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

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!

London Wedding Reception

The great thing about having two wedding receptions is that after experiencing the stress of the first one, you are totally ready for the second one to be MUCH more low-key and chill.

Thankfully, this is exactly what we got at our London Do.

For starters, I refused to dress up. No more wedding dress. No more fancy hair appointments…no more!

Pants…boots…done.

We sort of adopted the attitude of “Hell, it’s our party…so by god we are going to wear jeans!”

(And it was much more fantastic because of it)

My Husband planned pretty much all of it on his own, and honestly the venue could not have been a more perfect representation of both of our personal design aesthetics.

Funky wallpaper, vintage furniture, artsy chandeliers, and old movie posters gave the space serious character and set the tone for super fun party time.

My Brother-In-Law was nice enough to make us a cake!

Which I was more than excited to hack up with my giant knife!

Even though there were people trying to distract me with highly inappropriate “that’s what she said” jokes.

New Family!<3

QT was our happy toastmaster and said some really sweet (and hilarious) things…

“It’s amazing what you can find on the internet these days”

Har. Har.

There was lots of love going around…

And many a happy guest!

And Champagne!

Happy People with Champagne are the happiest…

And Food!

Wild mushroom, garden pea, and creme fraiche tartlets…

Kashmiri Lamb skewers with minted yogurt…

Salmon & avocado nori Rolls with chive & red pepper…

Hoi Sin duck pancake rolls with cucumber and spring onion…

Tiger prawn lettuce wraps…

Parmesan and herb muffins with salsa verde and sun-blushed grapes..

Chocolate covered strawberries & fresh raspberries…

The catering company truly did an amazing job!
http://www.kaicatering.co.uk/
Everyone remarked on how lovely the food was…And soon it had vanished!

So…

Smitten…

And tons of laughs…

By the end of the reception everyone was chummy!

Reception #2 was a complete success!

Just look at that delightfully intoxicated smile on QT’s face!

I fully intend on having a Wedding reception #1 post as well, I just haven’t gotten the photos back from the wedding photographer just yet.
But, I hear they are enroute!
Soon I will have more wedding loveliness for you! I promise.

xxoo

JUICY OOZERS.

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID!

Who comes up with this shit? Seriously.

They taste like cherry gummy snacks that yes, EXPLODE oozey stuff in your mouth.

It’s Saturday. Eat yourself Some Nachos.

Actually I ate these on Monday.
NOT on my diet.

Thanks PMS!

Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Whipped Ganache Frosting and Pretzel Pieces!!!

Oh man these were good.
Except I didn’t actually get to taste them. I just heard that they were amazing from all of my co-workers.
I’m going to trust them.

It’s good for my self esteem you see…
I’m still without a proper camera, so I’m still taking pics of food from my iPhone.

Sorryboutit.

Make these Cupcakes:

1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 cup boiling hot water

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly butter, or line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a small bowl stir until smooth the boiling hot water and the cocoa powder.
Let cool to room temperature.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Then in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16-20 minutes or until risen, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing.

Make the yummy Ganache frosting:

Makes 4 cups

1 pound good-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 1/3 cups heavy cream

3 cups powdered sugar

Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream just to a simmer over medium-high heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt.
Beginning near the center and working outward, stir melted chocolate into cream until mixture is combined and smooth.
Refrigerate, stirring every 5 minutes, until frosting just barely begins to hold its shape and is slightly lighter in color. Use immediately (ganache will continue to thicken after you stop stirring).

Once cooled to room temperature, transfer the ganache to stand up mixer bowl and begin to whip using paddle attachment, slowing adding the confectioner’s sugar.
Whip it. Whip it until it is light and fluffy and delightful.
Refrigerate for at least two hours.

To decorate the cupcakes like fluffy clouds:
Place frosting in a ziplock bag, cut the corner of the bag, use as pastry piping bag, or just use an actual pastry bag!

Top with pretzel pieces, toffee pieces, espresso dust, candied coconut, butterscotch chips, or whatever your heart desires!!

And don’t even try to figure out the calories. Just eat them.

Strawberry Genoise Cake!

