Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!

I hope you're all having a great time relaxing, and spending time with loved ones.

Our tree finally got some presents underneath!



For my days off, I decided to tackle a tiramisu recipe from scratch. It's one of my favorite desserts, and I've always wondered how it was made.

It actually turned out really well, and got rave reviews at the dinner party that I brought it to!

Here's a quick recap of my little kitchen adventure :)



Decided to do dark chocolate shavings rather than cocoa powder dusting.



I was bringing this to a Christmas dinner so I really wanted the presentation to be on point. I knew from past trifles that it can be quite hard to make the layering look pretty, so I went with a ladyfinger fence instead.



Kinda just winged it from seeing pictures, but I think it turned out pretty well.





There's always time for a ribbon :)



I left it in the fridge overnight for all the espresso flavors to sink in, and voila!

Couldn't believe how easy this was to make, and how freaking delicious it was.

Seriously. Everyone needs to go and make this right now.

Christmas Lunch

Me and my girlfriends decided to celebrate Christmas with a lunch at Trattoria Italian Kitchen. We've been trying to coordinate a dinner for a while, but none of us have had time, so we settled for a little daytime get-together.

My outfit:



I wanted to go for a Christmasy feel. Something colorful and cute with a hit of preppy.

My secret santa gift:



Can you guess what it is ;)

When we got to Trattoria, I noticed right away that their lunch menu was a smaller condensed version of their dinner one.



I saw a nearby customer with a dish that was served in a cast iron skillet, and immediately knew that was what I wanted. I guessed- and was confirmed by the server, that it was the tagine.



Tomato poached eggs, chicken sausage, eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, charred scallions.

It was delicious. Great combination of different textures, and the sausages had a nice kick. I used the bread to slop up the leftover saucy goodness.

Two of my friends decided to go with the classic eggs benedict. Served with crispy prosciutto, hollandaise sauce, and trattoria potatoes.



This was pretty standard. Nothing to complain about, but nothing to rave over either. I thought the prosciutto was a nice touch, and the potatoes were very crispy (I hate when they come soft/soggy).

One of my friends decided to order off the lunch menu and chose a pasta.



It was cooked al dente, and had a light refreshing sauce.

The last dish on the table was the lasagna, which I unfortunately forgot to snap a picture of. It was a passable dish, but I found it very mushy and one-noted. I have definitely had better lasagnas.

We had a great time catching up and exchanging gifts, and the staff were all good sports about taking pictures for us girls. I definitely want to come back on a Tuesday night for their 11$ pastas.

I'm actually attempting to make an authentic tiramisu today- wish me luck!

I'll be posting the results :)

Christmas Tree

We finally got a chance to put up our tree! Christmas is my favorite time of the year; there's just such a festive spirit and cheerful buzz in the air. Hearing carols on the radio, gorgeous Christmas-themed window displays, warm holiday Starbucks- all put a smile on my face.

I picked out the decorations based on a gold, green, and silver theme. Not to be a hater, but I've never been a fan of the red x green combo.. I don't know, just looks so clashy to me. But to each their own, maybe I just haven't seen it done right.

Saw this super cute tree at Pacific Center. It has plush cheetahs on it!

Here's my outfit for today.

I still have some last-minute gift shopping to do, but really not looking forward to facing the stressful crowds out there.

What are some of your favorite places to get gifts?