NYC NYE Take Two

I flew over NYC for a work trip today and got rushed with warm and fuzzy memories of the city. Another benefit of living in Chicago: quick and cheap flights to JFK/EWR/LGA. Two years ago I rung in 2010 in the city and since then, I've been a handful of times....probably four times to visit Sean, once for Mrs. Contreras' bachelorette party and a few other times I vaguely recall....but NYE is just another monster of fun. We didn't do the standard Times Square situation in 2009/10, but we did hang at a party at Sean's buddy's rooftop, watching fireworks go off over the city, while consuming some adult beverages. Good times! And after Christmas sales at pretty much every department store and even boutiques?! I'm drooling thinking of the shoe floor opportunities at Barney's. To top it all off-Mrs. C and the hubby will be there to celebrate as well. Let the countdown begin!

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like

So I admit-it's a little bit of a Charlie Brown Christmas, but give me a break. We JUST moved. Gotta start somewhere right? I spent all of Saturday in my yoga pants with the heat pumped up and a cup of coffee glued to my hand. A perfect recipe for DIY time.

I don't highly suggest the sweater pillow case project though. There was an obnoxious amount of fuzzy red stuff all over the apartment....and who wants to clean after you've used up all of your energy on making things look so pretty?

Torta Alla Gianduia

I made my first recipe from the How to Be a Domestic Goddess cookbook by Nigella Lawson for Thanksgiving this year. The Torta Alla Gianduia, which I still don't really know how to pronounce, is an amazing Chocolate Hazelnut Cake recipe. It's a people pleaser!

The only thing the recipe is missing is how to peel hazlenuts. I didn't really think about it when I scooped the hazelnuts out of the bulk bins at Whole Foods, but when I got home the thought of peeling each one individually made me want to scream my head off. This blog post saved my sanity.

Peeling the Skins Bake the hazelnuts for 1/2 hour at 250˚F and then wrap the still hot hazelnuts in a kitchen towel. The hot hazelnuts create steam and loosens the skins. Unwrap the towel so that there is one layer below and above the hazelnuts and apply firm pressure while rolling the hazelnuts back and forth.

You can find the recipe and directions here