Christmas Cookies

One of the best parts of being home from school is that I get to bake again. In Mississippi, people are very generous and neighbors brought our family many different types of jams and jellies while I was away at school. I thought that the perfect way to use up the delicious homemade jellies was by making linzer cookies for Christmas. I filled half of the cookies with raspberry jam and the other half with homemade mayhaw jelly from one of our neighbors.

I first fell in love with linzer cookies when I went to an Austrian pastry café, called Konditorei, back in California. They served these round sweet almond cookies filled with tart apricot jam. The combination of the two was simply delightful.

In the spirit of the holiday season, I decided to make my own linzer cookies shaped like cozy mittens for Christmas. The great thing about linzer cookies is that you can have fun with them by making them whatever shape you want and fill them with your favorite jellies.

Here's one of my favorite linzer cookie recipes so you can try these scrumptious cookies yourself.

Ingredients:
2 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cups finely ground almonds

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened      

2/3 cup granulated sugar                 

1 egg                                               

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup jam of your choice

Confectioners sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine flour, almonds, and cinnamon; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Add flour mixture; mix only until incorporated. Divide dough into 2 disks about 1 inch thick. Wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours until firm enough to roll.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On floured surface, roll out one disk of dough 1/8 inch thick. Keep remaining dough chilled. Cut shapes out of the dough with a cookie cutter of your choice. Roll out the remaining piece of dough and cut cookies of the same shape; this time, cut a circle (or shape of your choice) in the middle of the cookies. Transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheets. Dough scraps can be formed into a disk, chilled for 30 minutes and rerolled.

4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes; remove from sheet and cool completely. Spread jam on all of the cookies without the center cutouts. Dust the top cookies with cutouts with confectioners sugar if desired and sandwich the two cookies together. Makes about 20 cookies.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and have a sweet New Year!

Stay sweet!

Falling for Boston

With last week's warmer temperatures, I had one last chance to wear my fall clothes in Boston before pulling out my puffy, knee-length winter coat. I enjoyed the warmer weather by wearing my J. Crew Downtown Field Jacket. The change in weather was a nice surprise compared to earlier in the month. Although I am starting to get used to the cold temperatures, this California girl loves the warmer side of Boston.

To combat the fall breezes, I put on my Steve Madden leg warmers underneath my classic black leather boots. These provided me with a little extra warmth while adding a cute and stylish touch to my outfit. Leg warmers are a staple accessory to have, especially when the weather becomes chilly. I will continue to take advantage of my leg with the snowy weather that is coming to Boston. 

Nothing warms me up more in the cool weather like one of my favorite seasonal beverages- Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is the perfect combination of creamy and sweet with Starbuck's signature pumpkin spice syrup that packs a flavorful punch. If I'm looking for something a little sweeter, I order a Pumpkin Spice Steamer, not offered on the Starbucks menu. The Pumpkin Spice Steamer combines steamed milk with all of the same ingredients as the latte, just without the espresso.

Get the Look:

Jacket: J. Crew 

Shirt: J. Crew (similar: The Limited)

Jeans: Hollister Co.

Boots: (similar: Naturalizer, Nine West)

Leg Warmers: Steve Madden (similar: Vera Wang, Steve Madden)

Bag: Anne Klein (similar: Vera Bradley, Anne Klein)

Stay sweet!

On the Charles

With all of the gloomy rain this past week in Boston, I was glad I got to enjoy the sunny weather while it lasted. A few weeks ago, I headed over to Needham, MA for some kayaking on the Charles River– a must for anyone visiting Boston. This was my first time kayaking in Massachusetts and it was such a fun experience. I've wanted to go ever since I first came to Boston last year. I'll definitely be going again!

The weather was perfect for kayaking– not too hot, not too cold. I pulled out my Live Love Dream track jacket to keep me warm in the cool fall breeze. This light zip-up has a unique design with mesh stripes along the side and bright coral zipper that adds a pop of color.

It was beautiful along the water with trees changing from their green summertime state to New England's vibrant array of fall colors. Sometimes it's nice to get away from all the city life and enjoy the peaceful, beautiful nature New England has to offer. Kayaking is a great activity to do with friends. It gives you time to talk with them and enjoy their company.

Get the Look:

Jacket: Aeropostale

Jeans: Hollister

Sunglasses: Similar: Marc Jacobs and American Eagle

Let me know what some of your favorite fall activities are in Boston for a chance to be featured on the blog!

Stay Sweet!

