lately

Just a quick smattering of some of the highlights of the past few weeks. 

 Lots of celebrations, new additions, and a chance to actually enjoy living in Jacksonville!

1. Josh appearing in a sizzle reel for an upcoming TV series my mom is helping produce.  He definitely wins "Son in law of the year" for that favor.

2. Beach day!  I am starting to feel like a true Floridian.

3. Welcomed my newest nephew into the world yesterday.  Adam Gillespie ("Lep") Adams V.

4. Birthday date with our niece B.

5. Date night with Josh to see the "Future Retro" car exhibit at the Cummer.

6. Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Pie for my Dad's belated birthday celebration.

7. A shower for Simmons before the arrival of her little boy.

8. All the girls at Simmons' shower.

xo,

thought for the week: living

We all do it.  Sometimes life just gets too hectic and too crazy and we go into cruise control.  We exist without really living and without really appreciating the wonderful (yet hectic and crazy) pieces of the day.  

I have been EXTREMELY guilty of existing this summer.  Anyone who has spoken to me will tell you that my mantra is "August 1."  I have been putting off exercise, cooking, decorating, and seeing friends.  If that's not just existing, I don't know what is!

While a certain amount of focus is a necessary evil of this bar exam process, I have decided that I can't let it continue to rule my everyday existence.  I will certainly still spend the majority of my days (and nights) studying, but I am also determined to enjoy the little parts life that come daily.  Somedays living might mean taking the pup for an extra walk to enjoy the new neighborhood.  Other days might mean whipping up a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough and indulging in some HGTV.  Sometimes I might get really wild and have dinner out with Josh or friends.  Whatever living means on a particular day, my goal is to enjoy each day, not just exist until August.  

I started this weekend with a run on Saturday and Sunday and the soreness of my legs is a good reminder to keep living.  What do you do to enjoy your days and really live rather than just exist?

xo,

wedding registry: essential baking tools

After a little break, today we are continuing on with more "kitchen essentials" for your wedding registry.  I titled this post "essential baking tools," but really you will likely use these items in your kitchen whether you bake or not.  I find that I use my mixing bowls to make salads or to toss veggies in olive oil before roasting, I use my oven mitts to remove ANYTHING from the oven, and I use my measuring cups for all types of cooking.  Really, you will want these tools in your kitchen if you like to bake, but you will also want them for daily meal preparation.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

1. Mixing Bowls: I love my set from Williams Sonoma.  I have a white set and I use them literally everyday.  I also have a set of nice glass bowls, but I predominately use these sturdy, plastic bowls.  A must have for any kitchen.

2. Collapsible Measuring Cups: These are one of my very favorite kitchen items.  My little sister gave these to me for one of my bridal showers when she was just 12- she had great taste even then.  They also make a smaller set for Tbs. and tsp. measurements.  These are perfect for a small kitchen where space is a premium.

3. Silpat Liners: Another must have in any kitchen.  Whether you are baking cookies or roasting veggies, or just heating up a sandwich in the oven- these keep your baking sheets in top condition.  Don't be fooled though- the square is the size for a standard cooking sheet and the one pictured here is for a jelly roll pan.

4. Rolling Pin: While this is a debatable essential, you will find that if you need one and you don't have one- there is no other kitchen tool that really does the job as effectively.  I have tried to use a water bottle or a big tervis tumbler, but take it from me, this doesn't work.  Moral of the story- add a rolling pin to your registry, when you need one, you will really need it!'

5. Baking Set: Even if you don't bake, I think it is still smart to have at least one cookie sheet, a muffin tin, and a cake pan (round or square.)  You never know when you will have a craving for a box of brownies and having the tools to whip up a batch will make life much easier.  I like the Williams Sonoma Gold Touch line- it's non-stick and bakes very evenly.

6. Oven Mitt: Invest in two!  I always wear them when I take things out of the oven and I love the mitt because it covers your whole hand and arm.  It is amazing how quickly you can burn your arm or hand on the door of the oven when you reach in to remove something with just the half mitts or a dish towel.  Grab a pair and keep them handy- I promise you will thank me.

Do you have any other baking tools that you think are essential?

xo,

cranberry, blueberry, orange scones

Hello!  First of all, thank you for the Easter tradition suggestions.  I especially love that all of them involve sweets- pancake breakfasts, krispy kreme deliveries, etc.  YUM YUM.

Speaking of YUM, today I am sharing the scones that I made for Easter morning.  I decided to make them on a whim, and I must say they are delicious- and easy!  Could help that a majority of the scone  comes from a Trader Joe's Buttermilk Pancake/Baking mix, but who's really complaining?!  (As an aside, check back on Friday for a post on some of my Trader Joe's favorites...the mix will definitely make the list!)  Give these a try next time you need a special breakfast treat!

scones

mix

Cranberry, Blueberry, and Orange Scones
Recipe from Trader Joe's!

