Going Home…

After one whole year away from all the beautiful people I love dearly and have MISSED EVERY SINGLE DAY(like you wouldn’t even understand) I simply had to go home.

My life would of course be much easier if all of my friends and family were located in the same city, but like most families, they are strewn out around the United States.

It’s always going to be challenging to see all of the folks that I would like to when I visit. It’s simply not possible. I will also miss weddings, births, and killer dinner parties whilst I’m abroad.

This is just a sad reality of my spectacularly fun new life. ;(

We flew into Cleveland first because that’s where a big chunk of my family live.

My beautiful Aunts did their best to make our stay the most relaxing and fun few days imaginable…

I even got to spend some quality time with the family pets!

And no trip to CLE is complete without stopping by Cedar Point.

We rodes some epic and terrifying coasters…

Ate some massive BBQ turkey legs…

Then we passed out from jet lag exhaustion!

Followed by a quick flight to Nashville!!

I immediately had a bar party and invited everyone to come out and give me a year’s worth of hugs.

They complied!

Toasts were made…

I was so excited to spend time with some of my besties…

And baby!

OOooohhh baby!

This one made me want one of my own…

Even with fussy scrunched up sad baby face…

There were lots of babies being made whilst I was away…

Big fat squooshy pretty babies!!!

And some of the babies I knew a year ago weren’t babies anymore, but little tiny people…

Simon made some new friends as well…Of the furry variety…

And the wacky-conspiracy-theory-Jesus-loving-rocker-chick variety…

Crazy girls are the hottest. Always. That is a fact.

LOVE YOU LALA. Forevs. PS. Her Dad MIGHT be Ziggy Stardust. FYI.

Moving on…

My mom was as pretty as I remember her being…

My brother was still a massive fantasy football dweeb…

Gorgeous sunny Murphmurph was just as gorgeous and sunny as ever…

Becca was still awesome and smart and sharing her love of great food…

She and her fantastic fiance took us out to Dinner at Silo http://www.silotn.com

Exceptional and elevated Southern cuisine welcoming me home proved to be JUST what I needed…

Especially deviled eggs three ways…

Deep fried greenbeans…

And pork belly…

We even visited my beloved Bombay Palace http://www.bombaypalacetn.com/

They were all super excited to see me too! Awwwwww!

Actually, we did a lot of eating.

And of course, we had to work some of it off…

No better place than Edwin Warner Park…

So that was our trip back to Nashville via Cleveland. A ton of photos I know, but some super wonderful days with friends and family! Hopefully I’ll be back sooner than later and can see more of my loved ones this time! See ya soon Nashville xx

One last Spain post for my foodies…

I just wanted to share some of the food I DEVOURED in Spain for those of you who live to eat…

I promise I’ll be quick!

A simple lunch…

Followed by a decadent dinner…

Tomato and goat cheese salad

Beef carpaccio with sheep’s-milk cheese

Tuna carpaccio with pink peppercorn and dill

Filet mignon with foie

Vanilla bean panna cotta with black currants…

Me pre-FACESTUFF

Me in action!

Grilled calamari for another yummy lunch…

A little scampi party…

Tasty tapas…

That is all! I hope you salivated at least a little!

Next up: LONG overdue Nashville Trip posts!!!

Christmas in Spain…

Hi Friends. Sorry it takes me forever and ever to post lately.
I’m a busy little worker bee in hustle-y bustle-y ole Londontown. You must forgive me!

Needless to say, spending Christmas in Spain was exceptionally cool (as you have probably surmised from my last few posts).

I don’t celebrate Christmas for religious reasons (because I’m not a religious lady) but to be honest, I LOVE the aesthetic of Christmas.

Big fat glittery Christmas trees and shiny foil wrapping paper get me all swoony inside.

Eggnog, chocolate truffles, and roasted meat? Yes please.

To get to do, see, and experience all of these things in fancy pants Spain with my beautiful and FUN Spanish family was simply the best.

There was so much food. So many presents. It was quite simply the loveliest and merriest of Christmases I could imagine ever having.

I present it to you with limited comment!

