October 03, 2013

TASTE: Spiced Pumpkin Coconut Custard

October 03, 2013/ Kristen Hale

Pumpkin Time.

It's officially pumpkin season, right? I think I've gone a little pumpkin crazy in the past few days. My kitchen has been an auburn haven of earthy spices, creamy coconut and warm pumpkin puree. I've been whipping up all kinds of fun fall-themed treats and this one is extra special, because it's my first attempt at custard. And it's reeeaaaally yummy. Prepare yourself for fun, creamy clouds of autumnal joy. This recipe was inspired and adapted from this trio of recipes: spiced pumpkin ice cream, vanilla ice cream and coconut milk custard. Now brace yourself, custard requires really following the recipe, but in the end, all that meticulousness is totally worth it!

Spiced Pumpkin Coconut Custard

Ingredients:

- 15 oz. can coconut milk

- 12 oz. can evaporated milk

- 1 level cup canned pumpkin

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 3 large egg yolks

- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

*The egg yolks give the custard that creamy effect. All you "egg-whites-only" gals, don't shy away!

Method:

1. Combine the coconut milk, evaporated milk and pumpkin in a saucepan on low heat. Add in brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

2. Set up an ice bath. If you've never done this before, it sounds more complicated than it is. Fill a large bowl (or pan, I used a pyrex baking dish) with ice and water. Place an empty 2-quart bowl in the ice-water bath. Pour hot mixture into the empty 2-quart bowl, let sit for approx. 5 minutes. *The ice bath helps the mixture cool more quickly.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 egg yolks. You can save the egg whites for an omelet!

4. Slowly add the whisked eggs to the hot mixture, taking time to combine. Whisk the mixture for about 2 minutes.

5. Pour entire mixture back into the saucepan, heat pan over low, constantly whisking for about 2-3 minutes. Bring to a boil.

6. Pour mixture into an 8x8 glass pyrex baking dish. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.

7. Put dish in the freezer and let sit for an hour. The edges of the mixture will begin to freeze, so you will want to stir up the mixture. Let it freeze for another hour, then stir the mixture again.

8. Let sit over night and then devour!

Let me know what you think about this tasty treat. Enjoy the whole autumn season in every spiced, creamy bite.

Bon Appetit!

October 02, 2013

October Delights List

October 02, 2013/ Kristen Hale

October List by knhale // 1. Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Good Cookbook // 2. Trader Joes Autumn Mums // 3. Urban Outfitters Staring at the Stars Cardigan // 4. Capri Blue Mercury Glass Candle // 5. Urban Outfitters Midi Chain Ring // 6. Kate Spade New York Cedar Street Maise Handbag // 7. Origins Plantscription Serum // 8. Anthropologie Petite silk pants // 9. Paper-Source Gold Confetti Thank You Notes // 10. Christian Dior Miss Dior Fragrance // 11. Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick //

Oh October.

I really love this month because Autumn begins to set in and I get to celebrate the birth of some of my absolutely favorite people. First my mother in law (she's pure joy, people, seriously) and then both of my gorgeous, talented sisters. It's an absolute thrill gift-shopping for all of them, because it's so much fun to shower the ones you love with treasured surprises. And when you're doing it on a budget, you have to be selective and really think about what they want... which leads to discovering things you kinda want, too. This list is a compilation of a few things I've pick up here here and there and a few things I'm dreaming about.

With all the wonders of fall comes one not-so-wonderous occurrence: dry skin. I've been using (7) Origins Plantscription Serum and it's really doing the trick. I am no stranger to Origins products, but this one is an especially magical elixir. In excitement for fall, I decorated my outdoor space with a bevy of these (2) fun fall mums in several colors and I ordered a sample of this (10) Christian Dior Miss Dior Fragrance from Sephora (we shall see how it goes, I'm pretty selective about my perfume choices.) I'm getting motivated to start cooking healthy again, so this (1) Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Good Cookbook is on my list to buy. My adorable god-daughter got me my first Kate Spade bag for my birthday (does that little gal have excellent taste or WHAT?) so it's caused me to stumble over to their site and start drooling over maaaaaany of their gorgeous creations for fall, like (6) Kate Spade New York Cedar Street Maise Handbag. My sweetheart-of-a-sister-in-law got me this truly deliciously-scented (4) Capri Blue Mercury Glass Candle for my birthday, and it's been making my house smell like a masterpiece. Well, actually, it smells like Anthropologie, and that's pretty much my idea of what Heaven smells like. Score. And I might have treated myself to a few little things, like these (5) Urban Outfitters Midi Chain Ring and an old favorite, (11) Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick, but those were just for funsies. And since I've been writing a fair share of thank-you notes this week, these (9) Paper-Source Gold Confetti Thank You Notes have definitely gotten the best of me. They're so delicately pretty it's dangerous. The rest are dream items. Although I'm not totally sure how well I could rock those slouchy silk (8) Anthropologie Petite silk pants (but they are just so darn cute.)

