Time for this week’s Thursday Things, a special Thanksgiving edition. If you’re celebrating the holiday, I hope your loved ones are near and that there’s plenty of fabulous food with lots of laughter and zero stress.
1. The Cravory Cookies – Any dessert, drink, flavor, or concept can be make and baked into a delicious cookie, from Red Velvet to Rosemary Balsamic. There are over 950 flavors to choose from or you can create your own, choosing from a variety of handmade dough flavors and over 60 mix-ins to design the cookie of your dreams. They are a local San Diego-based company, which is local for me, or you can order online.
They sent me a sampler pack of their Holiday 2012 cookies and they are some of the best cookies I’ve ever received from a vendor and that I didn’t personally make in my own kitchen. And I’m extremely picky about my cookies.
So far I’ve tried the Spiked Eggnog and this Chocolate Truffle Cookie and I want to recreate both of these unique cookies with very soft centers and creative flavors.
2. In between the Cravory Cookies, these Molasses Triple Chocolate Cookies have been tiding me over quite nicely. Chocolate is used three times, they’re robustly spiced, no mixer is required, and are a new holiday favorite.
3. Slate + Wood Boards, $34 from West Elm. Oak wood with removable black slate. Perfect for parties and hostess gifts. Use the slate slab on its own or with the wood board as a serving platter for cheese and other appetizers. The board can also be turned over and used as a chopping block. I think this is a great price for a really useful item that can be used multiple ways.
4. Low Raw Crystal Soap, $13 from Free People
“Hand cast and carved crystal and faceted gemstone soaps. The crystal formation is cast in molds made from natural geodes and hand carved gemstone replicas. Made in Bonnie Bartley’s very own artisan soap studio utilizing superior ingredients from her own blended clear glycerin soaps. These soaps feature vibrant, sparkling colors that replicate natural minerals and gemstone formations. Mildly and deliciously fragranced to match the color tones, utilizing an assortment of fresh heather, herbals, sages, lavender, violet, berry, grapefruit and ocean blends of pure essential and fragrance oils.”
5. Brown Butter Apple Tart from Bon Appetit. I need this tart in my life because browned butter makes everything good, just that much better.
I’ve made Banana Bread with Browned Butter Glaze
And I want to try making my recent and highly recommended Sugar-Doodle Vanilla Cookies with browned butter. The original recipe indicates creaming the butter but I’m thinking that chilling the browned butter before creaming it with the sugars and egg, and then chilling the dough before baking it, and I’ll be okay.
6. The iPhone 5. I have the iPhone 4 and I’ve had it for about two and a half years. Although I am now eligible for an upgrade with Verizon, and in years past I upgraded as soon as I could, I haven’t been in a rush to upgrade this time because I don’t feel like there’s anything totally amazing that justifies it, but if I’m unaware, please enlighten me.
If anyone has used both versions, I’d love to hear about any major and notable differences, benefits, or changes between the two versions.
7. Take a break from turkey and try some tofu. Peanut Sauce Baked Tofu (vegan, GF) is one of my favorites and everything tastes better coated in easy homemade peanut sauce.
Even though people who “don’t like tofu” like this goofproof version.
8. Hanging Spice Rack,$19-39 from West Elm. Mounts on the wall with a compact size that works well under cabinets or in small kitchens.
My spices are shoved and crammed into a maxed out cupboard and glass jars nearly topple out if I try to move the spices around to find what I’m looking for. I can’t see the forest from the trees and forget about the ones that are buried in the back. Any option or solution would be better than my current setup.
9. Little Boxes Wall Organizer, $99 from Urban Outfitters. This could also solve my spice storage issues, but I don’t have an area within my kitchen to mount it. Regardless, I love the look of it and could put it to use with many other things.
10. Thanks to Ziplist for featuring my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache in their 12 Tasty Recipes for The Week List
Jump on the Ziplist online virtual recipe box bandwagon if you haven’t already. It makes it so easy to keep all the great recipes you’ve come across online organized in one place. I wrote more about the free service here and here
This cake is my favorite cake on my entire blog and I made another one for the holiday today.
What are your Thanksgiving Thursday Things or Thanksgiving plans? Recipes you’re making or food you’re looking forward to eating?
If you’ve made anything, done, seen, or bought anything fabulous recently, feel free to link it up in the comments.
Doing any Black Friday shopping?
If you’re one of the people who gets up at 3am and to the stores by 4 or 5am, more power to you and you deserve the deals. I will be in my warm bed and sleeping, far away from crowds. I purposely am not doing any shopping, either online or in the stores, because it’s too easy to say that oh this shirt is marked down forty percent or this tech gadget is on sale for an amazing price. But I don’t need any more shirts or the latest and greatest gadget. I’d like them, but I’m trying to be good.
Have a great weekend and stay tuned for a giveaway coming up over the weekend.
Stop with those soaps! I want them!
I just got the iPhone 5 recently after my 4, which I loved, spontaneously combusted -literally, it burnt itself out and when I pulled it off the plug there was smoke coming out of the charge port. I had the first 4, so no Siri, which is a noticeable difference between the two but I don’t really use it too often. It seems to be a little faster but really I don’t see much of a difference, and the different charger has caused some issues for me because I store my playlists on the phone so it sucked to have to buy an adapter. all in all I love the phone because I love the iPhone, and I upgraded to a phone with more storage, so I’m happy.
I did not know that about the charger – good to know b/c if I need different cords/setups for various computers, purses, etc that’s good to consider. Glad to know it’s faster, but that it’s not something I ‘need’ to race out and buy and that I’m not missing out on anything too huge – I do love my phone and it’s fine so til it self-explodes like yours (ouch!! bummer) I’ll hold off. Thanks for saying hi and hope you had a great TG! :)
Those cookie flavors are so creative and interesting! Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving!!
