Holiday Happiness & a Very Mini Gift Guide
December 2022
Have you ever considered how flavors of certain foods just naturally go together? Tomatoes and basil are a match made in heaven. Beef braised in red wine is boldy comforting. Citrus and mint are just a zippy, yet soothing delight on the palate. This year as we design our holiday menu and think about the flavors that go together, we are considering the color palettes they make on the plate as well and how those color combinations often lend themselves to the most natural wardrobe choices. Whip cream over hot chocolate has us reaching for a creamy bouclé sweater and brown corduroy wide leg pants. Maybe this holiday, we will match our outfits to our festive dishes courtesy of hints from nature.
We would like to thank you all for following along with us this year. It has been an interesting 2022 with plenty of ups to match the downs. We hope to bring in 2023 with sequins, sparkles and bubbles and hope that you all do too. We will be hitting the ground running in January and can't wait to share all of the exciting things ahead. Most notably, we'll be launching our color cookbook collection and you, our supportive readers, will be the first to know! Until then, keep finding joy in the connections of food and fashion and we will see you next year.
Happy Holidays!
Palate / Palette
Exploring color in food, fashion and design
Last week, Abbey's grandmother passed away at the age of 98. For this month's Palate/Palette, we pay tribute to her with her 'famous' cookie recipe.
"Her name was Mary, but I called her Grandma Daisy because I would drive her around to help with her errands when I visited from college. The nickname stuck for 20+ years. Every Christmas these simple, but addicting cookies would show up on her table placed next to a poinsettia and no matter the time of day, she would say "the clock says it's time to eat," and so eat we did, followed by several rounds of cards.
The cookies themselves are a perfect trifecta, all at once salty, sweet, creamy, and crunchy. The folds and drizzles of the chocolate pair perfectly with the gold cascades in Schiaparelli's surrealist suit jacket which has a structured softness with crispy accents. It's as if they were meant to be together.
Never feel bad about indulging in these cookies knowing that the clock always tells you, it's time to eat." - Abbey
This recipe was originally published on Giadzy 6 years ago.
Grandma Daisy’s Cracker Cookies
Recipe courtesy of Lish Steiling of The Taste Curators
Download Printer-Friendly Recipe
28 round crackers (such as Ritz Honey Wheat)
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 (10-ounce) bag bittersweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Flake salt, such as Maldon (optional)
Spread the flat side of 14 of the crackers evenly with peanut butter. Top with a second cracker to make 14 sandwiches.
Place the chocolate chips in a medium glass-microwave-safe bowl and microwave on medium for 20 seconds. Stir well with a rubber spatula. Return to the microwave and repeat, stirring well after each 20-second increment, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Stir in the oil.
Working one at a time, roll the edges of each cookie in the chocolate to seal. Dip the entire cookie in the chocolate, using a fork to flip it, and cover completely. Lift the cookie from the chocolate using the fork and allow the excess chocolate to drip off, back into the bowl.
Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking tray and sprinkle with the salt, if using. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set. Store in the fridge until you're ready for cookies and a game of cards!
Prep time: 15 minutes
Yield: 14 cookies
If you try out this recipe, send us a photo or please tag us on IG using @the_taste_curators or use #thetastecurators
3 Things Making Us Smile (plus a few extra for the holidays)
Curated Inspiration
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Take 25% Off Made In Professional Cookware
Lish has been a big fan of Made In pots and pans since they came to life in 2017. No matter if you choose stainless steel, carbon steel, nonstick or enamel, the professional quality pots and pans are durable and oh so functional. They source high quality raw materials and work with multigenerational makers to craft each piece to last a lifetime.
Attention! Our friends at Made In have graciously given us an exclusive discount code for our newsletter subscribers! The code is good on all full priced products, including tabletop, knives and cookware. We have no strings attached, just sharing some love!
Shop with code TTC25 for 25% off full priced items.
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Sies Marjan
Abbey was smitten with the short lived cult fashion brand Sies Marjan and now plans to relive it via their new book. Not only is it filled with tons of illustrations and images, but to her delight it's organized by, you guessed it....COLOR. Who wants to get this for her this Christmas?!
Get your copy at the button below. And for the color lovers, check out this new book, "The World According to Color: A Cultural History."
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Palate Polish
This health conscious and clever nail polish brand makes us happy because it's inspired by food products. Each color has a name like eggplant, rosemary, oatmeal, radicchio or squid ink that matches that ingredient's color palette. Sounds familiar right? :) Palate Polish is a woman owned company out of Portland, Oregon. Each small batch polish is non-toxic and vegan but we recommend keeping this palette to your nails where it belongs.
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Cire Trudon
It's no secret we love candles (see our previous newsletter). Years ago on a trip to France, we discovered the luxury French candle brand, Cire Trudon. Started in 1643, the brand uses many culinary influences. Even the shape of the glass the candle is poured into is inspired by champagne buckets. Abd El Kader is our favorite scent and is described as "...green scents of fresh mint, ginger’s hot and peppered air and the perfume of tea and tobacco..." It smells so good you'll want to bathe in it!tion goes here
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PORTA Brooklyn
This new shop recently opened in our Brooklyn neighborhood and it has everything you need to create a stunning table for the holidays. The women founders have curated a selection of European tableware and home goods with a focus on craft and artisanship. We are partial to the colorful glassware from France and Portugal and the tiny acrylic spoons from Germany in colors like cobalt, kelly green and tortoise shell. If you go in person ask if they have any vintage bud vases left (currently not available online). They are precious!
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New List ItChristmas Food and Fashion Crossover
Dior and Harrods (the London department store), partnered up for the holidays to create The Fabulous World of Dior, a fantastical display of 44 gingerbread themed windows using Dior fashion as inspiration. There are two Dior pop-ups within the store along with a Dior cafe serving holiday cookies and gingerbread, plus a fragrance workshop. For our readers in London, please go and send us pics! And shout out to our sister-in-law, Sam for bringing this food and fashion moment to our attention.
Bonus: Lish on Epicurious!
Many of you have asked about the $207 vs $16 french toast recipes Lish created for the recent Epicurious Pro Chef vs Home Cook YouTube episode. We promise to share them soon so watch for them in a future newsletter. Perfect for a winter brunch, you'll be cooking and biting into them in 2023.
In the meantime, if you haven’t seen it yet, watch Lish’s video.
Lish goes head to head in a French toast competition on Epicurious.
We are all Taste Curators … stay curious!
Lish & Abbey
