Stylist. Photographer. Artist. Graphic Designer. Foodie. Fancy Pants.
The weather has been beyond frigid here in Nashville. An ice storm, snow and negative temperatures have shut down the city and locked this little family (with a newborn) in at home. There's only one thing to do ... make soup.
This past Valentine's Day we celebrated my grandmother's 93rd birthday. I wanted to make her a very special birthday cake. She usually gets a Red Velvet Cake since her birthday falls on Valentines. I personally don't love Red Velvet Cake though (and you know it's all about me! haha). All that food coloring ... is it chocolate, is it not? ... no thanks. I wanted to make something that celebrated the "red" holiday, a very special birthday and (most importantly) was knock-your-socks-off delicious.
With Valentine's Day this weekend I wanted to make something special for my love but needed it to be doable during nap time. Now that our little one has arrived—days are filled with feedings, diapers and lots of rocking. Yes, our lives have changed forever (and we are over the moon) but my passion for cooking and creating has not, so somehow I found the time to make these Oreo and Red Velvet Truffles for Jacobs as a little Valentine's treat.
The blog has been a little slow lately because I have been super distracted working on baking my best creation yet—a baby girl! Now that she's due any day, I wanted to officially sign off of the blog only for a bit while our world changes forever and God graces us with a precious little life.
Christmas morning breakfast should be special, but it should also be super simple to throw together. No one wants to be trapped in the kitchen cooking while everyone else is opening presents! I'm always sure to make something ahead of time that can just be thrown in the oven so I can join in the real fun with the rest of the family.
This year I really tried to scale back our Christmas decorations. With a baby-on-the-way, I've tried to streamline the put-out/put-up process to make it a little easier on this growing bump.
Sean Brock of Husk Nashville recently came out with a brand new cookbook, Heritage. It's my favorite Christmas gift to give this year and before I wrapped it up, I decided to try a couple of the recipes (is that allowed? Does that make it a re-gift? Hope not!).
Thanksgiving is next week! Hard to believe ... November is flying by!
Yep. This is how I roll on Fridays. Warm Banana Cake topped with vanilla ice cream, warm caramel, almond toffee and toasted pecans. BOOM. You're welcome.
Plunging fall/winter temperatures make me want to stay inside and bundle up with a warm homemade supper by the fire. It's comfort food season and soups, strews and pot pies are top of mind. Comfort food can be, well, heavy, and it can be easy to pack on those extra winter pounds if you're not careful.
What is it about S'mores that is so irresistible? Is it the warm gooey marshmallows or the smooth chocolate or the crunch of the graham cracker that keeps bringing us back for more? Maybe it's the actual experience: huddling around a bonfire with friends, toasting marshmallows and licking your lips from the oozing chocolate.
During my pie book endeavor, I became an expert in pie crusts. I recently tried my hand at biscuits. Where in the past I got flat rocks, this time they were fluffy, flakey and totally fabulous. I blame all that pie dough practice. It taught me how not to overwork the dough and to work quickly with cold ingredients.
Tis the season for bowls of warm soup dressed with fresh herbs and topped with homemade biscuits. Cool evenings call for huge pots of hearty stew filled with meats and veggies and this Chicken and Bacon Corn Chowder hits the spot.
This past weekend the most amazing women (my girlfriends and sister) combined forces and threw me the loveliest baby shower. Since I'm the one usually throwing and styling parties, it was hard for me to sit back and not participate in the planning (even though I tried!). They did the most beautiful job without my help and I couldn't wait to show you a little snip-it of it here.
I recently styled a photoshoot for the fall/winter issue of Nashville Lifestyles At Home (on newsstands now). They asked me to show how to throw a dinner party at home. I thought an at-home wine tasting would be a fun fall party that might be intimidating at first, but something that is really simple to plan and the perfect treat for friends and family moving into the holidays.
Last week I brought you the most unhealthy, most delicious Sourdough Bread Brown Sugar Pecan Sticky Buns EVER. While they ARE irresistible, they ARE NOT the best practical option for a healthy start to your day. Breakfast doesn't have to be boring though. These Whole Wheat Flax Seed Pumpkin Waffles with Apples and Cinnamon are not only a good-for-you breakfast that you won't feel guilty about, but also full of seasonal flavors.
I'm so sorry. These photos might hurt your eyes—especially if you're on a diet. I apologies but these puppies are worth every calorie. Every. Single. Sticky. Calorie.
Thank you to everyone that came out to my Pie Party Workshop at Tin Cottage last night! I had such a blast meeting all of you, signing books, talking party tips and sharing pie with you. With over 10 of my favorite pies on display, everyone seemed to have a different favorite ... pecan, pumpkin, blackberry, blueberry hand pies, chocolate pudding jar pies and these Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies—my new seasonal fave!
Yesterday the cookbook that I styled and photographed, Me, Myself, and Pie by Sherry Gore hit bookshelves. I couldn't be more excited for the book to finally be out! After cooking, styling, photographing (and there was some eating in there too) over 100 pies in 6 weeks, I'm really proud of what myself, Sherry and Zondervan Publishing put together. Sherry's writing is light and humorous and I have to say, the book is really beautiful (not to brag)!
