snow with tea + honey

If you follow me on twitter you may know that I was battling with the powers of the interwebs last night, but finally won and now I have my own domain. My blog is officially at tenpennysplendid.com, though the blogspot link will still bring you here too. Magic. I'm just excited that I got it to work. In case anyone else wants to do it I'll give you a link to the awesome tutorial I found. The main reason I had so much trouble is because I have two domains and one host. If you just have one domain though it should be much easier.

Or maybe everyone else is all tech savvy and thinks that's super easy and I'm just a noob. I don't dabble in web design for a reason here folks. I can design it, but getting it to work is a whole 'nother stress inducing issue.


Which brings me to today. I'm taking this "snow day" as an opportunity to do a major overhaul on my blog and drink plenty of tea+honey to try and repair my throat. I've had a head cold for the past week but instead of getting better, I think it's just moving south into my chest. But I'm going here tonight for a gallery opening so I wanna be tip top and not coughing up a lung.


I have my whole blog redesigned in Photoshop and I'm really excited to get it up and running. I've been working on the concept and feel of it for a while to make it go along with the branding of my soon-to-be shop. So hopefully I will be victorious once again in my struggle against the internet and I will have a new design to reveal on monday. Wish me luck!


So for any of you who use godaddy and blogger and want to use your own domain (and are as lost as me) try this tutorial. It's got pretty much everything you need.

cozy winter things

Without a doubt my winter uniform this year has been leggings and either a plaid flannel shirt or a dress with a long warm cardigan. This is typically accompanied by boots of some sort and leg warmers or over-the-knee socks when appropriate. And I couldn't be happier. I'm infatuated with layers and comfort. That is pretty much the inspiration behind today's post.. a curation of things that warm my soul and make me feel cozy in the dead of winter.

To be at your most comfortable this winter,
think layers, flannel, and boots for ultimate warmth.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1.. I got a couple new flannel shirts for Christmas and I'm very excited. I can now stop rotating that same ones I've wearing with some new colors! They are so comfortable and warm, even when the sleeves are rolled up. I've had a few people (relatives and such) twice my age telling me they wore exactly this when they were in college. Though all they had then were men's shirts so they weren't nearly as cute. Hooray for fashion coming back around and getting more tailored! ;)

2.. I did exactly this in my apartment in college. I had the cutest faux fireplace with this beautiful tile floor surrounding it. I got three of these candle multi-packs from Ikea. I liked how they were all different levels. It looked really sweet and gave off a surprising amount of heat. If I find a photo of my actual fireplace I'll post it one day.

3.. I saw this from Lune Vintage and am sort of devastated that it's been sold! It's so cute and warm looking. Perfect for walking through the snow while sipping hot chocolate!

4.. I love this headband/ear warmer from Emmadime. My ears are always freezing, especially when I was walking to classes in the city. So my choices were to either have frozen ears or wear a hat and look a mess when I got to class. This is stylish enough to keep on wearing so you can be cute and smart about the weather. :)

5.. I got these slipper boots for Christmas and I love them. I rang in 2011 at a mountain house with a bunch of my friends from high school and college. It was tons of fun and since we stayed in the house most of the time, I wore these all weekend. They are like walking on clouds. My feet were so content. But sadly, due to all the merrymaking and a little thing we like to call "Beer Olympics", they got a little dirty and the fur on the bottom got all matted. In a moment of insanity (or genius?) I reordered them as soon as I got back. Now I have a clean pair for at home and a worn in pair should that sort of weekend repeat itself :). I told you my weakness is boots!

6.. Part of the go-to in my closet this year. I like that they add a little pop when I wear black leggings with knee high black boots. And, of course, they add extra warmth!

7.. Forgive me for the lack of link but this was in my "inspiration" folder and I have no idea where I saw it. If anyone knows, feel free to inform me and I will gladly link to it. Anywho, I really want to make a granny square quilt and this one has such a great color palette. It looks like the perfect thing to bring warmth on a cold and gray day.

Well that's my round up of things that make me happy and warm during the winter months. Bring on the snow east coast! I'd love to hear about everyone else's favorite winter survival gear too. :)

apple cheddar scones

I've always been skeptical about the whole cheese and apple combination that seems to be pretty common. The thought of mixing the two always seemed repulsive and downright wrong to me. I have always been tempted to buy that little pack at Starbucks with the apple slices and cheese in it but could never bring myself to do it. I finally decided to give in and see what all the hype was about so I baked these scones to sooth my curiosity.

De-lish-ous.



Both blogs I saw these on said it was pure fall and they were so right. I've been missing fall lately since the weather has gotten soo so cold and these scones brought me back. Definitely the perfect warm, sweet yet savory, breakfast for one of those cool mornings.

I had just gotten some fresh gala apples in so I used them since they are really good for baking. Peel them and cut them up into chunks. It says to cut them into 1/16th's and I definitely made them smaller but I'm ok with that ;). Bake them on a parchment lined baking sheet. I also had some really good Irish cheddar leftover from Christmas so I shredded that up for these.



