bake 20: red velvet crinkle cookies

it's that time of year...christmas cookie baking season!  & it just happens that i have three (!) more baking challenges ahead of me.  any guesses as to what the remainder of these bake 20 posts might be?!? :)  actually, my goal is to stay away from cookies- and while i might do one more, i have two non-cookie recipes i'm hoping to try!  also, my apologies for the awful picture.  late night photo shoots are not proving to provide the best results.  

recipe: red velvet crinkle cookies (plus it comes with a super-sweet printable!)

adjustments: since i'm not much of a baker (though thanks to this challenge, i will definitely say i've become much more comfortable with the combination of eggs, butter, & sugar) i didn't make any adjustments to this recipe. 

reviews: originally, i was planning to make these for a cookie exchange i'm attending on thursday- but i'm kinda glad i didn't.  while these are totally festive- they're definitely missing something...as unanimously agreed by all my taste testers.  next time i attempt to make these (and yes, there will be a next time), i'm going to add a bit more cocoa and possibly some dark chocolate chips.

this was #17 of the bake 20 challenge...almost there!
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over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

our 2012 christmas card.

now that most people have received their card, i couldn't help but share.  over the years a. & i have acquired a reputation for our christmas cards.  our pictures (with the exception of one year) are not professionally taken or posed and always entail us doing something outdoors, and are always a bit unexpected during the holidays.

like last year, i decided to design our card.  after looking through multiple sites online, i couldn't find exactly what i wanted.  so i took to photoshop elements and began to play.  originally, the colors of the card were much brighter...like a bright, almost neon pink, green and orange.  the only color that stayed true to the original design during the printing was the blue.  i won't lie, i was a little bummed, but i'm still so pleased with how they turned out.  i printed the cards through snapfish and mailed each one out in a paper source a7 fuchsia envelope.

sending and receiving holiday cards is hands down, one of my favorite traditions.  i love seeing little snapshots (literally!) from our friends and families lives, knowing that everyone is healthy and doing well.  then, once the season is over, i add each card to our christmas card book & lovingly look back on all the growth and memories our loved ones chose to share year after year.

sleep in heavenly peace.

along with the rest of the nation, i've been reeling over the sandy hook shootings since friday.  i can't pull myself away from the news reports, the images, the whole confusing story, the unsettling fact that this could have been any school... & there are still so few answers as to why this happened.

in light of this tragedy, blogging about my bake 20 challenge, weekend happenings, and holiday diy projects seem completely insignificant & totally inappropriate.  eventually, things will go back to normal for us and in a matter of days, as we continue to watch the sandy hook news unravel, we'll be neck deep in christmas cookies, traditions, and laughter.

so for now, i think it's so important for us step back, recognize that the holidays aren't always easy. many of us, whether it's a deployment, an illness, a loss, or an ongoing situation, are fighting a battle this season.  in light of that, and this tragedy, i think it's imperative for us, as fellow neighbors, to show some patience, grace, & kindness this holiday season.

with so much emphasis on gifting during the holiday season, here's a way for you to give back to the community of newton & the victims of sandy hook.  or, if giving isn't in your budget this season, do small things.  show random acts of kindness to strangers and your neighbors.  for more than anything, what this world needs right now is love.

image via

bake 20: spinach feta quiche

quiche is one of my favorite go-to dinner recipes.  for the longest time, i thought it was such a process to make and to be honest, quiche intimidated me.  one of my good friends from our alabama days made quiche all the time for her family and basically convinced me it wasn't so hard.  ever since then, i make it when i know i have to fend for myself (since a. happens to dislike quiche) or we have an abundance of veggies that need to be consumed quickly.

as it turns out, i'm one the only person living in this house who likes quiche.  seriously?  luckily, everyone who tried a slice (to humor me of course) enjoyed it, and that's saying a lot from a non-quiche household.  i swear it's like i married into an extraterrestrial family...

recipes: spinach & feta quiche* and my go-to pie crust

adjustments: i don't measure anything and just add things to taste (obviously tasting before the veggie mixture goes into the raw eggs and milk).  just take note when adding cheese, that everything will get a bit saltier.  that said, season per your tastes, but consider going light on the salt.

reviews: well, my sister in law and i loved this quiche.  a., who's not a fan of quiche humored me and exclaimed he'd probably eat it again...oh well, all i can do is try, right?!  this would be an awesome recipe to add asparagus or mushrooms- and if you're a meat eater, maybe a bit of bacon.

*sauté 1 yellow onion and garlic in olive oil.  season onions and garlic.  in a large bowl, whisk 5 eggs (or 6 egg whites) together adding about a 1/4-1/2 cup of milk.  season with pepper.  into egg mixture add onion and garlic mixture, 4-5 cups of fresh spinach (this is going to seem like a lot, but don't worry, it will wilt when cooking) and one 8 oz container of feta cheese.  mix until everything is thoroughly combined with eggs and pour into a semi-cooked pie crust.  cover with foil & bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.  remove foil and bake about 10 minutes longer, or until crust is golden brown and a toothpick, when inserted into the center, comes out clean.  then, enjoy!

this was #16 of the bake 20 challenge...almost there!
............................................................................................................................................................

over the next five months i'm going to try my hand at 20 different baked goods.  there's no specific order and no plan.  just making things that look good and hopefully in the process, finding a new appreciation of baking.  feel free to join me in the Bake 20 Challenge.

mile a day:: week 2.

this challenge is tough.  there's no beating around the bush.  but, despite my lack of motivation lately, knowing i have to move at least one mile a day is getting me up and out the door.  this week was interesting with swimming, hiking, walking and running.  there was only one day (yesterday) that i missed.  and while i could consider this week a failure- i'm refusing to do so.  yep, i missed a day and yep, the streak has to start over...but for me, this challenge is more about getting out and moving on a regular basis than running a mile a day.  so while today starts anew, i'm not discouraged & am even more determined to make sure i succeed next week.

thursday// ran 1.43 miles
friday// walked the mall 1.02 miles
saturday// ran 3.84 miles
sunday// swam 1 mile, ran .6 miles
monday// hiked 5.45 miles
tuesday// ran 2.53 miles
wednesday// NADA