I have some very sad news.
I broke my camera…Er…Drowned it.
In tea. It’s ruined. Basically. Yeah. Ruined.
I have some backlogged photos & blog entries, but after that, its just me and the ole iPhone pictures until I get a new camera.

This is one of those entries.

Le sigh.

Obviously, I’m really sad about it, and consequently I have been baking up a storm to cope.
But then, I can’t take proper photos of my creations, and the pain sets back in.

No camera = difficult food blogging.

It’s an unfortunate situation.

What can I do but start saving my money!!??
Nothing. So I’m going to suck it up and keep on keepin on!

I’m BEYOND ready for Spring, and have been for some time now, but Nashville weather has simply refused to oblige me.
Sooooo…. I decided to make a light and refreshing dessert to perhaps coax Spring into my arms!

I give you, my first attempt at Strawberry Genoise Cake!
(It’s basically a fancier Strawberry Shortcake.)

I changed a few things from the recipe. I mixed the chopped up strawberries with a few teaspoons of sugar and stirred them up until they started getting syrupy. THEN I added them to the whipped cream set aside for the filling. Make sure not to pack too many strawberries in there!
I also sweetened my cream a bit more than the recipe called for.
I also added colored sugar to the top!!!

It was delicious!!

My boyfriend definitely thought so!

I definitely need to learn how to make my desserts prettier.

But they sure do taste MIGHTY FINE Y’ALL!

Strawberry Genoise Cake

Ingredients:

For the Genoise:

4 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup cake flour, sifted
3 tbsp. (1.5 oz./42g) unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling and Finish:

2 cups heavy cream
2 tsp. confectioners’ sugar
3 cups strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/2-inch slices, plus 6 strawberries, halved lengthwise, for garnish
Extra Sugar to sweeten cream if not sweet enough!!

Instructions:

To Make the Genoise:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/180 degrees C. Line the bottom of a 9 x 3-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar by hand until combined. Place the bowl over but not touching simmering water in a saucepan. Gently whisk until the mixture registers 140 degrees F/60 degrees C on an instant-read thermometer, about 3 minutes. Put the bowl on the mixer and beat with the whisk on high speed until the mixture is pale and almost tripled in volume, 5 to 8 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the mixer. Sift the flour over the egg mixture in 2 additions and carefully fold in with a large rubber spatula. Fold a large dollop into the melted butter, then fold back into the egg mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until the top of the cake is browned, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Run a table knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake onto a work surface. Turn the cake right side up, leaving the parchment paper in place. Cut the cake into 2 equal layers. Put the top layer, cut side up, on a serving plate.

To Make the Filling and Finish:

Whip the cream and confectioners’ sugar to soft peaks. Place the sliced strawberries in a bowl. Fold about one-fourth of the cream into the berries. Spread the mixture evenly on top of the cake. Position the remaining cake layer, cut side down, on top. Spread the top and sides of the cake with the remaining whipped cream.

NOW EAT IT WITH YOUR FACE!!!

Dumb Kashi Pizza is Decidely Dumb.

So, I was loading pictures for this here bloggy post about how much Kashi pizza blows and while I waited for Flickr to do it’s thang, I found myself perusing the food interwebs (as I so often do) and came across another recent Kashi pizza sucks hard post made by the hilarious people at The Impulsive Buy

I think this means Kashi needs to stop making pizza ASAP.

Well, onto my bitchfest…

First let’s begin by gazing at the gorgeous photo on the the Pizza box promising me a delicious world of veggie pizza euphoria.

(I want you to note here, that on the box, “Artichoke hearts” are listed as one of the ingredients)

And here is the pizza.

And yeah, you are right…. that looks like shit. (I even photo edited this a bit to try to make the veggies have color, but it was a difficult task)

Where is everything? Cheese? Where are all the yummy artichokes I was promised!?

No one has answers for me.

So I did what you do when this sort of thing happens. I rolled up my big girl sleeves and added some freakin cheese and spinach in hopes that it would salvage this sinking pizza ship of misery.

No such luck. When your boat is made of the “crust” that Kashi uses for their pizzas, people don’t wait for that shit to sink, they hurl themselves into the ocean of I’m-not-going-to-put-this-anywhere-near-my-mouth and hope they get eaten by a shark.

This went in the trash. THE END.