The boys worked hard to prepare Christmas dinner…

They even served everyone!

My paleo plate!

The wine began to flow and so did the laughter!

And then the machetes?

And of course…dishes were tackled…

Snuggles were had…

Feliz Navidad!!!!! xx

At the Olive Farm…

Alcalá la Real is full of olive farms. My Sister-in-Law Veronica, has just inherited her family’s olive farm and is running it with her sister. It has been passed down over many generations and is a spectacularly beautiful place to get to explore. As far as the eye can see, just rows and rows of beautiful twisty olive trees disappearing over the hills…

I wandered around the farm and tried to capture as much of the magic as I could…

It is very easy to get lost in an olive grove, just FYI for next time you go exploring on an olive farm…

I stumbled across faerie ring after faerie ring and had thoughts of my younger days with Melissa and Audrey flood back to me like it was yesterday…

And all of these beautiful olives…

Much to my utter GLEE we were able to bring back 5 liters of Veronica’s deliciously rich and wonderful olive oil. I am very happy to report that we have been eating olive oil on everything and the day we run out I might have to fly back to get more!

Next up…The animals of Spain xx

Tiny Holiday in Kirkby Lonsdale

I’ve been living in the UK for over a year now and I’ve learned a lot of things.
It may seem obvious to you, but to me it’s been an epiphany.

You simply MUST go on holiday every now and again.
For the sake of your own personal sanity and the sanity of those around you having to listen to you moan and be grumpy as fuck all the time.

It totally sorts you out. Trust me!

I never used to take many trips.

I longed to travel more than anything.
Even just a quick weekend away to kick back and relax.

Nope.

I worked too much, made too little money, took too many classes at a time, and anytime I saved up enough money to go somewhere, something would surely come up.

Car trouble, an unexpected medical issue,emergency vet bill, self-inflicted hair dye disaster…

SOMETHING.always got in the way.

But life is definitely changed for me now.

I’m far less stressed, certainly less broke, and much better prepared to face unexpected expenses than I was a few years ago.

So yeah, take a vacation people.

If you can swing it.

It does wonders for your temperament!

Especially when you live in a big city like London.

Being packed together with millions of other people on public transport day in and day out can leave you craving a bit of scenery that is more of the green and blue variety and less of the concrete and glass variety.

We decided that our souls needed a bit of open sky a few months back and we took a 4 day trip to Kirkby Lonsdale.

We went on a breathtaking waterfall/English countryside trek as well as a stroll through the village and a couple of visits to different farms around the area (so I could fulfill my lifelong dream of hugging a SHEEP!)

The raddest steps in England.

English sweets.

If you ever find yourself in Kirkby Lonsdale, you simply MUST do this:http://www.ingletonwaterfallstrail.co.uk/

Those are pennies!

Penny Mushrooms!

SHEEPS!

SHEEPS THAT WOULD NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LET ME HUG THEM.

SADFACE.

Isn’t it other-worldly beautiful? Sigh.

So then we visited farms!

And I made friends and kissed fuzzy animal faces and my dreams came true.

I don’t remember this guy’s name, but he was ace.

Hands down the friendliest goat I’ve ever met.

BAAAABY GOAT!

Lambies!!

Snouts!

He’s got PIGGY EYEBROWS!!!

(pig sex photobomb totally happening in the background for extra points)

Which is how you end up with BAAAAABY PIGGIES!

And buns! So many buns…

Check out all the feet floof!

BIG bun…

Baaaaby cows!

TEETH!

They are totally making the same facial expression!

Huggggggssss….

Horsies…

Silly horsies…

Mustachioed horsies…

With furry feet!

Tiny emo horsies with stubb-tastic legs and ombre hipster fringe!

I’ve seen dogs with longer legs…

Owls…

Alpacas…

Soooooper goofy donkey friends…

Chickens…

The moment you have been waiting for.

The hugging of a sheep done by ME!

He came right up to me and said hello.

So I said hello back.

Quite gleefully I might add…

And then I did what any reasonable person might do when confronted with a really sweet sheep friend.

I hugged him!

And he was totally into it!

