yum: spinach & asparagus lasagna

i've been MIA. it's been 3 days shy of a month since i last blogged. shame shame.
so what have i been doing!?! well ...

{l to r}

// celebrating old friends and new beginnings! congrats to tyler and his beautiful new wife melissa.

// work work work. i've had 4 photo shoots this month, which means 4 sets of photos to sift through and then have retouched. yeesh. and of course we aren't shooting photos w/o purpose. lots and lots of new projects coming down the pipeline.

// a visit from my parents! 4 people - 1 tiny apartment. w and i have recently started the house search so MAYBE next time we'll have a real guest room for our guests.

// we've been living by a strict schedule lately. sunday nights are spent w/ my high school girls. tuesdays are for small group. i've recently begun to spend weds w/ my adult literacy partner min again. and thursdays are for pottery class. there's so little in between for cleaning the house and running (2 weeks until savannah) and ... oh yah catching up w/ my husband! in this picture we're pumpkin carving w/ our small group. so blessed by this group.

// tyler, tx. everything is NOT bigger in tx. this airport literally had 4 gates. traveling for work! have i mentioned i've been working a ton!?!

// celebrating 10 years w/ our home church cross point. it was so much fun to celebrate w/ all 4 campuses and folks that drove in from our internet campus.

so yes - it's been busy! thanks to those of you that have checked in on us. we're keeping our heads above water - and i've missed you!!!

my parents always made dinner a priority even amidst a busy schedule. it was a way for mom to regulate what we were eating (it's not a meal w/o something green!) & it was time for us to catch up as a family. i'm working hard to continue that tradition. and i'm back on the meal planning train w/ a new weekly schedule complete w/ "soup sundays" and "fiesta fridays" - where we bring the party & try something new. it helps me plan when i have a bit of direction! and we tend to make healthier decisions when we plan ahead.

i'm excited to share this yummy meal from our inaugural "meatless monday":

spinach & asparagus lasagna

gluten free, vegetarian

prep time: 30 mins

cook time: 45 mins

servings: 4

one 28oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp evoo
s/p
1/2 c shallots, diced
1/2 c ricotta
1/2 c low-fat cottage cheese
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp paprika
3 cloves garlic
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped
1 head spinach, trimmed of stems
14oz can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
3/4 lb asparagus, trimmed
1 c grated mozzarella

1. preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. in a pot of boiling water, blanch the spinach and asparagus (separately) for 1 to 2 min. then shock in a bowl of ice water. drain and dry thoroughly. chop asparagus and set both spinach and asparagus aside.
3. season the tomatoes generously w/ s/p & 1/2 the evoo.
4. cook the shallots in a skillet w/ the remaining olive oil over medium heat. cool slightly.
5. in a food processor, combine ricotta, cottage cheese, oregano, paprika, garlic and fresh basil w/ the shallots. puree smooth. poor into a mixing bowl and stir in the artichokes. season w/ s/p and set aside.
6. spread half of the tomatoes on the bottom of an 8"x8" glass dish.
7. cover w/ a layer of spinach leaves and then half of the artichoke mixture.
8. cover w/ another layer of spinach.
9. cover w/ a layer of chopped asparagus and then top w/ half of the mozzarella.
10. cover w/ another layer of spinach and the remaining artichoke mixture.
11. end w/ a layer of spinach, then the remaining tomatoes and mozzarella.
12. bake 45 min.

is there anything yummier than hot apple pie?

have i mentioned that i'm loving FALL? w/ windows open throughout the apartment, i spent a good chunk of the day on saturday working on a gluten free version of  my grandma's award winning apple pie. all in preparation for #20 on my 31 before 31 list - enter a pie in the martinsville agricultural fair pie contest. to be honest, my list has been a big fat failure thus far! i think i need to substitute a few more "big kahuna" events for "once a month" and "daily tasks". yeesh! i'm killing myself! okay we digress ...

why yes there is something yummier than hot apple pie, blair. hot apple pie w/ a scoop of vanilla ice cream! and our apartment couldn't smell sweeter. baked apples & cinnamon. yum!

hey neighbor: thai phooket's red curry soup

thai phooket is by far one of the yummiest restaurants in town. it's location is anything but "wow" - a shack in no man's land across from the titan's stadium. i had to be dragged there the first time after really bad experiences w/ thai food in the past. but oh yum!!! confession: i could eat their red curry soup each and every single day! 

