Fall Comfort Food: Potato Chip Cookies

October 2018

Is your mouth watering yet?! …Mine totally is! Last weekend I got into fall mode and decided to try a cookie recipe incorporating Cape Cod ® Sea Salt Potato Chips. Sweet, salty, comforting…trust me, these cookies are SO GOOD and the chips on their own sure are delicious, too! If there’s one thing I am forever a fan of, it’s a sweet treat and a hot cup of coffee. Add some pumpkins, a cuddly pup and a cozy flannel to the mix and I am one happy gal! The weather in Austin has finally cooled off a bit and this weekend called for jeans, plaid and some quality time spent soaking up the weather from our patio!

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

September 2018

Is your mouth watering 1. looking at pictures of the bread above and 2. just thinking of bread?! YES ME TOO. Okay, glad we’re on the same page about that one… 😉 If there’s one thing that Europe does right (well…they do a lot of things right but we won’t go down that rabbit hole haha), it’s most certainly bread…scones, croissants, french bread, focaccia…you name it, it’s delicious and gives my heart pangs because there’s simply nothing like sipping hot coffee or tea and indulging in freshly baked bread, homemade butter and yummy jam…especially while at an outdoor cafe in Paris or better yet, at a darling cottage house in the midst of the Irish countryside. Yes, that scene I just set was REAL LIFE for all of four glorious hours and I am so excited to give y’all a closer look AND share a super easy, wonderful Irish soda bread recipe.

Mediterranean Orzo Salad

September 2018

By Jessica Lee

Raise your hand if you pack a lunch for work! I’ve gotten into the habit of bringing mine and not only does it mean that I save some money (more to spend on cute clothes!) but it also is so much healthier. I usually just save some leftovers from dinner and pack it as I’m cleaning up so it’s ready to go in the morning, but occasionally, I’ll do a quick meal prep on Sunday that yields food for the week. This orzo salad is the result of one of those meal preps. It makes just enough to get me through Friday. As Ina Garten would say, “how great is that?!”

This is another one of those recipes that you can mix and match as you see fit. If you’re not crazy about olives, I think a roasted veggie like zucchini squash would be a great trade. If your a meat eater, grilled chicken would be a substantial protein to add. If you’re trying to do the low carb thing, cauliflower rice could be subbed in for orzo. It’s totally up to you!

Pregnancy Diaries: My First Trimester

September 2018

Artwork by Kimberlee.

Hello there friends! It’s been a while since I’ve had time to sit down and write a more personal post… we are currently traveling through the British Isles but Blake and I have nestled into a cozy coffeehouse in Inverness, Scotland and are taking a break from the hustle and bustle to soak up quality time with our computers…ha! Not going to lie, it always feels therapeutic to sit and calmly get in some writing or jot down my thoughts for future posts. That said – my sister just sent over THE cutest illustration so I can document my first trimester of pregnancy on my blog… she totally hit the nail on the head with ALL of these…Blake and I just had a good laugh looking through the “cravings” section…that is a very real reality!!

I am currently 17 weeks (baby is the size of a pomegranate this week and his/her feet are the size of gummy bears! We find out the sex on Sept. 12th…omg we can hardly contain our excitement!) and thus, am already into the second trimester. However, given that this is my very first pregnancy, I am excited to document everything for both myself (hopefully we’ll have more kiddos and I can reference this post ha!) and also share what it’s been like for those of you who may not know…which was exactly me just a few months ago.

Red Curry With Cauliflower Rice

September 2018

By Jessica Lee

Raise your hand if you’re ready for Fall to make an appearance already. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Summer, but I’ve got sweaters and boots that are dying to be worn. Anyone else feeling the same way? Well, let’s manifest Fall with this tasty red curry recipe. I think if enough of us make it, the weather will cool down just enough…. Maybe?!

This is one of those great recipes where you can mix and match ingredients. Got green beans that are on their last leg? Throw them in! Want to swap in brown rice for cauliflower rice? Go ahead. Prefer chicken or shrimp in your curry? You do you! It’s pretty much a choose-your-own adventure meal. Aka my favorite kind of meal…

Blackberry Sage Cobbler

August 2018

By Jessica Lee

A friend of mine shared a cobbler she made in a cast iron skillet on Instagram Stories, and I immediately hounded her for the recipe. I’d never seen cobbler made that way and it seemed pretty genius. Cast iron is perfect for getting that crispy crust that tastes divine on cobbler. Fast forward to today, and I’ve updated the recipe a bit to combine two of my favorite ingredients: blackberry and sage…

We’ve Been Keeping A Secret…

August 2018

We’ve got a little (okay…a BIG) secret to share with y’all…we’re having a BABY! On June 14th, our lives changed forever when we found out some very exciting (and surprising!) news. To say the last few months have been an emotional roller coaster would be extremely accurate haha – I have never been so happy/excited/nervous (insert all the feelings) in my entire life to know that Blake and I are creating a tiny human together. It’s been crazy to watch my body change, our conversations go from work banter to discussions about how we want to raise this child and the good we want to instill in him or her. We are welcoming this next chapter with open arms and grateful hearts!

Capturing The Adventure

August 2018

It’s that time again…we’ve got the itch to go somewhere and explore! In a few weeks, Blake and I are headed on a two week cruise through the British Isles…Ireland, Scotland, England…we’re ready to escape the Texas heat! I’ll share more on that trip soon…but in the meantime we’re looking forward to photographing and sharing all the details, big and small.

Blake and I have been so fortunate to have traveled near and far these past few years, and capturing our adventures is something I LOVE to do. Not only is photography a passion of mine, but I love to print our photos and reminisce about the memories in those 2 x 3″ frames…I feel pangs of nostalgia as I look at each of these prints and I’m immediately transported back in time. What we did that day, whether it was hot or cold out, the smell of the cuisine in each country. Ohh the power of a photo – it truly is something so special. Which is why I am thrilled to partner with HP and share why I’m loving the new Sprocket 2-in-1 portable photo printer. If you’re one for adventure or simply love taking photos (…which is most anyone with a smartphone these days, ha!), then you’re going to LOVE this pretty little thing!

ROSE GOLD & WHITE / RED / GOLD / BLACK

A big thank you to HP for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.

Healthy & Flavorful: Kale Rice Bowl

July 2018

By Jessica Lee

Have you heard about the restaurant Sqirl in LA? I’ve never been, but it’s one of those spots that you hear about all over the place — in food-centric magazines, on Instagram, from that one stylish friend who came back from a vacation in sunny California. The owner, Jessica Koslow, is one of those badass women who worked hard to pursue her dream of owning a restaurant, aka she’s kind of my hero.

So after scooping up her cookbook, Everything I Want To Eat, last week, I knew I needed to recreate one of her recipes for you guys. This Kale Rice Bowl is the most delicious bowl of health. I swapped out a poached egg for a hard-boiled egg because I had some on hand, but a poached egg or fried egg would also be really delicious here. And don’t skimp on the fresh dill!
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Vermicelli Spring Rolls With Peanut Sauce

July 2018

By Jessica Lee

There’s a restaurant here in Austin called Elizabeth Street Cafe. It’s probably one of the most instagrammed restaurants in the city, but it’s not just aesthetically pleasing. The restaurant serves some of my favorite food in Austin. During the winter, I cozy up was a warm bowl of pho and then when summer comes around, I always order their fresh spring rolls.

Packed with tofu, fresh herbs, vermicelli noodles and more, these spring rolls are insanely delicious. So delicious in fact that I’ve been working on recreating them at home…
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