Flourless Double Chocolate Cookies

I am a self-admitted chocoholic (*yep, chocoholic is a real word! Who knew?!?).  I love dark chocolate desserts (see here and here) and honestly, the more chocolate the better!  Recently I developed a new cookie recipe, that might be my favorite cookie recipe to date.  Why?  It's easy to make, requires very few ingredients, can potentially be made to be Gluten Free and definitely hits the spot when I am having a serious chocolate craving.  This recipe can best be described as "cookie meets brownie."  Served with a scoop of ice cream, these cookies will be the perfect dessert to serve at my next dinner party. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 3 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 5 Real Egg Whites (*Not egg white substitute)
• 1 1/2 Tbs Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 Bag Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (Mini or Regular)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and move oven rack to top third position in oven
2. In a large bowl combine sugar, cocoa powder and salt
3. Add Chocolate chips to dry mixture and stir
4. Add egg whites and vanilla extract to bowl
5. With a fork, mix bowl contents until just combined (do not over mix)
6. Scoop dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet
7. Bake on top rack for 10-12minutes
8. Remove from oven, allow 5-10minutes to cool, serve and enjoy!

Simple Summer Tablescape

Over the weekend, while shopping at the grocery store I noticed a display of pre-made summer flower bouquets.  Typically I don't like to purchase pre-made bouquets, because they  often look busy, include too many filler flowers and are more expensive than single variety bouquets.  However this summer bouquet seemed charming, so I decided to buy it for my table centerpiece this week…big mistake. 

When I got the bouquet home, I un-wrapped the packaging, trimmed the ends and placed the bouquet in a vase…it looked like a dog's breakfast!  I felt totally duped!  These flowers looked absolutely charming when packaged up at the store, but that charm immediately vanished as soon as I transferred the flowers to a vase.  In an effort to try and salvage the bouquet, I disassembled the entire bouquet, trimmed and re-arranged the flowers.  The result was an improved centerpiece that inspired me to create a tablescape using a color palette based off of my flower bouquet.  Thankfully, the tablescape ended up enhancing the aesthetic of the centerpiece and I was relieved to know that flowers weren't a total disaster.

For this tablescape:

• Tablecloth: Ballard Designs Essential Tablecloth
• Placemats: Chilewich Gold Dahlia Placemats
• Chargers: World Market Rattan Chargers, Set of 4
• Water Goblet: Villeroy & Boch Boston Goblet, Green
• Votives: CB2 Gami Rose Gold Candle Holders
• Napkins: Chilewich Solid Linen Napkin, Freesia Pink
• Salt and Pepper Cellars: Sur La Table Blanc Lions Head Bowls
• Wine Glasses: World Market Event All Purpose Wine Glasses, Set of 4
• Wine Coaster: William Yeoward Georgia Bottle Stand
• Wine: La Crema Pinot Noir

The mix of pinks, greens, golds and rattan created a beautiful setting for this casual summer dinner.  While the tablescape seemed to salvage the dog's breakfast floral centerpiece, I have certainly learned my lesson.  I will heed my own advice (*see this post on Tips for Flower Care and Arranging) and refrain from buying pre-made floral bouquets in the future.    So while I may have initially purchased a less than ideal bouquet of flowers, a little rearranging and a beautiful tablescape have transformed this former lemon into pretty palatable lemonade. 

Closet Organization: Tips for Increasing Space & Function

"Your home is a reflection of you."  This is a saying that I have heard numerous times.  For the most part, I have embraced the saying because the majority of my house was well kept and tastefully decorated.  The problem was that I wasn't looking at the whole picture.  The truth was that while my living spaces were immaculately kept, my clothing drawers and closet were disaster zones.  Drawers couldn't shut because I had packed them full of way too many clothes and my closet was a space that I would avoid letting anyone see because it was filled with chaotic clutter.  Last weekend, I finally became fed up with the disaster that was my closet and decided to do something about it.  So where did I turn for closet organization ideas and inspiration?  Pinterest of course!  I had a great deal of success mining ideas for how to tackle my closet and have compiled a list of my top favorite tips and ideas for organizing your clothing storage.  

Shoes: Heel to Toe

This was a concept that I had always seen in really fancy closets filled with very high end designer shoes.  I had just assumed that it was a way to artfully display gorgeous shoes in custom closets, so I never really paid much attention to it.  Only recently did I realize that the reason for displaying shoes heel to toe was actually to increase storage space!  By organizing your shoes in a "yin-yang" fashion, you are maximizing the storage space allotted to your shoes and thus able to fit a larger number of shoes into a smaller space without the crushing (and potentially damaging) effects of stacking shoes!  Genius!

