Happy Christmas!

Shazam!
Hey! Unto you a child is born!

~Gladys Herdman, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

birthday special

Sharon gave me fancy muffin liners (parchment paper squares) for my birthday.

Of course I had to try them out, and they made my banana oat muffins look extra fancy!

{delectable} Orange Chocolate Scones

I discovered this incredible recipe last winter when hunting for something special to bake for a bridal tea...

These scones are unforgettable,

and I highly recommend them for an extraordinary treat.

I recently had leftover cream (I never buy cream) and chose to spend it by remaking this recipe.

The end product was amazing, just as I remembered from last year.

--Following best scone technique and using this recipe for a guide...

You won't be disappointed.

birthday fun

these little bears even played a Christmas song for us :)

The coworks Pam and Vicky invited me for a spontaneous hangout the evening of my birthday last week! We cozied up by the Christmas tree, drank tea (Christmas in Paris... oolala), ate ice cream smothered in chocolate, and savored each other's company. 

It's pretty special to have coworkers who are also friends!

Christmas Cupcakes

These mini cupcakes are about as fussy as I get when it comes to creating treats. I bought special ingredients, borrowed a hand mixer, and spent multiple days planning and creating.

Although they didn't turn out looking like the photos of the original recipe,

they still received rave reviews.

It's hard to go wrong with drizzled chocolate as a finishing touch.

St. Nicholas Day

While we were nibbling festive treats, and listening to stories of Christmas celebrations around the world, St Nicholas came to our Christmas tea party and stuffed our shoes with goodies last Thursday evening!

Oh what fun!