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Amy Chen

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Christmas Cookies 2024

December 28, 2024

The year is winding down, and Christmas is officially over - but I wanted to write a post linking all the cookies I baked for the 2024 holiday season. Maybe bookmark it for ideas for next year? I actually wrote a similar post many years ago (2017) - I can’t believe that was seven years ago. But anyways, I hope you are all soaking up the joys of the season! One of my biggest joys is baking Christmas cookies, and it has become an annual tradition at this point. I don’t feel like it’s officially Christmas until every pyrex is being used to store cookie dough or cookies. 😉

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In food Tags Christmas, cookies, baking
amy_chen_design_reindeer_rudolph_christmas_cookies.jpg

On The Menu: Christmas Cookies 2017

December 22, 2017

Baking Christmas cookies has been one of my favorite things to do during the holiday season for as long as I can remember! (Probably since some time in elementary school when my mom started letting me use the oven, haha). I feel like every year, I try to challenge myself in some way to do better than the previous year. Usually, I am working on baking / decorating them up until the last possible minute before leaving the house for Christmas dinner.. but this year I finished FOUR whole days early! It's a Christmas miracle, LOL.

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In food Tags Christmas, holiday, cookies, baking, 2017

Candy Cane Christmas Cookies

December 25, 2015

Baking is one of my absolute favorite things to do around the holiday season. I always end up trying to make 70 different things, and it's my pride and joy to craft up the very best Christmas cookie platter that I can to bring over to my grandparents' house for dinner on Christmas day.

I was flipping through an old cookbook (Very Merry Cookie Party) I found the other day - and came across this recipe. I thought they were the perfect little festive cookies! The best part: no icing was involved to decorate - so it was very "fuss-free" and didn't require much skill to pull off at all. ;)

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In food Tags candy cane, Christmas, cookies, winter, baking

Salted Caramel Apple: A Thanksgiving Pie Experiment

November 28, 2014

For Thanksgiving this year, I decided to take my first stab at making a salted caramel apple pie. It was only the second pie ever that I've ever made - ever. Over the summer, I made my first pie - which was a simple blueberry pie. I figured I would write a blog post about my pie-baking experience thus far, as it's definitely one of my newer food experiments that I've recently tackled (and a skill that I'm determined to hone). I used Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book for a reference / recipe for both the crust and the pie filling. If you don't own the book, and are interested in baking pie - I highly recommend their book! It's filled with everything from tools to technique to seasonal recipes - and great for beginners. Four & Twenty Blackbirds is a sweet little pie shop based in Gowanus (Brooklyn, NY) and they were a place I frequented during my Pratt days. Their pie is literally to die for - so if you are in the area / in NY, I highly recommend giving them a visit!

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In food Tags Thanksgiving, Four and Twenty Blackbirds, pie, baking

Apple Bread

September 29, 2014

Last Friday I baked apple bread for the first time ever. I’ve made many variations of banana bread before, but I’ve never even heard of apple bread until I started researching quick/easy apple recipes last week. I went apple-picking recently, and I have been wanting to bake something with the apples since bringing them home from the farm. They basically have been sitting in a box in the kitchen begging for me to bake something yummy with them. My first thoughts involved attempting a salted caramel apple pie because I’ve also never baked an apple pie before… but my lazy ass didn’t feel like it. I feel like you really have to be in the mood to commit time into making the perfect pie, and I guess I wasn’t feelin’ it last Friday. I made my first pie ever this summer (a blueberry pie), and it was fun and delicious and everything, but it took me the span of 3 days to make it between getting all the ingredients, making the dough from scratch, letting the dough set in the fridge, prepping the filling, cutting / weaving the lattices, and then FINALLY putting it in the oven. It was a lot of work – work that my lazy ass didn’t feel like doing at the end of last week. I do want to attempt an apple pie some day, but last Friday was not that day. Let’s be real – we all have our lazy days. Maybe I’ll feel more motivated for a special occasion … (Thanksgiving, mayhaps?)

