Adventures

This A Cozy Kitchen Gift Guide 2019 is a list of tools and items I use on the regular! They help make cooking and baking easy, organized and stress-free. Buy them for yourself or your favorite human!

1. KitchenAid Artisan Mixer (Almond Cream) – I have this mixer (though I use the Architect KitchenAid which has since been discontinued *TEARS!*). I used the Artisan for years (and still have it that I keep as a backup). It’s super pretty in this Almond Cream color.

2. Pyrex Measuring Set – I have two of these measuring sets and love it! I often times will treat the 8 cup like a big bowl for omelettes and pancake batters. The smaller ones always provide super accurate volume measurements. And I love that the glass doesn’t absorb smells or stains.

3. Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Blender – For years I had a Ninja and I LOVED it. It was super loud (the only caveat). I gave it to my mom and replaced it with this Vitamix. It’s SO pretty and quiet. It blends up sauces, smoothies, soups and pestos like a dream.

4. The Year of Cozy – This is my cookbook which I personally *hello bias opinion!* think is a wonderful gift. AND there’s a big deal on the book!

5. Le Creuset 3 1/2 Signature Cast Iron Braiser – I use this braiser for SO many things. Arroz con pollo, macaroni and cheese, roasting a chicken, etc. I have it in meringue and it’s SO pretty, too.

6. Pyrex Meal Prep Set – I love these glass storage containers for food because, again, they don’t stain or absorb odors. If I leave something in here that’s turns scary (you know, because I forgot about it), all it needs is a trip to the dishwasher with some super hot water.

7. Boos Block (in Medium Size) – I love this Boos Block though I use it for things that don’t stain (like bread, some vegetables and making a sandwich).

8. USA 9×13 Cake Pan – I’m a sheet pan enthusiast (evidence: here, here , here and here). And am actually buying this for myself this week because my old 9×13 cake pan has gone through the ringer and *cough* my husband might’ve ruined it.

9. Olive Oil Dispenser – I’ve had this for a few years and use it daily! It’s another thing that lives right next to my stove and I grab for it on the regular.

10. Nordic Ware Half Sheet Pans – I have a handful of these sheet pans and I use them for everything from baking cookies to roasting vegetables to even roasting a turkey. The 1-inch rim that goes all the way around makes them very versatile. And the light colored stainless steel won’t burn your cookies or biscuits.

11. Le Creuset 5 1/2-quart Dutch Oven  – These Dutch Ovens come in a few sizes: 3 1/2 quart, 5 1/4-quart and 7 1/4-quart. Buy according to the size of the friends and family you cook for. For me, I use the 3 1/2 quart ALL the time. And I love the 5 1/4 quart, too.

12. Peugot PepperMill – This is another thing that is parked right next to my stove and it’s amazing. I’ve had it for a few years now and it’s equally pretty and attractive and efficient.

13. Le Creuset 5pc. Utensil Set (in color “Meringue”) – This is a new addition to my kitchen and it’s so pretty parked right next to my stove. The spatulas are super sturdy and the brush tool is my favorite because it’s nice and wide.

14. Instant Pot 6-Quart – I love my Instant Pot and I use it ALL the time. Billy gifted this to me last Christmas and I use it at least once or twice a month. During colder months, even more often!

15. OXO Stainless Steel Cups – I used to use cute measuring cups but now I’m more practical and I want guaranteed reliability and accuracy. These cup measurements are great.

16. OXO Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons – These measuring spoons are super accurate and I love that instead of having that annoying ring that holds them together, they’re magnetic so they secure together.

(A Cozy Kitchen Gift Guide 2019 contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission from purchases!)

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It’s December! That means quick meals, gingerbread houses, lots of cookies and appetizers galore. It’s a time for holiday parties and get togethers and being stressed that the end of the year is coming so very soon! Here is a collection of 15 Cozy Recipes To Make in December! 

Decadent, Delicious Hot Chocolate – This hot chocolate is my favorite, decadent hot chocolate. Truly just the way hot chocolate should be made.

Vegetarian Sweet Potato Poblano and Black Bean Enchiladas – Between all the cookies and sugar, we need dinner. And we need it simple and delicious. I love these enchiladas.

Best Blueberry Muffins – The batter for these blueberry muffins can be made and kept in the fridge overnight. They’ll puff up gloriously!

