s'more lollipops and passionfruit macarons

hello! i hope everyone had a great week. i got to cater an event for tory burch on wednesday, so i spent most of monday and tuesday in my kitchen, piping passionfruit buttercream into bright orange macaron shells and melting chocolate on a bain marie for s'more lollipops. the theme of the party was resort - beach and ski wear - so they wanted one "hot weather" dessert, and one "cold weather" - and this is what i decided to make for them.







the macarons are old news for me by now (although i love them as much as ever,) but the s'more lollipops were something new. i can't take credit for the idea - i found a few versions of this on etsy, when trying to figure out how on earth to turn a s'more into a lollipop - but i was really delighted with how they turned out. i used a mixture of milk and dark chocolates and then carefully piped the tory burch logo onto each and every one.

after all that, i get to dress up and go to the event itself, which is just the cherry on top. i used to get so nervous before attending these events - i get so intimidated by a room full of stylish women i've never met - but now i've started planning my entrance so i get there with keiko or christine and it's really a blast. we started off the night at juicy couture, headed over to tory burch, and then christine and i snuck into a perfume even at anthropologie, pawed at the pretty things for awhile, and went home.

s'more lollipops

2 bags chocolate - one bag dark, one milk, or however you like it
one big bag marshmallows (or you can make your own)
graham crackers, ground to a fine powder in a blender
lollipop sticks (you can find them here)

line up the marshmallows and pierce them with the lollipop sticks; put a pot with an inch or so of water in it on a burner on its lowest setting, and then set a metal heat-safe bowl on top of the pot to make a double boiler. add chocolate and stir it alot; don't try to melt it quickly by turning the heat up high, chocolate burns very easily. put the graham cracker crumbs in a bowl nearby. dip the marshmallows in the chocolate, shake off the excess, and roll them in the graham cracker crumbs; set them on a sheet pan prepared with parchment paper inside and let them set up in the fridge. ta-da! cute and tasty. great for a holiday party. just sayin'.



and an outfit! it's been so long! i wanted to wear something comfortable and easy, since i knew we'd be walking to and fro; and i snagged this skirt over the thanksgiving weekend at a great thrift store near sam's house in connecticut and have been wanting to work it into an outfit somehow. i wore a belt across the shirt with a brooch attached - i just thought it needed a splash of color, and it was too big a belt to be worn at the waist.

shirt: urban outfitters
skirt: thrifted
belt: j crew factory outlet (now online on weekends!)
tights: we love colors
brooch: courtesy of accessorize
shoes: thrifted

ttfn. but not for long! shop updates! gift guides! unbirthdays!

xo audrey

tory burch, two ways

hello! happy monday (oxymoron?) monday is actually my tuesday, which i think lessens the blow a bit. how was your weekend? mine was really nice, if a bit exhausting - my parents came into town on friday night, so we went out for really good senegalese food and then came back to my place for fresh fruit galettes. (a recipe i've been meaning to post for some time, actually - i have this amazing recipe now for really buttery, flakey galette dough. will post this week.) (in fact, as i think over this post, i'm pretty sure it's going to remind me of several recipes that need posting asap, so stay tuned!) saturday afternoon my mom and i met up to do some bridal shopping. i was so happy to get to see her and getting to do a bit of wedding shopping was really wonderful, since i just bought my dress online and didn't get the experience of dress shopping with my mama. we checked out the j crew bridal shop first, which i have to say was a bit of a disappointment - very small, with a very limited selection. i'm letting my bridesmaids choose their own dress, and i already have mine, so there wasn't much for me to see there. my shoes, i think, will be a challenge; we're getting married outside, in my future in-laws backyard, in fact, so i want to be careful to get shoes that won't turn their lawn into swiss cheese - but sam is a good 6 or so inches taller than i am, so a little height will be helpful when it comes to that whole "you may now kiss the bride" part. any suggestions?

we DID find a perfect place to get a veil. bridal veil falls is run by a very sweet woman named margaret who makes all of the veils and headpieces herself; i walked in there with no clue what i wanted. i showed her my dress and she immediately showed me some lace that matched it almost perfectly; within twenty minutes we'd come up with a design for a perfect little veil. i'm super excited.

stayed up late last night baking stuff for a meeting i had this afternoon with tory burch. the meeting went really well and i think (and hope!) i'll be working with them in one way or another soon. here's a peek of what i made. . .



malted vanilla cupcakes with white chocolate buttercream and a sprinkle of peppermint



cinnamon thumbprints with caramel apple kisses



apple pie lollipops

along with some others. coincidentally (or is it?!) this is national women's business week, and i want to mention the tory burch foundation. the non-profit helps provide loans to women who are trying to open their own small businesses, which is certainly a cause i believe in; take a look, shop or donate, and just leave a comment below to be entered to win their cd.

okay. so much more to come, i promise!

xo audrey

q & a with tory burch's favorite pastry chef

hello everyone! hope you had a great weekend. sam and i skipped down to the jersey shore - not that jersey shore, or at least, not that part of it. we attempted to boogie board (sam with some success, and me with none at all) and read and listened to the news and watched tv and ate a lot of tacos. it was lovely.

i wanted to share a q&a with monique antoinette, who makes these amazing cobbler cookies and happens to be tory burch's favorite pastry chef - i thought it was a nice intersection of pastry and fashion, two of my greatest loves. i was lucky enough to be put in touch with her and, as a girl who hopes to open her own business someday, i found her story to be very inspiring.