Best tiny Holiday ever! xx

TEA. A Love Affair.

I have always loved tea.

Growing up in the South, iced tea is generally part of daily existence.

Iced Sweet tea, Iced Green Tea, Iced Peach Tea, Iced Passionfruit Tea…the varieties are endless.

I’ve never really gotten into hot tea as much (aside from wintry days where my throat is highly unhappy).

A few years ago I stumbled upon Teavana in the Green Hills Mall and developed a very serious crush with the place.

http://www.teavana.com

But they are SO EXPENSIVE. And they try to up-sell you to death.
It got to the point where I didn’t even want to make eye contact with the sales associates when I went into the store.
They also don’t tell you that the canisters they put the tea in cost extra (or at least failed to mention that to me any of the 50 times I bought tea).
And some of the “teas” don’t even contain tea at all. Just sweetened dried fruit & flowers…but they still call it “TEA”.
(Is there not a rule against this)?

Anyway, I still love tea.

To be more accurate, I’m pretty much obsessed with hot tea since I moved to the UK.
Specifically Earl Grey.

At first, it’s a little weird that everyone is always going on and on about having a “cuppa” tea all the damn time.
But I quickly realized that I had never had Earl Grey tea with milk & sugar before.

MY BRAIN——-> WAIT A MINUTE! THIS IS EFFING STELLAR!

A hot cup of tea can fix your soul.

Part of the joy of tea is the ceremony…

And adorable china…

And having a hot tea date…

I can’t stop drinking it. I crave it!
I have even been using agave syrup and soy milk to be healthier.
It has fully replaced coffee in my life.
I know…THAT’S CRAZY TALK!

I order it everywhere we go.

I just can’t help myself.

And people here even drink it alongside their meals. Even with cheeseburgers!
(By the way, I ate a cheeseburger the other day and it was phenomenally delicious).

See? DELICIOUS!

So, long story short, tea is important. Drink it and feel better.

Now, how about I leave you with some spectacular street art from my travels around Brick Lane in London?

And of course, lest you forget…The Beginning is Nigh!

Adventures with Duck

Although my status as a carnivore has for the most part, been on a down trend, every so often I break away and indulge in some good old-fashioned meat-eating.
My favorite animal to eat is duck.
The deliciously tasty and most excellent duck.
The skin especially, is just down right decadent.

Guh.

How can one commit to a life of complete vegetarianism after tasting duck skin?

Tell me this!

My spectacular trip to London this Summer involved my first ever Peking Duck experience, which I shall never forget, no matter how many more brain injuries I sustain in my life.

The started out with no plans of a duck feast in sight.
We did a little sight-seeing…

Hung out in the park and acted like annoyingly adorable teenagers…

Met up with QT and consumed some wine on a boat bar on the Thames River…

Before you know it we were on a tipsy mission, wandering the streets of London in search of the duck feast to end all duck feasts…

Soon enough we were seated in a fabulously elegant Chinese restaurant ordering a duck and a half, and even more wine…

Moi, patiently awaiting the duck feast!

Snacks!

THE DUCK!!!

MMMMmmmmmmm…

Duck Skin…

The spread…

So here is what you do to make your taste buds have the biggest most fantastical explosive party in your mouth ever…

You take a pancake, you spread some plum sauce on it, you add cucumber and spring onions…

You grab a nice tender chunk of duck meat and top it with a crispy crunchy lacquered duck skin crackling and you roll it up as quickly as possible; inhaling it like you are in a prison camp.

Because it disappears fast!

QT tries to hide the shame of shoveling duck into his mouth…

Oh! And they clean the rest of the duck and stir fry it with bean sprouts!

There is no shame! Only joy!

Wow. That was an awesome day.

So the other night, I attempted to make my first duck and roasties using the UK fan oven.

DUCK!

Check out those taters atop my new Acacia chopping block…

And the finished product!

MAGNIFICENT! CRISPY SKIN, TENDER DUCK!

Super easy to make!

Simply sear the duck legs for a few moments on a hot skillet til the skin gets nice and brown and transfer to the oven with raw sliced potatoes for 1.25 hours on 190 degrees Celcius
(for UK fan ovens).