    

{the bendts - the night i realized not all thai food tastes like dog food!

and my first bowl of thai phooket red curry soup!} 

one major sacrifice we've had to make as part of our budget is going out to eat. so i decided i'd have to make my own version of thai phooket in the munday kitchen:

red curry soup

ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon thai red curry paste
• 1lb boneless/skinless chix breast - cut in strips
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups lite coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon thai fish sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• salt/pepper

pick and choose your veggies. i used: 

• 1 cup zucchini - cut into half moons
• 1 red bell pepper - chopped
  
• 1/2 cup baby carrots
• 1 onion - chopped
• 1 can sweet baby corn
• 1 can sliced bamboo shoots 

 

directions:

1 // heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat.
2 // add curry paste and stir to mix for about 1 minute.
3 // add chicken and cook completely.
4 // add your veggies. stir to cook for 2-3 minutes.
5 // add chix broth, coconut milk & fish sauce. bring to boil, then reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.
6 // stir in chopped basil & salt/pepper to taste (i salted a bit more liberal than usual).
7 // serve w/ brown or white rice!

yum! and as an added bonus - this soup is the perfect cure to a summertime cold. yes - i'm still nursing a bit of a cold after an entire week! boo hiss.

PIZZA at last! a yummy gfree recipe

my husband loves pizza. he would eat it every day if he could. when he's traveling --> pizza. when i'm out for the evening --> pizza. he always promises that if he can order one, he'll spread out eating it over at least 2 days. lie! the boy's first love --> pizza!

i too have always been a big fan of the ooey gooey fantastic-ness. but going gfree made enjoying pizza a bit of a challenge. you usually pay more for (a teeny tiny) gluten free pizza when eating out. and i haven't had much success w/ the boxed gfree mixes - way too much rice flour involved. and so began the quest to find the perfect gluten free pizza crust recipe.

at last over the weekend, we struck gold. golden brown pizza heaven that is.
w + i agree - this one's a winner:

ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp yeast
• 1 1/3 cup milk (warm)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 1/3 cup oat flour
• 2/3 cup potato starch
• 1/3 cup tapioca flour
• 2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup corn meal

1 // preheat oven to 400º F.
2 // in a small bowl, mix together yeast, warm milk and sugar. set aside. after a few minutes it should foam.
3 // sift together flours + xanthan gum + salt in your mixing bowl.
4 // add olive oil + apple cider vinegar to foaming liquids. then mix into the flour combination. mix well.
5 // fold in manually the corn meal.
6 // roll out the dough onto a non-stick baking sheet. then place in pre-heated oven until golden brown.
7 // remove fromt he oven and add your sauce + toppings. return to oven until cheese is melted (5-10 min).

hello, pizza. welcome back!

gfree too? try this yummy recipe out and let us know what you think!

this week ...

last week wade and i ran around like crazy people. we had dinner w/ friends on tuesday, weds, friday, saturday & sunday. in between, i started back to pottery class, worked a world vision event & lead children's worship. wade ran a 5k & had several meetings. it was a whirlwind. and ultimately a great week!

of course - after all that, i lacked some serious blog motivation & motivation around the house. inspired by cornflower blue studio's rotating goal list - i've decided to start sharing my goals each week ... some blog related and some purely for myself.

last night i started on the list by baking my very first loaf of gfree bread! when i was home back in april, i borrowed my mom's bread machine. it had been stored away in the basement for a while - and needed some TLC. may & june slipped away from us - ethiopia and all! so finally over the weekend i cleaned her up and gave it a go! 

