New Home

After a long hiatus, I have launched a new blog. I hope you will join me at my new home at www.confectionstyle.com.

Cherry Blossoms

It's Spring in DC and the cherry blossoms are in full-bloom. I stopped by the Tidal Basin a few weeks ago when my parents were in town and the trees were lovely!

Green with Envy

It's Spring in DC! I am so excited to see green everywhere especially at my favorite store - Kate Spade. Here are a few of the items that are on my wish list.

Kate Spade Green with Envy by ktl on Polyvore.com

Helpful How-To - Scarves

I am obsessed with scarves (especially monogrammed ones) right now. Scarves are the perfect accessory for almost every outfit and are completely functional since I am always cold. There are a few sites outlining various ways to style your scarves, but by far my favorite resource is the Land's End site. This site shows 20 different ways to tie your scarf each in an easy to follow format and makes even the most stylishly challenged person feel chic.

My Favorite Things - 2010 Edition

Before we get too far into 2011, I thought it would be fun to do a little recap of my all-time favorite products of 2010. These are things that I absolutely love and would recommend to all of my friends!

This is the cookbook that I used the most during 2010 and will keep using in 2011. I love how there are recipes organized by each fruit and vegetable.

My favorite beauty product of 2010 are the Korres lip gloss. The colors are perfect and I love that they don't feel "tacky".

My second favorite cookbook of 2010 was the Williams Sonoma Essentials of Healthful Cooking. This one will be a regular in my 2011 cooking rotation.

I finally got the Navy Hunter Wellies that I have been dreaming about for years. I couldn't be happier. I also picked up the fleece welly socks that make these boots perfect for rain or snow!

My go to accessory this year has definitely been the Kate Spade Clean Slate Bangle. It is so simple and classic that it is a great addition to almost every outfit.
2010 was also the year of the scarf for me. I love these Lands' End cotton scarves. They come in almost every color and can, of course, be monogrammed. YAY!

Christmas Cookbook Collection

If you know me well, you know that I absolutely love cookbooks. I find that cookbooks are a great place to get some inspiration and add some variety to our meals. I know so many people who never use their cookbooks and just let them sit on their shelves. I think that is such a waste so I really try to make an effort to use my cookbooks. I hate getting stuck in that routine of making the same dishes over and over so I try to use at least one new recipe from my cookbooks each week.

The holidays are the perfect time to add to my wonderful collection. This year, I really lucked out and got some great new books. I will keep everyone posted as I try each of them out.

These are the cookbooks I received this year:

This cookbook was from my fabulous brother. This book is packed with amazing looking desserts and I can't wait to try the whoopie pies.


This cookbook was a gift from my Mom. I have been dreaming of this book from quite a while and I am glad to finally have it on my shelf. I used this book to make roasted acorn squash as part of our Christmas dinner. The squash was delicious!


This last cookbook was a gift from my Dad, our family cookie maker extraordinaire. This cookbook has been tested and approved by him so I know that there will be lots of yummy cookies at our house in 2011!

Christmas Eve Dinner

One of the best things about the holidays is that there is more time to cook! I made good use of my day off work making a special Christmas Eve dinner for Van and I.

I found a rack of lamb on sale at Whole Foods and decided that was perfect for our dinner. I decided to use Emeril's recipe for mustard crusted rack of lamb. The lamb turned out really well and had a great flavor. The lamb was perfectly cooked on the outside, but the middle was more rare than medium rare. This worked out fine since it was more than Van and I could eat and after we reheat the leftovers they will be fine.

To accompany the lamb, I made Chef Charlie Palmer's Potato and Parsnip Gratin and sauteed broccoli with garlic and red pepper flakes. The gratin was sooo yummy. This was the first time that I have made a gratin from scratch and it was the ultimate comfort food. I splurged and purchased a really expensive Gruyère to use in the dish and I think it really took the dish to the next level.

Browning the Lamb

Lamb before adding the Mustard and Breadcrumbs

Potato and Parsnip Gratin Before Baking

Gratin after Baking

Lamb after Baking