Summer Stripes

With breezy fall weather just around the corner, I had one last chance to wear shorts before the end of summer. This past week, the weather has been beautiful here in Boston, so I decided it was the perfect opportunity to wear my new J. Crew shorts. These bright orange and white striped shorts add the perfect pop of color to make this outfit stand out. I paired them with a white ruffled top and braided leather flip flops, along with some braided accessories to match and a long silver necklace for some added shimmer. To top off the outfit, I painted my nails a bright blood orange color from Clinique that matched perfectly with the hue of the shorts.

One of my favorite drinks to cool off with during warm weather is Passion Tea Lemonade from Starbucks. It's floral flavor combined with the punch of lemon is very refreshing on sunny days. Sometimes I will ask the baristas to blend it if I feel like having a slushy or smoothie. 

The color of the Passion Tea Lemonade reminds me of my Fever Gloss by Lancôme. The Lacôme lip gloss, in the color Exuberant Rose, that I wore for this look went really well with the light, summer vibe of the shorts. I love Lancôme's lip gloss because they come in a wide variety of pigmented colors. With the tear shaped applicator, the gloss applies very smoothly and easily covers the entire lip.

Get the Look:

Top: Old Navy (Similar: Ralph Lauren and H&M)

Shorts: J. Crew

Belt: Forever 21 (Similar: Express)

Necklace: Brighton (Similar: Brighton and Marc Jacobs)

Bracelets: Hollister (Similar: Hollister)

Shoes: Hollister (Similar: Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle)

Nail Polish: Clinique (color: Happy ♥)

Lip Gloss: Lancôme (color: Exuberant Rose)

Stay sweet!

Dorm Room DIY Photo Banner

It's that time of year again– time to get back to school. Although it's tough to leave behind all of the fun summer memories, it's great to be able to start a new journey. One of my favorite things about starting the school year is decorating my dorm. By putting little trinkets on shelves and pictures on the walls, I can change my room from a drab college dorm into a cute, personalized space that I enjoy spending time in.

One of my favorite decorations in my dorm room is a photo banner that I made to put up on my wall. I put pictures of my friends and family, plus a few pictures of my favorite things.

This DIY is the perfect touch to spruce up your dorm room or any space, plus it's easy to make. Here's what you'll need to make this fun banner:

-Polaroid pictures (I created mine for free by using Poladroid)
-Card stock or any thick paper (index cards work well)
-ribbon or rope (I used curling ribbon)
-binder clips or clothespins
-glue
-scissors
-thumb tacks

1. Print your Polaroid pictures. If they were printed on regular paper then cut out the card stock to be the same size as the photo. Next, glue the card stock to the back of the photo. (If your photos were printed on photo paper then the card stock reinforcement is not necessary.)

2. Cut off some ribbon to the desired length for your space plus a little extra (about three to four inches). Line up the ribbon on the wall where you want the banner to hang and put a tack on one end. Leave a little slack on the ribbon, then tack the other side of the ribbon down. (if your residence hall doesn't allow you to put tacks on your wall, try using tape or hang the ribbon ends on 3M Removable Hooks.)

3. Figure out what order you want to place your photos in or make the order random. Line up your photo on the hanging ribbon, then clip it in place with a clothespin or binder clip. Put up the rest of your photos using this same method, then your personalized photo banner is complete!

Stay sweet!

Red, White & Brave

This outfit that I put together is inspired by Keds Brave Hearts. I love this campaign put on by Keds because it challenges girls to step out of their comfort zone and be brave. These days, I see so many young girls who think they're not good enough, but Keds is helping girls everywhere find the inspiration to reach for their dreams. I wish that more young girls could find the confidence to believe in themselves and love themselves for who they are no matter their age, size, shape or ethnicity.

This summer I had my own moment of bravery when I cut off more than half of my hair to donate it to Locks of Love. Although it seemed drastic to me at first, the thought of helping those who were less fortunate than I made me realize how important it was. I was so happy to be able to donate my hair to those who lose theirs from cancer or other illnesses. I hope that my small deed will bring joy to a little girl who is going through a tough time in her life. These girls are an inspiration to me because of their perseverance and bravery. 

I went with a red, white and blue theme for this look to go with my classic white Champion Original Keds. These Keds are timeless and go with just about anything. They're the perfect pair for my classy white and navy dress from American Eagle Outfitters. To add a little extra sparkle to this outfit, I wore my J. Crew crystal necklace. And, of course, my red, white and blue outfit wouldn't be complete without bright red lipstick and firecracker red nails.

Get the Look:

Dress: American Eagle Outfitters

Belt: The Limited

Shoes: Keds

Necklace: J. Crew

Nails: OPI

Stay sweet!