“Life is too short not to say “I Love You” often, to save the fine china or to skip the whipped cream! It’s too short not to play dress up and drink champagne with your girlfriends on a Tuesday night!”
Sabrina Pflug
Planning a fun party for the girls can really be executed anytime of the year, but I find it especially festive to throw an “over the top” girly party around Valentine’s Day!…a Galentine’s Day Party, if you will. Add a theme to your party and the fun can begin before guests even knock at your door! With only one guideline for party attendance, guests were asked to arrive dressed in their favorite Sex and the City character. So in the days leading up to the event, friends were scouring their closets for their best Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte or Miranda outfits! So. Much. Fun.
I believe if 2020 has taught us anything, it is that most humans are not wired to enjoy “social distancing”. At the very least, we long for up close and personal community and fellowship, the exchange of hugs and hand shakes at will, singing and dancing in a crowd, and celebrations that include individuals that live outside our homes.
You know that kiss you can’t get enough of?…that bite of perfect dark chocolate?…that new Hulu TV series? I get it (and don’t tell me I’m the only one with cravings!)…sometimes you just need to “binge out” unapologetically. But beyond this obvious list of indulgences, you know what I simply cannot get enough of as I start this exciting new decade??? My new kitchen color!!!! It makes me so stinking happy! Throw in the kisses, the chocolate and the tv series and I’m practically certifiable! Continue reading →
Indulge me for a moment and thumb through the pages of your mind…back to a time when you were a kid and you’ve just left summer camp…a camp you really, really loved…or maybe even a vacation. Once back home, nothing seemed to properly console you from your feeling of want…wanting to return to your newfound friends, your frivolity and exploration and the excitement you felt in “your place”! This is the feeling I experienced when this project ended! Continue reading →
In no way am I implying that all 50 year olds need to haul off and get themselves a facelift the minute they blow out the inferno of candles atop their birthday cake (I speak of the flaming inferno from experience…wink, wink). However, this particular 50 year old bathroom in one of the beautiful West Meade neighborhoods of Nashville was languishing and, short of the homeowners selling a perfectly good house to be rid of it, a facelift was it’s only hope! It had a lot of good years left in the tank, so to speak, but, man oh man, was it showing it’s age…and unfortunately, it was not aging gracefully.
Yeah…I said it. No matter how much I love Jesus and try to refrain from curse words and “ugly talk,” the words “kick” and “ass” put together in one satisfying adjective make for the quintessential emphasis to a point. At least, in my book…
Our recent trip to New Orleans with friends was (dare I say it again?) kick ass in EVERY way! Continue reading →
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard you correctly. I thought I heard you say you were taking a veggie tray to this weekend’s Super Bowl party. My bad. (slight pause) Wait, what?!!!!! You’re saying I heard correctly? So you’ve gone all nutty on me???? Do you realize what you’re doing…what you’re saying??? A Super Bowl party is no time to break out the cold, raw vegetables with some blasé ranch dressing! We want fattening, heart rate spiking, testosterone raging, artery clogging, finger licking, tongue smacking, belly rubbing football food, for goodness sakes! Dude food, if you will! Come on man!”
Ok…you know I can be fickle when it comes to my love for cake. I love this one and that one and that other one over there and easily vacillate between fruit and chocolate and spice and cream as my favorite. But today…on this wintry, rainy day in January when Nashville is preparing for twenty degree temps, this is my FAVORITE cake of all time and it fits the bill perfectly! It’s sweet, but not too sweet…it’s perfectly moist…it’s complex without being complicated and it is just SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL! So gather your seven ingredients (yes…only 7!) and get to baking! Don’t forget to have a cup of coffee, a fire or favorite blanket and a good book at the ready! XO
Dried Apricots and Dark Chocolate elevate this simple pound cake
CHOCOLATE APRICOT MARBLE CAKE (Adapted from Scandinavian Baking by Trine Hahnemann)
Ingredients:
1 cup butter (I always use salted butter)
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 7/8 all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 oz best dark chocolate, at least 60% cocoa solids; finely chopped (I used Lindt Excellence with Sea Salt)
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 oz organic dried apricots, chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (3 – 4 minutes).
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift in the flour and mix again, just until a smooth dough forms. Halve the batter and put each half in a bowl (I left half in my standing mixer for the chocolate). Add the chocolate and cocoa to one bowl and mix well. Mix the dried apricots into the batter in the other bowl (I mixed this half by hand). Butter or spray a loaf pan. (I also use four mini loaf pans.)
Pour the chocolate batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly, then pour over the apricot batter and spread that evenly, too. Take a spoon and dip it into the batter, going right to the bottom of the pan and pulling up to make a swirl inside the cake. Repeat three times in different places in the pan.
Bake one hour (or for mini loaf pans, bake 30 – 35 minutes). Insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake; it should emerge clean. If not, bake 5 minutes more, then check again.
Let cool in the pan. Serve morning, noon or night!
On this last day of 2018, I am reflecting. I am pondering how beautiful life is, but also how messy… how very challenging and sometimes painful days can feel, but also how everlastingly triumphant! Triumphant because of God’s love for me and mine for Him! I am reminded that “every good and perfect gift is from above” and gratitude bursts from within! Continue reading →
I look so forward to the Thanksgiving meal every year. I roast a no fail Rosemary Turkey, my grandma’s Chicken and Dressing, my sister’s Three Cheese Mashed Potatoes, my mom’s Squash Casserole and Ambrosia, and my spin on turnip greens and corn soufflé. These menu items are non-negotiable and always present. But besides the greens and cranberry relish, this feast turns out looking pretty darn beige on the table! What do you say we invite a new side dish this Thanksgiving? You know…one that will impress your taste buds and add vibrant color to your plate! I created it a couple weeks ago, very much by accident, and immediately knew I was on to something.
MIXED GREENS WITH ROASTED SWEET POTATOES AND ONIONS, DRIED CRANBERRIES, GRANNY SMITH APPLES, TOASTED PECANS AND PARMESAN
This beautiful, warm salad personifies all things Thanksgiving! Continue reading →
Peach and the Willow 