Pecan Pie Cookie Recipe

I don't usually include recipes on the Beautiful Habitat Blog. However, this is my very favorite holiday recipe and is much requested by family and friends. I felt the best way to share with everyone was right here. If you like it, recipes just may find their way onto the blog more often.
These have long been made by my grandma and mom for the holidays and have been my favorite cookie for as long as I can remember. I hope you and your family enjoy them as much as we always have!

Pecan Pie Cookies

CookieDough
1C butter, softened
1/2C white sugar
1/2C dark corn syrup
2 egg yokes (retain the whites)
2-1/2 to 3 C flour (I need 3 cups in Denver's altitude, but less may be needed elsewhere)

Cream butter and sugar together on low.
Add syrup and egg yokes and beat until well blended.
Stir in flour gradually.
Chill at least 30 minutes.


Pecan Pie Filling
1/2C powdered sugar
1/4C butter
3T dark corn syrup
1/2C pecans, coarsely chopped

Combine butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan over low heat.
Stir occasionally until it reaches a full boil.
Remove from heat and stir in pecans.
Chill

Bake it
Preheat oven to 375
Grease cookie sheets
Beat egg whites
Roll 1T of dough into a ball, flatten slightly on the cookie sheet (degree of flattening required varies with altitude and flour).
Brush with egg whites.
Bake for 7-10 minutes, the dough should fluff, but not start to brown.
Remove dough from oven.
Roll 1t of filling into a ball.
Press the filling into the center of the cookie, making it look just like a mini pecan pie.
Return to the oven until dough lightly brown.
Cool on wire rack.

This recipe can be doubled - and usually is in our family. Enjoy!

I wish I had a photo to add, but the batch I made for my November book club are long gone. Guess I'll need to do another batch just for the photos...

Do you have a favorite holiday recipe? Share it!

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Setting Your Thanksgiving Table Round up

I have seen so many wonderful blog posts about setting your Thanksgiving Table. Here is a round up of my  favorites in case you need some last minute inspiration.
Send us photos of your amazing Thanksgiving table!

Before you begin to make a beautiful table, here is a quick Dining Etiquette 101 from Sun-Sentinel.com.

And on to the Decorations:
Thanksgiving Decorating with Gratitude! from Irene Turners blog "Little Bits of Beauty"
Thanksgiving Table from your truly at Beautiful Habitat
Thanksgiving Centerpiece Ideas: Blossom & Branch from Design Sponge
Thanksgiving Table Inspiration from Habitually Chic
Interiors to Inspire:Thanksgiving Edition from Coco & Kelley

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Long overdue!

Are you feeling neglected? I certainly don't blame you. Let's just say it - I've been a terrible blogger and my posts are about as consistent as the Denver Broncos this season. For that, I do apologize.  Unfortunately Beautiful Habitat is a one-man show and I'm feeling like this lately.

On the bright side, when I haven't been posting to the Beautiful Habitat blog, I have been working with some wonderful, fun, and adventurous clients. Their stories, needs and the process we take in their homes will make for great posts in the near future. In the mean time, I've been terrible at providing content to you, my wonderful readers whom I appreciate so much. I promise this trend won't continue.Stick with me :)
If you are looking for a Beautiful Habitat fix, you can find daily tips and advice on twitter and Fabcebook.Please join me at both!
Thank you for your continued support and look for posts coming very soon!

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Home Office Design 101 - Going Beyond Function

In my last post I covered the basics of creating a functional home office. In brief summary:

1. Adequately-sized area with some privacy
2. Adequate work space with comfortable and supportive seating
3. Adequate storage space 
4. Good Lighting

Once you've covered these, you should certainly have the makings of a functional home office that will support your business and personal needs. Some people don't even get this far and settle for a less-than-functional space. Many others stop at these four functional basics. But a home office can be much more. Home offices deserve good design, too.

"Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union." ~ Frank Lloyd Wright

What can you do to take your home office to the next level?  Start asking questions and work with your answers.

A questions that I ask every client of every room we design: Does this room help you to be the right self at the right time? Do you need to be energetic? Creative? Focused? Professional? Or, if you work in an office during the day, perhaps you need a relaxing home office space to unwind. What things can we build into your office space to help you be that person?

What motivates you? How can we build in motivators in the space?

The office makeover that I've been featuring was predominately functional. However, we did go beyond function. My client is retired, so did not need to have strong work or professional cues. However, she does have motivators - family. So we ensured that there was plenty of room for family photos.

And a vital element of home offices that is often missed is transition. You need cues to help you transition from work to home and home to work. Sometimes this is a simple as closing and opening a door.But perhaps you need more and the transition can be the formality and tone of the room, wall color, or other cues to help you be the right self at the right time.

Look for future blog posts that incorporate these functional and other elements into the design to create wonderful home offices!

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com