This week's DELIGHT: Walnut Chocolate Cake

I still need to post about this year's Thanksgiving recipes (lots of delicious food, as usual!) but I'm already thinking about Christmas ;) And with the chilly and rainy weather around here, nothing better than a Walnut Chocolate Cake.

It's a delicious cake with a soft and moisty texture, however, as the nuts have a good amount of natural oil in them, it is not a very fluffy cake. I used semisweet chocolate chips, but if you like a sweeter cake, I suggest using milk chocolate (I liked it with semisweet).
You can also switch for macadamia or pecans, take out the chocolate chips (I don't recommend...) or even add a glaze or ganache. Merry Christmas!

This week's DELIGHT: Wrapped Cranberry and Brie

One of the dishes I made for Christmas dinner was the Wrapped Cranberry and Brie. Here is the original recipe. It's very easy to make and will impress your guests with its delicious flavor!

My comments: I didn't find a round brie, so I bought a triangular one and it worked very well.
I loved the combination of cranberries and walnuts, but you can make substitutions and use another fruit sauce; and instead of walnuts, you can choose almonds, macadamia or pistachios. Do not overdo the amount of sauce because it can drip from the cheese into the dough and let it chewy. Next time, I'll leave my cheese in the oven longer because I thought the dough was not as puffy as it should be, but it was so good that we ate it all in one night! I will make again for sure!

Christmas Dinner Menu

To change a bit, after an amazing Thanksgiving dinner, for Christmas I decided to go "lighter" serving hors d'oeuvres, cheeses, fruits, jam, breads and, as you'll see below, a few other delicious little things!

 - caprese salad in a skewer; dry fig with gorgonzola cheese and prosciutto

 - pumpernickel bread with goat cheese and smoked salmon

 - baked artichoke

 - warm brie with cranberry sauce, walnuts and puff pastry (I'll post this recipe later on)

- mini cupcakes

- macarons

The entire menu can be used at parties, celebrations, and is also perfect as a weekend brunch (with juices and sparkling wine).

Details: Holidays...

I hope everyone enjoyed very much the holidays and is motivated and energized for 2012!
Below are some pictures of my last week which had an extra special visit, food, travel, tours, walks, shopping and music.

During the week, I'll post about my Christmas and New Year suppers (delicious!), some recipes, and suggestions of really cool attractions! Happy New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Everyone is ready for the holidays, so my post today is simply to say MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A WONDERFUL 2012! I want you all to be happy, enjoy life, do good, pay more attention to each other, and have health and strength to face the challenges that might appear ahead.

Celebrate life! Enjoy the moments! Love and be loved, and stay peaceful with yourself and others (those interested, you can celebrate in high style with this Moet & Chandon golden bottle special edition)

Thank you for being around! 2011 was very special to me and you're a huge part of it. Next week, the posts will not be as constant, but I promise you that many other cool ideas are to come!

Details... (Christmas Edition)

A peek at my Christmas decor...

Next week, I will post pictures of the dinner and the menu!

Flower of the Week: Poinsettia (of course!)

Nothing better than a traditional Christmas flower to enhance holidays spirit at home!

Christmas Gift Bags

This year, I was very excited about my adventures in the kitchen and, along with my friend Beverly, we decided to give our friends, relatives and loved ones boxes filled with Xmas goodies.
After weeks of planning, shopping, and a few days in the kitchen, we've already distributed nearly 60 boxes, and the project is a total success!

We made gingerbread cookies, lavender shortbread; mint oreo dipped in chocolate; matzoh crunch, and the plan was to also have mini chocottones, but the recipe did not work well and we had to replace it (but I'll try again next year!). Beverly made brownie and I made two types of brigadeiro (a very typical Brazilian treat made with condensed milk): passion fruit and contreau with cranberries.
Throughout the weeks I'll post the recipes, but here are some pictures of our day in the kitchen and the final result.

I suggest everyone to do a project like this at least once. It's so good to dedicate time to the people you love. You will feel good and I'm sure everyone will appreciate it. If you don't want to do it by yourself, call a friend and it will be even better! I spent incredible hours with Bev, and it was so great that we're already thinking about next year!

Getting inspired for Christmas - Part 3

We are almost at the finish line for the holiday season, but we still find lots of good ideas: candles, dried fruits, gold, red, bows, flowers ...

Photos: Real Simple, West Elm, Pottery Barn, Crate& Barrel, Williams & Sonoma