Take 5 (or 10)

Before the hussle and bussle of the holiday season begins, take 10 minutes today to sip hot chocolate (I recommend adding a spoonful of nutela to it), listen to a little early Christmas music (I recommend the Michael Buble Christmas Station on Pandora), and get excited for the fast approaching, most wonderful time of the year! 

Apple Pie Pops

Over the weekend I made these apple pie pops. And let me tell you, they couldn't have been easier. 

I did not make the dough myself (sorry, mom!) I thawed and then rolled out a frozen pie dough, cut out with a linzer cookie cutter, laid on a cookie sheet with parchment paper, pressed the sticks in, and filled with the apple pie filling -you can use any pie filling you'd like but you need to cut the apples up very small, about a cubic centimeter to fit in between the dough layers. 

Molly's Apple Pie Pops Filling:

2 Macantosh Apples

1 Granny Smith Apple

1/2 c. Brown Sugar

1/4 c. Granulated Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 TBSP Lemon Juice

2 TBSP Butter, cut into cubic centimeters 

Peel apples and cut into cubic centimeters. Toss ingredients together. This will give you plenty of filling, but whatever you have left over you can use for apple crisp, apple turnovers, and/or apple tart, etc. 

The tricky part with these being on sticks is knowing how to serve them. What I came up with was wrapping a piece of flower foam in brown paper bag, adding a quick decoration, and sticking the pops into the foam.

I used a glue pen and glitter to give it a little extra something. 

Voila!

Wishlist Wednesday -Winter White and Neutral Accessories

For this weeks WLW, I have compiled winter white and neutral accessories. 

1. Peplum Sweater 2. Adorable Coat with Pink Accents 3. Jeans that are more of an off-white, making them quite versatile 4. Faux Fur Collar -Great way to add a special touch to a simple white outfit 5. Cute Tote (at an even cuter price point!) 6. LOVE Wide Leg White Trousers -very slimming, classic look, transitions beautifully from day to night 7. Snakeskin and gold flats couldn't be a better match for winter white 

8. Twisted Pearl Bracelet

Squash Gratin

I made this dish to bring as a side to my cousins "Friends-giving" that she and her fiance hosted over the weekend, and I think it was a hit! It had the sweetness from the squash, flavor from the thyme and tang from the cream and Gruyere cheese. I would highly recommend this dish if you thinking of adding something new to your thanksgiving spread! 

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 small kabocha squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese (about 2 ounces)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and thyme and cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the butternut and kabocha squash in a large microwave-safe bowl with 1 cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until the squash is just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and add the squash to the skillet along with the garlic, mace, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, about 3 minutes. Add the broth and cook until it is mostly absorbed, about 5 more minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and cook until slightly thickened, 2 minutes.

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the microwave and toss with the breadcrumbs, parmesan and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the squash, then top with the gruyere. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Food Network Magazine 

Rainy Monday

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was filled with friends, family and relaxation :)

But alas, Monday has arrived with rain and wind. Wishing I could continue with the relaxing days; especially on a day like today, curled up with my new book (The Book Thief) and a cup of tea....but off to the office I go.

Jumper: J.Crew (old) similar here & here (both on sale! with code MERRY) Turtleneck: Nordstrom (old) similar here (also on sale!) Boots: J.Crew (really old) but how cute are these & these!

Okay Monday, Let's do this!

Sunday Night Stroll Through Sites with Sales

There are so many sales right now, had to share a few of my favs. I would hate for anyone to miss out!

Piperlime.com ~Site wide 30% off ~ enter code MERRY at Checkout

Bloomingdales.com ~Friends and Family Sale, 20% off almost everything ~ Use promo code FF13 at Checkout (ends tonight at midnight! )

J.Crew ~addtitional 40% off sale items ~use code STYLETIME

You know you love me,

xoxo

Molly Beatson

Lemon Soup

I made this lemon soup last night but it could be the perfect weekend activity to have as a late lunch. It was easy and I had most ingredients on hand!

My friends and I at work frequent a local Greek Restaurant in Cambridge called The Greek Corner. We salivate over their lemon soup. When my friend, Amanda, found this recipe on FoodandWine.com I had to try it! And boy is it delish! 

One of the best parts was that it only took about 10 minutes to thicken up. 

Chop up fresh dill to add just before serving.

More cooking for me tomorrow morning, for a Thanksgiving party we are going too. Have a great weekend all! 

Wishlist Wednesday -Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale Edition

1. Weekend Boyfriend Jeans   2. This Maxi dress I can see being paired with a cozy infinity scarf and booties.   3. Fun pumps, great for Christmas parties   4. Flair skirt to be worn countless ways (ordered so post to come :)   5. Great casual top for weekends or dressed up with jeans and a statement necklace.

