Hello Again!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! I am back to work today after a wonderful break from everything and am looking forward to catching up on all of my favorite blogs and reading your comments. Christmas week was fantastic. Lots of celebrating with both my family and Mr. Prepster's family (we had two Christmas breakfasts and Christmas dinners this year!) and so many fantastic gifts were given and received. We were truly blessed. Hope everyone had fabulous holidays as well.

More Holiday-Inspired Polyvores

I'm back with a couple more holiday outfits. I just love wearing black and white - it is so festive! Hopefully I'll have a chance to add a Thursday recipe later today or tomorrow, but for now, enjoy the Polyvores!


Fancy Dinner by Preppy in Philly


Festive for the Season by Preppy in Philly

Busy Bee

So many holiday-related get togethers for me this past weekend and week. As much as I enjoy all things holiday, I almost can't wait for them to all be over so I can go home to my family and relax next week. One of my biggest stressors this season has been the eternal issue of what to wear. I made Polyvores with some of the looks I've gone with this week... more to come tomorrow.


Casual Holiday Sparkle by Preppy in Philly


Office Party Fab by Preppy in Philly


Afternoon Holiday Open House by Preppy in Philly


Drinks with Clients by Preppy in Philly

Holiday Mental Health Day

In the midst of all of the holiday shopping, cooking, hosting and decorating we've been doing lately, I decided I needed a little break from the office today. Plus it was so rainy out. So, I stayed home! I did have to work remotely for the morning hours, but since then, I've been drinking the yummy hot chocolate Mr. Prepster got me for St. Nick's day in my Christmas mug, wearing cozy sweatpants, baking peanut butter kiss cookies and red velvet whoopie pies and wrapping presents. It has been a wonderful day! And the best part is, only one more real work day before the weekend.

Holiday Tag

My Life in Pink and Green tagged me to list 6 holiday-related facts about myself, so here goes...

1. I almost always go shopping on Black Friday. Bring on the crowds, the decorations and the deals. There is nothing like it to get you in the holiday spirit.

2. My family has always celebrated both advent and St. Nick's Day. So every year on December 1 I get out my childhood advent calendar with little drawers numbered 1-25. Mr. Prepster and I alternate days so we get or give a small surprise to each other every other morning. On the morning of St. Nick's Day, December 6, we fill each others' stockings with the first gifts on Christmas.

3. My favorite Christmas cookies are very elaborately decorated butter cookies that have been cut into shapes like trees, stars, angels, gingerbread men, snowmen, etc. with colored icing and sprinkles. I love to spend a whole Saturday making and eating these pretty cookies.

4. I love hot chocolate, especially during the holiday season. For me hot chocolate should have at least one of the following accompaniments: whipped cream, marshmallows or a candy cane. One of my favorite holiday traditions from growing up is the hot chocolate my mom would make on Christmas morning. She would make a big pot on the stove with real melted chocolate and whole or 2% milk and top it with whipped cream and a candy cane for a stirrer. When the candy cane melts in it there is a wonderful peppermint flavor. We would get to take it in the living room in our snowman mugs and enjoy it while opening our gifts. Yum.

5. I like to open my gifts very slowly, one at a time, and organize them in piles to admire for the rest of Christmas day. I also save all the ribbons and carefully fold them so they can be re-used (mild OCD - maybe).

6. I have wonderful flannel PJs with holly and berries on them that I only wear for the Christmas season.

I tag these 6 preppy bloggers:
A Preppy Girl's Guide to Cross Country Living
Magnolias & Juleps
Preppy Sue
The Pink Tutu
The Prep-E Girl
Third Coast Preppy

Christmas Shopping - Can't Wait!

Tomorrow we are off to the mall to work on our shopping list! I can't wait. One big day of Christmas shopping and tasty mall lunch is something I look forward too literally all year long. (Just ask Mr. Prepster, I've been bugging him to "officially" schedule our day for a while!) I just love all looking at all of the decorated stores and choosing gifts and actually, seeing the crowds of people doing the exact same thing. It really gets me in the Holiday spirit. Of course we'll have to start out our shopping day with something yummy in a red cup too. To all of those with a similar Saturday planned, happy trails and good luck gifting!

Try a New Recipe Thursdays - Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

So the holiday season is in full swing! I've been so busy transitioning from Thanksgiving to Christmas that my poor blog has been neglected the past couple of days. This week we've gotten a lot of Christmas stuff accomplished though... we purchased and decorated a tree, adorned the rest of the house with all things Christmas, made a very comprehensive shopping list (to be tackled online and this weekend) AND ordered some adorable Paper Cafe Christmas Cards! Since it is already Thursday and time for a new recipe, I thought I'd share something I'm looking forward to making this season for a dessert party we will be attending. These taste even more amazing than they look.

Whoopie Pies

1 cup + 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 Tablespoon red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk together flour, baking soda, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth. Spoon about 1 Tablespoon of batter about 1 1/2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and cookies spring back when touched, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes. Make filling/frosting while cookies chill. Once they are completely cool, frost the flat side of a cookie with a generous amount of frosting and sandwich with another cookie.

Frosting:

(Hint - you will only need 1/2 recipe of the below)

3/4 cup butter, softened

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/8 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons milk

2-4 cups powdered sugar depending on desired consistency

Cream the butter and cream cheese together in an electric mixer. (Be sure that the two are at room temperature, but not melted. Cold cream cheese or butter can make your frosting lumpy.) Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract, and beat for about 2 minutes. Turn off mixer and add 2 cups of powdered sugar. Turn the mixer on a low speed so the sugar doesn’t fly out of the bowl. Slowly add more sugar alternately with the milk until you reach your desired consistency.