peppermint buttercream chocolate cake

my two favorite combinations for christmas baking? chocolate & peppermint. peppermint bark, peppermint chocolate cookies, peppermint hot chocolate. you name it, i'll probably like it. today i am sharing a recipe i made this past weekend... ricotta chocolate cake with peppermint buttercream frosting. i know, ricotta in a cake? trust me (or really, trust my aunt's recipe), the ricotta makes the cake so moist and no one will believe the cake started with a mix! and the buttercream frosting with crushed peppermint in it? perfect way to top the cake off.

ricotta devil's food cake

1 devil’s food cake mix

1 cup ricotta cheese

½ cup oil

1 cup water

2 eggs

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour cake pan and set aside. 
2. in a large bowl, mix all ingredients together using an electric mixer. Pour cake into floured cake pan. 
3. bake at 350 for amount of time specified on cake mix box.
4. allow to cool before icing.

*I made it in 2 9-inch rounds, but because it is so moist, I would probably next time just make it as a sheet cake and easier to slice.

peppermint buttercream frosting

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3.5 cups (32 oz) powdered sugar

2 tsp peppermint extract

1 package crushed candy canes/peppermints – some reserved some for garnish

2-3 tbsp milk, added as needed

1. beat butter until creamed. 
2. gradually add remaining ingredients together with mixer, adding additional milk until desired consistency is reached.
3. store in an airtight container in fridge for up to two weeks. use on cake, cupcakes, cookies, brownies or just eat with a spoon!

it looked so good stella wanted a piece for herself! 

xoxo,

clp

christmas bucket list

who wants to join?

xoxo,

cop

merry christmas eve

the past few days have been full: full of cooking, cleaning, working out and last minute shopping to get ready for christmas. but most importantly, they have been full of family, friends, giving, smiles and laughter. i am writing this while sitting at my kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee from our "12 days of Christmas" mugs and thinking about how thankful i am and about how much i love the holiday season. yes, i'm not going to lie, i love the santa aspect of christmas, but i also love the holidays for so much more. i am lucky enough to be in a warm home, filled with holiday cheer in every room and more treats than any one person could ever eat. i think about those who aren't as blessed as i am and it makes me truly cherish this time with my family and friends. with that said, i am wishing all my readers a very merry christmas and hope that it is one to remember. really soak it in, every moment, and take a mental picture to remember for years to come. remember why we celebrate this time of year. from my home to yours, merry christmas! 

xoxo,

clp

christmas recap

well, christmas day has come and gone again. however, the spirit of christmas is still alive and well here at our house. as i sit here writing this, the tree is lit, the fire is on and i am drinking coffee from my twelve days of christmas mug while surrounded by the gifts i was lucky enough to receive yesterday. santa was more than generous this year and i couldn't be more blessed. yesterday and christmas eve were spent with the most wonderful family in the world. though it is a tiring few days, i love every minute of it, from the cookie-decorating to the dirty-santa-playing...

traditional cookie decorating 

annual christmas eve family picture

christmas tree 2013

j. jill fairisle sweater, j. crew leggings, vince camuto boots, tory burch earrings 

the day after christmas is actually one of my favorite days of the year. i am going to spend it doing absolutely nothing but lounging around in my new pj's and slippers with my parents and brother. the kitchen is closed except for the warming up of the many leftovers we have. the only thing i plan on doing today is hopping on the treadmill for a little while (way too many treats have been consumed and i have got to get back on the healthy eating wagon) and mom and i want to watch a movie or two that santa brought us!

i hope that everyone else had a wonderful christmas and that even with the abundance of presents, food and drink, we all took time to remember the true meaning of christmas. maybe you too are spending the day in your pj's surrounding by family and friends! wishing everyone a (day-late) merry christmas!

xoxo,
clp

christmas eve OOTD

merry christmas eve y'all! this is without a doubt one of my favorite days of the year. we spend it cooking and baking, cleaning, going to church and then the family comes over for a non-traditional dinner of appetizers and snacks and a game of dirty santa, which has gotten quite competitive in past years. it is an evening of no worries and no problems. it is part of the tradition of christmas that i love and i can't imagine a christmas eve any other way.

i always love dressing up for christmas eve! i obviously have to look my best for baby jesus! this year i decided to go with the traditional red, which i normally wouldn't wear because of my coloring, but i loved this dress and knew it was my christmas eve dress the moment i saw it!

j. crew drop-waist dress, green steven by steve madden bow pumps, glitter mud-pie clutch, j. crew green bangle, kate spade new york black bangle 

i want to wish all of my readers a happy christmas! i hope yours is filled with family, friends, love and laughter. merry christmas to all and to all a goodnight! 