 

 

i used gluten-free goddess' delicious gluten free bread recipe. sadly - it looks nothing like the pictures and it's a little more dense than i prefer! :) it does taste pretty yummy though - a suitable recipe title. time to make some tweaks and do some research. if at first you don't succeed ... try try again!

what's on your goal list for the week?

african-themed appetizers, anyone?

last night's girls' night was a total success. we ate a lot, we chatted a whole lot and we made even more bracelets. i think wade and i are up to about 50 bracelets now (and i still have several friends that are sending more/making more over the weekend)! add a very long plane ride - and we'll have plenty to share with the kiddos! yay.

thank you so much for coming & making, girls!!!

of course, in the moment i didn't get my camera out! so i have zero pictures of the festivities and the lovely ladies that came to celebrate with me. :( wah wah. this is definitely something i need to work on. and a perfect excuse to have a round 2 girls' night.

i did however snap a few instagram pictures of the FOOD:

african appetizers!?! i was presented w/ quite a challenge coming up w/ an african-themed menu. and of course, i'm one of the crazy few that like to try something brand spankin' new every time i have company. lucky (this time) everything turned out super yummy!

so here's what i collected --- a yummy (and not too time consuming) spread:

1 // peppermeat kabobs (this was my favorite!)

ingredients:
- 2.5 lbs beef chuck roast
- 1 tsp meat tenderizer (not seasoned)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp seasoned salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1-2 jalapenos, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter (yes - peanut butter!)
- 2 sweet onions, cut into 1" pieces
- 2 bell peppers, cut into 1" pieces (i used an orange and a green for color!)
- 6" wooden skewers

1) rinse and cut your meat into 1" pieces. place in a freezer strength ziplock bag. add tenderizer, both salts and black pepper. zip the bag. then, roll the contents to mix well. marinate in the fridge for an hour or more.
2) add jalapeno pepper to the meat again rolling once zipped to mix well. place back in the fridge to marinate for an add'l 20 minutes.
3) add the olive oil and the peanut butter to the zipped back and again roll to mix. the peanut butter should evenly coat each piece.

4) alternate onion, peppers and meat on each skewer or for the carnivores in your life, make a few all meat skewers. place on a cookie sheet.
5) broil in the oven for 8-10 minutes. then serve!

2 // plantain chips w/ avocado banana dip

ingredients:
- a bag or 2 of salted plantain chips (i bought mine @ trader joes! or you can always make your own.)
- 2  very ripe bananas
- 2 avocados, pit and peel removed
- lemon juice

1) place the banana and avocado in a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher.
2) lemon juice to taste.

3 // strawberry lemonade (okay this isn't african - BUT it's my ultimate favorite party punch!)

ingredients: (for a group of 10 girls - i doubled this!)
- 1 pack of fresh strawberries
- 2 bottles club soda (approx 30 oz each)
- 1 can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
- an orange, lime and/or frozen raspberries for garnish
- a bag of ice

1) wash and cut the stems from the strawberries. then in your food processor or blender, puree the strawberries. add them to your serving bowl or pitcher. (i have this ginormous anchor hawking heritage hill storage jar which is my favorite. and i server w/ a ladle.)
2) mix in the club soda and thawed lemonade concentrate.
3) add ice and your garnish. frozen raspberries are super pretty and float along the top w/ the ice. i also cut an orange and a lime into thin slices and drop them into the mix sideways. pretty pretty!

