Western Springs Celebrates 125 years!

Celebrate Western Springs 125th Anniversary by attending the Western Springs Business Association Christmas Walk this Saturday, December 3 from 2 to 5 pm.


Among the many events planned for the afternoon will be Sing a Long Carols with Madrigal singers at the Tower Green at 4:45 pm.
A laser light show will be held at 5:15 pm.


Stop in Design Studio for spiced cider, cookies and surprises!

Christmas Treats!

Made for us in the Blue Ridge Mountains, we are happy to offer three yummy seasonal sweet treats--perfect for gift giving and stocking stuffing!  


Packed in 4 ounce bags and priced at $3.95, try our Reindeer Food...Chex cereal covered in peanut butter/chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar.

The beautifully packaged Christmas pretzel 5-pack at $4.95 offers large pretzels drenched in white chocolate with holiday drizzle.


A holiday favorite, try a Cocoa Spoon...microwave a mug of milk and stir!

At only $2, you'll want to have these on hand for family, friends and unexpected guests.

We are proud to support New Beginnings Community Services at Design Studio through the sale of their wonderful soy candles. This not for profit corporation was founded to help adults with mental illness achieve a more independent and qualitative lifestyle. Its purpose to to enhance the lives of these adults by promoting their self-sufficiency.

Their every day light fragrances like "Day at the Spa" or "Rainwater" are lovely. Just in time for Christmas giving is "Spruce" available in three sizes. Priced from 2.00 to 24.95, they are clean burning, water soluble and poured into recyclable containers.


Remember Small Business Saturday is this week, November 26. Thank you, in advance, for supporting the small business, the real drivers of our economy on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Paper Bakeware!!

My kitchen smells of apples and chocolate and caramel because I am trying out these fabulous paper bake ware containers!

We invite you to try Oven Safe Paper Bakeware for your holiday baking and gift giving!

A new way to bake, serve and store, these paper products replace metal bakeware.

Place the paper bakeware directly on a cookie sheet...they are oven safe to 400 degrees and freezer safe.

Share your delicious recipes with family and friends for the holidays (or do what I did, use boxed mixes for easy gifts).

We carry a complete line for Thanksgiving and Christmas treats!  Fall containers are on sale now through Wednesday at 50% off.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Combining rich chocolate cake with a creamy cheesecake filling, these adorable mini black bottom cupcakes are a delicious treat! We will be serving these at our Christmas events this season and we want you to have the recipe.

Ingredients

The original recipe probably dates back to the 1940’s when butter, eggs and milk were rationed. With the yummy filling, no frosting is needed.

• 1 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 6 oz. mini semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 c. water
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1T. white vinegar
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 c. all purpose flour
• 1 c. sugar
• ¼ c. baking cocoa
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt

Mixing the ingredients

To make the filling batter, in a mixing bowl beat cream cheese, egg. sugar and salt until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside. For batter, combine water, oil, vinegar and vanilla and set aside. Combine remaining dry ingredients in mixing bowl and with mixer on low, gradually add wet ingredients. Beat until smooth (mixture will be thin). Spoon about 2 tsp. of batter into paper lined miniature muffin tins. Top with about 1 tsp. filling. Fill cups about 75% full. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in chocolate portion comes out clean. Cool for 5-10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: 5 dozen

Baked cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or well wrapped and frozen.

Design Studio Gazpacho

When we make this forty-one-year-old recipe, we always double it because our friends and family adore it.  We hope this picture of the finished product will inspire you! This cold, Spanish soup is guaranteed to tempt your appetite and can be made zestier with the addition of hot pepper flakes. Best made the day before you serve it, it keeps in the refrigerator for a week (but it never lasts that long).

• ¾ cup finely chopped onion
• ¾ cup minced garlic
• 1 ½ cups finely chopped green pepper
• 2 ½ cups diced, peeled tomatoes (see notes)
• ½ tsp. sugar
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 2 T. chopped chives
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups V-8 juice

Combine onion, garlic, green pepper, tomatoes, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika and chives in a large bowl. Stir in oil, lemon juice and tomato juice. Chill several hours or overnight.

NOTES:  We start with several cans of fire roasted, diced tomatoes if pressed for time or weather does not permit flavorful, fresh tomatoes. Diced English cucumbers are a flavorful addition or garnish. Sometimes we add 2 T. dry sherry for a twist.

Design Studio Pesto

There are as many recipes for pesto as there are ingredients to use. This is our version of that summer favorite.  Growing in pots on the deck, two favorite varieties are boxwood basil for garnishes or summer tomato salads and sweet basil, which we use in this recipe:

• 4 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• ½ cup toasted pine nuts (see notes)
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a food processor, pulse the pine nuts and garlic to a chunky consistency. Add the basil leaves and pulse to finely chopped. Add Parmesano and pulse several times to blend. With the processor running, gradually add the olive oil to form a smooth, thick emulsion. Makes about 4 cups.

NOTES: Do not use any stems from the basil—too tough.
Pine nuts, also called pignolia, need to be heated in a skillet for several minutes to bring out the flavor. Stir often and keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Do not substitute any other Parmesan for the original from Italy—so delicious and flavorful! We do not add any salt or pepper, preferring to add that to the finished dish, if necessary. You may like your pesto thinner—add more oil to taste. As you can see, pesto freezes beautifully—lots of summer taste stored in the freezer for winter! Use on pasta, pizza, and tomato dishes like red sauces, Caprese salad, soups or bruschetta, fish, chicken use your imagination!