Mery Christmas from the DesJean's

 

Peppermint Meltaways

I just made a big batch of Peppermint meltaway cookies for the ladies in my office. They are so easy to make and are delish! Plus - they smell amazing when they are in the oven. I would highly recommend!!

Cookies

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch

Frosting

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter , softened
• 1 -2 tablespoon milk
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• Hard peppermint candies or candy canes , crushed

Directions:

FOR COOKIES, combine sugar, butter and 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy (1 to 2 minutes). Reduce speed to low; add flour and cornstarch. Beat until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes). Cover; refrigerate until firm (30 to 60 minutes).

Heat oven to 350°F Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let stand 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

FOR FROSTING, combine 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract and enough milk for desired glazing consistency in small bowl. I recommend pipping on the frosting. If you don’t have a piping bag with a tip, use a zip lock baggie and cut a tiny hole in the corner. It looks really pretty and is super easy to do. Immediately sprinkle with crushed candy cane.

Christmas Time Is Here

If there isn’t two to three feet of snow on the ground and temps are above 30, it doesn’t feel like the holiday season in Milwaukee. We haven’t had ANY snow or icy rain storms! Instead, we have warm temps in the 50’s. Thus – it doesn’t feel much like Christmas. Below are a few of my must have’s items/traditions to help get into the Christmas spirit!

1. Our tree this year is perfect! A little less than 8ft. and covered with more than 200 white lights and sparkly ornaments. I love the smell when you walk in the door. Magical. I saw a cute idea on Pinterest and am going to start a tradition. Each year when the bottom of the tree if cut, we will keep the trimming to make an ornament. See photo below!

2. I planted an amaryllis bulb this year and it is amazing how quickly they grow. Mine has four giant, white flowers and is very classy! My mom always grows them and they are so pretty. We also splurged on a giant poinsettia. It’s beautiful and brightens up the room!

3. I went for a no-chip manicure (see prior post) and of course – went with red. But they had a beautiful sparkly red that I am obsessed with. My nails look like little sparkly Christmas ornaments. I love it.

4. I’m a sucker for holiday marketing. Every year I search for the diet cranberry Sierra Mist or cranberry Ginger Ale – both are to die for. Holiday party tip from my mom: Always throw a few fresh cranberries into a drink or cocktail for garnish around the holiday – they look so festive!

5. Every year we have a holiday party on Christmas Eve and each year we come up with a cocktail to serve our guests. I recently stumbled upon this fabulous Three Olives Birthday Cake vodka – it actually tastes just like cake. So I made up a little cocktail of my very own that we will be enjoying on Christmas Eve. See recipe below:

The Good Fruit Cake Martini

-Three Olives Cake Vodka

-Pineapple Juice

-Splash of grenadine

-Splash of sprite zero

-fresh cranberries for garnish

Married People Are Boring

Or so you would think if you took a look at my blog. I used to post all the time but ever since our engagement – I have been lame. I mean – Joey’s Aunt Nan gave me a “talking to” at Thanksgiving so I think its time to get back on the horse.

Speaking of being married, for the past few months, we have been hearing some repetition is the questions people ask us about our recent nuptials. So, I thought I would go ahead and provide a few answers in case anyone out there was wondering.

1.) Does it feel different now that you are married?

While I feel a sense of permanency,  our relationship is very similar to before we were married – however – we have mad a conscious effort to be kinder to one another. Joey and I are both sarcastic and sometimes we can get out of hand;-)

2.) When are you going to have a baby?

We have one. Her name is Rosie and she turned 6 on December 3. No plans on any additions.

3.) Are you guys going to buy a house?

While we would love to buy a house, we are happy in our apartment for now – aside from the girls downstairs who ride home from the bars in shopping carts.

More posts to come soon! I promise.

And really – I’m sure I am only talking to three people since I have neglected to post for so long.

School Supplies

“Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies.”
– You’ve Got Mail

I used to love buying school supplies when I was in younger. From elementary school through college, I loved the fresh start – new notebooks with clean pages, fun pens and pencils – back to school shopping set the tone for the school year.

Its funny how even though I don’t get to go “Back to School,” the fall still seems like a time for renewal. My bedroom was always super clean on my first day of school. My outfits selected, freshly ironed and neatly hung on hangers. My backpack in perfect order – I knew where everything was.

Now I find myself trying to replicate that in my “grown-up” life and in our house – clean kitchen cabinets, delicious smelling candles and everything in its place. I love bringing out throw blankets and scarves that have been packed away since spring and flipping through fashion magazines to see what the trends are this season.  
 

Even more so this year, now that Joey and I have become our own family, I am so looking forward to embracing the next few months and making new traditions that we carry on for years to come. This is definitely a time of renewal for us and I am eager to see what all of this newness will bring.

Mr. & Mrs.

Well is took six and a half years but Joey and I finally tied the knot. In what now seems like a distant dream, we had an absolutely amazing wedding and reception, surrounded by so many family and friends.

So many people have asked me what my favorite part of the wedding was, and while there are so many things I loved, I have to say that walking down the aisle with my dad, and seeing all the people in the pews, seeing my bridesmaids, and then my soon to be husband….I think it was my favorite part of the wedding. It probably only lasted about a minute, but I can honestly say it was the best minute of my life, thus far.

I cannot wait to show off the photos!! (Patiently waiting on those from my photog……) I know that I am biased but our wedding party looked amazing – especially my bridesmaids! Stunning!

And then there was the reception. What a beautiful party! I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. It was a hot day but it was such a delight to look around at all of the hand fans going and see people with their lemonade in mason jars! I also loved the spiked Tro-Snow which totally demonstrates the creativity of our friends. As a “late night snack” Joey and I decided that Tropical Snow was a must-have at the wedding so our resourceful friends thought that adding a shot would be a nice addition!

We ended the night in the middle of a giant dance circle – which thanks to one of my super bridesmaids, was caught on camera (which I plan to post)! It was a dream! Thanks to all those who helped make it come true! 

Photos to come!!

 

Sometimes nude is better

Over the past few months, there have been a significant number of photos of Duchess Kate and her sister Pippa in nude hose. I for one, love this.

I'm not sure when it became a fashion faux pas to wear them in the U.S. I'm guessing when pale women began wearing a super tan color - thus pale arms and tan legs - not a good look. Or when women started wearing them with sandals - definite no-no. See photo below.

Regardless, I have always been a fan of nude hose because a.) who wants to wear bare legs in the winter? and b.) they just look nice. I'm hoping that the rest of the fashion focused world will catch on and wearing nude hose won't be so taboo.

If Kate can do it, then we probably should be doing it too.