Bacon Caramel Popcorn with cashews, almonds, and chipotle

Yum! This stuff is like crack. I made it the other day and decided it would be a great Christmas present for a few lucky friends. Now that I have given them away, I can post about it! This is such a treat for a movie night, or for putting in a pretty Ball jar and giving as a present. The salt, chipotle, bacon, and caramel go together amazingly well, and you might find yourself mining for the caramelized bacon - it's unreal. If you don't have tea, you can skip that step. (Also, this recipe is from here.) I think this would also be amazing on vanilla ice cream. I may have to test it out with the last jar (I can't bring myself to part with it.)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

¾ lb thick bacon, chopped

1/4 cup unsalted raw cashews

¼ cup almonds

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt or coarse sea salt

1/4 teaspoon chipotle pepper

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 Rooibos tea bag

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300°F. Heat popcorn and oil in covered heavy large pot over medium-high heat until kernels begin to pop. Shake pot until popping stops and pour the popcorn into very large bowl. 

Engagement Pie!

Not for me! Our best friends, Chip and Siobhan, just got engaged too! Such a fun and celebratory time. (Jamie and I have now deemed ourselves Champagne people.) We were SO happy about this engagement and wanted to give them a little treat. They so sweetly sent us a bottle of bubbly when we got engaged, continuing our new Champagne dependence. Both of them have a weakness for strawberry rhubarb pie, and by some stroke of luck, I found rhubarb in February, and some pretty good looking strawberries (both at Essex Street Market). I made the crust (Martha's pate brisee recipe) and personalized it with a big engagement ring and a C and an S on either side. Next time you need a special treat for a special occasion, try personalizing your friend's favorite pie. I think it was a big hit! (Chip ate half of it out of the tin with a spoon before leaving our apartment.)

Fred Flare Stocking Stuffers

I came across a pretty amusing website a while back and just rediscovered it yesterday. Fred Flare is a shop in Brooklyn, but luckily for me because I rarely make it under the river/across the bridge, they also have a website. On here you can find cheeseburger phones, bacon scented soap, and books dedicated to "geeky dreamboats" (George Michael Bluth, anyone?) Despite their wacky and ironic hodgepodge, they also have some cute jewelry and bags thrown in. If you're looking for that perfect, where-ever-did-you-find-this? present, or gag gift, or just want to browse a fun website, check out fredflare.com. I actually really like the forget me knot ring, so if anyone out there wants to get me a present...

More Sample Sales!

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, it's acceptable to start listening to Christmas songs and eating cookies in excess. It's also time for some serious shopping. Here are some sample sales to start filling up your present quota, or to fill up your wardrobe for the coming Christmas parties...

Colette Malouf
594 Broadway
Wednesday and Thursday, 9am-7pm

Charlotte Ronson
1071 6th Ave
Wednesday-Friday, 10am-7pm

Tocca
542 West 22nd
Wednesday-Friday, 11:30am-7:30pm

Derek Lam
601 West 26th St, suite 1730
Thursday and Friday, 10am-6pm

Tuleste Market
3 Steps, 322 Second Ave
Thursday and Friday, 1pm-7pm

Botkier
195 Lafayette
Thursday and Friday, 11-7
Saturday, 11-6
Sunday, 12-5

Theory
261 West 36th st
Friday, 11-7
Monday-Wednesday (December 7th-9th) 11-7
Saturday and Sunday, 11-5

Dolce Vita
156 Ludlow
Saturday and Sunday, 12-7

Hayden-Hartnett and The Collective Showroom
16 West 36th st
December 8th-10th, Tuesday-Thursday, 11-7

James Jeans
500 Greenwich St
December 8th-11th, Tuesday-Thursday, 9:30-7:30
Friday, 9:30

So run out and get your sister some shiny accessory from Colette Malouf, get your mom a Theory sweater, and get yourself some awesome statement jewelry at Tuleste Market as a pre-Christmas present to wear to all the parties. Happy shopping!