4 // krakelinge cookies w/ strawberry jam

ingredients:
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar + a bit xtra for sprinkling
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 3 cups of flour*
- 1 tsp baking powder

- chopped almonds (optional)
- fresh strawberry jam

*my fav gfree mix: 2c sweet rice, 2/3c potato starch, 1/3c tapioca flour + 3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1) w/ mixer, cream butter + sugar. add the 1 egg and mix well.
2) sift your flour(s) + baking powder (and xanthan gum). little by little add to the butter mix.
3) on parchment paper, roll aprox 6" long and 1/2 thick logs with the dough. loop them to make a figure-8 shape.
4) brush w/ egg yolk and sprinkle generously w/ sugar & almonds (optional).
5) bake at 400ºF for 8-10 minutes. transfer to baking rack to cool. serve w/ jam.

we also had butternut squash and chickpea cakes via cook eat live vegetarian. they were so yummy especially w/ the tomato chili salsa and the cucumber, cilantro and lemon raita. definitely a blog i will be cooking from again in the near future!

{source: cook eat live vegetarian}

okay - now i'm super hungry!!! :)

take them a meal!

the summer i turned 25, we had a wedding every other weekend throughout the summer. now that i'm edging 30 - it's ALL BABY! :) 4 of my girlfriends have had babies in the past month - and 1 more is due any day now! would you believe it --- all had boys!!!

one of my favorite ways to celebrate each new baby has been to bring the new parents a meal. relieving the stress of "what's for dinner?" is possibly the biggest gift you can give a couple as they transition into new parents!

 

make-ahead chix, ham & swiss roulades via real simple

photo courtesy:  ellie miller

if you're like me, cooking for your own family can feel a bit overwhelming after a long day. so here's a little list of tips i've gathered to help you plan your "special delivery":

1 // take them a meal! everyone loves free food! it doesn't matter if you're a month after delivery or if there wasn't an established "meal plan". just do it! pick a meal that you're comfortable with and that transports easily. make sure that you double check with the family for any food allergies or dislikes. bonus: save yourself some time by making a double portion for your family!

2 // bring plenty of food. one of my sweet mommies had her parents, his parents, a brother & sister-in-law and 2 year-old twins staying with them after the baby was born. plan accordingly! besides, did you know that a nursing mommy needs to eat 2500 calories a day!?! plan a meal w/ 6-8 servings perfect for dinner and leftovers! as an added bonus, bring fresh fruit & pastries or a casserole for breakfast in the am.

3 // take your items in disposable containers. ziplock bags, foil pans, gladware ... easy to label & recycle or toss. better yet - the new parents won't have to worry about returning your dishware. they'll have enough on their minds already!

4 // arrive on time! 8pm dinners are unfortunately quite common around our house. but apparently that's not the case with everyone!?! :) deliver your meal table ready at the requested time. if you're a working woman - try signing up for a weekend shift or choose a make ahead recipe & prep the night before. i've found this enchilada recipe via real simple super helpful to deliver earlier in the day w/ heating instructions. (speaking of time - don't stay too long! they're probably exhausted and definitely hungry!)

5 // add a personal touch. come up with a theme like "date night" or pick up a fresh bouquet of flowers or fancy disposable paper products. and add a little note of encouragement + the recipe! of course, they are going to loooove what you cooked and ask anyways. ;)

maybe you don't have a new mommy & daddy in your life but rather someone grieving or in transition. a sweet friend brought me a meal the week after i moved wade to boston! i guess i was "love sick" and it meant the world to me.

thanks to takethemameal.com, we're talking not your grandma's small town baptist church meals on wheels anymore! talk about super user friendly and organized! as the coordinator, you create a password protected online sign up sheet. the profile can be shared on facebook or friends can be invited through email. both participants and recipient can reference phone numbers, driving directions, delivery times, food allergies and more. meal providers can select a date and enter their information including planned meal (perfect for eliminating duplicates), and then the site automatically sends them a reminder email a day in advance. genius!

gfree baking: cinnamon cake donuts

on friday i mentioned that i was determined to make donuts over the weekend. since going gluten free, i really don't miss bread. most days, i'm fine w/o pasta ... but i long for donuts! and so i was left w/ one last decisions. the great debate - cake donuts or yeast donuts?

what's the difference, you ask?
- cake donuts: use baking powder to rise. heavier/denser - like a cake.
- yeast donuts: use yeast (surprise, surprise!). softer/fluffier - like a bread.

