Valentine stickers

Twig & Thistle made these adorable downloadable fruit stickers for Valentine's Day. Alex has a banana for breakfast everyday; I might sneak one on there and see if he notices. :)

Birthday cheese

Alex was so sweet on my birthday, and since I'm one of those people who don't like cake (are you, too?), he brought out a piece of stinky Spanish cheese with a candle. It made me burst out laughing and was such an awesome treat. Thanks again, Alexei! :)

(Alex's shirt and my dress are from Steven Alan, and my wool tights are from Hue)

Make: Pear and Apple Butter

I love Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine, and I get especially excited when I find a recipe that is for something I love and is easy to do.  Having grown up in small-town Ohio and in the country, my family made (and still makes) apple butter every fall.  Everyone has to take a turn stiring the giant pot if you want your own cans.  I craved homemade apple butter while I was pregnant, and even though I hadn't helped stir, I was sent a big jar by my very sweet aunt.  Now, thanks to Martha, I can make my own.  You can keep it for yourself, put in in cute jars for gifts, or even use it for wedding favors!  I like to put mine on my morning english muffin and if my husband is lucky, I share it with him.

Ingredients

Makes 6 cups

• 2 1/2 pounds Bartlett or Anjou pears (about 5)
• 2 1/2 pounds McIntosh or Gala apples (about 5)
• 1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cinnamon stick

Directions

1. Peel, quarter, and core pears and apples. In a food processor, finely grate fruit (in batches if necessary), then transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in dark-brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook on high, 4 hours.
2. Remove cinnamon stick and reserve. Transfer mixture to processor (in batches if necessary) and process until smooth. Return to slow cooker, along with cinnamon stick, and cook on high, uncovered, until mixture is thick and browned, 4 hours. Discard cinnamon stick and let mixture cool. Transfer to airtight containers and refrigerate, up to 3 weeks, or freeze, up to 3 months.

*I made mine with only apples and 2 cinnamon sticks, and it turned out great!

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Slow-Cooker Pear and Apple Butter - Martha Stewart Recipes 

Daydreaming

Wouldn't you love to take a bath here (those antlers!)...
...and then eat this for breakfast? Crikey.

(Top photo via Kat. Bottom photo by Oh Joy)

Chopping onions

Here's a little trick for when you're cooking dinner this holiday: To keep your eyes from stinging while you're chopping onions, put a piece of bread in your mouth and let it hang out. Apparently, it really works! Who would have thought?

(Photo and tip from Faith Durand/Apartment Therapy)

Pie in a jar

Etsy store All Jarred Up will send you a homemade pie (a pie!) in a mason jar. Yum.

P.S. This looks cool, too.

Cup-of-Jo Gift Guide Part #3: Your Twin Sister Who Loves Hiking by the Ocean and Wept When She First Met Your Baby.

Wool mittens, handmade in Brooklyn, $45.

Porcelain bag vase, $3.95. (Flower delivery optional.)

A candle that smells like the seashore, $28. (You could wrap it in this cute tote.)

Anchor notecards, $28 for ten.

Peanut-butter-and-jelly rugelach cookies, made by the two adorable sisters above, $20 (about 24 pieces).

Kneepad tights to show off her cute quirkiness, $32.

Lavender sachets (inspired by vintage seed packs) for her dresser drawers, $19.

A silk friendship bracelet, because you're not just sisters, $38.

P.S. More gifts for sisters...

(Bag vase, via Oh Joy)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, my sweet readers! Have a wonderful break. We're going to our friends' house in Brooklyn; they have a fireplace and a backyard with a koi pond, which I'm excited to show Toby. And, just for fun, here are Gourmet Magazine's pumpkin recipes, since pumpkin is The Most Delicious Ingredient Ever. Have a delicious holiday! xoxoxo

P.S. On a similar note, loose pants.

A study in brown

A romper. Tomboy pajamas are so sexy.
A tote bag filled with delicious foods = fabulous and easy holiday gift. (New York Magazine has four yummy suggestions.)
A wooden mobile. This would look great in a grown-up room, too.