Pastelitos de Guayaba – Cuban bakery vibes in your kitchen! These pastelitos are filled with sweetened cream cheese and a little slice of guava paste. Super tasty and easy!

Breakfast Braided Danish Loaf – This yeasted loaf is SO good and fluffy. It’s super tasty. This recipe makes two loaves so you can make one for you and give the second one away.

Berry Crinkle Cookies – December is the month of cookies. And I developed these for Valentine’s Day last year but they’re pretty Christmas-y too because of their pretty color!

Cozy Gingerbread House – This gingerbread house took me exactly 1 week to complete (mainly because I changed my mine on the creative direction). I ended up super proud and loving it!

Alfajores – These cookies are melt-in-your-mouth-delicious. Filled with manjar blanco/dulce de leche and rolled in powdered sugar. So good!

Chewy Masala Chai Snickerdoodles – These are big holiday vibes. They’re chewy, amazingly spiced and a very big crowd pleaser.

Chocolate Cardamom Morning Rolls – Chocolate and cardamom are one of my favorite flavor combos. These morning rolls are fluffy and delicious. The best part: they can prepped the night before and then baked of the morning of!

Oat Milk Collagen Hot Chocolate – This is a healthy version of hot chocolate. It has collagen, oat milk and delicious dark chocolate.

Horchata Una Leche Tres Leches – This tres leches uses a single kind of milk: horchata. It’s super delicious and nutty. I love it!

Pie de Limón Cookie Bars – This is inspired by one of my favorite Peruvian desserts: pie de limon. It has a lovely cookie crust that makes these easy to transport.

Brown Butter Pecan Sheet Cake – This sheet cake is SO good. It has brown butter, chopped pecans and cute little cookies on top.

Dulce de Leche Cookie Bars – These marbled cheesecake cookie bars are swirled with dulce de leche. They’re super pretty! 

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It’s September! Almost. A few days shy but I figured I’d put up a post of some things to make this weekend, for Labor Day. I’m headed to Hawaii but if I was here, there are some things in this list that I would be making for

1. Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies – I am ALWAYS on the look out for iterations of chocolate chip cookies. This version is a banger. I love it. Coffee and chocolate are a match made in heaven.

2. Melty Baked Brie with Walnuts, Honey and Figs – Baked brie is so underrated. I think it’s because people are used to seeing it wrapped in puff pastry and drizzled with like honey. They’re used to a trashy version (and for the record, I LOVE that version). This is a classier version of that. It’s melty and gooey. The crunchy walnuts, sweet honey and ripe, juicy figs are glorious.

3. Earl Grey Scones – Having a blog can be weird. I have no idea why this recipe has taken off in the last couple of weeks but it’s brought in SO much traffic. It’s an oldie of a recipe but it’s good. I love these scones. So here ya go.

4. Peach Walnut Cocoa Nibs Snacking Cake – This cake is SO good. It’s a such a sleeper of a recipe. I posted this and no one cared. Lol. That happens sometimes. But I can assure you that it is so delicious. The streusel topping is amazing. And peach and cocoa nibs work surprisingly well together.

5. Miso White Chocolate Chip Cookies – An iteration of chocolate chip cookies with a hint of savory added via Miso. The white chocolate chips are a nice change from the regular dark chocolate chunks I use.

6. Roasted Carrot Potstickers – We can’t just eat sweet things in the month of September. I need veggies. These potstickers are an amazing vehicle for delicious pureed carrots spiked with ginger and sesame oil.

7. Spicy Sambal Oyster Noodles – This isn’t exactly “late-summery” or anything like that. These are what the internet likes to call “evergreen.” Meaning, you can eat them any time you dang well please. They’re spicy and savory and so so good.

8. Payday Lobster Cherry Tomato Pasta – For when that direct deposit hits! This is for that time of the month when you’re feeling sorta spendy and you got some money to spend. I actually love buying a lobster tail and putting it in dishes—it feels so luxurious.

9. Ginger Shrimp Stir-Fry with Garlicky Bok Choy – I can eat a whole bowl of sautéed green onions. This dish has A LOT of green onions added to bok choy the shrimp. It’s a delicious, easy to make dinner.

10. Pumpkin Tahini Loaf – I didn’t want to pull out the fall stuff all early but here it is: the first glimpse of the upcoming season. I’m excited for it!

