Beautiful Food, Travel & Design
I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. It’s never been something that Pat and I have taken seriously as a couple. We’re always trying to find ways to celebrate our relationship and make each other feel special, so the idea of needing a day set aside by greeting card companies to do so feels a bit contrived…. Read More »
Happy Halloween! Phew, now that I have that out of the way, I can officially start planning for the holidays, right? We’re not going home for the holidays this year so I’m counting on all of you to get me in the holiday spirit.
Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday for many reasons. The first and second ones are pie, but a close third is that fact that Pat and I got engaged on Thanksgiving! I love gathering everyone around a big table and eating until you are so full you feel like you’re going to pop…. Read More »
One year ago this week, something pretty special happened. You see, May 25th, 2013 was the day that Pat and I said “I do”.
Our wedding day was magical. It was everything I could have hoped for in a wedding and more. It was the best day ever times a million. There isn’t a single thing I would go back and change. We were surrounded by our closest friends and family and everything was completely homemade – from the archway we got married under to the desserts. Literally everything but dinner was done by Pat and I, along with the help of our wonderful family and friends! I don’t think there was a single guest who didn’t contribute in some way, whether it be setting up the day of, cleaning up at the end of the night, or helping out with the million and a half DIY’s that I planned.
I think that like most people, marriage has been hard work for both of us. It’s not always easy to be married to a resident who works long hours at a high stress job. It’s not easy to leave friends and family behind and move across the country. Fortunately, I think the hard work has really made us appreciate the good great. Except for the weeks that I work night shift, every morning I get to wake up next to my best friend. It’s pretty special.
I made this lovely chai cake with maple frosting for my birthday (I told you I make all my own birthday cakes!). Rather than a true birthday party, I hosted more of a girls’ night/gab fest to celebrate entering the last year of my twenties. It was truly more of an excuse for me to hole myself up in the kitchen for two straight days baking and creating to my heart’s content than anything else.
Read more after the jump!
On the rare mornings that Pat and I can sleep in and have a lazy morning together, we always try to make breakfast. Cooking is one of my favorite things to do with Pat, and making these flavorful chai pancakes was no exception. Topped with berry compote, we had no trouble finishing the entire stack you see here! Luckily one of our other favorite things to do together is to be active. We topped our breakfast off with a bike ride to the ocean and a run with Maddie on the beach. It’s all about balance, my friends!
Oh boy, this baked french toast recipe is the stuff dreams are made of. For some reason, pillowy is the best word I can come up with to describe it. Piles of pillowy goodness topped with whipped greek yogurt topping and these incredible candied pecans that have a bit of a meringue-like, well, pillowy, texture to them. Om, nom nom.
Let’s talk about the whipped Greek yogurt topping. When I first saw the recipe had Greek yogurt in the title, I thought, “Oh great, something healthy to balance out the rest of the dish.” Wee-ell, there’s a 2:1 heavy cream to Greek yogurt ratio in the topping, so, unfortunately, health food is not. Tangy and light and pillowy (ok, that’s the last time I promise) and something I want to slather on everything in sight – definitely.
The recipe also has the option of partially being made ahead, so you don’t have to scramble to put the entire shebang together in the morning. It’s great for making for guests, or when you are a guest at someone else’s place in my case. I made this while we were home for the holidays visiting my in-laws. Making it the night before meant I still got to sleep in a bit – I was on vacation after all. The dish was a hit and was obviously part of my master plan to ingratiate myself into their good graces with food. Not that that is needed at all. I’m so lucky to have married into the nicest and most welcoming family on the planet. Going home to Pat’s family has become going home to my family. It doesn’t get much luckier than that.
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