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In food Tags apples, apple picking, baking, fall, autumn, recipe, apple bread, food styling, prop styling

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A Peek Behind the (Photobooth) Curtain with Autophoto
A Peek Behind the (Photobooth) Curtain with Autophoto
about 4 months ago
The Summer It Turned Yummy
The Summer It Turned Yummy
about 8 months ago
Recess in Cape May
Recess in Cape May
about 11 months ago
Strawberry Picking, Peony Peeping, Park Frolicking
Strawberry Picking, Peony Peeping, Park Frolicking
about 12 months ago
Spring Things
Spring Things
about a year ago
Cemetery Season: Poetry Month + The Grief of April
Cemetery Season: Poetry Month + The Grief of April
about a year ago
Solo Day Trip to Seaside Heights
Solo Day Trip to Seaside Heights
about a year ago
Reframing a "Mundane Chore" as an Adventure: Visiting a New Grocery Store
Reframing a "Mundane Chore" as an Adventure: Visiting a New Grocery Store
about a year ago
Creating In Community
Creating In Community
about a year ago
A Sunny Sunday for the Soul in NYC
A Sunny Sunday for the Soul in NYC
about a year ago

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@AMYVENTURES
“design is dead” they said, so @figma threw a funeral last weekend 💀💐🪦

we were asked to select a colored flower from the overflowing buckets on the sidewalk, then stood in line waiting for our turn to place it on the “casket.&rd
union square farmer’s market - forever & always one of my favorite places to watch the seasons change 🥹 late spring / early summer is so sweet 🍓🌸 @grownycgreenmarket 

#unionsquaregreenmarket #unionsquarenyc #farmersmarket #strawberrysea
finally got to try @koke.nyc yesterday 🤭 everything on the menu is vegan AND gluten free 👏 (love to see it 😍)

what we ordered:
🌸 sakura matcha lattes (seasonal special - today is the last day to grab one before summer’s menu drops tomorrow
the sweetest little sight on the soccer field the other day 🥹🦌🌾

from a distance, I thought it was a piece of cardboard / trash and approached because I was going to pick it up 😅 when I realized it was a fawn, I thought maybe it was hurt or aband
from a walk at willowwood last month 🌸🌳🌞 stopped for a rainbow sprinkle cone from @taylorsicecreamparlor after 🍦 

#willowwoodarboretum #chesternj #jerseycollective #northjerseyadventures #springblooms
the most stunning double petal tulips from @wildroseflowerco brightened up my week 😍🌷❤️💛 and some photos from her first ever plant & seed swap last weekend at high view farm 🌱 the stand is open today if you’re in the area! 💐

PS: goats
planet earth (hallelujah) 🌎🌸🌞🌷✨

#earthday #frelinghuysenarboretum #jerseycollective #njisallgood #northjerseyadventures
sunshine on a cloudy day today at @thelilliehouse’s third annual plant swap 🌧️🌷👩🏻‍🌾🌼🌱

shared some seeds I had saved from my own garden last year as well as some irises I dug up yesterday. the calendula seeds are descendants of @long
april, when did you get so hot? 🥵 easter eve in PA felt more like summer than it did spring (very much like this week in NJ 🫠) - which called for a double scoop cone from @premisemaid 🍦 they have the BEST homemade waffle cones 👌 I got a scoop of
passenger princessing in pennsylvania easter weekend ✌️🦢🌸🌳📸

#pennsylvania #easterweekend #passengerprincess #joyspotting #passengerseatphotography
dinner at @am_thainyc 🇹🇭🥘🍜🔥 cozy & casual with friendly service and lots of vegan & gluten free friendly options 😋

we ordered the pad thai & the green curry 🌶️ and also thai iced teas (one traditional and one infused with pandan)
more curious than afraid, this deer started walking towards us (instead of freezing up or fleeing) - she even started to follow us for a bit onto the path after we walked past 🥹 I’ve always thought Sparkle’s coloring was very deer-like f
“design is dead” they said, so @figma threw a funeral last weekend 💀💐🪦

we were asked to select a colored flower from the overflowing buckets on the sidewalk, then stood in line waiting for our turn to place it on the “casket.&rd
cozy, casual, and colorful is my favorite way to get dressed 💁🏻‍♀️🌈💖

💜 crewneck - @bigbudpress
🕶️ sunnies - @eyebuydirect 
🥰 bucket bag & bag charm - @verloopknits (10% off your order with code “amyventures”)