Creating Visibility in Drawers 

These folding techniques that I discovered thanks to Pinterest are absolutely life changing!  Not only have the techniques provided me with visibility of everything in my drawers, but it has also freed up quite a bit of space in drawers that I used to have a hard time closing (see pictures above)!  There are three folding techniques that I use for my drawers to achieve this aesthetic/spatial maximization.  Super easy to do and the difference in my drawer space has been remarkable. 

• Folding Shirts to See Everything- Tri-Fold and Store front to back not bottom to top
• Socks- Cross Fold and Tuck
• Pants, Shorts and Pajamas - Fold them in half and roll them!

Huggable Hangers

A product that has been on the market for a long time and yet I only took notice of them recently.  Desperate for additional hanging space in my closet, I decided to put them to the test.  You can find these velvet (anti-slip) skinny hangers at a variety of stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target, Home Goods, The Container Store, but the best deal on these hangers was without a doubt from Costco (35 hangers for $9.99!).  After swapping out my old hangers for the new huggable hangers, I can honestly say that I noticed a difference in the amount of breathing room I gained in my closet just from changing out the hangers!  

Extra Shelves and Accessory Organizers

I know I mentioned my love of stackable shelves in this recent home improvement post, but there is a need to re-emphasize their fabulousness.  Had I not used these shelves, there is no way that I would have orderly sweaters and enough room for my shoes.  These shelves are inexpensive and come in a variety of sizes and colors.   A closet organizing must for me and any one lacking ample shelf space in their closet.  

In addition to the shelves, I have recently discovered the power of the handbag organizer.  The handbag organizer is essentially an oversized magazine holder, but what makes it so great is that you can flip the box onto different sides in order to fit the width of your shelves while upholding its primary purpose, to organize handbags!  This organizer is also great for storing winter accessories, belts, hats, etc. My linen handbag organizer (pictured above) is currently on sale at The Container Store for $14.99.  In my opinion, worth every penny!

Hooks

Whether your preference is an over the door hook or the type of hook you drill into the wall, hooks are a great way to organize and store belts, bathrobes, handbags, etc.  I have used over the door hooks on my closet to hang my bathrobe and organize my belts.  Have hooks on the interior of my closet doors is a great place to store items I use frequently.  Hooks are inexpensive and have been critical in helping me to maximize closet storage space and improve functionality.  

Additional Tips

• Get rid of clothes that don't make you look your best- I have fallen victim to this time and again.  Feeling obligated to hold on to a garment because it either cost a lot when you initially bought it or has sentimental value.  If the article of clothing doesn't make you look your best then it shouldn't be taking up space in your wardrobe.  Either take it to Goodwill, sell it at a Second Hand Shop or put it in the trash.  The bottom line is that items you shouldn't be wearing in the first place, definitely shouldn't be consuming precious real estate in your closet.
• Assess your space before going out to buy organization products- more often than not I have heard stories (and been guilty of this myself) of people going to the store, buying a bunch of organization products and then going home to find out that nothing really works with their space.  Take time to review your space, measure shelves and see where additional storage is needed before heading to the store.  This will help to create efficiencies in your organization and save on expenses .
• Clothing Care Box- I have a small box in my closet that holds a Lint Roller, Downy Wrinkle Releaser, Deodorant Stain Remover Pads, a Tide To-Go Pen and a Fabric Shaver/De-piller.  Essential clothing care items that are helpful to have on hand when getting ready.  
• Monotony creates an organized aesthetic- using like hangers, organizing your closet by garment type and/or color and similar color/style storage bins, will all help to create an organized aesthetic.

After going through this much needed exercise with my closet and drawers, as well as my husband's closet and drawers, we both have concluded that we now need to buy more clothes with all of our newly found storage space (kidding!).  In all honesty it was eye-opening to see how what we had perceived to be not enough storage space, was actually more than enough when utilized optimally.  I am so happy I finally addressed the skeleton (aka Clutter) in my closet, and hope that this has inspired you to possibly take a look at your own space and see if there is an opportunity to improve on your own storage situation.   This overhaul did take some time to complete, but in the end it was certainly time well spent! *For those of you who are curious, below is a picture of my closet before and after.  

Dark Chocolate Toffee with Smoked Maldon Salt

Today's recipe is a spin on the classic Saltine Toffee Recipe.  This is a dessert that great to have on hand for summer entertaining, because it keeps really well and I recommend serving it straight out of the freezer.  Cold chocolate on a hot summer day? Um, yes please!!  