Keep dreaming of lovely Autumn things, dear Oy-sters. The weather is just right for dreaming.

September 29, 2013

Sunday Reflection.

September 29, 2013/ Kristen Hale

Be Still.

I am working on creating stillness in my life. It's so easy for me to get caught up in a whirlwind (I feel like that is an over-used term in my life.) I get busy because I dream a lot, find ways to do the dozen or so ideas I have, over-commit, say yes to every grand opportunity, and then I suddenly find myself scrambling, trying to keep up with the incoming responsibilities associated with all my "yes-es." Am I alone in this? I know I can't be the only one with this recurring bad habit. And yes, too much of a good thing (or a lot of good things) can still be a bad thing. Because if the peace is lost, then, well, the peace is LOST. And I sort of crave a peaceful life environment. It's not for everyone, I suppose, but I want my mind to be still; my thoughts to be chaos-free, my heart to be serene and open. I WANT that, but I am not always living it. I don't think my circumstances should dictate my inner-peace. Shouldn't my inner-peace dictate my circumstances? I once heard a very wise woman say "Peace and rest aren't the same thing. Stop using those terms interchangeably." I think what she meant is that peace doesn't necessarily look like chilling out on a lawn chair. Rest looks like that. But peace can look different on different people. You can be running a country with the entire weight of your people on you, but maintain your peace. You can have every single minute of your day packed tightly with meetings and work, but still have peace. Or, you can do essentially nothing with your day, under the charade of "rest" but still not feel at peace.

This is less of a "Eureka, I've solved the problem for world peace!"-moment and more of a general meandering train of thought. My week has been crammed with wonderful craziness, and today I'm taking a deep breath (eating a few scones) and feeling the need for a bit of quiet, a bit of stillness. Today I'm creating space for peace AND rest, because I like them both a lot. They aren't coming naturally to me, based solely on my schedule and commitments, so I have to create time for them. Peace and rest. They deserve me and I deserve them. And, the good news is.. so do you.

Happy Sunday to you.

September 24, 2013

September 24.

September 24, 2013/ Kristen Hale

"With mirth and laughter Let the old wrinkles come." - William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

September likes Sapphires.

I gotta say. I love this day.

I stumbled upon this sweet blog post called The Cultureur about a gal who turned 28 and wrote her 18-year-old self a letter. She outlined a few "words of wisdom"; things she would tell herself if she had known then what she knows now. I thought it was an incredible concept, and I couldn't help but smile while I read a few of her pearls of wisdom that I felt were close to my heart, including:

- "Set your own goals, do not pay attention to the timeline of society"

- "TRAVEL TRAVEL TRAVEL. Learn about the world, different cultures, other ways of living, and more importantly, yourself."

- "Know your worth and act like it."

- "Never apologize for who you are and what you've accomplished."

- "Take risks and push your limits. If you do what you've always done you will only have what you've always had."

- "As Mark Twain said, 'Twenty years from now you will regret the things you didn't do, rather than the ones you did.'"

Today, I am reflecting on my journey thus far. My years. My curious experiences. This life has taken me on some windy roads that I wouldn't have planned or imagined, but I can say with full assurance that there isn't anyone else's life I would rather have. I love my life. To be honest, in my current season, I am a little scared. I am a little unsure. And I don't know a lot. I certainly don't know exactly what I'm doing. But I believe in me. I really do. I welcome my incoming year with open arms and a (semi-freaked) vulnerable heart. Let this 26th year wash over me with adventure, peace and grace to be dangerously courageous. And if you've got pearls of wisdom for my 26th year, hit me. All ears.

Much love.

September 23, 2013

TASTE: Pumpkin Almond Spiced Coffee Syrup (with a side of Biscuits!)

September 23, 2013/ Kristen Hale

Fall is in the air. I love walking by someone on the street who has a coffee in their hand, because these days it almost always smells like pumpkin spice. Oh the blessed scents of autumn. I've been having tons of pumpkin fun in my kitchen, and I was feeling so inspired by my bff Natalie mentioning her pumpkin coffee that I decided to make my own coffee pumpkin syrup. I adapted this recipe from A Beautiful Mess by swapping out the sugar for agave and adding in almond extract. It gives the flavor a smooth, nutty hint. Just right for fall.