i decided to start out w/ a baked cake doughnut. 1 // i already had a mini bundt pan on hand. (they sell donut specific pans - but i was much too impatient to wait for an amazon order to come in. and the bundt pans added pretty little detail to my donuts.) 2// the hot oil from a deep fryer necessary for yeast donuts intimidates me big time. don't worry there will be a round 2  w/ yeast donuts!

w/out further ado ...

gluten-free cake donuts

preheat over to 350º F.

ingredients:
1 c oat flour
1/2 c sweet rice flour
1/2 c tapioca starch
2 Tbsp sorghum flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/3 c brown sugar (packed)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 c shortening
1/2 c plain yogurt
1/4 c milk
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract

in large mixing bowl, sift together your flours + xanthan gum. add the remaining dry ingredients. add the shortening and mix to distribute evenly. add the remaining wet ingredients (yogurt, milk, eggs + vanilla). the dough will be pretty sticky! using xtra sweet rice flour, powder your hands and roll dough into golf ball sized sections. i suggest rolling all of the balls now - so that you can clean your hands afterwards. roll each ball w/ your fingers into 5" logs. place 1 log in each donut cavity of your pan. slightly overlap the ends and gently smooth the overlap. bake for 15m until firm to the touch. remove the pan from the over and transfer to a wire rack or parchment paper as soon as cool enough to handle.



i dipped each warm donuts in a simple milk + honey glaze:

milk + honey icing: 
1 c powdered sugar 
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp honey

oh yum! too yum not to take an immediate bite out of one ...

a few little notes:

 

- these donuts are cinnamon-y. they tasted a lot like a really yummy cinnamon roll. remember those cinnamon raisin biscuits from hardee's? yah they taste a LOT like them. (i might just use the dough in the future to make some of those as well!) 

 

- i'm still craving a shipley's-esque doughnut. conclusion - i miss yeast donuts not just donuts. time to invest in a deep fryer ...

my week: 3 random things

1 // we're still running a whole lot. today a group met @ the donut den in town. the plan: run an easy 3m & then eat donuts! well all except me. :( the ONLY thing i really miss since going gfree is definitely donuts. so this weekend, i'm determined to make my own! lots and lots of inspiration online:

{clockwise from left}

gluten free goddess' baked donuts

tartelette's gluten free nutella doughnuts

comfy belly's chocolate buckwheat donuts

i'm pretty determined to create my own little recipe - including all my favorite gfree flours: sweet rice, tapioca and of course oat flour. will share!

2 // confession: i've fallen behind on the "31 days to a better photo" challenge. i promise to catch up over the weekend. then we'll link up again on monday! want to know what's been wasting my time? my new iphone. totally addicted to the nerdiest app ever - the ancestry.com app.

seriously though! so far i've found out that my great great great grandpa francis m. hardway had 8 sisters and 7 brothers ... oh and possibly an illegitimate daughter. oh and my great great great great great grandpa jurge hartweg was born in germany. he changed the name to hardway upon settling in virginia. yup i'm totally addicted!

3 // i went ahead and made a printable 8x10 of my grandpa's saying. i printed a copy for myself yesterday and will definitely share as soon as i find the perfect place for it in the apartment. in the meantime, enjoy (family!):

{click above to download}

hope to be back to my normal blogging self by next week! :)
have a great one, friends.

so long, cupcake ...

move over, macaron. make way for the latest food craze ... the gourmet marshmallow.

confession: i have a major sweet tooth ... and i'm a sucker for sweet sticky marshmallow goodness. need proof? how about the 1/2 eaten bag of kraft jet-puffed giant mallows in our pantry. 

check out these yummy treats from nashville's own the bang candy company:

{source: bang candy company}

owner sarah souther began experimenting w/ homemade marshmallows in the summer of 2010. her friends quickly became fans and within weeks, she had requests for orders. by september, she launched the bang candy company and marshmallows became her full-time job. check out the bang candy company's variety of yummy fluffy confections ... everything from the original rose cardamom to chocolate chile to toasted coconut. each hand-dipped in belgian milk chocolate.

