the most cake

My birthday was this past Friday, the 8th! So I celebrated all weekend of course. Isn't it the best when your birthday falls on a Friday? I like to space it out a little anyway..and just kind of go with the flow. An aquarian through and through! I usually start stressing about what to do about a week before and then I don't want to do anything..the pressure! Mom tried to plan a surprise party for me a few years ago..worst idea ever. haha

I'm too weird.

This birthday was perfect! Most of my celebrations revolve around food. Luke was off all week and made me birthday brunch, Belgian waffles with mascarpone/whipped cream, strawberries..and chocolate covered ones too! He makes them for me every year, it's tradition.

Growing up it was a pizza/movie sleepover, and these beauties in the morning.  

Mom always made them!

My time travel necklace was appropriate..it's flying by!

Sported some falsies..and felt kinda like lambchop haha

Friday was the largest indoor yard sale at the fairgrounds and my birthday dinner of choice..Italian.

Every year.

We used to always go to a restaurant growing up but I really love cooking at home, my stuff just tastes better!

Baked eggplant stacks. With mascarpone.

Killer.

cake cocktail

Saturday was sushi and thrifting with my mom and late night mexican food,margaritas,and movies with my little brother.

Luke helped me make my birthday dessert, a little white cake with layers of mascarpone and strawberry topped with meringue frosting. We nearly destroyed it..but not before two huge sheet cakes made their way into the house too! I love cake as much as the next girl..but this is just ridiculous.

 February makes me happy, Have a great Valentine's day!

candied gams

I hope everyone had a great day! We ate way too much and spent the day with our families. I helped with the cooking a bit by making one of my favorite holiday dishes, candied yams.(sliced,carmelized,butter&brown sugar) My grandma Betty used to make them every year and it's so nice to carry on certain traditions.

I've been living in rust,the perfect color for Fall. I can't believe it's almost December, time has been flying by!

Amelia Bedelia

 I love catching up with everyone and slowing down for a bit, it's all about food and family.

Jack

Colby..she's one of the prettiest dogs, those eyes!

Do you have a favorite holiday food?

dish : pecan n' pumpkin pie recipe



I had a slice for breakfast,it's that good. Pie is appropriate at any time of day..the perfect food.

Makings:

2 pie crusts

(Filling)

1 29oz can of pumpkin

1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup brown sugar

(Topping)

2 tbsp. flour

4 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. cold butter cut into small pieces

1 bag(2 cups) chopped pecans

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 425

Mix filling ingredients together until smooth, pour into the 2 pie crusts. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile combine the topping ingredients to create the streusel, stirring in the nuts last.  Remove the pies and reduce the heat to 350. Sprinkle each with the topping and continue baking 40 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center of each pie comes out clean. Cool.

The result is a creamy pumpkin pie topped with buttery caramelized pecans..so good! I've nicknamed it the flea market pie, the topping reminds me of those heavenly Cinnamon sugar roasted pecan stands. Baking in the fall/winter is one of my favorites things, along with watching Pushing Daisies. I'm going to attempt to make a Pear/Gruyere pie next!

you may say i'm a dreamer...

Luke and I got to spend the day together and we had a chance to check out a new little restaurant that recently opened in our neighborhood and it has our favorites..sushi and thai food! It's run by the cutest couple around our age, he creates the dishes and she serves them..the perfect partnership. I love seeing people have a dream come true and I plan on visiting their little place often. It was so delicious and beautifully presented, I love the little added details and sushi is such a pretty food to eat!

We've had really weird fall like weather lately that was perfect for a walk around our historic neighborhood. There is an amazing old building that we're in love with, It looks like it was a bar at one time and it would be so beautiful restored. I would love to turn it into an old fashioned cafe/bar with modern comfort food made from fresh, local ingredients and old movies playing in the background. Quiche,soups,salads..and sweet tea!

It would be named "Nola's" after my amazingly eclectic grandma who recently passed away. My family is from the south(Tennessee/sharecroppers) and she moved to Georgia to live with my aunt when she got older and I missed being able to see her every day. She became very sick and discovered she had rapidly spreading breast and pancreatic cancer and was gone within a few weeks. I flew(my only plane ride) to spend time with her and did her makeup and hair like I always did when I saw her, she loved how pretty she looked! I wanted to learn everything about her that I possible could in the time we had left. In the hospital I laid in bed with her and she told me stories about her heritage and how she used to make her own lye soap and apothecary products and take mud baths in her backyard! She had the prettiest skin with barely a wrinkle at 71 years old, her "weirdness" was something to learn from. I remember her cooking wild foods like cattail shoots and dandelions and making natural teas for me to try. She had beautiful long dark hair that she rinsed with fresh rain water and to this day I still put my bucket out to catch the falling drops when the rain comes in. I remember walking in her dimly lit house(by lanterns, it was a tiny wooden place tucked in trees), and admiring all of her old furniture and pieces that she had added her own personal touches to. She lived simply and quietly and a lot of people didn't get her..I did. When she died I was given all of her old books and the stunning antique wedding band set that I now wear as my own.  My mom tells me how much I remind her of Nola and I want to keep her memory alive, the worst thing I could do is forget such a special women!

Later we ventured out to see a movie at the local theater. We don't get to go to the movies very often so I wanted it to be a good one..it was.

I'm so lucky my husband and I found each other..we can be "weird" together in this thing called life and create our own paths and dreams. Who knows, we may even have a little place named "Nola's" one day!