Panache Offblast

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful and yummy-foods-filled Thanksgiving! I spent it with a bundle of great friends, had all sorts of delicious treats, and even managed to treat myself to some steals from Black Friday. Did any of you try the recipe I had from my last Tasty Tuesdays post here? What about the outfits I styled to wear for Thanksgiving lunch/dinner? Hopefully they helped! Let me know if you tried either. Also share how your Thanksgiving went – food, outfits, Black Friday deals!

Tomorrow is officially the first day of December – I cannot believe it! This year has gone by very fast, and it’s the first time I’m actually truly excited about winter. I’ve been in a festive mood for quite some time now, and all I can think about are the yummy foods I’ll be eating, the drinks I’ll be sipping, the cute & cozy clothes I’ll be wearing, and the fun winter activities I’ll be doing! I love the smell of winter, and anything holiday-oriented, especially spicy scents. This brings me to a Sugar & Spice edition for Tasty Tuesdays today, all in warm neutral tones: first a few quick ways to make your entire look festive and ready for the holidays, followed by a warm, chewy Molasses Cookie recipe, Chai Tea for cool days (especially good for your throat, too, I have a sore throat now eek). So put on your fuzzy socks/slippers, sit back, and enjoy a festive Tasty Tuesday treat!

Throughout the month of December, especially before the Holidays kick in, I will be doing Holiday Shopping Guides, what to wear/how to style yourself for Holiday events, and how to wear specific cold-weather items this season. If you have any suggestions or questions you’d like to know/for me to post, please send them to my formspring here! I’m open to all of your thoughts, suggestions, and questions (:

As it is still Autumn, a nice way to gradually transition from your Fall wardrobe to the Winter season and Holiday festivities is to keep your fall colors, but update them with Winter/holiday-oriented adornments. A few examples include sequins, metallics, glitter/shimmer, thick knits/sweaters, jewel embellishments, patterned/textured tights, and much more that I’ll be including the outfits I put together! By keeping your Autumn colors (such as browns, reds, oranges, and yellows), but adding a bit of the surprises above, you’ll be getting yourself ready for the Winter and Holiday season in a wonderfully stylish and bold way.

 

 

 

1.  3/4 cup butter, melted
2. 1 cup white or brown sugar
3. 1 egg
4. 1/4 cup molasses
5. 2 cups all-purpose flour or whole-wheat flour
6. 2 teaspoons baking soda
7. 1/2 teaspoon salt
8. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
9. 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
10. 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
11. 1/2 cup white or brown sugar

DIrections:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, cup sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger; blend into the molasses mixture. Cover, and chill dough for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll dough into tiny balls, and roll them in the remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until tops are cracked. Cool on wire racks.
4. Enjoy!

1. 1 1/2 cups water
2. 1 inch stick of cinnamon
3. 8 cardomom pods
4. 8 whole cloves
5. 2/3 cup milk
6. 6 tsp. sugar (or to taste)
7. 3 teaspoons any unperfumed loose black tea or 1 teabag

 Directions:

1. Pour 1-1/2 cups water in saucepan. Add the cinnamon, cardomom, and cloves and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. 
2. Add the milk and sugar and bring to a simmer again. Throw in the tea, cover, and turn off the heat. After 2 minutes, strain the tea into two cups and serve immediately. 
3. Sip and enjoy! The cookies are absolutely perfect with this tea!

I can’t wait to make these, along with tons of other Holiday goodies I have in mind! Share your favorite treats for the Winter!

Random tidbit: 
If any of you watch Gossip Girl, you know how fashionable and chic Leighton Meester who plays Blair Waldorf is. Now… I posted this outfit a while back on my polyvore as well on a post (I forgot which one, sorry), and while watching Gossip Girl’s episode yesterday, completely freaked out because she had on the exact outfit I had styled, her being my muse/inspiration. It was SO strange! Take a look:

Somebody to Love in Paris by abcDanah featuring patent leather shoes

Paris is all about being chic and sophisticated, while still showing your true personality. I chose Leighton Meester as my muse, specifically her character Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl. She embodies a confidence like no other woman, she is fearless, always has fun, and is always on top of the fashion trends. This is an outfit to wear at night (try Paris!), and the cute cloche adds the perfect touch, pulling the entire outfit together into one chic look.

I like to dream that her stylist saw my creation and used it for the show… I can dream, right? ;D

I hope you enjoyed this sweet Tasty Tuesdays post, with a sneak peek on what I have in store for all of you for the Holiday Season and Fashion! Stay tuned – you don’t want to miss all the fashionable festivities!