no. 129: salted pistachio and strawberry shortbread cookies

Plus, a cute new pair of earrings!

Well, it turns out that the best way to take your mind off an impending surgery is to be so booked and busy that you don’t have a moment to wallow in any self pity. I am amidst a very rare professional occurrence where I have booked myself to cater three events in one week.

I obviously created this schedule before I decided to carelessly shred my ligaments, but I am a woman of my word, and these appetizers certainly aren’t going to prepare themselves. Plus, it’s better than being sad and alone in my apartment. Lucky for me, I have the most talented friends and chefs around me who have helped me execute this crazy week of events.

The show MUST go on! Anyway, here are some things that I’ve been into this week.

Galley Jules Earrings

One of the events that I catered this week was co-hosted by Soshe, a make up brand, and Galley, a Los Angeles-based jewelry brand. One of the girls working the event was wearing these earrings and I was so obsessed with them that I did, in fact, leave with a pair. My friend Tori got a pair of these pearl drop earrings and plans to wear them to her rehearsal dinner in Hawaii!!!! I’m excited to share this story with anyone who will listen to me at that very dinner!

SoftServices Theraplush Overnight Repair Treatment

Not only does this hand cream feel extremely nice and restorative on my dry, weathered hands, but it is also packaged in the coolest product dispenser I have ever used. I’m trying to reduce my manicure frequency and I feel that this cream is helping me maintain my gorgeous lady fingers between trips to the salon.

Levi’s Ribcage Wide Leg Jean

Okay, these were in my Nuuly box this month and I really love them. They’re definitely a very high rise, but the cut is so nice and I think the wide leg is perfect. It’s obviously a pain with my heinous brace, but we’re making it work. This brace has made me realize that I don’t own a single pair of straight leg jeans and it is HARSHING my vibe. I guess I’ll need to get more barrel leg pants so I can cover her up!

Salted Pistachio and Strawberry Shortbread Cookies

Makes 36 cookies

Okay, this recipe is from 2 years ago, but I’m bringing it back because it is some of my finest work and ‘tis the MF season. I made a double batch the other day (the dough logs are currently hanging in my freezer), and I have big plans to slice ‘em up and bake them soon. I added a little bit of red and green food dye to amp up the color, but I also think they’re a delightful pastel shade of pink and green without the dye.

From December 2022: There is something about a dense, salty, buttery cookie that realllllly scratches an itch for me. These cookies were inspired by Bon Appetit’s zebra-striped cookies, a chocolate and vanilla cookie that I have made over and over again. I was feeling festive and asked myself, “how can I make these doughs red and green?” Behold, the salted pistachio and strawberry shortbread cookie was born. I mean, it’s basically a fancy PB&J.

I love that these cookies come together in the food processor—sure, it does require an occasional wiping out of the bowl, but I’d prefer that than having to use multiple machines. If you don’t have a full-sized food processor (apologies to my mini food processor gang), you can grind the pistachios and freeze dried strawberries in a blender and make the dough with a hand or stand mixer. Or maybe just throw a decent Cuisinart on your wish list, eh?

I’m not gonna lie, I surprised myself with these. The sweet, tanginess from the strawberries against the rich, nuttiness of the pistachios is so damn good. I am not delusional and can very much see that my attempted shades of “red” and “green” are probably closer to a “sunset blush” and “mossy sage.” Someone responded to my story and said “ham and split peas.” They’re not wrong. If you want a deeper hue, go ahead and add a few drops of red and green food coloring into their respective doughs.