Cocktail Recipe: Espresso Martini

OK, we are officially espresso martini people now. And likely need one if we are leaving the house after 6pm. Brian tried a cocoa finish on this one, heavy on the cocoa but pretty and very delish! And likely perfect for today if you are planning to make it to midnight! 

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Kate's PreK4 Graduation

Kate had her PreK graduation celebration the first week of May. It was so fun to see her with all of her friends. She even volunteered for a speaking part-- so proud of her! 

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Spring Weekend in NOLA

It's no surprise that we love our long weekends in south Louisiana. Especially when we get to spend so much time with the Middlekauffs/Hollands! This was another trip we wondered if we should cancel but ultimately decided we needed a break and what better way than a weekend of good food, lovely drinks and perfect company?

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Memphis Ballet: Cinderella

We bought tickets to join the Caldwells at the Memphis Ballet maybe last December! Excellent timing with our home and Erin's getting hit by the tornado. We thought about not going but decided we could all use a breather and something fun! 

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Easter 2023

I don't know about you but I could use a different entry photo of my blog. So I'm back.. and I have a whoooole lot to post about. I have like nine months worth here. Starting with Easter. I didn't take any good pictures-- not a single family shot but I did get one of these sweet little girls on Easter morning. 

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Tornado.

When I think about March 31, 2023, I still don't really know what to think or where to start. I just know that it's incredibly insane life can change so fast. 

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Homemade Focaccia Bread

Hello! Long time, no recipes. Don't fear, I'm here with a really, really wonderful one! My goodness this was fantastic. It's interesting how many recipes I found for focaccia bread. Some took 24 hours. This one was faster and really, really perfect. Try it! 

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Lemon Basil Burrata

I hope you checked out the balsamic spaghetti recipe I posted a couple days ago. I had some extra burrata left from that dish so I whipped up a quick appetizer and it was really lovely. Super easy, super fresh, light and again.. just lovely! Try it! 

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Summer Lovin: Chimichurri Grilled Chicken

Want to talk about recipes that will be on repeat all summer long?! This one right here! Goodness it was so fresh and mighty. And bright and flavorful! The recipe calls for tomatoes in the couscous but we switched it up. We wanted some grilled veggies so we tossed the tomatoes and asparagus in a grill basket and then added it as a side. Solid decision! 

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Balsamic Spaghetti + Burrata

Man.. this one was a homerun! It was so fantastic!! Plus we made fresh Italian bread and dipping oil. Really exceeded my expectations. Had that balsamic that we love but also a touch of heat. Really, really wonderful and a perfect addition to Italian Sunday!  

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Soft & lovely chocolate chip cookies

New cookie recipe! I've tried so many and this is by far the softest, if that's your style.. try this! Really really fantastic. I ended up making these into cookie sandwiches the next day and they were really just over the top wonderful! 

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Kate lost her FIRST tooth!

Big excitement in our house last week--Kate lost her first tooth! We actually didn't realize one was loose until her dentist appt last month. She's been wiggling it ever since. Brian let her know there would be blood involved so she stopped messing with it so much and it just fell out while at school last week. She was too thrilled! 

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Jalapeno Pork + Cilantro Rice

We made this meal last weekend and it was packed with flavor! We ended up cooking the pork in the cast iron and it had a really great crust. The cilantro rice was really really great. We've made different versions in the past but I think this is the most perfect one and I know I'll make it again! 

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I fly like paper, get high like planes

Unless you went to college in the middle 2000s, you might not love my title here. But it's all I can think about when Brian talks about this drink. His new favorite, a paper plane. Check it out below! 

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Better than Boxed Brownies

I made some really wonderful brownies this weekend! I asked the kiddos (including Brian) if they wanted cookies or brownies and it was unanimous. I wanted to try out this new recipe and it did not disappoint. It was so fantastical and magical! :) 

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Wye Mountain Daffodils

This past weekend we went to Wye Mountain to check out the daffodil festival. We hit it right before it started raining. It was terribly cold and overcast but we still managed to have a good time and get some quality time out of the house. Win! 

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Grilled Lamb

We grabbed these lamb chops at Costco a couple weeks ago and man, they were really wonderful. They were perfectly seasoned, perfectly grilled and just really perfect all around. We served with roasted carrots and a mustard sauce, yum. Try these!! 

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Boujie Grilled Cheese

I know I've posted about grilled cheese sandwiches on here before. I've never been a fan until I figure out how to make GOOD grilled cheese! Outside of the fantastic and delish one from Starbucks-- that's almost my very favorite. But my actual favorite is mine and now the one above. I grabbed some unexpected cheddar shredded cheese from trader joes and used it mixed with yellow sharp cheddar and BAM. Heavenly! Warmed up some canned tomato soup, added some seasonings and then made some quick croutons with homemade bread... BAM BAM again. Try it! 

 

Fat Tuesday 2023

We had a blast at the annual Mardi-party at Trinity Episcopal! Can't believe this will be our last year at the girls school. We love this one. Might have to go back just because! 

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Sea Salted Caramel Brownies

OKAY if you want something super wonderful and fantastic and rich and just really wonderfully perfect. You are in the right spot. This caramel brownie is everything I never knew I needed. And I need another one right now. 

