Frozen assets

My frozen assets! I love that sugar cookies can be frozen!

I have a lot of cookies that I want to give and mail next week, but I knew I wouldn't have time to do it all at once. So, last night while watching The Year Without a Santa Claus and Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys (not recommended, BTW...stick with the original), I baked cookies...over 70 of them.

The cookies were bagged in gallon-size freezer baggies, between layers of wax paper (did you know Thomas Edison invented that...what a great guy!). Then, these were placed in freezer-safe plastic containers and will be ready when I am ready to ice them.

To thaw, just take them out of the freezer about 2 hours or more before decorating. (Do not refrigerate.)

Cookies already decorated with royal icing can also be frozen! This is great if you're planning a big party, just make your cookies in advance and pop in the freezer. Again, take them out a few hours before you need them, and you are all set. If you've bagged them, leave the cookies in the bags to thaw.

Candy Cane Lane

It has been far too long since I've done a Three Elements post, so I thought today would be a great time to incorporate one as I continue with the red and white streak.

For the first board, I envisioned a bride who runs traditional in her tastes and who loves the romance of winter and the holidays. She would want her wedding at a quaint country inn, from where she and her husband would make a sleigh-ride getaway. She loves the combination of red and white for the holidays, but she especially loves red, a color that speaks to her of romance. She would even indulge in a second dress for her reception, a dramatic red gown that she envisions wearing in the years to come.

In the second inspiration board, this bride loves the holidays equally as much, but she has a more modern sensibility. Her wedding would take place in a white-washed city loft, and she would want her color palette to follow suit; since she loves red and white at the holidays, this bride would incorporate small touches of red into her wedding day, while keeping white as the predominant hue.

The three elements incorporated this week are:

Traditional Holiday Romance

Row 1: Elizabeth Messina via The Bride's Cafe, Gentl & Hyers, Bailey44 via Revolve Clothing, ara133 photography
Row 2: Brides, Carrie Patterson Photography, Rosa Clara
Row 3: J.Crew, Brides, Eden Ink's flickr
Row 4: Martha Stewart, Julia Russell- The Designer's Co-op

Modern Holiday Love

Row 1: Michele M. Waite, Alison Events via The Bride's Cafe, Julie & Adam- Our Labor of Love
Row 2: Elizabeth Messina via The Bride's Cafe, Artfool, Anna Be via Style Me Pretty, Gentl & Hyers
Row 3: Our Labor of Love, Lucas Allen, J.Crew
Row 4: Cannelle et Vanille, Eden Ink's flickr, cotton idea studio

*Had some computer problems yesterday, so this is a bit belated Wedding Wednesday post!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownies Recipe with Pecan Meal

A rich, gluten-free chocolate brownie with pecan flour.

Everyone needs a rich decadent brownie treat now and then. Especially if you wake up to snow and ice and no electricity. Which means of course, no heat. No hot water. No shower. Which translates into one very bad hair day. And one prickly, cranky goddess. I'm serious.

What does Mother Nature think this is, December?

Oh. Wait.

I've been deep in denial, I admit it. I've been distracting myself tweaking blog color schemes and rustling up pumpkin waffles and cozy soups and watching old Humphrey Bogart movies and downloading music pretending Autumn Shade is forever. But winter, I hate to tell you, is only twelve days away, inching closer every shivering second. It's a good thing we have a kiva fireplace and a stack of pinon outside the door. With nothing to do, I bundled up and settled in to read (long overdue) Temple Grandin's amazing book Animals In Translation.

Continue reading

For the Love of {Red & White}

My love of red and white is apparently not limited to gift wrap this Christmas; I've been slowly saving holiday images, many of which I realized fit my red and white theme.

Marisa Crawford Indri

Lucas Allen

Phyllis Asher via desire to inspire

Brian Andriola- stylist

Kate Mathis Photography

Kate Mathis Photography

Carrie Patterson Photography

Krakvik & D'Orazio

I love the red and white stripe that runs through many of these pictures, and I am absolutely craving some Christmas sugar cookies and peppermint bark. Yum!

I have some more holiday things planned to share with you in the coming weeks, one feature in particular that I especially think you will enjoy. I hope to start sharing that with you later this week!

*As I was putting this post together, it probably should not have startled me to look up and realize that I had also decorated this lil' guy in red and white, yet it did! And I must say, he is quite cheerfully lending some holiday spirit to our hotel room.

Merry Happy

I've mentioned before how exciting I find it to chose my Christmas gift wrap "theme" each year; I love when holiday papers make their debut each fall! I typically whittle down the list of contenders until I have decided on my color scheme, but some years, all it takes is just one wrapping paper. I'll fall in love, and it is all over; no other contenders even exist from that point forward.


Two years ago, I went with a red and white theme for my gift wrap, and I threw in some apple green accents; I loved how cheerful the packages looked under the tree.

While I like to go with different themes each year, and even though it was a theme I chose not that long ago, I am finding myself drawn to the red and white color scheme again this year.


And I must admit, I still have some wrapping paper left over from that Christmas, so, in this time of economic-woe, it probably doesn't hurt to be a little thrifty; I'll probably stick to only red and white this time (no apple green in the mix.) I'll add some new ribbons, tags, and other packages accessories, and the look should be as good as new.

All tags from Cotton Idea Studio

*And, of course, I heart this and would love to throw it in the mix...yet because I have an insane amount of the brown and white version left over from my wedding, I am not sure I can justify purchasing more just yet...

Gluten-Free Baking Tips + Substitutions

I receive so many requests for substitutes in cooking and baking recipes (food allergies are on the rise, you know, not to mention those tender-hearted animal loving vegans- their smiling faces are popping up everywhere these days) that I thought I would write a post about what works- and what doesn't- in quirky Substitution Land. And...provide a permanent link to this vital information in the Karina's Kitchen sidebar. For your convenience, Bubbie. See how much I think of you, Dear Heart?

So now you can scoot your accommodating Aunt Sadie over to this Baking + Cooking Substitutions link when she calls you up to ask, For the love of Pete- how the heck do I fix you a mac and cheese casserole if you can't eat gluten or casein? You can now answer, Have I got a blog for you.

Of course, then she is sure to ask, Um, what's a blog?

Continue reading

Happy Weekend!

Photos here and here by Chris Everard

These photos are a little like me right now, although I am certainly not living out of such nice luggage! We are in the midst of our move, and we are in the phase of figuring out temporary housing. Right now, we are staying in a hotel, and Goal Number One this weekend is to find a short-term rental!

What are your weekend plans? I hope that whatever you are doing, you have a great one!

Remember you have a few more hours to enter the giveaway, and I will announce the winners soon!