xoxo,

clp 

festive OOTD

i was feeling quite festive today when i got dressed! here is today's OOTD for lunch with one set of grandparents, a visitation and birthday dinner and movie for my other grandmother!

j. crew peplum top, j. crew bow print cords, tory burch caroline flats, tory burch logo earrings

today starts the marathon family holiday activities! between christmas eve and christmas, two birthdays, new years and a few other holiday traditions and an annual christmas dinner (not on christmas though) we are quite busy here at the parsley house! i am turning in early so that i can get up tomorrow and it will be christmas eve! so merry christmas eve eve to all and to all a good night!

xoxo,
clp

gingerbread cookie decorating & a recipe

we are now on the final countdown to christmas! i can't seem to grasp the fact that christmas eve is a week from tomorrow... i have been wrapping presents for what seems like days and i think i have finally made a dent in the pile!

the past weekend i had to babysit and as something to entertain the kiddos, i decided that we would make gingerbread cookies! they turned out to be really good so i wanted to share the recipe! we decorated ours with white buttercream icing and then red and green sprinkles galore. i think the girls liked them and i know i did!

gingerbread cookies

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves 

1/2 cup Splenda

1/4 cup softened butter/butter substitute spread (i used Smart Balance)

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg white

1. Combine flour through coves in a medium bowl and mix well.
2. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowel until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg white, beat well. Add in flour mixture and mix until dough forms. If necessary, add in a tablespoon of water so that more of a dough forms.
3. Shape dough into large ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour. 
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheets with non-stick spray. 
5. Take dough out and allow to soften. Roll out to desired thickness on a well-floured surface with floured rolling pin. Press cookie cutters into dough and then transfer shapes to cookie sheet. 
6. Bake for about 10 minutes and allow to cool before decorating.

i think the girls did a great job decorating! 

this week is going to be spent doing all sorts of holiday baking and cooking, working out, and relaxing at home. tomorrow phillip and i are going to nashville for stocking shopping and we are also going to the preds game which i am excited about! one thing to cross off my winter break bucket list! i am off to continue wrapping presents and mix up some cookies! i didn't get my christmas movie in last night so i am making sure that i watch one tonight! have a great monday y'all!

xoxo,

clp 

christmas through the years

after a long, very long, week consisting of 5 finals in 4 days, i am done with the first half of my junior year. even though i am done with the actual tests, i am still holding my breath until all the grades come in and my official semester grade is posted. i think i finished up the semester well but those finals this week were no joke. i know its college and everyone has equally hard finals, but i don't remember a finals week like this one. maybe we just block the others from memory afterwards but i sure am glad this one is over.

now that i am officially home for break, the real christmas celebrating can begin! we have many holiday traditions in our family and i love each and every one of them... we can't decorate the tree without mom making peanut butter fudge, it's always a race downstairs in the morning to put the next day up on the advent calendar and its not christmas eve without some sushi. i spent part of today (when i should have been studying for marketing but let's face it, my brain was mush at that point) looking through old pictures from christmases past and i actually lolled... sitting on the couch... by myself. i have no idea what got into us at the time when these pictures were taken but i thought i would share with y'all a glimpse of the family holiday traditions that i love so much! some of these are pure gold that warrant a laugh or two and others are just favorites from my younger days!

its not christmas until i cry. 

one year mawsie brought us back hula girl outfits so naturally we had to try them on. 

the infamous barbie lamborghini that as a teenager i had a hard time giving away. 

the year our parents made us reenact the nativity scene. 

last year, when i made the whole family wear matching pajamas. 

there are many more pictures but i didn't want this to get too lengthy. i am looking forward to the christmas traditions that are about to take place and maybe even starting a few new ones. i love that i am able to help cook and help my mom with christmas shopping and wrapping presents. 

tomorrow i will be back at the gym and then am going to the puffy muffin in cool springs and whole foods with megan! two of my favorite places with one of my favorite people! i am planning on doing some wrapping and christmas baking as well! 

xoxo, 

clp

christmas break bucket list & a dessert

i make lists. lots of lists. grocery lists, wish lists, to do lists. the list goes on and on. the most fun list (besides a wish list) is my bucket list. i even have lists of bucket lists. for christmas break, i have made myself (and whoever wants to join) a bucket list. it contains a ton of seasonal activities that are happening in murfreesboro and nashville! i really hope i get to accomplish most of them, but to do so i will definitely have to hit the ground running!