After the apples are cooled and the dough all comes together, pat it out into a 6 in circle.


Cut the circle into 6 pieces and bake. I baked up half and froze the other half for later. They should be all golden brown and crusty on top when they're done.


Serve warm. Pretend it's fall again :).


Apple Cheddar Scones
recipe from Smitten Kitchen via What Megan's Making

Makes 6 scones

2 firm tart apples
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons for sprinkling
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt plus additional for egg wash
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375F.
Peel, core, and chop apples into chunks (approx. 1/16 size pieces). On a baking sheet with parchment paper, place apples in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes. (Apples should feel dry and have a little color.) Let apples cool completely. Put them in the fridge to speed the process.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine butter, cream, cheddar, and one egg, adding the flour mixture on top. Mix until dough is just combined.

On a floured surface, pat out dough into a 6 in round. It should be about 1 1/4 in thick. Cut into 6 triangles. Place the wedges back on the parchment lined pan. Combine egg and salt to make an egg wash, brush over the scones, and then sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and firm.

If you want to freeze some for later, skip the egg wash and wrap them up. When you are ready to make them, brush on the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake frozen for just a few extra minutes.




I will never doubt apples and cheese again :)

Okay, time to get crafty. I have much to do before opening the store and I want to do that soon!

cupcake cheers

Besides having bottles on bottles of champagne at the mountain house where I spent new year's weekend with friends, we had these babies. I saw these on Sprinkle Bakes about two days before we left for the trip and I knew I had to make them. I created a little hype on Twitter with a tweet that went something like, "champagne filled with champagne and topped with more champagne". And that's exactly what these are.



They were definitely a hit. The champagne gives the icing such an interesting flavor. It's almost like a cream cheese icing, with that subtle bitterness. I had some leftover pastry cream filling when I was done but I actually had to double the icing. I may have piped a little too much on them :).



These are the perfect dessert for a special occasion. I ended up using almost a full bottle of champagne!

Champagne Cupcakes
recipe from Sprinkle Bakes

champagne cake
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup champagne or prosecco

Preheat oven to 350F. Using a paddle attachment in a standing mixer, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add one egg at a time, combining well after each one. Mix in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In another bowl, combine sour cream and champagne. Add flour and champagne mixture to the mixing bowl alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Fill cupcake papers with a 1/4 cup of batter each. (Yields around 17 cupcakes.) Bake for 17-22 minutes and set aside to cool.


champagne pastry cream filling
1/2 cup heavy cream, divided
1/2 cup champagne or prosecco
2 tbsp cornstarch
5 tbsp granulated sugar
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Pour 1/4 cup heavy cream into a medium bowl and whisk in corn starch. In a saucepan, combine the rest of the cream, sugar, and champagne. Bring it to a boil and remove from heat.
In the bowl with the heavy cream and cornstarch, beat in the whole egg and egg yolks. Pour 1/3 of the boiling mixture into the egg mixture and whisk constantly so that your eggs don't scramble. Return the remaining champagne/cream/sugar mixture to a boil and pour in egg mixture in a small stream. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens, and remove from heat. Beat in butter and vanilla.
Take cooled cupcakes and cut a divot out of the center. Fill with the cream and then cut down the part you removed so that it's a flat lid. Replace lid on top of filled cream.


champagne icing
1 cup plus 1 tbsp champagne or prosecco
2 sticks of butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

In a small saucepan, simmer 1 cup of champagne over medium-high heat until it's reduced to 2 tbsp. Pour it into a small bowl and allow to cool.
In a standing mixer with a whisk attachment, cream butter and confectioners' sugar. Once the mixture is thick and fluffy, pour in reduced champagne plus 1 tbsp strait from the bottle. Mix well.
Ice cupcakes and decorate with something festive!

Check the photos over at Sprinkle Bakes too. She took way more and decorated them with pretty pearls. I had these stars left over from a pie I made for Christmas.

I thought I would take so many more pictures over the holidays but it totally slipped my mind! I either felt too busy or too lazy to do it. *Sigh* maybe next year. :)

kicking off 2011

I return. That was a good, much needed break spent with family and friends. I was glad to not be attached to my computer like I usually am. I got so many great new things to cook and craft with too! I'm really excited to try everything out and share it right here.

But for now, I want to kick off my first blog post of 2011 with something I can't wait to get started. I mentioned a while back that I wanted to participate in 101 things in 1001 days. I've seen it on many blogs that I read and it seems like such a great way to set some important short and long term goals. It's a long enough amount of time that you can reach a little high and list things you may not be able to do for a while, but at the same time it's a short enough amount of time that it keeps your goals realistic.

I've created a page for this up at the top where I'll be keeping track of my goals and hopefully crossing off many things. So check it out if you're interested or need some inspiration for your own goals!

Hope everyone's holidays were great and best of luck to you all in the new year! :)