want to experiment on your own marshmallows? wade and i gave it a go over the holiday thanks to this recipe/blog from the smitten kitchen. and there will be several future experiments! ;) yum!

gfree chicken parmesan ...

wade and i were supposed to have the first group run last night for our upcoming half marathon. thursday runs are going to be shorter pace runs followed by group dinners. but the teensiest bit of snowfall in tennessee and everything shuts down. so i rummaged through the refrigerator/pantry for something for dinner. fresh parsley, a half block of parmesan, some frozen chicken and ... glutinos pretzels.

we never eat italian anymore. but i decided to give chicken parmesan a try - it just sounded comforting on a cold snowy evening. and are you ready for this? wade went back for seconds AND thirds!!!

since he said it was "too good not to share" ...
here's my spin on chicken parmesan:

servings: 4-6                         prep time // 15m                           cook time // 15m
ingredients:

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 cup glutinos pretzels
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• heaping 1/8 tsp italian herb mix
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken, cut into 2" pieces

1 // preheat oven to 450°F.

2 // in a small bowl, mix the minced garlic with the melted butter. in your chopper, combine the pretzels, shredded parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, salt, garlic salt, italian herb mix and pepper. transfer pretzel mix to a separate small bowl.

3 // dip each piece of chicken into thegarlic butter. then roll in the pretzel mix to coat.

4 // place breaded (pretzel-ed) chicken pieces on to a baking dish leaving a little separation between each piece. drizzle any remaining garlic butter over the chicken and bake for 15-20 minutes (until the chicken is cooked through).

that's it. 15 minutes to a yummy meal ...

did i mention that my parents are coming into town tonight? hooray. wade and i are going to go to the belcourt theatre to watch a french film, le havre. then we anxiously await their arrival. 4 people + 3 day weekend + 1 tiny apartment = quite the adventure!!!

have a fantastic weekend, too!

spiced pumpkin cupcakes!

recently i came across these adorable apple shaped cupcakes from marie on make & takes (inspired by muses of megret's valentine heart cupcakes). i had plans to make some gluten free spiced pumpkin muffins since i found the perfect pumpkin cupcake liners @ michaels ... and decided to give their method a go for pumpkin shaped spiced pumpkin cupcakes!

here's what you'll need:

1 box yellow cake mix (i used betty crocker®'s gluten free mix - yum!)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
cupcake liners
tinfoil
green & orange food coloring
cream cheese icing (i cheated & used betty crocker®'s rich & creamy cream cheese frosting)
indian candy corn

1 // roll your tinfoil into small 1/2" balls. you'll need 2 for each cupcake.
2 // heat the oven to 350º (325º for nonstick pans). place a cupcake liner in each of your muffin cups.

3 // in a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, canned pumpkin, water, oil, eggs, cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg. mix on low for 30 seconds and then on medium speed for 2 minutes scraping the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed well.

4 // pour the batter into your liners about 2/3rds full. (i was a bit timid here & probably should have used a bit more batter in each cup.) place 2 tinfoil balls on opposite sides of each cupcake between the tin & the liner.

5 // bake for 19 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. cool in the pans for 10 minutes, the remove and let cool completely for 30 minutes.

6 // mix up orange frosting and frost your cupcakes. leave a little extra frosting & make green for your vines.

7 // place a piece of indian corn into the middle of the top indent of your cupcake as the stem.

