{beauty} Deborah Lippmann's Jewel Heist

I have been looking for 'the' perfect shade of green for my nails for over a year now, with about 8 bottles of green shades purchased going to waste - either too 'moldy' looking, too teal, too dark, blah blah blah.  

That is, until I received a shiny little package of Deborah Lippmann's new collection Jewel Heist that included the green, aptly named Laughin' to the Bank.  It's truly the perfect metallic shade.  To be fair though, the entire collection is insanely good - the blue [Rolling in the Deep] has subtle reflections of shimmer, and the glitter polishes?  Full sparkling coverage without looking over the top.  Swoon!

Deborah Lippmann "Jewel Heist" collection c/o

photos: Robin West

{style} neutral prints

J.Crew leopard print dress (old), vintage snakeskin belt, Reed Krakoff Boxer Tote, Barney's Co-Op snakeskin strappy sandals

{in my kitchen} buttered popcorn cookies

To continue in my exploration of the smitten kitchen cookbook, I created a batch of "Buttered Popcorn Cookies".  I wasn't sure how this was really going to turn out, but realistically, how could a mixture of cookies + popcorn turn out wrong?  Exactly, it can't.  

It's the perfect combo of that freshly baked goodness you get from cookies, with an unexpected crunch from the popcorn.  Summary: bake these immediately.

Recipe via the smitten kitchen cookbook [no alterations needed]

[ingredients]

2 tbsp veg oil

1/4 cup popcorn kernels

1/4 tsp table salt

1 tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• [Popcorn] Pour the oil in the bottom of a large saucepan/pot that has a lid and add kernels, shimmying them around until all are coated and in one layer.  Cover pot over med-high heat.  Once the kernels begin to pop, keep the pot moving until all of the kernels have popped [5-7 mins].  Toss salt and melted butter over popcorn.  Transfer to a bowl + fish out any un-popped kernels.  You should have 4-4 1/2 cups.  Let cool.
• [Dough] Preheat oven to 350*.  In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg + vanilla until smooth.  In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and baking soda together.  Stir the combined dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture.  Fold in the cooled popcorn so that it is evenly distributed through the batter, which will seem like a ridiculous task as there is so much popcorn + so little batter, but it works.  Don't worry if the popcorn breaks.
• [Bake] Scoop heaping tbsp-sized mounds 2 inches apart onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake the cookies for 10-12 mins, until the edges are light brown.  Let them sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes to firm them before transferring to a cooling rack.

EAT!

photos: Robin West

{on the street} bowie

The side of the Rag & Bone store on Houston St. always has amazing artwork showcased, and sometimes you are lucky enough to see the artists in action.  This one I only saw the finished product, but man, the detailing is just spectacular.

photos: Robin West

{in my kitchen} peach dumplings

I bought the Smitten Kitchen's cookbook I'd say, ohhh, at least 6 months ago and until this weekend didn't make one thing out of it.  Not because nothing looked good, just out of pure laziness.  When I awoke on Saturday to gloominess, I decided that was the day to get a start on new adventures.  Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing a few success stories [I somehow also found the time to make the Popcorn Cookies, Zucchini Salad and Heart-Filled Shells].

First up, the Peach Dumplings with Hard Rum Sauce [I replaced the Bourban with Rum since that's what happened to be stocked in the bar].  This was actually a bit easier than I expected it to be and had a majority of the ingredients already, which is one of the reasons that I was drawn to this book in the first place - nothing over complicated or a million ingredients that you will never use again.

Peach Dumplings with Rum Hard Sauce recipe via the smitten kitchen cookbook

*Variations* Keep in mind, I made a Rum sauce instead of Bourbon + used Puff Pastry dough instead of making my own - it's a bit quicker if in a hurry // have no patience like myself

[Ingredients]
3 large peaches
1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Few fresh gratings of nutmeg, or a pinch of ground [I used ground cloves]
1 tbsp butter, cut into 6 pieces, kept cold
1 large egg for glaze

4 tbsp butter, room temp
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp bourbon or rum

• [Dough] If you use the puff pastry, put some flour down, roll flat + cut/divide into 4 pieces. You may have to wiggle the dough a bit to make bigger depending on the size of your peach.  Transfer pieces to a parchment-lined baking sheet + chill them in the freezer for a couple mins, just to firm them up.
• [Filling] Halve peaches + remove pits.  Scoop out the area around the pit so there is more room for the good stuff.
• [Dumplings] Mix brown sugar, salt, cinnamon + nutmeg in a small dish.  Spoon 1 lightly packed tbsp on top of each peach, smooshing as much mixture as you can into the center.  Dot the top with a piece of the cold butter.  Center each peach half, cut side up, in the pastry square. Bring corners up to meet the center - you may need to adjust so you aren't too tight/short.  Makke sure that the dough underneath is flush with the peach curve; it tends to slack - and seal the seams together, pinching with your fingertips.
• [Bake] Arrange dumplings in a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and chill for 30 mins.  Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375*.  
• [Whisk] Whisk egg together with 1 tsp water to form a glaze.  Brush glaze over the tops and exposed sides of dumplings.  Bake for 30-40 mins, until pastries are puffed + bronzed on top.
• [Finish] While baking, make the hard sauce.  Beat softened butter, sugar + bourbon/rum until smooth.  Scrape into a serving dish.  When pastries come out of the oven, dollop each with a heaping spoonful of the hard sauce + serve with sauce melting over the sides.
• [Alternate] If the hard sauce doesn't sound up your alley, ice cream [specifically salted caramel flavor] is seriously good.

EAT!

photos: Robin West