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Jambalaya by BJ

We love this dish! I'm already wishing we had it again. Brian puts his own spin and cooks it in a dutch oven on the stove and skips that oven business that I've listed below. This past time we roasted some okra to go with it and BAM. So delish. Try it!

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LR Central Cheer Clinic

Kate participated in the Little Rock Central High School cheer clinic a couple weeks ago. They spent a Saturday morning practicing and then performed at the basketball game the following weekend. It was so cute and Kate was so excited to perform. She's still chanting "TIGERS!" from time to time. And that picture above it just my fav. 

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Snow Day - Kinda

We had a fake snow day a couple weeks ago, actually it turned out to be like three! I still can't believe nothing even really happened and we were home this long! The girls pranced around the house in hardly any clothing the entire time but looked adorable while doing it. So I snapped some cute ones :)

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Gin Cocktail: Empress Q1908

I finally got a bottle of the purple empress gin and it's just so pretty! Brian put together one of the recipes from the tag that comes on it and it's my fav! The egg white kind of scared me but I now think this is my absolute fav! Try it! 

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Herb Crusted Lamb

A couple weeks ago, I grabbed a rack of lamb chops while at Trader Joes. Had no idea how I was going to cook them but it sounded good. I found this recipe I had saved a little while back. The photo doesn't look amazing but this was a 10/10! Will do over and over and over again! 

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Salmon Carpaccio + Crispy Capers

No secret around here that we loved smoked salmon! When I saw this recipe, I knew we had to try it. We've made it twice now.. once without the capers and once with. You def want to go with the crispy capers. Try it! 

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Valentine's Day 2023

Happy Valentine's Day! I can't believe I don't have a single picture of the kiddos together for this day. And the above is the best I got of us. Everyone had fun day and I think this day is right up there with Halloween. Alllll the sweets. 

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Cinnabon Copycat :)

My second attempt at a cinnamon roll recipe was a home run! Really loved these. They were delish! You should try these soon. SO squishy and perfect!

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Greek Salad = Fantastic!

I ran across this salad on instagram a few weeks ago. It looked fantastic so I wanted to give it a shot. The day before we made it, a coworker got a similar salad that had pulled chicken on it too. I figured might as well go that route so I took some smoked rotisserie chicken and tossed it with the salad. So confident that this will be on repeat. It was so good! 

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Yummy Tasty Brownie

After dinner a couple weeks ago, Brian asked what was for dessert. With zero plan, I started these brownies that I stumbled on a few days prior. Instagram for the win! We had everything. It was a miracle. But we didn't have ice cream. So I went with a little icing drizzle, which I loved. I grabbed Brian some ice cream the following day :) These were good. Fantastic. Try them! 

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Crockpot Ramen = LOVE

Last weekend I made this fantastic ramen and it was so delicious and so perfect and it's cold today so I'm just dreaming about it!!! And I want it and it's perfect. OK?!

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Julia Child's Sandwich Bread

You probably know by now that I've veeerry into making bread these days. I tried just regular ole sandwich bread over the weekend and man, it was really wonderful. And once I figured out how to cut it, it was even better and I just really realllly love it. Way easier than you would think, give it a try!

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Christmas 2022!

We had a very festive and merry Christmas with lots of friends and family! We enjoyed a couple extra days in El Dorado since LR was suppose to get some icy weather, we took off early. Love the picture above. The girls are so interested in the place where mommy and daddy got married. Now we have a picture of all of us! 

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Chocolate + Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread

Yuuumm! I made this for Christmas morning and it was so good! I did all the prep the night before so I could pop it in the oven and bam! It was harder than I intended, I didn't think about the whole not having my mixer in El Dorado aspect. I ended up mixing by hand and it wasn't impossible but much harder!  The result was fantastic! 

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Gin Cocktail Recipe: Southside

Brian made me this drink a couple weeks ago and it was so fantastic! We skipped the mint part and I left it out below since all of our mint died for the winter. It was fantastic and since I'm a graduate of Southside Elementary school, the name was fitting :) 

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La Scala Chopped Salad

I saw this salad on instagram a few weeks ago and knew we had to make it. Turns out it's a viral salad from TikTok and I'm behind the game. But we've made it twice now so we're making up for lost time. It's so good! Don't hesitate, just make it! 

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Midnight Pasta

A few weeks ago, we tried a new pasta recipe that I've had saved for a while. I loved it!! The anchovy gave it a super funky yet delightful taste and those red pepper flakes added some pop! It was easy and delish. Definitely recommend 10/10!

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Another Easy Christmas Gift

You know by now my love for the dollar section. I started grabbing these cute little towels early. I ended up putting together 20 of them! From teachers to coworkers--these were divvied out to lots of people this Christmas! If you look really close, I hand stamped each utensil with "Joy." I'm a little out of practice but I think they still turned out now. I wrapped each towel and utensil with a cookie cutter, cute ribbon and a little card made by yours truly! XOXO

 

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

I made the most fantastic cinnamon rolls this morning. Well actually I started last night so we could easily pop them in the oven this morning. The instructions look daunting but trust.. it's not bad at all and so very easy! This will be a regular around our house. So good! 

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