Chai Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Fall is one of my favorite times for baking. There is something about the temperature dropping and the leaves changing that makes me want to stay inside and make tasty treats. I found this recipe on Pinterest last year but it was after the season, so the pumpkin spice kisses were no longer available. As soon as I saw them in the stores this year (like the first week of September) I bought a few bags knowing that I would make these cookies.

The cookies are not too sweet and have just the right amount of chai. They go perfect with a cup of coffee and a good book.

The recipe is from here:


Ingredients

½ cups Unsalted Butter, Softened
½ cups Sugar
1 whole Egg
¼ cups Chai Concentrate
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1-¾ cup Flour
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
⅛ teaspoons Salt
⅛ teaspoons Chai Spice Mix
1 bag (10 Oz. Size) Hershey's Pumpkin Spice Kisses

Baking Directions



Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and cream at medium speed until fluffy, or with a hand mixer, for about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg, chai concentrate, and the vanilla; mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Using your hands, roll the dough into 22 to 24 1-inch round balls. Place the dough balls on parchment paper-lined baking sheets and sprinkle chai spice mix lightly over cookies.

Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, unwrap kisses.

Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately place pumpkin kisses in the center of each cookie. Don’t touch or the kisses will turn into puddles! Cool completely.

I really enjoyed this recipe and I plan on making another batch of these cookies to share at some of my fall festivities. Leave a comment if you try making them or have tried them before!

XO
Kirsten

Life Update

Wow Summer is gone and it certainly flew by! I have not posted in quite a while so I thought I would do a little update on what has happened over Summer via Insta. So here we go!




















Pool Parties--some one was a little tired...



Late night beer on the patio...



AOII 100 Year @ TAU


Updated my work decor and tablet...



Celebrated my Birthday!



And now I am totally ready for Halloween!

Hopefully I will keep up to date with this blog now that I won't be out late on patios and having pool parties any more... oh Fall!

Also, I moved out of uptown, but I don't know what I would change my blog name to? Kirsten living? Haha let me know if you have any ideas!

XO
Kirsten

Instagram Lately

Here's a glimpse into what I've been up to lately :)


Balloon for my 1 year at the agency! Can't believe its already been this long!


Neons! Hanging out at the Dudley in Brooklyn Center watching my guy friends play ball!


Pandas on my desk! Little reminders of AOII all day at work :)


Breakfast on Wednesdays at work is one of my favorite parts of the week!


Lilly Pulitzer animal crackers--classic! Bought from FLEET FARM! Who would have thought you could get Lilly there!

Wow I didn't realize how all my posts are basically from work--I need to start taking pictures when I am out and about!

On that note--I will try to do that this weekend!
Happy Friday!

xo
Kirsten

Cake Pops!

This past weekend on Father's Day, my dad requested that I make these little gems. Ooey gooey delicousness!

The cake pops were super easy to make and were kind of fun--you get a little down and dirty in the mixture. Plus they were fun to decorate and put together. The recipe is from Duncan Hines and the link is down below. Enjoy!

Recipe Here

Cutest Proposal!

I am such a sucker for adorable things! This proposal is so cute! I would never think of something like this! Happy Friday!! :)

xo

Kirsten

Make It Count

I came across this ad for Nike last week and thought it was really unique. These two guys spent all the money for the ad traveling the world and created this video to show how they "make it count". I love their choice of quotes to coincide with what is going on. Also, I like the the fast pace of the entire feature.

It already has over 3 million hits since it was put up last week. Pretty amazing!

Happy Thanks-Easter

Over the weekend I got the opportunity to spend time with my family. Its rare that we are all together and able to go out for dinner or be at home in the same room. We colored Easter eggs, had Broadway Pizza and played pull tabs. And we enjoyed Easter dinner and Angel Food Cake. Yum.

My brother referred to the holiday as Thanksgiving at one point which got me thinking--this is a great time to give thanks for your life. The Easter holiday is to remind everyone that God gave his son for your eternal life, so why not be thankful for that?

So I really thought about it and what I am thankful for. I am very thankful that I am finally on my own, living in a little apartment, paying for all my own things and not relying on parents or anyone else. I am thankful for all the great friends I have in my life. Without them I don't think I would be the person I am today. I am thankful for the time I have spent alone in the last year. I have honestly learned so much about myself and become confident and strong. I know what I want and I am so thankful that I am happy with who I am.

