erica danielle

This morning I had brunch with a couple girl friends. It was so nice to sit at the table with the sun shining through the windows and catch up. Friends are the best. My sister-in-law introduced me to this recipe and it is such a winner. I don't know how anyone COULDN'T like it. Eggs, breakfast meat, cheese and crescents? YUM! It's super easy and only 4 ingredients.  Step by step photos...  I used turkey sausage, but you can use bacon too. Scramble the eggs- I used 1/2 egg whites  layer the eggs on top of the cheese...  Then close up the wreath! EGG WREATH adapted from: this blog Ingredients: 1 can of crescents 8 count-- I used reduced fat 5 large eggs-- I used 3 whole eggs and 2 egg whites 1 cup of shredded cheese (1/2 on the inside of the wreath, and 1/2 on the outside) 1 pkg (6 ct) turkey sausage Bake at 375 for 15 mins. ENJOY! We are headed out to the suburbs to watch WHITE CHRISTMAS with Sten's family! I love ...

I just realized I didn't do my typical monthly post, and although the month is over half way over, I don't feel like I can over look it. Still no snow in Chicago however, its beginning to feel a lot like Christmas and I can't wait for family to get here. Tonight we have our small group Christmas party and this weekend we plan on watching our fill of Christmas movies snuggled up in our jammies drinking something that warms the soul. Today my blog was featured on Sten's cousin Kathryn's blog: The Pickled Herring . Currently she is featuring a Scandinavian Christmas with guest bloggers and asked me to participate! Her blog is so great and you really should check it out. I may not post until after Christmas therefore I want to leave with one of my favorite pictures ever: Last year we celebrated Christmas with my family in MN and one night my sister and BIL took us to an old theater for a $1 showing of "It's a Wonderful Life". I had never seen it b...

Growing up Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies were one of my favorite Christmas treat. My mom made these and fudge EVERY year without fail. The choco/PB combo is a favorite for many, myself included. Sten's family calls them nipple cookies.... interestingly enough I find myself calling them that now too. Whatever the name they are GOOD and should be made in your home this year. Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies: Yield: approx 36 cookies 1/2 Cup Sugar 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter 1/2 Cup Butter 1 egg 1 tsp Vanilla 1 1/2 Cup Flour 3/4 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Baking Powder ___ 1 Bag Hershey's Kisses (I used Dark Chocolate) Preheat oven to 375. Mix sugars, PB, egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder and baking soda until well combined. Shape dough into 1 -inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake 7-9 mins. Remove and immediately top with a Hershey's Kiss. So so good! Sten reminded me today that in 2 days he wi...

I'm so glad Tuesday is here and Monday is over. Why do Monday's have to be so rough?? Today I can't wait to share my favorite Sugar Cookie recipe with you. These are the soft, pillow-y  kind with butter cream frosting on top. I love them. It's so hard to choose between sugar cookie and chocolate cookie. However, I've found that if you make cookies small enough you can have 2 without feeling bad-- problem solved! This recipe is slightly adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens "New Cookbook"... 1989 (a true gem if you own it) Sugar Cookies: 1 Cup Butter 3/4 Cup Sugar 1 Tbs milk 1 Egg 1 tsp Vanilla 2 Cups Flour 1 tsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Cream of Tartar (my addition) Dash Salt Preheat over to 375. Beat butter, sugar, milk, egg, vanilla. Add Flour, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt until thoroughly combined. Cover and chill for 3 hours. On a lightly flour surface, roll out half the dough until 1/4 inch thick. Place on ungreased cooki...

On Saturday Kate came over and we baked 4 different cookies in 1 short little afternoon. Baking is so much more fun with friends. We chatted our way through mixing, rolling, cutting, baking, cooling, and decorating before heading to a Christmas party with girl friends. I so miss Kate since she's moved out of the city. I wish I lived in the house next door and we could bake every Saturday have dinner parties on the regular. I've decided to share a cookie a day this week. It will force me blog (something I love), and share my Christmas cookie recipes! In other news- it still has not snowed in Chicago! I am jealous of my MN friends and family whose instagrams boast about the Winter Wonderland that hit the cities this weekend. Stayed tuned for cookie recipes this week! xo. erica

After baking and celebrating Christmas with friends last night, the only thing missing is the SNOW! I can't believe we don't have a spec on the ground in Chicago and it is December 9th! Oh well! These cookies sure get me in the mood to celebrate the season. Sten's family celebrates Christmas with a Swedish Smorgasbord, lots of presents and lots of family time. I didn't know there were so many Swedish foods until I went to my first Carlson Christmas and was Swed-a-fied.... These cookies are something my mother-in-law makes every year, and I just LOVE them. They melt in your mouth, they are delicate, beautiful, and so delicious there is absolutely no way to eat just one.  The key ingredient.  Buttery, sugary, light, fluffy dough.  Roll. Press. Bake. Cool.  Decorate! Almond Cookies From the kitchen of: Meredith Carlson Yield: 3 1/2 dozen cookies Cookie: 1 Cup Butter, softened 3/4 Cup Sugar 1 tsp. Almond Extract 2 Cup...

Happy December! What a wonderful month as we anticipate the birth of Jesus Christ! I love all that Christmas brings and I am excited to celebrate with Sten's family at the end of the month. This week has not felt like December. The last 3 days have been as high as 70 degrees... Sten and I even went for a run in shorts and t-shirts! I love it! I have no complaints, I know that the snow will come and will stay for many months to come. I have no idea where I got the recipe for homemade tortilla chips, but it was pre-pinterest and pre-blogging. These are a great alternative if you want a super duty crunchy chip with your favorite pico. Sten and I made these Sunday and I had visions of a Mexico beach with the sun crisping my skin ahem January 7th can't come soon enough. I hope you will enjoy these as much as we do. With only 3 ingredie nts you can't go wrong! Homemade tortilla chips: 5 corn tortillas Oil sprinkle of salt Preheat oven to 450. Lay tortilla...

Sten and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary Wednesday night and I wanted to make sure I did some documenting. Last year I made this nice post about the past 3 years. It is so crazy to think another year has gone by. Sten and I have made some really great memories this year-- so many fun vacations and quiet nights at home, date nights in the city and big talks about future. I am lucky to get to do life with him. He is my favorite person and best friend. We celebrated at q Chicago , a BBQ restaurant that is the perfect mix between down home southern cooking and upscale city appeal. We LOVED it. As we sat down to dinner our waiter arrived with 2 glasses of champagne. Sten looked at me quizzically as I looked at him the same way. We were pretty confused until our waiter said "Happy Anniversary from Mandy and Brennan!" Seriously? I have the best co-workers ever. I literally started crying. It is not very often  you meet someone like Mandy, who literally always thinks of oth...

Thanksgiving has been and always will be one of my all time favorite days of the year. So much joy and celebration. This year was no different. Sten and I packed a lot in our mini-vacation.   My mom is the best at making beds. This is what we came home to on Tuesday night after driving 6+ hours. So warm, cozy and welcoming.  cutest little guy around. couldn't.handle.his.adorableness  got to witness his first squash eating... a success!  dinner with the fam before the T-WOLVES GAME!!!  Great seats! SOOOO much fun even though we didn't win.  my mom got this little idea from the newspaper, everyone wrote what they were thankful for.  23 place settings set and ready! Couldn't wait for family to arrive!  traditional games all evening long. This little bug is a heart warmer.  On Sunday Sten and I got to be part of Amos' dedication, and although I couldn't make it through the prayer witho...