Chalkboard Fun

I have this chalkboard in my kitchen and various pin's on pinterest inspired me to design it this way for Thanksgiving. I have much to be thankful for and having this in the kitchen is a frequent reminder. Thank YOU for reading :)

Pell Bridge Run

This weekend I completed the Pell Bridge Run; a 4 mile race which starts in Jamestown, RI and finishes in Newport, RI. The race starts at 6:30am! That meant waking up quite early and before the sun was up. It was a great experience to cross the iconic bridge as the sun rose. 

Butternut Squash Fries

Made these super easy Butternut Squash Fries last night for dinner with my best and I think they were quite a hit! 

This recipe came from one of my best friends Kerin. She took this Martha Stewart recipe and simplified it. All I did was cut up the peeled squash into 1/2 thick pieces, and tossed with olive oil. 

Then seasoned with salt and pepper, and roasted for about 45 -60 minutes at 425 degrees.

Delish!

8 Things Every Happy Woman Should Have

Cupcakes and Cashmere has been a huge blog inspiration for me. She recently posted this article with her own responses. I thought it would be fun for me to do the same and have it serve as an intro of sorts as I am new to the blogging world. 

Lunch

Poncho: Holiday (one of my favorite stores in Beacon Hill -from the "Pretty Little Sister" collection) Jeans: Jack Wills  Scarf: Barbour (old) similar here & here Booties: Report Bracelet: J.Crew (soldout) But, for the next two days all jewelry on J.Crew Factory is 50% off!

Had a great lunch the other day with my brother, Liam. We went to a new crepe place in the Fenway, Neighborhoods Coffee and Crepes. Loved catching up with Liam over one of my favorite foods. 

Wishlist Wednesday -For the Home

1. Adorable individual hand soaps, perfect for Christmas parties or as a hostess gift. 2. I am planning on red being my Christmas accent color in my living room. These coasters are so fun. 3. I have never been one for wall decals, but I have the perfect spot for this, and its seasonal, so why not. 4. I have been eyeing this mirrored tray and stand for months. 5. Okay, for the person who ships multiple packages, how is adorable is this custom gift sack!

I know I am totally getting ahead of myself with the Christmas wish list. However, many of these products came from a UK site I stumbled upon Not on the High Street.com. Because I included custom items and those that require international shipping, I felt as though these needed to be posted sooner rather then later. And who's kidding who, I love Christmas, its truly my most wonderful time of the year!

Weeknight Dinner -Salad with Sauteed Veggies and Chicken Sausage

After working all day at an office, the last thing I want to do is make dinner. I could be more then content having an eggo waffle and calling it a night but I know I need to veggies and nutrients of more then a frozen waffle. One could argue I am force feeding myself veggies.

After a quick trip to Trader Joe's to get their amazing Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage and veggies I am home cooking and eating all within 30 minutes. 

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

Spring Mix

2 Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage

2 Medium Size Carrots -Whole peeled and Sliced

About 6 Brussels Sprouts -halved

2 good size stalks of Broccoli -cut to bite size
1/2 TBSP of Butter

TBSP Olive Oil

Dressing:

1/2 lemon juice

1/4 C. of Olive Oil

Heaping TBSP of Good Mustard

S & P to taste

1. Saute the brussel sprouts first as they are the firmest and will take the longest. After they have browned a bit move the to the outer edges of the pan.

2. Add the butter to the middle of the pan to cook the carrots in. Let that sit stirring occasionally. Move the carrots to the edge of the pan when they are just about fork tender.

3. Add the broccoli to the center of the pan, and sprinkle over about 2 tbsp of water, cover the pan and let cook until all veggies are fork tender.

4. Slice the sausage and cook in pan on stove top. The idea here is to just brown it a bit and warm up the already cooked sausage. 

5. Dressing couldn't be easier: combine ingredients and whisk together, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy! 

Cozy Sweaters and Cookies

Sweater: Banana Republic (old) Similar here and here Jeans: J.Crew Sunnies: Smith

My Sunday was spent lounging on the couch, shopping with girl friends and trying a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. 

This chocolate chip cookie recipe was a recommendation from a friend, who follows eat, love, run, where this recipe came from. 

The key to this recipe is caramelizing the butter; giving them a nuttier taste that is heavenly and has my apartment smelling divine. 

They are quite a bit more work then regular chocolate chip cookies. However, I would absolutely make these again as a treat. 

Casual Friday Accessories

Casual Friday here at the office. I went with a cozy fleece vest today as its a gloomy fall day here in Cambridge. But, I think the pearls add a touch of femininity.  

These are the most comfortable flats I have ever owned. The soles have some sort of memory foam element, making them feel as if I am wearing slippers. These I got during a private sale but similar flats can be found here (on sale!)

A gift from my favorite. It was custom made and designed at Style Newport. 

Hoping to end this day with a movie and wine. Happy Friday!