8 // finish by piping a few green vines.

yum! now if you can keep your husband from eating them all (good luck) ... share! :)

{ hello munday } ... on a tuesday

if you follow along on twitter, you already know that i've been under the weather for the past week & a half. finally i gave in yesterday and went to the doc. it's amazing how much better i feel already after 1 day on the correct meds. doh.

so i'm back today w/ another {hello munday} on a tuesday - filled w/ sthings to inspire the week ahead:

{source: eat // workmanfamily, drink // closet cooking, make // better homes & gardens}

eat // these adorable mummy oreo cookie pops from the workman family blog. such a cute idea! thankfully there are gluten free "oreos" bc i definitely plan to make these to share.

drink // pumpkin pie white hot chocolate from closet cooking! are you kidding me!?! and then go run 5 miles. totally worth it thought, right??? i wonder if it would taste all right w/ skim milk.

make // pumpkin candy corn! i love this adorable idea from better homes & gardens. i really need to get to it and decorate for fall.

 {source: win // smashed peas & carrots, wear // unkown}

win // 10 yards of WAVERLY fabric for all of your fall sewing projects through this giveaway by smashed peas & carrots! oh i really hope maggie picks me bc i have a long list of homemade christmas presents to get started on! ;)

wear // absolutely in love w/ this outfit. the tulle skirt w/ military inspired jacket - perfect! a must do this fall. though i can't find the original source for this particular image (help?) ... i did find this similar tulle skirt @ zara for just 59.90.

enjoy // fall to it's fullest! i created a little check list of 25 things i really want to do this fall. luckily we'll be able to do a ton of these things while on our trips this month. october is nutso! this weekend is finally our anniversary trip to east tennessee where we'll knock a couple things off the list: √ visit an apple orchard & try their apple cider + √ take photos while on a hike.

what's on your must-do fall checklist?

{ oh yum } mini mason jar pies!

yesterday i shared this post on our anniversary celebration(s) and all the yummy food we ate - including these delicious french breakfast muffins. and today i'm back w/ another post on food. yikes - doesn't sound like someone that is planning a trip to hawaii in less than 2 months!?! but - it was after all our anniversary. a perfect excuse.

so today ... mini gfree mason jar pies:

(makes 10 4oz pies)

for the crust:
(modified to gfree from cook's illustrated foolproof all-butter pie pastry)
2 1/2 cups gfree oat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 sticks cold butter (cut into 1/2" chunks)
3 tbsp sour cream
1/3c ice water

1 // mix together the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. add the butter little by little and mix until coarse crumbs.

2 // in a small bowl, mix together the sour cream & 1/3c ice water. add 1/2 of this mix to the dry mixture and mix a few times. repeat w/ the remaining sour cream mixture. pinch the dough w/ your fingers - if the dough is floury, dry or doesn't hold together, add 1-2 tbsp of water. mix until no dry flour remains.

3 // on a floured surface, gather the dough into 2 discs and wrap each tightly w/ plastic wrap. refrigerate 30 minutes before using.

there are lots of fantastic pie filling recipes all over the world wide web; however, i cheated & picked up a can of strawberry pie filling. next time i will work from scratch but i was working w/ 2 hours on saturday am before wade returned home.


let the fun begin:

preheat your oven to 400ºF.

1 // on a lightly floured surface, roll out your dough discs one at a time until each is approx 1/8" thick. cut the crust into approx 5" squares and then press each square into a separate mason jar. i found the easiest way to do this was to create a cone w/ the center of your square lowering it into the mason jar.

2 // fill each jar w/ pie filling until about 3/4ths an inch from the top of the jar. w/ the extra dough creature your little tops - this is the fun part! i made several lattice top pies and a few w/ little heart decorations.

3 // add the tops to each jar and press into place. crimp the little edges as best you can. and last but not least - sprinkle the tops w/ a little sugar.

