Never heard from again

My new obsession may keep me from ever being seen, or heard, again as I stare entranced with my latest obsession which is the cooking channel.



I love myself some Food TV but this is greatness. Rolland has informed me repeatedly that this is just hipster tv but I can't really help myself. Seriously, love it.

New Favorite: Baked

I've been on quite the cookbook kick lately and this has been a new favorite. I saw them on the on the food network then found a couple of recipes in a magazine and I couldn't resist trying the banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. They got rave reviews in the office so when we were having some folks over this weekend I tried them again along with the chocolate mayo cake. All were awesome.

I can't recommend this book enough. It's gorgeous to look at and the recipes are yummy.



These are the banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. Super easy.



Chocolate mayo cake where mayo replaces the usual oil. Incredibly moist and for all the mayo haters (I have trouble even acknowledging there could be such folk) you don't taste it at all. I promise.



I think this speaks to the yummy goodness that is chocolate cake.



I also made some homemade vanilla ice cream, Philadelphia style, and I have no idea what that means but also super easy and especially tasty with the cake.

Weekend Drive

This weekend we went for a drive in the country, which we come pretty close to living in anyway, but ventured further afield (HA!) and checked out some neighbors.

I'm loving this sign and am thinking of putting it under glass for a pendant.



These guys were super sweet. I got out of the car and it was incredibly quiet and peaceful. They just munched away on the grass and enjoyed breakfast. I don't think they minded us a bit.





In fact, I'm pretty sure Maya needs a reindeer!

Sunday in NYC

I was back in New York last week. I landed Sunday afternoon and came home on Weds. Since it was mostly work I didn't get a lot in but on Sunday I did walk down broadway to the end of the island at Battery Park which was a lovely. The walk was fantastic although slightly nervous since it was late afternoon/early evening walking through a fairly empty financial district. It was perfectly safe but it was odd to see so few people.

Along the way I saw Trinity church which was amazing and I'm completely in love with the graveyard and the folk stone etchings on the tombstones. I need to go back and visit when during open hours.











The street ended at the park and I walked to the end to check out the Statue of Liberty. It was gorgeous with the sun beaming through the clouds.





It was still cool but everything was blooming and lush. Perfect Sunday evening outing.

New Favorite

Lately I've been really loving the pottery from the 40's & 50's and been adding a few favorites to the collection.

This one was an etsy find and it's even more awesome in person.



This one I couldn't resist for reasons that I can't quite explain to the husband's satisfaction.



Mom and I picked up this guy at Canton. Seeing as how I'm an Aries and the living room has just gone pretty neutral he was a must have. I had been pricing him on ebay and etsy but picked him up for a few bucks plus shipping costs less. He's happily ensconced in the new bookcases in the living room.


Tonight I've been packing for another trip to NY and I'm trying a new approach of not over packing and not doing any serious shopping in the city. So far so good on the packing. I'll let you know how it goes on the shopping front when I get back on Weds!
Hubby and I did manage to get in a quick date night before I head out tomorrow. Iron Man 2 which totally rocked followed by sandwiches at home. Saturday greatness!

Charm

I have a friend at work who has a daughter that's quickly becoming a teenager. Turns out, her favorite (& only lest you start to get all judgmental and the like), is quite the francophile. I made this quick charm for her with a vintage anagram letter and text from a french dictionary on the back. I'm throwing it on a long ball chain with a couple of Eiffel Tower charms so she can have a little bit of France with her everywhere.

Random

A recent necklace that I made for my friend who's having a baby. The baby got lots of goodies so I thought it was only fair Mom did too.



Suzanne has finally headed to Austin which is awesome. Now, even more reasons to visit!



Edited to add that Suzanne is an excellent bear sitter should the need arise!

Weekend Cooking

I did a ton of baking this weekend since we actually had a few social functions including a baby shower for my friend Colleen and a going away party for Suzanne who is moving to Austin to pursue her dream of opening a coffee house. Yay!

Since we did have a lot of weekend plans I haven't gotten those photos off the camera but I do have these as placeholders from past weekend endeavors.

Suzanne's going away potluck called for some tasty goodness that is quiche. I made a few options since Suze is a vegetarian and Ann is gluten free. Ann got her own personal quiche sans crust.



After the return from New York and the delectable Balthazar, which I previously raved about here, I wanted to try and recreate the experience for Rolland. Turns out, not even close but he enjoyed it.

Onions cooking.




Finished soup mine and a pic of theirs.



I mostly enjoyed this.



Happy Monday!

Recent Necklaces

I know it's odd, but we recently started watching the series Bones (which is awesome) but I love the jewelry in the show. I'm sure the idea is that it's all collected via anthropological trips but mostly I end up thinking "I could make that". This is one of the pieces I first made. Loving the mix of pearls, chain and medals.



Beads I picked up in Santa Fe and strung with smokey quartz. I love that the stones are warm after wearing.



This one was actually fairly tricky to string all the tourmaline with the correct lengths. I cheated a little with the silver beads on the end. I really like how it turned out but am a little nervous to wear it much. I definitely don't want to restring this!

New Favorite

This is one of my favorite purchases from the recent Santa Fe trip. It's a pretty good sized "cocktail" ring. I tried it on a few times and even walked away with purchasing but apparently the puppy love (could not resist!) was clear and Rolland got him for me.



Pink. Puppy. It's true love.

Flea Market Finds

We went to the flea market on Saturday instead of the usual farmer's market. Hubby was only going to do one! Turns out, this was an excellent choice since lots of goodies were found. Die cut greatness, a few more paper goods, an awesome cream cornucopia vase for $5 bucks plus lots of others Rolland was shocked to discover I was dragging home.



Love this pin; even if the folks at work were a little perplexed by the deer pin. How could you not love her?!



Another favorite find is the Big Tex charm. Anyone familiar with the Texas State Fair will recognize him.



Also found lots of medal goodies.



This Saturday, back to the Farmer's Market! Luckily the flea market is only monthly. Gives me time to save up the allowance.

New York: Foodie Pics... mostly

So we managed to check out a couple of Dean & DeLuca's which were awesome. These were incredible from the prepared foods, baked goods and stocked items I wanted just about one of everything. I managed to resist trying to figure out how to get these gorgeous chocolates home where I would promptly try to decide the best way to preserve them.



We all gave the French Onion Soup at Balthazar's thumbs up! And the pots de creme was just out of this world.





ABC Carpet and Home was almost too much. Floors of modern, antique and mix/match of everything else you might ever need to furnish 3-4 homes across the world. I coveted most all of the crystal chandeliers along with a few metal outdoor seating sets. Settled with a few pics instead.



Along our walking tours we stumbled into Magnolia Bakery for a little sweet and were not disappointed. These cupcakes were luscious.



This makes the last of the this spring's NY pics. I'm still amazed at how much I loved it and could definitely see myself spending a lot more time there.

Girls Weekend in New York

I still haven't caught up from the busyness that was March. April has also been fairly packed with the to do list and social stuff which is fun but I think I'm wearing out a little. This weekend has been spent mostly doing nothing despite the good intentions. Next week, back to the "to do" lists. In the mean time, here are a few pics of the girls weekend in New York. It was greatness and I think I could spend time there pretty regularly.