Ingredients:

• 3 3/4 C. Trader Joe's Baking Mix (see photo above)
• 1/4 C. salted butter
• 3 Tbs. sugar
• 1. C cold milk
• Dried fruit (I used 1/2 C. each of dried cranberries and blueberries)
• 1 orange (zest and juice)
• Flour (for kneading)

Directions:

1. If you are using dried fruit, add fruit to a bowl of warm water and let it soak for at least 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400.
3. Add baking mix and sugar to a large bowl. 
4. Using a pastry knife, cut butter into the mix until lumps resemble a coarse meal.  (I don't have a pastry knife, so I just cut the butter into small pieces and then used my fingers to create the right texture.)
5. Add the milk and stir together until moistened.  
6. Add the zest and juice of the orange to the mixture and fold in dried fruit.  
7. Place dough on a floured surface and knead 5 times to form a ball.  Form dough into a 8 inch circle with a slight dome in the center.  
8. Cut dough into 8 wedges.  (This made huge scones- I might cut them into smaller pieces next time.)
9. Place wedges onto greased sheet pan about 1 inch apart.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
10. Serve warm with butter, jelly, or clotted cream.

Enjoy!

xo,

easter weekend with my peeps

Good Morning!  Did you have a fantastic weekend?  I spent most of the day Saturday writing a paper, but it paid off because I got to enjoy lots of treats and family time on Easter.

While Easter in North Carolina is wonderful, I do miss my family's traditions.  Josh and I don't have any traditions of our own for Easter, but we want to start some!  So far we have (1) eating a fresh baked good and an orange on Easter morning before church... and with that we are officially taking your suggestions for creating some Easter traditions of our own.  Help is obviously needed and much appreciated...

easter morning

Saturday was the most beautiful day I can remember in a long time.  We opened all the doors and windows in our little house and enjoyed the weather as much as possible.  As I said before, I spent most of the day writing a paper, but on my breaks I ran outside to soak up some sunshine.  We had lots of walks with Mac and enjoyed lunch outside at Merritt's, home of the best BLT in the country. 

josh and mac "at the rock" on our favorite walking route

spring flowers and merritt's blt

Easter this year seemed like the perfect chance to load up on sugar...and I did.  I made homemade scones for our Easter breakfast and then with each meal we added more treats and sugar.  I think I will be on detox for at least a month!  On another note, how cute are those cupcakes my sister-in-law May made?  They are carrot cake cupcakes topped with chocolate peeps- adorable and delicious!

cupcakes and peeps // homemade scones // easter petits fours

Sunday night we had pancake supper at the my sister-in-law's parent's house.  The Easter Bunny hid eggs for our niece and nephew in the yard and we had fun hunting for the hard-boiled gems.  That's right- hard boiled eggs- as in real ones...here's hoping we found them all?!?!

jake, maggie, and david ready to hunt / annie and maggie / josh and jake

What are your favorite Easter traditions?  Like I said, we are taking suggestions so I would love to hear from you!  Wishing you all a wonderful start to your week.  

xo,

wedding registry: emile henry

Hello!  Sorry for the late post today.  I got my first taste of what the real world will be like after graduation when I had to be at a breakfast meeting in Raleigh at 8am.  I am going to miss my student schedule where my first class doesn't start until after 9am...

Continuing on my theme of wedding registry favorites, today I am excited to share Emile Henry bakeware.

emile henry

We added this to our registry on a whim and I am SO thankful that we did!  I use it almost everyday and it is so easy for cooking, baking and it is even cute enough to use on the table for serving. The color selection is great and the line has multiple shapes and sizes of bakeware to fit any need.  I especially love their bread pan- it is deep enough to make a large loaf of bread and the bread always bakes evenly.

emile henry

We registered for our Emile Henry at Williams Sonoma, but I imagine it is available at multiple kitchen stores.  Any other great registry items to share?

xo,

christmas eve

Happy Christmas Eve!  It is time to enjoy the hours of wrapping, baking, shopping, stuffing stockings, and making it all look easy :)  Light your favorite Christmas candle, turn on some music, and enjoy time with your family and friends.   Christmas only comes once a year...enjoy it! 

xo,

breakfast cookies

I am convinced that December is the best month of the year for baking.  Really, anytime is a great time to bake, but something about baking in anticipation of Christmas makes it even more fun for me.  To celebrate the first day of Advent, I decided to try these "breakfast cookies" I found on pinterest.  (If I'm honest, I was also down to the last drops of milk, had no eggs, and one lonely banana, which meant our breakfast pickins' were pretty slim...)

Speaking of slim pickins...I did not have any crescent rolls in my fridge.  BUT, luckily for me, google had plenty of good homemade dough recipes.  I used whole wheat flour (in an attempt to make cookies for breakfast healthier?!) but I think in the future the best option would be to use the pre-made crescent rolls to save time and energy.  And, let's face it, homemade dough is not going to make these any better for anyone...whole wheat flour or not!

Despite my ingredient set backs, the cookies turned out great!  Definitely not something to serve every morning, but they are perfect for a special treat.

 Enjoy!

breakfast cookies with whole wheat flour

Chocolate Cream Cheese Breakfast Cookies 
Recipe from Cookies & Cups

Ingredients:

• 1 can seamless crescent roll dough (This is the way to go, but if you are feeling brave- try the link above for homemade dough!)
• 1 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 C sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 C mini chocolate chips (I used regular size and they worked just fine- and I used WAY more than 1/2 a cup!)

Directions:

• Roll out crescent roll dough into a rectangle shape
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla
• Spread cream cheese mixture onto rolled out dough
• Sprinkle chocolate chips over cream cheese
• Roll up the dough tightly and wrap it in cling wrap
• Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or over night
• After chilled, preheat oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
• Slice the crescent roll into 1/4 inch slices and lay on cookie sheet
• Bake 12-14 minutes (or until dough is golden brown) (10 minutes was perfect for my oven and homemade dough)
• Serve warm

xo,

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