4 // place the prepared pies onto a cookie sheet. bake at 400º for 20 minutes. turn the heat down to 250º & rotate the cookie sheet ... bake for an additional 10 minutes. the crust should be lightly golden & the filling should bubble.

hot & ready:

these yummy little pies will last 2-3 days in your pantry, an additional 2-3 days in your refrigerator and up to 5-6mo in the freezer. who am i kidding though - they would never last 5-6mo! :)

i baked 5 of my little pies and prepared 5 more to freeze for later. a little note: if you plan to freeze your pies before you bake them. make sure that the top of your pies is below the top of your mason jar. well duh, blair.
credits:
bebas - font squirrel 
learning curve - dafont 
blog bling - pugly pixel 
underwood champion - font squirrel 

{ hello munday } our first anniversary

a bit of a different {hello munday} this week. instead - a recap of our 1st anniversary celebration(s) yesterday! celebration(s) - bc both wade and i were determined to plan the day. as a compromise - we split the day into 2 parts: i planned breakfast & wade planned dinner.

part 1: a sunrise breakfast picnic.

i kicked wade out of the apartment on saturday so i could do all of my preparation ahead of time. {it is after all almost impossible to keep a surprise when living in a 750 sq foot apartment.} thanks to some {PINspiration}, i prepared a little sunrise picnic for radnor lake:

* an old quilt
* a couple of books of poetry
* orange juice & champagne for mimosas
* heart-shaped honeydew & cantaloupe
* a yogurt, granola, dry fruit & nut parfait
* mini mason jar strawberry pies
* two warm mugs of jasmine green tea
* our wedding china & silver
* and these yummy cinnamon & sugar french breakfast muffins (via velvet lava cafe):

on sunday morning, i woke wade a bit after 6. we packed our picnic into the car and drove to the park. unfortunately nature wasn't aware of my picnic plans - another rainy fall morning in nashville, tn. nor was the park - plastered w/ big NO PICNIC signs. and then there was the incredible vegan indian food from the wedding the night before. ho hmm. glum but not defeated, we drove back to the apartment instead and picnicked at our kitchen table.

part 2: dinner & a movie.

unfortunately we couldn't dedicate a full day to our anniversary. we went to church and then drove to gallatin for wade's grandpa's 78th birthday party. and i ended the day w/ my high school girls bible study.

while i was away, wade prepared his dinner surprise:

* tons of candles.
* lemon rosemary chix
* smashed sweet potatoes & asparagus
* red wine
* our wedding china, silver & crystal
* the wedding blanket we brought home w/ us from morocco
* our very own private viewing of casablanca
* and a million sweet memories of our honeymoon.

he was even at one point determined to turn our living room into a tent - much like the one we ate under while on our honeymoon. note to self: must purchase more sheets for spontaneous tent building.

a very delicious and successful anniversary - if i do say so myself. :) i hope you had a lovely weekend too.

{ food for thought } crockpot apple pear butter

wade sent me a link to a groupon for honeysuckle hill. it's a little farm about an hour north of nashville complete w/ pumpkin patch, corn maze, petting farm, haunted hay ride, an apple orchard ... and a pumpkin cannon (say what?). we went there on a date about a year after we started dating 3 years ago. and i'm super thrilled to be heading there again w/ friends in just a few short weeks. truth is, people - i am already all about fall. bring on the crisp weather and the excuse to layer. bring on apple cider and bonfires.

last week, i mentioned this yummy crockpot apple/pear butter recipe from martha stewart that i just had to try. with wade out of town for the weekend ... i decided it was the perfect opportunity!

the recipe:

{source: martha stewart}

my friend ashley from sniff happens is the queen of all things scentsy. and she's been burning all sorts of lovely fall scents for the past month already! her home smells ah-mazing ... but let me tell you people (sorry, ashley) ... best fall scent EVER - a batch of this apple pear butter! it might not look pretty in process ... but yum! (haven't heard of scentsy or need to stock up, check out ashley's page - click here.)

and because these would make pretty "sweet" little gifts this fall, how about a some printable labels as a little freebie!?! download a PDF right here. these labels are 2" in diameter & fit perfectly on your canning lids. or print the labels on cardstock, punch a hole in the top and hang them w/ jute or baker's twine. don't forget to date them!

credits:

bebas - font squirrel 

marketing script - font squirrel

learning curve - dafont

paper bag texture - bittbox

recipe card - crafting a green world

blog bling - pugly pixel