24th Birthday

This past Sunday was my 24th birthday, so I broke out these pretty little cupcake (no raging at the clubs over here - mostly eating) earrings for the occasion and celebrated all weekend long :)

On Friday I got a manicure for the first time since *gasp* my senior prom. I get pedicures regularly, but have always done my fingers myself... I'm thinking regular gels may be worth it though after having these fab nails for a few days.

A co-worker brought these beautiful cupcakes into work for me - they were red velvet and sooo yummy!

On Saturday my boyfriend and I went golfing, made a pit-stop at Kate Spade for these perfect little wedges, and then we ended up at one of our favorite restaurants, Mezzo, in Downtown Dublin. We always get the mussels & meatballs for appetizers. They're the absolute best. 

On Sunday (my actual birthday) my parents, grandma and I went to Molly Woo's for lunch after church. It instantly became a new favorite after Maggie took me there a few weeks ago to ask me to be her bridesmaid!

We finished the weekend off with cake, ice cream and a few presents. It was a wonderful birthday weekend and I'm so happy to have spent it with my favorite people! Now let's keep dancin' like we're 22....

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let me start this post by saying I am NOT a good cook, baker, etc.  I can literally count on both of my hands the number of times I have used a mixer, stove, and/or oven by myself in my entire life (thank you college meal plan - yep, I was on one all four years).  However, lately I have been trying to broaden my horizons and try some new things, so when my friend Erin brought some delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies into the office the other day I knew I had to try them myself.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup pumpkin (canned or homemade) 
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups chocolate chips

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray cookie sheet or line w/ parchment paper

2. In a small bowl combine the pumpkin, sugar, oil and egg.  Set aside.

3. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and cloves.

4.  Dissolve the baking soda in the milk and stir into the wet ingredients.

5.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

6.  Add the vanilla and chocolate chips.  Stir until well distributed.

7.  Drop 1-2 tbs of batter onto the baking sheet, leaving a 1 inch space b/w each cookie.

8.  Bake 10 minutes or until the cookies are completely set.

This recipe made exactly 2 dozen cookies when I tried it, but some of my cookies ended up pretty large, which I obviously did not have a problem with.  

Prepare to be addicted. 

Here's to 23

So this post is a little late (about a week late to be exact), but I figured better late than never! My 23rd birthday was last Saturday and it involved A LOT of food... I'm still trying to get over it a week later.

My dad's annual birthday picture. We really should think of a better place to take these... the oven is such a cute background. Side Note: I'm obsessed with this Kate Spade Top (on sale now) and own it in pink and black - the back has an adorable circle back with a bow on the top!

Mom and I immediately got the day started out right by picking up some cupcakes from Gigi's Cupcakes. I've heard about how good these are for the longest time, and they did NOT disappoint. We had pre-ordered a bunch of flavors, but when we got to the store we knew we had to buy a few more. The pink cupcakes, named 'Miss. Princess', had fresh strawberries baked into white cake, and they were as good as they looked. I could go for another right about now....

Honorable Mentions: Red Velvet and Wedding Cake... I'm kicking myself for not trying the Pink Lemonade. I'm sure it would have been scrumptious! 

We may have gone a little overboard... 

On Sunday night Sam took me out to Mezzo in Downtown Dublin for my birthday dinner. What a cutie and trooper for sitting outside (per my request) in some crazy humidity.

Sam ordered the mussels for one of our appetizers - I have always been skeptical of shell fish, and in the past have always refused to try them but these were so good. I would literally eat them every single night if I could. So. Yummy.

The other day we noticed that we don't have any pictures together, so we took the opportunity to grab a picture in the park after dinner. 

4th of July 2014

Well, it's definitely Monday.

It's so hard to get back into the swing of things after a long, fun weekend.  I mostly just hung out on the patio with my family, read a few books, and participated in the "normal" 4th of July festivities. 

Here's a look:

I resisted these shorts for 3 months, but eventually caved a week before the 4th.... and I'm so glad I did. Of all the 4th of July prints that Lilly has released over the past few years I think this print is the most versatile and can be worn all summer long.