Funny chocolate bars

This weekend, Alex, Toby and I walked by a new store, The Meadow, in the West Village. The shop sells chocolate, flowers and artisan salts (it's all about life's simple pleasures), and we splurged on these Komforte Chockolate bars. Aren't the flavors fun? They were really delicious.

P.S. They'd make cute stocking stuffers.
P.P.S. I'm so excited for this year's gift guide!

Apples + cheddar

My favorite fall lunch. P.S. Honeycrisp apples are the best.

Friday giveaway!

Today's giveaway is from Chocomize, a seriously rad shop that lets you build your own chocolate bars. You can choose your favorite toppings, like nuts, fruit, tons of candy--and even weird herbs, like basil and oregano. (My personal favorite has toffee, cookie dough and peanut butter chips.) Isn't this the coolest company?!

They're offering one lucky reader a whopping $100 gift certificate. For a chance to win, please visit Chocomize and leave a comment below with your favorite combination of toppings. A winner will be chosen at random on Monday. Good luck! xo

(Plus, a bonus for all readers: Get 10 percent off your order for the rest of October by entering the code "ACUPOFJO" at checkout.)

Update: Holly K. is our lucky winner. Thanks for playing.

Golden Gate Bridge dinner party

Whoa! Our girl Jordan just hosted a four-course dinner party on a beach underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. It must have felt so magical to be eating parsnip soup in the cool breeze beneath the twinkling lights.

Read her full story here.

(Photos by Paul Ferney for Oh Happy Day)

Cookie swap

So, last night, I hosted the Cookie Swap!
The ladies came over at 7pm with containers full of lemon squares, magic bars, homemade thin mints, and Cornflake cookies, among many others. The coffee table was overflowing. (Toby made a quick cameo before bedtime; you can see him cuddled in my friend Samantha's arms above.)
We passed around pitchers of ice-cold milk (and bottles of wine), and people found cozy spots on the floor to hang out.
Megan (right) made her grandmother's recipe for bark with almonds, chocolate and Matzoh!
Susan Cernek, a fashion editor at Glamour, didn't have time to make cookies, so she brought bottles of nail polish instead. :)
Alex came home just in time to say hello to the ladies, including pretty Lee from Copenhagen.
Toby zonked out about fifteen minutes into the festivities, but we still doted on him (and his sweet bald head) by video monitor.

It was a really fun evening and yummy excuse to get together. Thank you so much to everyone who came! xoxo

Puzzle board

How amazing are these Puzzle Boards? What fun for fall parties.

(Via Swiss, via Apartment Therapy)

Cookie swap

We haven't had a party in a while (and I've been craving some adult interaction), so I've decided to host an old-fashioned Cookie Swap! Everyone will bring two dozen cookies, hang out and exchange them. Milk will be served. I'm really excited.

My current plan is to make these Peanut Butter Crispy Bars, which look insanely decadent and delicious, but I'm not sure. Do you have a favorite cookie recipe? xo

Cheese wedding cakes

For you cheese enthusiasts out there: How amazing are these stinky cheese wedding cakes?! I wish I had known about these when we tied the knot!

United States cheese boards

How cool are these United States cheese boards? (As a Michigan girl, I'm psyched that they made a separate piece for the Upper Peninsula!)

(Via I Heart You)

Banana bites

On my goodness, how good do banana bites look? I don't even like bananas that much, but I'm sold.

(Via Design Crush)

Guest Post: Picnic Ideas

I love Joanna's idea of having a picnic club. What a blast that would be throughout the warming spring and summer months! I envision delicious food picked up a a local deli or nearby farmer's market and lots of outdoor games like bocce ball and croquet and just having fun hanging out with a group of friends. Here are a few things to bring outside. Happy picnicking, everyone!

From top left: Disposable wooden forks; Portland picnic plates; Weber Smokey Joe Grill; france cheeseboard; Belvoir fruit juice A.P.C. dress; John Lewis picnic hamper Anorak kissing rabbits picnic blanket

-- By Rachel from Black Eiffel