What are you thankful for?

Here's a look at some of the Easter festivities :)

 

Our "Neon" food coloring egg dye

 

Colorful Eggs--How did this tradition even start?

 

Yes, I still get an Easter Basket. And Yes, I still eat almost all the candy the day I get it.

  

Blaze "helping" me eat the candy. Naughty kitten.

 

Angel Food Cake with home made pink fluffy frosting.

 

Funfetti for the perfect Easter treat. 

I just love holidays. 

XO Kirsten

Weekend Review 3/26

Hi Lovelies!

So I am totally obsessed with the app Instagram now that I have my iPhone. I thought I would do a little weekend recap--even though I didn't do much. So relaxing!

 

Wine and Skyping BFF before date night @ Chino! 

 

Purring Kitty! He is so funny!

All sorts of nummy treats for a relaxing night in watching 90210!

Essie Play Date and Sparkles! Perfect for Spring!

 

 Sunday Morning Cuddles with Kitty Max!

And then got to walk around Lake Calhoun and get more Pizza and Ice Cream! Perfect ending to a wonderful weekend! 

XO

Kirsten

Peeps on the Beach

Hi Loves! So now that it is Spring it is offish the time for PEEPS! I thought I would celebrate this wonderful news with a little Peep cocktail!

Peeps on the Beach (a nice twist to the classic) from here

• 1oz vodka
• 1oz peach schnapps
• 2oz orange juice
• 2oz cranberry juice
• 1 marshmallow peep

Fill a highball glass with ice (or chardonnay glass, as pictured).  Add vodka and peach schnapps, then fill glass with equal parts orange juice and half cranberry juice.  Garnish with peep.

 

Hope you enjoy this as much as I will!

 

XOXOXO

 

Kirsten

Calhoun Beach Club Wedding

Hey Lovelies! Please go comment/like this blog. I was in the wedding for one of my best friends and the pictures are absolutely amazing!!



http://katebotwinskiblog.com/weddings/calhoun-beach-club-wedding-meredith-steve/

Check it out!!

XO Kirsten

Leap Year Cocktail

Wow!! February has already come to an end! And what better way to celebrate than with a cocktail?!

I found this recipe for a special Leap Year Cocktail.

2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. Grand Marnier
1/2 oz. Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
Lemon Twist for garnish

Mix all together in a shaker and serve as a delish martini! What could be better? Oh wait--a Margarita!

Happy Leap Year Loveys!! Enjoy!

XO   Kirsten

Cold Remedies?

Hello Lovelies,

So I have been feeling a little under the weather this week and haven't been able to focus on being healthy and fit--this sucks because I have my race on Saturday. I just can't seem to shake this. So naturally I "googled" cold remedies to see how I could kick this cold.

Drink Water. And other fluids. This helps loosen congestion and prevents dehydration. Duh. But apparently you need to restrict drinking alcohol, coffee, and caffeinated soda. Looks like I will have to drink a lot of water to reverse the effects of the amounts of alcohol, coffee, and pop I drink...

Humidity. Last year I invested in a nice humidifier. I haven't used it lately, so I think it is time to fill it up and turn it on over night. Bonus: it makes my room extremely warm!

 Chicken Noodle Soup. Just like every grandmother has said, chicken soup is the closest cure they have for the common cold. I will be sipping this soup for lunch today. Yummy!

 Antihistamines. I thought these were for allergies, but turns out they can relieve the symptoms of the cold.I will definitely be taking these before Saturday. 

What is your go to remedy for curing the common cold? 

XO

Kirsten

Valentine's 5k

I'm super excited for Saturday when I will be running in my first 5k! It is going to be a lot of fun and I can't wait to get all this cute pink/red athletic wear, along with some cute valentines stuff (socks and glasses). The best part of the race is that on your race number, you say "Single" "Taken" or "Its Complicated". I thought that was hilarious. No more awkward ring check--you just look at the back of their shirt :)

Hope everyone is having a fabulous week and can't wait to post more about the 5k after I run!