Oh my heavens — THAT CAKE! No wonder it is one of your favorites!! :)
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Averie!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! Ok, now that I got the greeting over, how about those cookies? That place sounds amazing! It would take me days to decide what combinations to put together! Crazy!!! I love the idea! Speaking of cookies, I still need to make yours! The molasses and choclate sound darn good!!
Yes, I’ll be shopping on Black Friday, but I leave my house at 7am, and I have a secret spot thats not busy when I get there. By the time it gets busy, I’m going for breakfast!! Enjoy your day!
And good luck getting those deals$$$ LMK what you find!
Happy Thanksgiving, Averie! Hope you and your fam had a nice relaxing one :) I usually go out for Black Friday but this year I’m resisting and staying home all day–I feel so weird not needing to catch up on early zz’s right now so I can be up and attem at 2am. And my bed is a LOT warmer than standing outside behind a Target (been there, done that). Anyway.. I’m loving that cookie company idea and am looking at their menu as we speak.. holy cow. I want to order some!
I could not IMAGINE being at Target at 5am or something like that – my bed, yes, please!
Happy Thanksgiving, Averie! What yummy inspiration here…I love the look of that apple tart, too. And we just had our first West Elm open a couple weeks ago…I’m looking forward to checking it out. Now it’s time for me to pop over and see how to make your gorgeous Bundt cake :)
Well I think there’s a west elm trip in my near future for that board but not on Friday, I’ll wait til the crowds are gone!
my thoughts exactly!
I fully plan on doing the opposite of black Friday shopping; staying home, avoiding the stores at all costs, and buying absolutely nothing! Homemade holidays are always better, if you ask me. However,I still see plenty I’d want to add to my wish list, of course…. ;)
Happy Thanksgiving, Averie!
The opposite of Black Friday – YES! Totally agree and if I could have a gift certificate to etsy (or ebay for vintage props) that would be the best!
No Black Friday shopping here, just catalog perusing getting ready for Cyber Monday. I’m making the traditional fare today including 2 home made pies. Love your website, Averie. Happy Thanksgiving to you & your family!
I made a pie today, too! I wasn’t even going to but then I was like…what the heck :) It came together super fast.
Thanks for reading and the nice comment & Happy TG to you!
Happy Thanksgiving Averie! Hope you and your family have a nice and relaxing day. We are in IL so I won’t be getting up in the middle of the night for any black Friday shopping. I’ve never done it….crowds and lines and craziness aren’t for me either. The jewelry maker in me loves the crystal soap. As for the cookies from the Cravory, all I can say is WOW! 950+ flavors to choose from is almost mind boggling and I want to check out the website just to see some of their creations. Today’s menu is pretty traditional with turkey, sweet potatoes, salad, and your soup recipe! There is a fabulous looking apple caramel pie sitting on the counter for dessert. It’s all I can do not to sample a bite now!
Happy TG, Paula! I have so enjoyed getting to know you over the past year or so – and many blessings and a wonderful day to you and your family today and this holiday season. And I hope you get your oven fixed, hope the soup turns out okay, and yes, that caramel apple pie wouldn’t stand a chance with me! And the Cravery Cookies are crazy good – and I’ve been at work recreating one of them :)
That apple tart looks divine and I love those slate boards. Happy Thanksgiving, Averie!
Right back at you, Laura! Have a great day with your family!
No shopping on Friday for us. No way. No how. Instead, we are going ice skating over the hill as a family! Can’t wait!
Baked 3 pies last night for 3 different taste buds, roasting teeny turkey for boys today, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, some honey rolls! :-), homemade cranberry sauce and spending time in with my lovely family. Going to be a great day and one to be thankful for!
I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving with Scott and Skylar, Averie! Hugs! xo :-)
Can’t wait to hear how the honey rolls go over! And I wish I had boys – the baking I could do if I had all those appetites to feed. Three pies – love it! I made cranberries, too, and have a wonderful holiday with your family, Michele xoxo :)
Have a great Thanksgiving, Averie! :-)
I’m with you on the iphone thing. I think I got mine a couple months after you and I haven’t even rally thought about upgrading. Mine works fine and I can’t imagine anything that the new version does that this one doesn’t.
All those cookie flavors sound awesome!
We are making prime rib and caramel apple bread pudding. It will be a petfectly quiet day! Though my dad typically ventures out for a little shopping, we mostly avoid the stores, and definitely don’t go out in the middle of the night. I have had the Cravory bookmarked forever and have recently come so close to ordering but haven’t done it yet. For sure going to be my next order. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Averie :)
They are crazy good cookies. I was shocked because normally mail-order or storebought anything is just…so-so but I loved them! I may have recreated one already :) Thanks for your sweet tweet yesterday,too!
No Shopping for me. It took me 20 years to get OUT of retail and I avoid it like the plague now. I’d much rather spend time at home in the kitchen. This week I discovered Vegan Coconut Milk Whipped Cream and I flavored it with a Peppermint Stevia….awesome https://wp.me/p26wpj-18y. I hope you have a quite day with Scott and Skylar. I speak for all of us when I say we are truly grateful this Thanksgiving for all you give to us each day on Averie Cooks. After 1 year of daily reading, I still look forward to seeing what you’re up to each morning. Thanks so much……and can you overnight me some of those Molasses Triple Chocolate Cookies? YUMMMM. Take care :)
Thanks for your support, always, Angela and your very kind words. I really appreciate it and makes me feel good to know that people like you are out there reading :) And I’m with you, would rather not be in debt and the money I do spend, it’s usually food-kitchen-or household related goods these days. Happy TG!