a nordic christmas mantel

 

it's the most wonderful time of the year.. to dress up the mantel in woodsy evergreens & winter whites! talk about the ultimate hygge vibes. with things being a little different this season, i have taken a simple & minimalistic approach to my holiday decor. we won't be hosting our annual christmas parties & large gatherings, so i kept this in mind when decorating modest house for christmas.

i went for a wintery approach, rather than your traditional red & green christmas theme. think, a nordic white christmas! decor that can stay up throughout the winter season as well. with the help of my friends over at crate & barrel canada, my vision came together beautifully. the cypress garland, cypress wreath & the faux potted cypress tree look so natural & life-like, but with none of the mess that comes with real greens! as much as i love the look of fresh garlands, it only took one year of constant sweeping to never want real garlands again. now i can reuse these year after year. i paired the cypress with the most gorgeous set of mercury glass trees. i love the modern look of them, as my design style is mixing modern & classic elements. the mercury glass trees come in white, pewter & olive (sold both separately & as a set).

now, those chunky knit stockings is what really brings in those hygge vibes! seriously, how cozy looking are they? paired with the modern & minimal chalet zinc stocking holders, which can be personalized with your favourite ornament! to complete the coziness, i added the pantherette rug (designed by leanne ford whose collection i am obsessed with) & payton natural & grey cane rocking chair. that corner in our living room has been sitting empty for years, just waiting for the perfect rocking chair & we finally found it! i can't wait to spend the holiday season cozied up in this space & for years to come.

xo

this post was created in partnership with crate & barrel canada!

maple, oat + whiskey cocktail

 

maple lovers, are you ready for this? a maple, oat + whiskey cocktail made with maple ice cubes AND maple sugar! seriously, this drink is so good & so wintery. it might be the only cocktail you need this holiday season, especially if eggnog isn't your thing. made even better with cosman & webb's rich amber organic maple syrup & organic maple sugar. it also features an egg white foam topping infused with fresh spruce, but if you have trouble sourcing fresh spruce needles then fresh rosemary works as a wonderful woodsy substitute!

depending on how sweet you prefer your cocktails, adjust the ratio of water to ice when preparing the ice cubes. i would argue that justin & i like things on the sweeter side (because i could drink maple syrup straight from the bottle), so i did a ratio of 3 parts water to 1 part maple syrup. i will leave this up to you, but can argue that there is no such thing as too much maple syrup. although this cocktail may take a bit more effort & planning compared to other drinks, i promise you every bit of effort that goes into it is worth it. cheers to the start of my favourite time of the year! bring on the holidays.

xo

ingredients

for the maple ice cubes

for the cocktail

  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 spring fresh spruce needles or rosemary
  • 3 ounces oat milk
  • 1 1/2 ounces whiskey or bourbon

for the garnish

directions

for the maple ice cubes

  • to a measuring cup whisk together the maple syrup & water until well blended. evenly divide mixture amongst a standard ice cube tray and freeze until solid, about 4 hours.

for the cocktail

  • in a medium mixing bowl add the egg whites & spruce needles. give it a light stir. cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.
  • remove egg whites from fridge & strain to remove the spruce needles. using a hand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat until soft peaks form.
  • in a heavy bottom, stemless glass, place two to three maple syrup ice cube. add the whiskey & oat milk.
  • top with a layer of the egg whites & garnish with a sprinkling of the oat powder.

for the garnish

  • in a small cast iron pan over low heat add the maple sugar, oats & spruce needles. toast until fragrant, about 60 seconds. set aside until cool.
  • pulse mixture until it's a fine dust if desired.

almond gingersnap cookies

 

we are almost in the holiday season (although it seems to have started extra early this year because 2020) & i find myself baking more cookies then ever! from simple drop cookies to cut-out cookies, i can't get enough cookies (#cookiemonster). with smaller gathering limits in place until the rest of 2020, i am substituting my usual fancy holiday desserts for smaller batch treats. they make for wonderful edible gifts & who doesn't love a good christmas cookie exchange?

this cookie is an almond twist on a classic gingersnap cookie! it has crispy edges with a soft & chewy centre (so the best kind of cookie). i love how the almond flavours pair with the warming gingerbread spices. i used a blend of bob's red mill all-purpose flour & super-fine almond flour, as well as a splash of almond extract for double the almond flavour. these cookies bake up so crinkly & beautiful, without the hassle of rolling & cutting dough. they also freeze incredibly well, so you can have them on hand all season long!

ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups bob's red mill all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1/2 cup bob's red mill super-fine almond flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 3/4 cups unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • granulated sugar, for rolling

directions

  • preheat oven to 350(f) degrees & line two baking sheets with parchment paper. set aside.
  • in a large mixing bowl sift together the flours, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt. set aside.
  • in a separate large mixing bowl whisk together the butter, brown sugar, egg, molasses, vanilla & almond extract until well blended.
  • mix in the dry ingredients until dough comes together, about 60 seconds.
  • shape cookies into 12 to 16 evenly sized rounds, roll in granulated sugar, transfer to the prepared baking sheet & press down to flatten. refrigerate for 15 minutes to firm up.
  • bake for 8 to 10 minutes, tapping the pan against the counter top halfway through to produce crinkles. transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. freeze in a lidded tupperware for up to two weeks!