XO
Kirsten

Under Armour pink long sleeve t shirt
$120 - finishline.com

run: your heart out tight | lululemon athletica
lululemon.com

Superdry
£8 - bankfashion.co.uk

NIKE pink shoes
$105 - nike.com

Purple shades
$20 - 80spurple.com

What's on Your Mind?

Fitness: Lately working out has been on my mind quite a bit. I love trying out different work outs and finding ways to keep exercise exciting. Zumba is definitely one of my new favorites as well as strength training.

These are some of my favorite pictures for inspiration--well the Zumba one is actually just kind of funny :)

What types of exercise do you like to do?

XO
Kirsten

images via pinterest

The Nine Rooms of Happiness

I just finished reading The Nine Rooms of Happiness yesterday and I thought it was very enlightening. It goes over little "pearls" of wisdom that every woman should know/think about. It breaks down the areas of life into 9 rooms that different activities occur in that determine happiness. The book goes over strategies on how to react to certain situations so it doesn't jeopardize happiness and explains why we get upset in those situations. It really made me think about my struggle to stay happy at this point in my life and what I can do in order to "be happy" all the time. I think the most important take away is that my self esteem is controlled by me and I have the power to feel more confident in myself, thus leading to a happier life by not constantly comparing myself to others.

I definitely recommend reading it if you want to learn about taking things in stride and not letting daily imperfections affect your happiness.

Yay be happy!

XO

Kirsten

Weekend ReCap 1.27-29

I love going into a weekend not knowing what to expect. It makes the events that occur more exciting because they are spontaneous. And sometimes it is more fun not to plan anything than to have a jam packed weekend.

On Friday night I became a little obsessed with Vampire Diaries...I know..but I couldn't stop watching. Nikki and I got some Chinese food and the night was completed...perfectly relaxing.

On Saturday, my friend Ashley invited me to go to Beer Dabbler, a festival at the St. Paul Winter Carnival that serves over 200 kinds of beer. It was really fun! We tried so many different types--the glasses were the size of a shot glass! And we got to play the hammer game where you pound a nail into a log cut out. It sounds weird but it is a really fun game when tipsy! I wish I had taken a few pictures but it was outdoors and freezing so I wasn't taking my mittens off.

Sunday I went home and did some laundry. I helped my mother make some Twice Backed Potato Casserole. Yummy! It is from a super old cookbook..the recipe is below.

 Betty Crocker--Classic

 The Baked Potatoes

 Whisking them up

Yummy Cheesy Potatoes

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

1. Scrub 4 medium potatoes and prick with fork.

2. Cook in 375 degree oven for 1.5 hours.

3. Increase temp to 400 degrees.

4. Cut thin, lengthwise slices and scoop out the inside of potatoes into a mixing bowl.

5. Mix for 2 minutes or until no lumps.

6. Add 3/4 cup milk, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1/4 cup butter/margarine.

7. Beat with whisk for 3 minutes.

8. Fill Casserole dish.

9. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

10. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Delicious and according this article, healthier than regular mashed potatoes.

Let me know if you try the recipe..enjoy!

XO

Kirsten

Happy Friday!

Made it through another week! And its the end of the month--can you believe that we are almost into month 2 of 2012? I feel like I am making progress on some of my goals for this year.

First of all, I started my blog which took a lot of time and research-- I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to write about or what I wanted to do with my blog. But needless to say, I am extremely happy that I have started it and am working on new posts!

Another goal of mine is to spend less money on food. I have made an effort to make my own food if I am not going out with other people. I didn't want to lose the social aspect of going out to eat, but I have completely stopped grabbing Chipotle and Leeann Chin here and there.

The biggest change I have made is going to the gym. A lot. I am completely obsessed with working out these days--I have the class schedule in my office, at home, and on my phone. I love going to dance classes!

Finally, another change I made is making smoothies--I love them! I love creating new ones with different berry combinations, including spinach, yogurt, or my new creation--chocolate mocha. I will definitely do a post with some of my favorite concoctions.

Well since I have shared some of my goals and the progress I have made, here is a quote/picture that I find truly inspiring as it relates to many of the goals I have set for myself this year.

image via Pinterest

Well, now I just have to figure out what my weekend plans are--any thoughts on movies to rent or places to try out?

XO
Kirsten