 

Friday morning we headed to Dublin's Independence Day Parade, and I debuted my attempt at patriotic nail art - I didn't think it turned out too bad!

 

After the parade we grilled out on the patio with my grandparents. I normally don't eat red meat (or any meat really), but kabobs are my absolute favorite! There's something so fun (and yummy) about meat and veggies on a stick!

 

And for dessert? Cookie Dough Cupcakes from Tasha's Treats and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream from United Dairy Farmers (my absolute favorite ice cream in the entire world). The cupcakes had actual cookie dough inside of them as well as cookies on top, and the icing was so good.

Also - is it a local thing to call United Dairy Farmers 'UDF'? That's what all of my friends and I have always called it, but I went to college nobody knew what I meant!

 

Ready to watch some "sparks fly" at the Dublin Fireworks! Earth, Wind, and Fire was this year's band for the big 4th of July bash and the local high school was absolutely packed.

 

Dad and I sitting at the high school listening to some good music and waiting for the firework show! We got there 2 hours before the fireworks were scheduled to start and got one of the last spots in the football practice field - it was seriously ridiculous!

 My brother and I found some left over sparklers from last year and had some fun in the backyard. What we learned: 6 sparklers is not enough.

Riley even got into the holiday spirit! 

Follow him on Instagram @rileycoyote7

I continued the American celebration on Sunday with my Lilly "State of Mind" dress - it may not be very red, white, or blue, but it sure is patriotic with all 50 states represented on it! Does anyone miss this style of Lilly dress? The new shifts just don't fit me as well as the old ones did!

How was your 4th of July weekend?!

Insta Lately

Lately life has been a little too hectic for me to blog consistently, but I have been able to post snapshots of my life and outfits on Instagram. Here's a few of my favorites...

I went a little overboard when the BRxMarimekko collection was released and tracked down four different items from the collection - I'm obsessed!  I don't shop at Banana Republic too regularly because some of their prints seem a little too "plain" for me, which is why I snatched up all of the fun, bold prints from this collection! Oh, and the fit on this dress? Perfection.  

We got some crazy storms the other night and ended up with a double rainbow (you can only see one of them in this picture, but I promise there was another one). 

Last Monday was "National Pink Day", and I coordinated my outfit accordingly with Kate Spade and some OPI Neon nail polish (Hotter Than You Pink). I searched absolutely everywhere for the OPI Neon collection, but couldn't find them at any of the salons I usually buy my OPI polishes from. I ended up ordering this color along with a few others from Amazon, and they are so fun... more to come on those soon.

I had a lot of questions on Instagram asking where this t-shirt was from. To answer all of your questions it is from Homage, and they have shirts for other countries in the World Cup available as well. They're one of my favorite Columbus brands - I bought one of their sweatshirts last year, and now they're the only brand of sweatshirts I'll wear!

I did a little shopping during the Kate Spade Surprise Sale a few weeks ago and scooped up the Ellina Dress. I also cyber-stalked this Kate Spade sweater on Nordstrom for a few weeks until it went on sale, and they pair perfectly! Kate Spade sweaters are my go-to for work - they fit so well, are comfy, and keep you warm in those chilly offices (even though it's 90+ degrees outside).

My family's favorite restaurant, J.Alexanders, has started to add brunch items to their weekend menu, and the waffles are the bomb. The strawberries are soaked in vanilla, there's a whipped chream/champage sauce on the side, and heavenly applewood smoked bacon. I die.

Comment with your Instagram name - I would love to check it out!

Nothing Bundt Cakes

About a month ago a new shop opened up in Dublin called "Nothing Bundt Cakes" - my mom stopped by to pick up a few (more like 6) for us to try and it was love at first bite.

Seriously, they have the best cakes I have ever tasted in my entire life - super moist, full of flavor, and the perfect size. 

Nothing Bundt Cakes (umm how cute is that name) is a chain that started out in Las Vegas, and has numerous locations across the country, excluding a lot of Eastern states, but I had never heard of it until the location in Dublin opened. 

The inside of the store is perfection - brightly colored, classy, and super cute. 

