The Chocolate Cream Pie From “Julie & Julia”

Have you ever seen the movie Julie & Julia?

Directed by Nora Ephron and starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as Julie Powell, it’s about two women who use cooking as a means to express themselves and to find more meaning in their lives. It’s such a cute movie and by the end of it, you’re going to be starving for any one of the amazing dishes they make in the film.

One of those dishes, though small and almost overlooked, is the chocolate cream pie Julie makes in the beginning of the film. I’ve always thought it looked so delicious, so I searched until I found a recipe I thought looked pretty similar. I decided to make it for Thanksgiving and let me just tell you, it was SO GOOD. It’s rich and creamy and sweet and chocolaty and super easy to make.

Here’s what you’re going to need…

Ingredients:

To make the crust:

6 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

(Full disclosure: we bought a pre-made graham cracker crust from the grocery store and it worked just fine.)

For the filling:

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups milk

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, in pieces

4 slightly beaten egg yolks

2 tablespoons soft butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

For the whipped topping:

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

To make the filling:

1. Mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together and set aside.

2. Bring the milk to a boil. Lower the heat and stir in the chocolate and let melt.

3. Whisk the milk mixture into the sugar mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until it starts to thicken.

4. Add the yolks and stir furiously for a very short time. You want the yolks to thicken the mixture even more but you don't want them to start to curdle (like little scrambled eggs). 30 seconds or so of this should be fine.

"By the way," Ephron says, "if the eggs do curdle, pour the pudding mixture through a sieve and throw away all the curdled bits. No one will know."

5. Remove from the heat and stir more. Add vanilla and softened butter. Cover with waxed paper and cool.

6. Fill crust with pudding and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. For fun, we added some powdered cocoa on top for a light dusting.

To make the whipped topping:

1. Whip cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until cream holds peaks. Spread on pie.

Nora, you and your talent are so greatly missed! Hope you enjoy her delicious chocolate cream pie!

(Julie & Julie picture via here)

Our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide

Get him a warm sweater that will make him look like the most sophisticated person in the room. On sale for $34 (Bonus: love this one too. Also on sale for $34!)

Or some cozy pajama pants from Gap to basically live in all winter. $34.95

Because we could all use an electric shaver each year, especially Amazon’s #1 choice. $29.95

Fun boxer briefs like these from Abercrombie will put him in the holiday spirit, and lift yours too :). $18 (These are also cute. $22)

One of our friends read Less by Andrew Sean Greer and told us it’s breathtaking. It doesn’t hurt that it won the Pulitzer Prize last year, either. Have you read it? $10.87

To protect their phone, this leather case is stylish and convenient, since you can keep all your cards in the flap inside. PJ has this same one and absolutely loves it. *For iPhone X, XS* $15.99

For your loved one who moved away from home and misses it like crazy, this fun candle might make them a little less homesick. Each one smells like the state they’re labeled as and should remind them of home. They have every state, too, like New York, California, Georgia, and Virginia. $29.95

The show Scandal may be over, but Olivia Pope’s tall stemmed wine glasses will never be out of style. We got Thomas’ mom these a few years ago and we still feel fancy every time we drink out of them. $12.95 (Bonus: for a sleeker look, get them these stemless wine glasses from World Market. six for $28.74)

Tell them how much they mean to you with a cute piece of art like this one from Urban Outfitters. Starting at $34 (Bonus: this and this are also so fun.)

We want to start off the season by wishing you happy holidays and happy shopping!

xx

The Easiest Pesto Pasta Ever

Do you have one of those go-to pastas that’s so easy and so delicious that you make it a least once a week? We do, and it’s this pesto pasta with spiral noodles. It’s so rich and creamy and garlicky and all of the cozy, good feelings you want when it’s cold outside and you just want to stay in and make something fast and yummy.

We posted about it on our Instagram a few days ago and we got SO many requests for the recipe that we decided to come up with one real quick. The truth is, we just kind of throw it together whenever we make it, but we do make it the same way every time. It’s very quick, very easy, and very good. Here’s what you’ll need…

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of cellentani noodles

• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped and minced

• Half a stick of butter

• Salt & pepper to taste

• 2 cups of spinach leaves

• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream

• 3/4 cups of pesto (you could make your own, but we use store bought)

• 1 cup of baby bella mushrooms, sliced

• 1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

• Grilled chicken for protein (optional)

Directions:

• Heat a pot of water on high and bring to a boil. Sprinkle a little salt in the water to enhance the flavor. Rinse pasta and set aside.

• In a skillet on medium heat, sauté the butter and garlic for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Careful not to burn the garlic.

• Once sautéed, pour in the heavy whipping cream and stir.

• Add salt & pepper to taste.

• Add in the pesto and stir for about 30 seconds, or until everything is mixed well.

• Add in the spinach and stir until it’s fully covered.

• Let it sit on low to simmering heat for about 5 mins while occasionally stirring.

• While the sauce is simmering, rinse the mushrooms and sauté in butter, garlic, and salt to taste, on medium to high heat. Cover, and let them cook for about 5-8 minutes.

• Once cooked, pour the mushrooms and their sauce into the pesto sauce.

• Add in the parmesan cheese and stir some more. Let it sit for 2 mins.

• Mix the pasta in with the sauce and stir until it’s fully coated.

• Garnish with more parmesan cheese.

• Enjoy!

Like we mentioned, we don’t have an actual recipe for this pasta, and just sort of guess every time, adding more garlic or salt or pesto when needed. Play around with it and make it your own. Those are always the best recipes anyway, don’t you think?

(Photo via here)

Three Fun Fall Sweaters

You already saw some of the sweaters we wore to Amsterdam, (like PJ’s pictured above) but we’re crushing on a couple more now that the weather is getting even colder here in Tennessee. Is there anything better than wrapping up in a warm sweater on a chilly night? Today, we’re picking our top three favorite sweaters of the season that we can’t get out of our minds.

This burgundy chunky waffle-knit sweater from Forever 21 is the sister to Thomas’ yellow one he wore in Amsterdam. If we love a piece of clothing, we’re sometimes guilty of buying the same thing in different colors, especially in the fall with colors like orange, brown, and burgundy.

For when you want a classic, goes-with-anything look, Gap’s crew neck sweater in dark charcoal fits the bill. Sometimes fall doesn’t have to be all about reds and oranges. Sometimes, a simple gray sweater goes a long way, especially black pants.

If you’re feeling a little bold, this striped rugby sweater by J. Crew would be a lot of fun this fall, don’t you think? We would wear this with some jeans and casual sneakers or desert boots. Bonus: it’s on sale! But they only have XL in stock.

Fall fashion is our favorite, and every year we look forward to seeing what other people are wearing. Now brb, a fire, a glass of wine, and one of these sweaters are calling our names!