I found this super affordable print on Etsy from Articipe — a clever artist making fun typography-based art out of simple recipes. You can snag a copy of a classic, like the above oatmeal cookie ingredient list, or commission a personalized print of your granny’s legendary dish. Holiday gifts, anyone?

Speaking of the holidays and delicious baked goods, I’ve been inspiration-gathering for a cookie swap that’s coming up next week! I’m sure all our bases will be covered for the classics, so I thought it might be fun to find other festive cookies to share. A bit non-traditional, but snowflake designs and crushed candy cane bits shouldn’t be a pre-req for holiday cheer!

Some of these guys look pretty time consuming, but the artist in me is tempted to take a stab at the chevron print beauties…

Clockwise from top left:

Lemon poppy seed cookies via With Sprinkles on Top
Chevron print cookies featured on Sweet Sugar Belle
Peppermint pinwheel shortbread cookies from Food Network
Almond butter blackberry jam thumbprint cookies on Poppytalk by Lyndsay of Coco Cakes
Crisp sugar doily cookies from Martha Stewart
Glittering sandwich cookies via the Purl Bee
Quartrefoile iced sugar cookies by Bee in Our Bonnet
Herb de provence orange butter cookies by Luna Cafe
S’mores cookie bars from Baked Perfection

This photo from Things Organized Neatly shows a variety of discarded, mismatched spoons dipped in a spectrum of muted paint colors. The resulting rainbow gradient is striking, and although I’m pretty sure it wasn’t so, it made me hope that a matching rainbow of dishes lay waiting just off-camera to aid these spoons in fulfilling their destinies..

Clockwise from top left:
Macaroni and cheese casserole with asiago and white cheddar on Kait’s Plate
Traditional creamed corn recipe on MarthaStewart.com
Roasted butternut squash with sage, pecans and cheese from Blisstree.com
Blood orange tart recipe by Lottie + Doof
Beet dip recipe created by Seaweed Snacks
Purple cauliflower soup from Chez Us
Blue Russian potato photo from Cracked Pot
Blueberry macarons with orange blossom butter cream baked by Not So Humble
Blue velvet cupcakes by Sprinkle Bakes
Braised kale with sesame seeds from the Gluten Free Mommy
Vegan spinach linguine with basil cilantro pesto and artichokes on Go Vegan Meow
Honeydew cucumber salad with lime and mint by The Cilantropist
Burnt honey, orange and yogurt panna cotta from taste.com
Cheesecake with blueberry lavender topping featured on Kat Bakes
Salted watermelon sorbet found on Flickr’s foodiehunter photostream

Lovin’ these photos from behind the scenes at a recent Kate Spade Home photo shoot. While credit is likely due to a Hipstamatic iPhone app, the colors and the retro vibe of these shots are what really draws me in. Admittedly, I don’t often (or ever) wear my heels to a picnic, but this shoot makes me want to get all dolled up for a summer afternoon in the park with my favorite ladies. The yummy recipes below seem perfect for a menu of light, refreshing fare that won’t suffer in the sun.

Clockwise from top left:

Rhubarb Strawberry Lemonade from Green Kitchen
Orange, Beet and Fennel Salad recipe by Vegalicious
Farmer’s Market Crudité photo from CookThink
Lemony Parsley Hummus by Dinner with Julie
Watermelon, Mint and Feta Salad from ayngelina on Flickr
Homemade Pop Tarts with recipes for cinnamon, jam or Nutella fillings from Smitten Kitchen
Fresh Edamame photo from World Community Cookbook
Spicy Chickpea Sandwiches from Sunset on My Recipes

Spices! Oh how I love thee. From everyday flavors to fancy-shmancy culinary delights, a kitchen is hardly complete without a collection of herbs and spices. This DIY wall-mounted magnetic spice rack featured on The Kitchn is a great way to store your ingredients in accessible and aesthetically pleasing way. If you’re concerned about the amount of light exposure (which may hasten the expiration of spices), this system would also work well on the inside of a pantry door, or with opaque jars. No patience for gluing magnets to your lids? Try picking up a ready-to-use magnetic spice rack kit with glass honeycomb-shaped jars from Gneiss Spice on Etsy.

If you’re the kind of person (like me) that will go out and buy a new spice just to try a recipe, I’m sure you’ve amassed quite an arsenal by now. Using an entire supply of one uncommon spice can be a challenge if you aren’t sure how else to use it! I did some searching and came up with a bit of inspiration for dusting off the jars in the back of your rack. Below are some ideas for meals and snacks to help you incorporate a little more spice into your life (sorry, couldn’t help myself).