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My bedroom makeover is done! YAY! It’s taken a lot of time to get it to a place of total comfort. TBH when we first moved in, our bedroom resembled more of a dorm than a cozy, tranquil place. I was procrastinating on pulling the trigger on new furniture and decor—they’re hard choices to make haha.

Before we get into the cozy details, let’s look at some beautiful before photos! Lol. The bedroom furniture was way too dark and the curtains hardly let in light.

The bedroom needed a new fresh coat of paint and some new light fixtures. We also had a desk in there and it was just a place where we would keep folded clothes.

We have a pretty small closet so we definitely needed a big dresser that could hold a lot of our clothes.

I knew that I needed a whole lot of things and that’s where Lulu & Georgia came into the picture. I teamed up with Lulu & Georgia for this makeover and they supplied a good amount of the furniture and fixtures in the house.

I had my eye on this Aliyah Velvet bed (in color Pine) for a long time. I actually first saw it from this post and fell in love with it. I love that the velvet looked lush and soft. I also knew that I wanted the bedroom to feel like a hotel room: nice lighting, comfy linen sheets and just everything being nice and clean.

The first thing we had to do was get rid of the furniture in the room. We gave some away, stored some and gave the room a nice paint job. We painted the ceiling, too, which really brightened up the room. I picked Benjamin Moore “Paris Rain” for the walls and “Ivory Tusk” for the trim.

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Admittedly I missed the whole 10 cozy things to make in June because my life was insane around the end of the month last month and I completely forgot. BUT I’m bizzack with a lil’ round-up of dishes and desserts you should def make in the month of July.

Are you doing anything for the 4th? I’m always confused as to how to celebrate this holiday when it lands smack dab in the middle of the week. And like most freelancers, I’m just working, trying to get everything in order for my life/work.

I am going to a bbq on Friday and still figuring out what to bring. One of these is bound to end up on my to-make list!

Lemon Berry Meringue Trifle – I made every component in this trifle from scrigedy scratch. Do I recommend this? Absolutely not. Just buy the dang pound cake from the store and cube it up and layer it with the curd and whipped cream. And add those fresh berries from the farmer’s market. It’s a dreamy dessert.

Blistered Tomato Shrimp Scampi – Sungold and cherry tomatoes blistered and then tossed into a classic shrimp scampi, inspired by the greatest place on earth: Olive Garden. I made garlic bread, too, that maybe I left in the oven for a bit too long and it got kinda toasty. But it tasted VERY good.

Sabiches – These sandwiches are my jam. I actually like to make it deconstructed for a super healthy option. I like to eat all of the components on a plate—it is literally one of my favorite summer lunches.

Tomato Confit with Burrata and Basil – If you’ve ever wanted to face bunt a bowl of burrata, then this appetizer is for you! Tomatoes slowly roast in olive oil. And then it’s spooned over pesto and burrata. It’s like a beautiful pillow of comfort and acidity and freshness. Summer at its best.

Aperol Spritzes, Every Which Way – There was this New York Times article that came out about how Aperol Spritzes suck and it really shook me to my core because there where else are we supposed to get happiness from?! The world is trash and this brings people happiness—let us live! They’re delightful. I also love straying away from the traditional spritz and shaking it up a bit. Hello!

Grilled Summer Squash Gyros with Herbed Tzatziki – I love my grill (you probably know this by now) and these are ideal for grilled squash. Throw it in the center of a soft pita with lots of herbed tzatziki. It’s glorious and vegetarian.

Aguas Frescas – Hello, if it’s hot this is something you have to make. It’s an absolute must. It couldn’t be more simple and more delicious. I’ve already made exactly five batches of watermelon aqua fresca and this years watermelon is so easy that it requires ZERO sugar. ZERO. So sweet and tasty.

Peach Maple Yogurt Cake – This cake is so pretty. But it’s also V delicious. It’s inspired by summer in Vermont. The cake is yogurt based, giving it this lovely tang. And the sweetness is from maple syrup. Those two go very well with each other. And then peaches!

The Ultimate B.L.T. – Simple things need to be done correctly. This applies to the very simple B.L.T. Every component needs to be bangin’. This means delicious, juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce and thick-cut bacon. And perfect white bread. It’s simple.

Breakfast Tacos – Is there anything better than a breakfast burrito? Absolutely not. These breakfast tacos take a swift move from the breakfast burrito and apply it to tacos. They have a hash at the base that is SO delicious.

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