Coffee and Cashmere: mccarty

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Valentine's 2015

I know I'm pretty late with sharing anything Valentine related (blaming pregnancy). But I'm stopping in right quick anyways on Valentine's Eve (what Adrienne calls it now) to share some Valentine's photos from around the house.

A few years ago, I made Adrienne an adorable felt letter holder to hold little daily happies in. It was super easy to whip up, and I blogged about it HERE.

This year, I've slacked on the daily happies (blaming pregnancy again), so the letter holder is more for decoration in our dinning room.

And here are a few other Valentine decorations from around the house. Adrienne made this little heart craft last week:

My girlfriend's kiddos made this super cute snow globe:

And we can never leave out a McCarty shell filled with candy for the corresponding holiday:

I hope you guys have a wonderful Valentine's weekend! I'll be back here next week with a great giveaway!

Instagramin' Lately

|| fox cowl || five years || california love || flash back ||

|| cookie cutting || wreath making || tree decorating || santa sighting ||

|| sister sister || morning loot || mccarty pottery || yurman gifts ||

|| hot coco || glucose testing || new mug || this stuff ||

|| best burgers || classic night || blt dinner || new years ||

Find these and more photos of my daily shenanigans on Instagram by searching for

coffeeandcashmerelove.

Instagramin' Lately

|| homemade bread || room cleaned || water baby || doc martens ||

|| toe boats || real life || book it || drink up ||

|| sensational salad || bitty baby || tube life || happy birthday ||

Follow me on Instagram (@coffeeandcashmerelove) for my daily shenanigans.

Lavazza

Phew. I'm sure glad this holiday weekend is over and done with. I've had my fill of BBQ, boating, and family. And you know what? I didn't even get any sparklers. #lamesauce

Anyhoo, I'm stopping in real quick to share a delish recipe and my favorite coffee power house, Lavazza.

If you haven't read about my professed love for this coffee company, you can read my thoughts HERE and HERE. Other wise, let me reiterate myself, I heart Lavazza, and we are in love.

Since Lavazza is based out of Italy, I decided to whip up an Italian dessert.. I found a perfect recipe in Extra Virgin: Recipes & Love from Our Tuscan Kitchen, my new go-to Italian cookbook. I made carnival fritters! I was actually thinking they would taste more like beignets, but they tasted more like biscotti. I might have cooked them a little too long, though. I'm no Paula Deen.

William and Adrienne ate five a piece. My food critics both loved them. That's all that really matters.

Carnival Fritters

|| recipe from Extra Virgin: Recipes & Love from Our Tuscan Kitchen ||

2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tablesppons unsalted butter, melted, at room temperature

2 large eggs

1 shot (1 1/2 ounces) Vin Santo (or rum or brandy)

Grated zest of 1 orange

4 cups safflower, vegetable, or canola oil, for deep-frying

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

- In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, granulated sugar, melted butter, eggs, Vin Santo, and orange zest. Mix for 5 to 7 minutes, until the dough begins detaching from the sides of the bowl.

- Remove the dough from the bowl, seal it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

- On a work surface lightly dusted with flour, roll the dough until it's as thin as fresh pasta. (A pasta machine can also be used for this part.) Using a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, slice the dough into 5-inch-wide strips.

- In a high-sided skillet, add the oil to a level of 2 inches. Heat the oil over high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 360 degrees F. Fry the strips of dough (the cenci) in batches, flipping occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes per batch, until they curl slightly and acquire a golden brown color.

- Transfer the cenci to a platter line with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Dust with the confectioners' sugar and serve with a glass of Vin Santo.

I collaborated with Lavazza for this post. They provided me with their coffee and the Extra Virgin cookbook.

Lavazza Coffee

If you know me, you will know that I have a serious love affair with coffee. Like, we need each other to survive. I mean, we have a regular coffee pot, a Keurig, and a french press sitting out on the kitchen counter all the time. That's a serious coffee addiction, my friends.

Since my love of coffee is forever, I've teamed up with Lavazza to taste test some of their most delicious coffee flavors. Lavazza is an Italian based coffee company that has been grinding out black magic since the late 1800's. This coffee company specializes in drip coffee, whole bean espresso, espresso pods, and now, single-serve capsule machines.

I've been a big Lavazza fangirl for a long while now. No other company can beat their rich taste. My absolute favorite of Lavazza's is their Gran Selezione. It's a dark roast blend, and boy, this coffee to die for. It's so thick and aromatic. I just add two teaspoons of creamer plus a little pinch of sugar, and good-bye you guys. DEAD.

Okay, I'm not really dead, I'm pretty much the opposite of that. I'm totally awake. Did I mention this coffee also gives you a nice burst of energy? Because it does. So, cheers to you, Lavazza. Thanks for keeping this mommy happy and focused.