaway!

It should come as no surprise that my go-to gifts tend to be food related. I love gifting Philadelphia-themed gift baskets, assorted tea presents, and engagement cookies. New to my list are these beautiful gift boxes from a*pour toi.

The founder, Julie Hasson, began this company recently to provide gourmet treats that feel like they have been picked with care just for your recipient. Julie works with Dr. Tara D Seneviratne who specialized is nutrition and endocrinology to help select every item in the box.

This option is brand new, it is being launched to the public in mid-January. But I was given the opportunity to try a box beforehand. I was sent an a*pour toi box for free, but my opinions below are my own. a*pour toi, which translates to “a gift for you,” is also hosting a giveaway on my blog, with the winner receiving their very own gift box! (The box ingredients change monthly, so you may receive different treats than I did. Please see below on how to enter!)

Couscous with Dried Cranberries and Pine Nuts

I need more sides in my life. Couscous is a great weekday choice because it’s so quick to make, maybe 20 minutes in total. This recipe is from the Fresh & Healthy DASH Diet Cooking Cookbook which I absolutely love. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute a encourages increasing whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean proteins and minimizing processed gains, high-fat meats and dairy, sugars and sodium… which is basically more just eating healthy versus a diet.

 

This couscous recipe is made with vegetable broth to give it some flavor with bites of pine nuts, dried cranberries, and scallions.

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup couscous (whole wheat if you can find it)
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 scallions, coarsely chopped

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Homemade Pancake Mix

Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with store-bought pancake mix. However, are you aware of how easy it is to make your own at home? This recipe makes 16 pancakes; you can store the dry mix in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.
Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
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Snickerdoodles

I am back in cookie baking mode. This time around, I’m going the more traditional route. First on my list, classic snickerdoodles.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

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