The first thing I thought of when I went into the store is how it's the perfect place to pop into to pick up a birthday gift for a friend or co-worker. They have cards, individual bundt cakes called "bundtlets", small gifts, and teeny tiny sparklers that come in numbers and shapes - all the necessities for a small, thoughtful gift.

The bundtlet size is what I always stop in for. My favorite flavors? Red Velvet, Marble, Chocolate, and....

LEMON.

I could eat the lemon all day, every day. 

Pistacia Vera Macarons

One of my favorite parts about Columbus? Pistacia Vera.

I visited their actual store in German Village a few months ago, and about melted as soon as I tried their "Lemon Yuzu Macaron" - to die for.  So, when I found out they were opening a location at the North Market I counted down the days until they opened...but seriously, I did.

Today I braved the subzero temperatures (yes, I'll do just about anything for a good dessert) and went to the North Market to buy myself some macarons.

Notice the second flavor in that picture - "Buckeye Macaron".  Only in Columbus would a bakery have a macaron that looks exactly like a buckeye... in support of our Ohio State Buckeyes of course! For reference candy buckeyes are chocolate with peanut butter while "real" buckeyes are a poisonous nut. Great mascot for a school. right?

*Sigh*... perfection.

Oh, and they are the perfect treats to enjoy on this subzero night in my PJ Salvage (sold out) macaron pajamas. What can I say? I like macarons.

Reindeer Noses

I'm sure most of you already know about these tasty little treats, but I felt an obligation to share them with you just in case you hadn't stumbled across them yet. Their "official" name isn't Reindeer Noses, but I've yet to hear a real name for them, so that's what I came up with last year. 

See... the red ones look like Rudolph (who happens to be a reindeer) noses!

Ingredients:

Square Pretzels (or if you're my co-worker you insist on circle pretzels)

m&m's (I bought the Christmas bag for obvious reasons)

Hersey Kisses

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Lay the pretzels flat on a baking sheet and then place a Hershey's Kiss on top of every pretzel. Bake for for  6-8 minutes (check and make sure you can push the m&m most of the way down before removing from the oven).
• Now you have to work quickly...
• Place one m&m in the center of each Hersey's Kiss and press down. Then let cool!

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

It is freezing here in my dorm room today, and with the snow falling peacefully outside there's nothing I want more than to snuggle up with a book and some hot chocolate.  

My friend Kierstin went to Luxembourg to study abroad a few years ago and she bought these really cool "chocolate spoons" that you use to make hot chocolate....and ever since I have been on the hunt for my own. I stumbled upon some at Henri Bendel around Christmas, but they were ridiculously priced, so I decided to go straight to the source.

Insert popbar's "hot chocolate on a stick" that they sell on Amazon - let's face it, they're still kind of expensive at $8.99 for the three hot chocolates on a stick, but I'm a sucker for the novelty of it all.

I may have to order these at some point, but for now I'll just dip into Kierstin's Luxembourg stash...I also may have had my other friend, Anna, bring me back one from Lux since she was abroad last month - what can I say? I was intrigued.

Holiday BashCake

 My family is obsessed with chocolate from Sarris Candies - I swear to you, it is the best stuff on earth (try the chocolate covered pretzels). So, for Christmas mom decided to order a "Holiday BashCake" from them.  

The solid chocolate "cake" arrived with a little, wooden hammer and on Christmas Eve my brother hammered into it..

  

It actually took a few whacks to get it open, and my parents were slightly horrified that the china plate was going to break (it didn't).

And surprise - my favorite chocolate covered pretzels were inside :)

I can't even tell you how good this was, I've eaten so much of it.....it's two days after we opened it and the entire top of the cupcake and half of the side is already gone.

I was transfixed by the little holiday decorations - adorable.

p.s. According to their website they are also apparently "The Official Chocolate of the Pittsburgh Penguins" - who knew?!

S'more Please

My absolute favorite food is S'mores. Unfortunately it's not easy to make them without a campfire in the winter. So I decided to research some s'more alternatives for the winter months on Pinterest.

And now I'm pretty much drooling over my keyboard.

S'more Cake

S'more Cups

Another form of S'more bar.

S'more filled Crescents

Golden Graham S'more Clusters

Do you all like s'mores as much as I do? Would you try any of these?