Clockwise from top-left:

Chicken kokkinisto by Jamie Oliver
Moroccan spiced cous cous recipe on All Recipes
Orange cardamom cookie recipe from Gourmet
Smoked paprika shredded pork with orange fennel marmalade from McCormick
Fennel ice cream recipe from Smitten Kitchen
Cumin coriander sirloin steak from Cooking Light on My Recipes
Parsnip spice cake with ginger cream cheese frosting on Epicurious
Shrimp and yellow squash on saffron mint rice from Eating Well
Indian spiced vegetable fritters on Smitten Kitchen
Black sesame seed and sea salt-encrusted salmon on Serious Eats
Onion-herb focaccia bread recipe from Food Network

Clockwise from top left:
Really simple homemade pizza from (one of my favorites!) Smitten Kitchen 
Copycat Oreo cookie recipe by Cupcake Project 
Soft pretzel recipe from Cooking Light via My Recipes 
Healthy microwave potato chips from Fat Free Vegan 
100% natural GuS (Grown-up soda) available in a variety of flavors
Fried chicken photo from Sweet Tea with Lemon , recipe by Alton Brown 
Homemade peanut butter cups from Genesis of a Cook 
Glazed donut holes recipe by Diana’s Desserts 
Greek lamb burgers with spinach, red onion and Feta from Bon Appétit
Fresh fruit roll-ups recipe by Sugarlaws 

Dessert and candy buffets are all the rage at weddings and events this year. Photos of stylized buffets, like this one above from a Martha Weddings magazine spread, are almost unavoidable when doing party planning research. As someone who likes to bake and decorate, I’ve yet to come across a buffet of treats that seems difficult to replicate.

This blue, brown and wintery white tablescape is no exception. The linens are simple, the cake stands are plain, candies are in clear glass vases and the display pedastals for bite-sized goodies are clean and modest. This modern style uses enough basic pieces to allow even those with a tight budget to find a perfect match.

Below are some easy recipes for elegant-looking desserts that you can whip up in your own kitchen. For a smaller crowd, downsize your table and swap out some of the tiered cakes shown above for tiered platters with cupcakes or petit fours.

I have a thing for packaging, and these vintage Polish jam labels from pan tu nie stal (via Made In England) caught my eye.  The bold colors and cute, simple graphics on were likely a fitting match for their original contents.

More importantly, coming across these labels reminded me that I had a couple of jars of jam in my kitchen just waiting to be eaten! What better way to use up different flavors of jam than to bake these guys? Definitely one of my favorite types of cookies, especially when you don’t skimp on the fruity preserves.

I followed this Jam Thumbprint Cookie recipe by Ina Garten, and it was surprisingly easy! I  do bake often, but this was an exceptionally successful batch of cookies. Delicious, too!


Ingredients

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I did 3/4 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract)
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
• 7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
• Raspberry and/or apricot jam (I did both, plus strawberry)

1. Toss all of that decadent butter into your mixer! Cream together with one cup of sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Measure out your extracts! I incorporated a bit of almond extract because I just can’t get enough of it in my baking. Add these into your butter and sugar.

3. Add flour and salt slowly but surely, at a low speed. No need to create flour clouds in your kitchen.

4. Mix until a moist dough forms. This happened pretty quickly for me, and the dough was a perfect consistency. Wonder if it was those 3 sticks of butter…?

5.  Shape your dough into a nice flat disk, wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

6.  In the meantime, beat together one egg with one tablespoon water to create an egg wash. Spread some of the coconut out on a plate for easy rolling access.

7. Once the dough is chilled, unwrap and begin rolling into 1 1/4″ balls. I was able to get 30 cookies out of my dough–not too shabby!

8. Dip the dough balls into your egg wash, then roll on plate to lightly coat with coconut. I found that one bag of coconut was just enough to cover them all.

9. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

9. Use your thumb or the back of a spoon to make indentations in your cookies. You could make them shallow or deep–I preferred to make them a bit deep to hold more jam.

10. Step back and admire your work. Place your cookie sheets in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until coconut begins to turn golden brown.  After 25 minutes, my coconut still wasn’t completely toasted, but I didn’t want to risk overcooking them.  I removed them and they turned out just fine.

Ta-da!

Strawberry, raspberry and apricot jam in amazing little buttery cookies. I’m really glad this recipe yields just over 2 dozen. Plenty to share and plenty to eat all by myself!

When I saw this print from super-cool illustrator, Andrew Bannecker, I was immediately inspired.  One of his recent blog posts offers a peek into his studio, and it’s definitely worth checking out. This design, along with several other of his works, appear throughout the space with other eclectic pieces that any artist could admire.

The above print reminded me of a colorful Mexican fiesta. With El Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) coming up on November 1st, I thought it was the perfect time to share some ideas for hosting your own party. Perfect excuse for sugar skulls and Mexican food with friends. Don’t forget the guac ! 

Clockwise from top left:
Turquoise papel picado banners from Casa Bonampak ($12.50 for 18 ft)
Black floral oilcloth from Denver Fabrics ($6.45/yard)
Seafoam dot oilcloth from Denver Fabrics ($6.45/yard)
Orange Icelandic poppies featured on Brides.com 
Metal wire votive holders from Target ($4.98)
Poblano risotto with garlic shrimp by What’s Cooking  
Roasted pork taco with Mole, recipe from FoodNetwork , photo by What’s Cooking 
Orange Vinyl Lace Placemat from Dream in Plastic ($1.49)
Laminated fabric trays from Simrin’s Surya collection 
Surya printed glassware in Ocean from Simrin  
Capri blue candle in a jar from Anthropologie ($25)
Lace strewn knob in sky blue from Anthropologie ($10)
Ceramic melon knob with antique brass from Anthropologie ($8)
Blackberry sugar skulls handpainted and sold by ArtofSkulls