the daily tip...

Today on the SHOW:

Lighting, Butter Cookies & the Cookie of the Month Club,

Viewer Question on TV placement and Random Silliness.

Have a great Tuesday everybody!

-angelo

the daily tip...

TODAY:

RESTORATION HARDWARE has made quite a turn and I like it.

Don't forget: Enter to WIN my NEW Gramercy Park Bedding Collection

ALSO, today on TDT storage ottomans ruled.

This one from Homes & Gardens.

A little storage ottoman color from CRATE & BARREL

More on TDT video:

-Butter Cookies and Omega 3's? Really?

-The new incarnation of Restoration Hardware

-Storage Ottoman Love

-The Falcon

-angelo

the daily tip...

Delicious cookies, viewer question and awesome awesomeness returns next monday!

ALSO- All episodes are FREE on iTunes!

Enjoy,

-angelo

BUTTER COOKIES
appox 45 cookies.

8oz unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
2 cups all-purpose flour

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Beat the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla together until smooth.
2. Mix in the egg yolk well, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the flour and mix until blended well together.
4. Scrape onto a lightly floured board and knead a few times, just until the dough smoothes out.
5. Turn onto a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log. Wrap up and refrigerate for several hours or freeze.
6. Preheat oven to 325 degree F.
7. Line your baking sheets with parchment or slightly butter the pan.
8. Slice the dough about 1/8-inch thick and place them on the sheets about an inch apart. You can also roll out and cut into shapes or use cookie forms.

As an added option, you can also roll the cookie balls in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

sugar cookies...

photo: sarah shatz

I love cookies.

Almost all kinds of cookies (not partial to the grainy, oat, fruit filled kind) and when I saw that FOOD52 was doing "Your Best Chewy Sugar Cookie" Contest (week 42!)--I was in! Not as a contestant, but an observer, cookie eater, lover of baked good and those that bake them. You get the idea.

There are 2 finalists!

MY GIRLS' BEST TEST KITCHEN SUGAR COOKIES

photo: sarah shatz

CHEWY SUGAR COOKIES #2

photo: mrslarkin

THIS is good times people. GOOD TIMES. The only thing that can make a cookie better is a great cup of coffee, a fantastic chair to sit in and an awesome read.

Enjoy the recipes and share your own!

-angelo

P.S. Can you imagine 42 weeks of cookie recipes?! GENIUS.

no cookie party...

photos: iPhone/angelo:HOME

...but there will be cookies.

Due to my travel & work schedule this year, the annual cookie party did not happen. Much sadness throughout my home and in the hearts of family and friends, but 2010 will offer plenty of reasons to throw a party that involves cookies.

Still, cookies did happen today--in the form of chocolate chip. My favorite. Something to enjoy before spending time at another airport terminal...

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup softened unsalted butter

2 teaspoon vanilla extract (great vanilla makes a ginormous difference)

2 large eggs

16 oz semi sweet chocolate chips (splurge of the good stuff)

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine the flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.

The brown sugar, granulated sugar and softened butter can be beat in an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and then mix in your vanilla.

Incorporate your flour mixture.

Fold in your chocolate chips using a spatula.

Bake on parchment paper covered baking sheets for appox 10-12 minutes. Use an ice cream scooper to get the "perfect" amount and space about an inch apart on baking sheet. You can refrigerate mixture for up to 4-6 hours before baking, if you can wait.

Cool for appox 5 minutes before transferring to serving plate. On some of them, I sprinkled some course ground sea salt on top while still hot. The sweet and slightly salty taste is something worth trying. Tasty.

Enjoy.

-angelo