1. nashville predators hockey game: i have only been to one and i was teensy then so i really want to go this year! phillip goes quite often so hopefully we will get to go to one together! 
2. lights at opryland: every year i want to go see the lights and somehow time just gets away and they are turned off before i get the chance to see them. this year i am determined to see them! 
3. ice! at gaylord opryland: mom and i have wanted to go to this for a couple of years now but like with the lights, time got away. this year it is frosty the snowman themed so a christmas classic is a must see! 
4. painting with a twist: now that i am 21, i really want to have a fun mother-daughter date at painting with a twist. mom is afraid her painting will look bad, but i keep telling her the wine will loosen her up! (i already offered to be the DD - her artistic skills are lacking a bit) 
5. actually go see movies... in theaters: i couldn't tell you the last movie i saw in theaters so hopefully i may get to see at least one over break. frozen comes out soon and i really want to see it. mom loves going to movies so i know i will have a taker when the time comes! 
6. cross some restaurants off my nashville restaurant bucket list (told you i like lists): the list has grown quite some bit with the opening of new restaurants that all look delicious. it seems like every time i cross one off, i add two more. i hope to try some new ones as well as frequent some favorites in nashville over break!  

for now, the list isn't too long but i know i will probably come up with some more things to do! 

today was a long day. i left the apartment at 8:30 and didn't get back until 4:30! i am just a bit weary. nonetheless, i was put in the holiday spirit by the salvation army bell ringers at kroger and my purchase of peppermint creme coffee at the fresh market today (yes, i did go to two different grocery stores). i also snatched up some pumpkin salsa while it was still on the shelves! also, lilly pulitzer released the first products for the alpha chi print. i must say that i am a bit disappointed that there are only 2 items available for preorder and unfortunately, neither are products that i want. its rare that lilly disappoints me so i am hoping that more products will be revealed soon. i am still on that pumpkin kick and i have been craving rice krispie treats so tonight for dessert i made a half batch of pumpkin spice rice krispie treats! they were so good with the hint of pumpkin and cinnamon... i may or may not have eaten half of the batch! 

half batch pumpkin spice rice krispie treats

2 tbsp butter

2.5 cups mini marshmallows

3 cups rice krispies cereal 

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp cinnamon 

1. spray large saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. melt butter over low heat. 
2. add marshmallows and stir constantly until completely melted. stir in spices. 
3. remove from heat and stir in rice krispies until well coated.
4. press into loaf pan or 8x8 baking dish. 

if you don't want pumpkin spice flavored rice krispie treats, just leave out the spices! and try not the eat the half the pan like me! 

xoxo,

clp 

31 things to do before december 31st according to kate spade

making this my goal. time to get started now!

1. trim the tree. add tinsel.
2. put a twinkle in someone’s eye.
3. treat yourself to a new shade of lipstick.
4. sit by a roaring fireplace surrounded by s’mores-in-progress.
5. go ice skating.
6. drink a hot chocolate. (well, more than one.)
7. make your january 1st resolutions. now break them while you have the chance.
8. decide what your favorite champagne cocktail is.
9. spend a rainy or snowy day writing your holiday cards.10. organize dinner with old friends.
11. fall in love with a party dress.
12. fill your apartment with fresh flowers.
13. get a glitter french manicure—try rose gold glitter polish with black glitter tips.
14. then, get a glitter pedicure.
15. leave a little sparkle wherever you go.
16. make a new playlist of re-mixed holiday tunes.
17. master your mom’s mashed potato recipe.
18. host an arm party: stack on the sparkly bangles for a night out.
19. sneak a kiss under the mistletoe.
20. see the lighting of the christmas tree at the metropolitan museum. (it’s in the medieval wing.)
21. pick this year’s wrapping paper:
black and white stripe paper with metallic bows…shades of pink…shade of metallic…
mixed metallics…matte paper with glitter ribbon…
22. try something new. glitter tennis shoes?
23. host a cocktail party and don’t even think about cleaning up till the next day.
24. make time for a little dancing during your pre-party prep.
25. take a stroll (or drive) through your favorite neighborhood after dark and enjoy the twinkling lights.
26. dazzle everyone at the office holiday party.
27. go somewhere you can wear a fabulous masquerade ball mask.
28. take the long way home from a party, just to wear your dress a little bit longer.
29. make a snow angel.
30. open one present early. (it’s totally ok.)
31. dance till dawn.

(via kate spade blog)

i can actually cross a couple off my list already but wish me luck on the rest! 

xoxo, 

clp