Q. How did you get started in the food industry?
A. My career as an interior designer had ended. I was in quiet contemplation as to what was my next career. I happen to be reading a book that talked about everyone having a gift or talent that provided a product or service to mankind. This was a gift or talent that we performed without any effort. The author suggested looking around within our lives for it. Three weeks later, I noticed my friends were paying me to bake cookies for the holiday season. I baked cookies every season but this season was different. This concept had my full attention. Two friends suggested I start a baked goods business. I thought it was ridiculous. After them not letting up, I decided to ask god directly if he wanted me to bake cookies. This was a big deal because I’m not religious! Well, he answered back 20 minutes after I asked this question, through a total stranger at the grocery store on aisle 9 at Ralphs. This lady looked into my basket of baked goods and stated, “God created you to feed people your baked goods. He gave this job to you because you serve people from the purest place in your heart. He has a fortune in store for you. The only thing standing in your way is your faith. As soon as you let go of what you are doing for money, he will provide you with everything you will need to feed the people. Needless to say, the next day I made a commitment to getting this business started. Four days later, from a dream, I received instructions on how to infuse two of America’s already favorites; the pie and the cookie. And, the Cobbler Cookie Collection was born.


Q. What did you do before you were a baker (if anything?)
A. I had a career in Interior Design with a specialty in Faux Finish Painting.


Q. What is your favorite thing to bake?
A. My husband is a big Italian, so my favorites are Italian Food and Desserts.

Q. You own your own business - how did you get that
started?
A. Once I committed to this new career, I realized I was passionate about food, but I was clueless on how to run a food business. I pressed pause for six months and went to work as a General Manager for an organic food corporation. I managed a staff and three locations. After this training, I hired experts to consult with and to construct a business plan. From there I began promoting the product. The orders followed. I deal with the business in phases, in order to not lose my mind. I am on target with my plan so far. The next step is to acquire 375k for a national retail launch.
Any advice? I literally started with $27. I purchased my product development/packaging ingredients from the 99cent store. What propelled me towards my destiny was this quote: Start were you are, use what you have, do what you can ~Arthur Ashe. This quote is literally how I got this business off the ground. When I lose focus with frustration, I sit still, and then allow myself to revisit this quote, and then I take another step towards what I know I’m here to do.

Q. How did you start working with Tory Burch?
A. My daughter works for Tory. She shared with me how Tory got started in her living room. From that I felt inspired to succeed. I created dialogue, “ that if Tory can do it, I can do it”. It was like Girl Power energy for me. My daughter called me one afternoon and said Tory will be in the store later today, I think you two should meet. So, I thought this would give me the opportunity to share the dessert with her and also let her know how much she inspired me. In the backroom of the store she tried a Banana Coconut Cobbler Cookie and was hooked. She loves every flavor so much she orders them for herself and employees at her corporate office twice a month. What a great way to treat herself and show her appreciation to her employees. I love her spirit.

Q. What are your other interests, besides baking?
A. I love, love, love writing, it’s my second career. I love being selfish with me. I sneak away from my life to go the movies in the middle of the day. And also take myself to lunch or dinner. Experiencing a great meal and being able to talk to the people around me or the chef about the meal is like winning the lottery.


Q. What’s your new book called and about?
A. I have been putting a cook book together for a year and a half now but in the meantime my first published book is actually being released next month. It’s titled Grateful for Grief: Seasons of Transformation. I lost my only son to suicide in 2004. The experience was the most remarkable human experience of my entire lifetime thus far. I fell in love with my grief and found gratitude for it. I arrived at this choice after realizing the denial of grief was literally killing me and my mind. In 2011, I will launch a web series called, “Let’s Talk about Grief from a Higher Point of Consciousness”. The silence of grief is a killer of mankind; it’s a heart attack, its cancer. Six billion people exist on this planet. The one thing we all share in common is at some point we will all deal with grief. The goal is to not deal with grief alone or in silence!

Q. And would you like to share a recipe?
A. Yes I would. One of my favorites is a dish my Guido husband loves so much. I have named it Mancini Fettuccini.



Ingredients:
4 Servings

1 lb. Fettuccini pasta
1 lb. Boneless Chicken or Shrimp or maybe a combination of both
8 oz. Canned Coconut milk
½ cup Shredded Coconut
6 oz. Drained Water Chestnuts
¼ cup Golden Raisins
4 Chopped Garlic Cloves
8oz. Canned, drained artichoke hearts
6 oz. Canned, drained marinated mix mushrooms
½ cup Sour Cream
a couple pinches each of thyme, basil, oregano, salt and pepper,
and if you like spicy, you can add a bit of cayenne pepper.



Directions:

Boil pasta according to package directions.
Bake boneless chicken, cool and cut into sizes you like.
If using shrimp or combining with chicken, clean, de-vein and save for later.

In large sauce pan add: coconut milk, water chestnuts, chopped garlic cloves, artichoke hearts, and marinated mixed mushrooms. Mix ingredients together on heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Add boneless chicken or shrimp, cook for 5 minutes more. Finally add shredded coconut and sour cream for rich creamy finish.

Serve on top of Fettuccini.

For Consideration:
If you are married to an Italian feed him until he falls asleep. You’ll have a nice quiet evening!