Pink Holidaze

WOW.  Something about these make me intensely happy.  They're just perfect.  How sweet would a set of three be in a dining room or kitchen?  It turns out these are prints of the original paintings (by Paul Ferney), as they sold out of those.  {via Heather on Pinterest }

I love cake.  I've always liked it, but ever since I had this dream about a huge piece of chocolate cake when I was pregnant, I've craved it almost every day.  It can be a problem.  I know this rainbow cake doesn't taste any different just because it's pretty, but...I mean, isn't it pretty?  I would like some.  Now. {Craving brought to you by Whisk Kid via Making It Lovely }

I had an incredibly successful trip to TJ Maxx yesterday.  It was pretty exciting.  Among  other things, I found a meri meri Easter cupcake kit , similar to the one above.  I can't wait to use it this weekend.  They have the absolute sweetest toppers and liners for every occasion.

Blaaaaaah!  I want this cake.  I want to eat it.  More than that, I want it in my house.  For pretty's sake.    { via 100 Layer Cake }

I made this fruit salad again the other day, completely solidifying the fact that it is one of my summer favorites.  I know it's only spring, but it felt like summer the past few days (not anymore, sadly).  So simple and yummy, and you can use any kind of fruit your little heart desires.  Literally, you cut the fruit, pulse the mint and sugar, and mix together.  Voila.  Happy heart. { Summer Fruit Salad with Mint Sugar from Epicurious }

I meant to write about Pomme back in December, right around the time we ate there, but I didn't.  So, quickly now, if you live near St. Louis or happen to visit, Pomme is phenomenal. Some of my favorite, maybe my absolute favorite meals of all time have been there.  The most basic food they offer is incredibly well done...you'll want to soak in each and every buttery bite.  And I love it for reasons other than the food.  The atmosphere is soothing and cozy, the staff is incredibly kind, and well, we were engaged to be married there.  Right there in that left-hand corner window in December of 2008.  And we've gone back each year since.  Even when I was hugely pregnant (I still made room for EVERY single course. :).  Highly recommend.

With Thanksgiving week upon us, I thought I might share one of my most favorite holiday recipes...Carrot Souffle.  Don't like carrots?  Don't worry.  You don't need to...it's more like the food coloring.  You really just need to love butter and sugar.  It disguises itself as a side dish, but it's kind of dessert.  And the ingredients are super simple.  I even made it for Thanksgiving in Morocco.  It does best in a souffle dish, but you can make it in a baking dish if need be. Carrot Souffle from Southern Living - 2 lbs carrots, cut in chunks - 1/2 c. butter - 2 eggs, beaten - 3 TB flour -1 tsp. baking powder - 3/4 cu. granulated sugar -1/8 tsp. cinnamon Cook carrots in boiling, salted water until tender, about 20-25 minutes; drain well and mash (I like to use a stick blender to basically puree them).  Combine mashed carrots with remaining ingredients.  Pour into buttered, 2 qt. souffle dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. ...

Martha has Amanda Hesser on her show right now!  I can't tell if it's new or not, but nonetheless...so exciting (she also had Christmas decor with the Rockettes, very exciting as well).   Love Amanda's food writing and really excited to hear she has a new book out... The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century ( here ).   I don't think I'm allowing myself to get anymore cookbooks until I use the ones I have more consistently (no comment, Zach), but it's still fun to find!  And in process of finding a link to the book, I realized that she is a part of a website which I've been missing this whole time -  Food 52  -  it looks like it has amazing recipes.  Yum.  And, if you end up liking those, then you will most definitely enjoy reading  this .

As in the place, St. Louis. :) Zach and I drove to STL yesterday to drop him off at the airport for yet another trip. Boo. I'm quite ready for him to be home. He'll be back on Friday for a little over a week before he has to head out again. Anyways, despite the fact I had to say good-bye to him all over again, I had a really wonderful day in the Lou. I love those days where you feel like you can go where you want, whenever you want. I stopped by the mall and happened to find a few things, all of which were priced 50-75% off...Wahoo! Anthropologie was almost empty, meaning I could finally look through the sale racks slowly and deliberately! Here is one of the purchases...a skirt which is a wee bit crazy and bubbly. I'm liking these pictures, because I'm not quite sure how to wear it yet. After shopping, I stopped by Companion , which was amazing. My first experience there was just alright, but I'd heard too many great things, so I had to try again. I had...