This recipe also makes for a great hostess gift-- simply wrap up a portion of the recipe in cellophane paper, tie with a pretty ribbon and add a thoughtful gift tag.  Easy, quick and delicious, whats not to love about this perfectly balanced sweet and salty dessert?!?

Ingredients

• 34 Degree Natural Crisps
• 1 Stick of Butter
• 1 cup of Light Brown Sugar
• 1 Bag of Mini Semisweet Chocolate Chips
• Smoked Maldon Sea Salt

*Not sure where to find 34 Degree Crisps in your area?  Try their new Crisp Locator App.  This tool maps out the location of every flavor crisp in your area and maps the proximity to your home.  So fabulous!

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit
2. Line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and spray the foil with a non-stick cooking spray (ex. Pam)
3. Assemble a slightly overlapping layer of 34 Degree Natural Crisps on the bottom of the jelly roll pan and set aside
4. In a small sauce pot, add butter and brown sugar on medium-high heat and stir contents intermittently using a high heat spatula
5. Once the butter/sugar mixture (toffee) has melted together and comes to a rolling bubble, remove from heat and pour over crackers
6. Use a spatula to smooth out toffee mixture evenly over crackers, then place in the oven for 5 minutes
7. Once the toffee is done baking, begin to melt the chocolate in 30 second increments using a microwave safe bowl in the microwave
8. Stir chocolate after every 30 seconds of cooking until completely melted (about a minute and 20 seconds)
9. Pour melted chocolate over toffee crackers and spread evenly
10. Sprinkle top of chocolate with Smoked Maldon Sea Salt and allow to cool for 30 minutes before  moving to the freezer 
11. Once frozen break off rustic pieces (using your hands) and serve

4th of July Tablescape

This year I am hosting friends at our home for the 4th of July.  In the past, my husband and I have spent this holiday in a variety of locations (Beach, Mountains, Bay, DC) with both formal and informal settings.  While I love the idea of grilling on the 4th of July and creating a chic picnic scene, from my experience picnicking in July tends to be most enjoyable when the weather is below 80 degrees and the humidity is at a reasonable level.  Maybe this is just a personal preference, but it is really hard for me to work up an appetite and have an enjoyable dining experience when it's sweltering hot outside (like say, in DC in the dead of summer).  In preparation for Saturday's festivities I want to be mindful of tradition yet still provide my guests with a level of comfort, so I plan on grilling outside and serving dinner inside.  

When creating this tablescape, I wanted to incorporate a level of sophistication since we will be eating inside, but also incorporate a few festive whimsical touches.  I opted for a solids as opposed to patterns so that I could, a) use materials that I already owned and b) keep the table with a classic Ralph Lauren vibe (since he is the epitome of sophisticated American decor).  Here is a breakdown of what I used to create this tablescape:

• Table Cloth: Ballard Designs
• Placemats: Williams-Sonoma (or Similar here and here)
• Rattan Chargers: World Market
• Dinner Plates: Pillivuyt Basketweave
• Napkins: Pottery Barn Hemstitch Linen, Cranberry (love these napkins too!)
• Steak Knives: Laguiole 
• Party Hats: USA Party Hats, Set of 4 (*Recommend Wearing at a Jaunty Angle)
• High Ball Glasses: Reed & Barton
• Champagne Coupes: West Elm (or similar here)
• Wine Goblets: William Yeoward
• Coasters: Chilewich
• Centerpiece: Tiffany & Co. 
• Flowers: Locally Grown Red Tulips and Red African Roses (2 Bouquets of each)

Menu:

• Entree: Grilled Marinated Flank Steak
• Salad: Ina Garten's Panzanella Salad
• Side: Bobby Flay's Perfectly Grilled Corn
• Dessert: Patriotic Berry Trifle and Fresh Cut Watermelon
• Cocktail: Blueberry Ginger Bellinis

Prior to creating this tablescape, I spent a significant amount of time on Pinterest (see my 4th of July Pinterest Board here) trying to figure out how I wanted to go about creating this table setting.  In the end, I realized that I could use a bunch of staple items I already had on hand to create this scape.  The party hats, red flowers and napkins were the only new additions.  **Note- Red Napkins are a great staple to have on hand for entertaining (4th of July, Christmas, Valentines Day, etc…), but it can be challenging to find that perfect shade of red (Cranberry not Cherry Red).  

After dinner, we plan to head down to monuments to enjoy the fireworks.  While I am going against the norm by hosting an indoor dinner, I am still keeping with traditions through my menu, tablescape color scheme and post dinner field trip.  This evening will be a perfect combination of festive and comfortable (2 entertaining musts for me).  I hope this post has given you some inspiration for ways to celebrate the 4th of July with your friends and family.  Happy 4th of July everyone!