#colorfulsty
union square farmer’s market - forever & always one of my favorite places to watch the seasons change 🥹 late spring / early summer is so sweet 🍓🌸 @grownycgreenmarket 

#unionsquaregreenmarket #unionsquarenyc #farmersmarket #strawberrysea finally got to try @koke.nyc yesterday 🤭 everything on the menu is vegan AND gluten free 👏 (love to see it 😍)

what we ordered:
🌸 sakura matcha lattes (seasonal special - today is the last day to grab one before summer’s menu drops tomorrow the sweetest little sight on the soccer field the other day 🥹🦌🌾

from a distance, I thought it was a piece of cardboard / trash and approached because I was going to pick it up 😅 when I realized it was a fawn, I thought maybe it was hurt or aband
strawberry rhubarb pie for a rainy mdw baking project 🥧🍓😋 thanks for the most beautiful rhubarb @stonyhillfarms 😍

recipe from @bromabakery 🫶

#strawberryrhubarb #strawberryrhubarbpie #mdw #strawberryseason #rhubarb
#sweetgreen_partner @sweetgreen lunch with my dad today (who hadn’t even heard of sweetgreen before 😆) he liked #sweetgreenwraps so much he’s thinking about going back tomorrow 🤭🌯 

#lunchbreak #tastetest #sweetgreen
from a walk at willowwood last month 🌸🌳🌞 stopped for a rainbow sprinkle cone from @taylorsicecreamparlor after 🍦 

#willowwoodarboretum #chesternj #jerseycollective #northjerseyadventures #springblooms
@sweetgreen #sweetgreen_partner lunch outside today 🤗🌯🌞 tried two of the newest #sweetgreenwraps - chicken jalapeño ranch & saucy kbbq chicken (subbing tofu in to make them vegetarian 🙌) they were both delicious, but can you guess whic
the most stunning double petal tulips from @wildroseflowerco brightened up my week 😍🌷❤️💛 and some photos from her first ever plant & seed swap last weekend at high view farm 🌱 the stand is open today if you’re in the area! 💐

PS: goats
might not look like much now, but this is how it all begins 🙃💭👩🏻‍🌾🍅🌻🐾✨

are you growing a garden this year? what are you most excited for? 🌱

#gardening #gardenstate #jerseycollective #backyardgardening #rescueismyfavoritebreed
@sweetgreen #sweetgreen_partner a little saturday recap mini vlog 👩🏻‍🌾🌸🌱 the itinerary: a morning walk at the arboretum, a quick grab and go lunch trying the new #sweetgreenwraps, a community plant / seed swap, and a stop at a garden center
getting ready to welcome the month of may with dew drop and dandelion💧🌼

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure what I expected @mrsmeyerscleanday’s newest scented oil diffuser in dandelion to smell like 😅 but it’s pleasantly bright
planet earth (hallelujah) 🌎🌸🌞🌷✨

#earthday #frelinghuysenarboretum #jerseycollective #njisallgood #northjerseyadventures sunshine on a cloudy day today at @thelilliehouse’s third annual plant swap 🌧️🌷👩🏻‍🌾🌼🌱

shared some seeds I had saved from my own garden last year as well as some irises I dug up yesterday. the calendula seeds are descendants of @long
10/10 recommend staying at the park through a rain shower 🥹 it made all the people flee and it was just me, the birds, and the blossoms for a little bit 🐦🌸🌧️

the last clip was from last year - the trees were so much fluffier and fuller. the heat
april, when did you get so hot? 🥵 easter eve in PA felt more like summer than it did spring (very much like this week in NJ 🫠) - which called for a double scoop cone from @premisemaid 🍦 they have the BEST homemade waffle cones 👌 I got a scoop of passenger princessing in pennsylvania easter weekend ✌️🦢🌸🌳📸

#pennsylvania #easterweekend #passengerprincess #joyspotting #passengerseatphotography dinner at @am_thainyc 🇹🇭🥘🍜🔥 cozy & casual with friendly service and lots of vegan & gluten free friendly options 😋

we ordered the pad thai & the green curry 🌶️ and also thai iced teas (one traditional and one infused with pandan)

All photos / content were created solely for / by
Amy Chen (unless otherwise stated). If you decide to reference anything from my blog / website, please give proper credit. Thank you! :)


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