You can season the potatoes however you wish, although I just opted for simple salt & pepper.
As the duck legs cook, the fat seeps out of the duck and cooks the potatoes to the most gorgeous crispy golden brown, while also enriching it with a truly sinful flavour.

Here is the US equivalent…375 F for 1.25 hours
(Remember, I’m all British now)

Okay y’all…more later! Back to veggies and soymilk for me!

Strawberry Butter Cream Birthday Cupcakes!!

I made Strawberry butter cream cupcakes.

With fresh farmer’s market strawberries that tasted like candy!!
They were so fragrant and sweet!

Some had Sprinkles, some were chocolate cake, some were vanilla cake, some had chocolate chips….All made with fresh strawberries and LOVE!!!

I went crazy…

Mmmmmmm…Strawberry butter cream is so scrumptious!!!

XXOO

OOOhhhhhh Coconut Peanut Thai situation!!!

I have decided to refrain from calling this Pad Thai, because it is not Pad Thai.
Calling this Pad Thai would be a boldfaced lie.
This is my own Thai inspired creation for people who like sweet, spicy, peanutty action with a twist…

CREAMY DREAMY PEANUT SAUCE…MMMMMM

This recipe makes A LOT.

Like… an Army-sized portion!

(this is how I cook…I don’t know how else to do it!)

USE A BIG SAUCEPAN!

SAUCE:

Simmer together…
1 can coconut milk
1 cup peanut butter
about 2 tbsp of Sriracha! (SPICY!)
salt and pepper to taste (I actually don’t use any)
Juice of one lime..maybe two…maybe three
2 tbsp dried ginger
1 Jar Pad Thai sauce…or Pad Thai spice packet…

Mix in…
2-3 cups chopped bell peppers
2-3 cups broccoli florets
1 carton chopped mushrooms (about 3 cups)
2 packages frozen (thawed and drained) chopped spinach or 1 BIG bag of fresh spinach…
(watch it wilt to perfection a handful at a time…)
2 cups bean sprouts (you must first boil them for a couple of minutes)
Add any other fun spices or chopped veggies you have laying around looking lonely…

Get creative…

Boil one box of pasta noodles…I find Fettuccine and Linguine work best, but you can use any kind.

I’ve been known to just make the sauce and dump it over steamed brown rice, or mix in buckwheat penne…

The world is your oyster! Get crazy!

Drain & rinse pasta and mix in with sauce…

Should look like this:

And

If you have any crushed peanuts laying around….sprinkle on top…

Add a lime to make it pretty…

Squeeze this lime and add even more yummy flavor.

Add more Sriracha if that’s how you party.

Enjoy with your mouth!!

The Great Cupcake Endeavor…

Once upon a time two amazing people met and fell in love!
Yesterday “Mike” married the lovely “Jodi”, and because I love this family SO MUCH, and also love baking, I made about 165 carrot cake cupcakes and a three layer carrot cake for their reception.
There was SO MUCH FOOD!
It was quite the baking ordeal, and I’m not sure when or if I will ever make that many cupcakes and 5 gallons of cream cheese icing again.
SERIOUSLY.
5 gallons.
It was so much work.
But it was amazing how well received they were.
And it was great to give them a wedding present that I actually put a lot of love into.
People were coming up to me in droves telling me how delicious they were.
I was in the kitchen of the reception hall washing a platter at one point and all of the sudden 150 people started chanting my name!!
I’m not kidding.
Mike was trying to invite me up on stage to take credit for my baking, and not knowing where I was in the building, he got everyone chanting.
It was pretty much the best feeling in the world.
So, anyway…here are some photographs I took from the recption!!!

Yummy cupcake goodness!

Wedding cake!

Potluck Reception food!

Deviled Eggs!

The most delicious cole slaw this girl has ever eaten!

Broccoli salad!

I got the last dark chocolate covered strawberry!

Fresh fruit salad!

Heirloom Caprese!

Fresh peaches with basil!

So much fun!!!! Time for a nap!