Pink Rabbit

1/ Wool 27 by Christopher Wool // 2/ Bunny

Shiny Things

1/ Confetti System // 2/ Myka's Closet



Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes w. Baileys Icing

INSTAGRAM IMAGES: EMJT, RECIPE ADAPTED FROM SMITTEN KITCHEN

While in Paris, I definitely indulged my sweet tooth -- nutella + banana crepes, chocolate mousse with lunch, hot chocolate from Angelina, & pain au chocolat.

All of which reminded me of my last homemade indulgence prior to my trip. John & I made these Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes with Baileys Icing using this original recipe from Smitten Kitchen, but leaving out a few of the ingredients. The end result was decadently sweet & very delicious. I'd love to incorporate the ganache into other desserts in the future since it was my favorite element. Here's the breakdown below if you'd like to try these for yourselves, your friends, &/or your family.

INGREDIENTS

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For the ganache:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate 

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter at room temperature

For the chocolate cupcakes:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

For the Baileys icing:

3 to 4 cups confections sugar

1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature

3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys

Piping bag (or two plastic sandwich bags -- cut a small hole in one corner for a makeshift piping bag)

PREPARATION 

-------------------------

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit before adding paper liners to your cupcake pan. Bring 1 cup butter to a simmer then add the cocoa powder by whisking it in until smooth. Once mixed well, cool the combination slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, & 3/4 teaspoon salt until blended. In a second large bowl, blend the sour cream & eggs using an electric blender. Add the flour mixture from the first bowl & beat the mixture for a few seconds on a low speed. Then, using a spatula, fold all of the ingredients until the batter is evenly mixed. Add the mixture to the cupcake pan by dividing the batter, so that each liner is about 3/4 full. Bake the cupcakes for about sixteen minutes & then allow them to cool completely.

While waiting for the cupcakes to cool, make the ganache fililng. Chop the chocolate & transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the heavy cream until it is simmering then pour it overtop of the chocolate. Let the mixture sit for a minute or so before stirring until smooth. Add butter and mix completely. Now you'll have to let the ganache cool completely; to speed the process, put the bowl in the refrigerator & stir the chocolate every ten minutes until it thickens & is cold. If you want to use an apple corer to remove the top half of the centers you may or you can use your thumb to indent the center of the cupcakes in order to make a hole for the filling.

Use a piping bag or plastic sandwich bag to pipe the ganache into the centers of the cupcakes. Be generous with each amount added to the centers since there should be plenty of ganache to go around for each.

Now it's time to make the icing to top it all off & finish these sweet treats. In the bowl of your electric mixer, whip the butter until it is very light & fluffy. Very slowly add the powdered sugar while the mixer continues to spin; a few tablespoons at a time, so that everything mixes well. As the frosting thickens & begins to look spreadable, add the Baileys slowly & whip until completely combined.

Using your clean piping bag or second plastic sandwich bag, pipe the icing on top of each cake in a cute little swirl as shown above in our photos. Enjoy one right away or store in an airtight container to nibble on them & share them with others over the next few days.

Maison & Objet

Right now, I am currently working in Paris & have been since Saturday. Today is our last full day of walking the Maison & Objet Exhibition before heading back to the States. 

I'll post some photos next week to share the sights of the city. Fingers crossed the jet lag won't be too major.

All Time Favorites

IMAGES // 1/ 2

Above are excerpts from the lyrics to my two favorite songs. Ultimately, number one is Bob Dylan's To Make You Feel My Love; it was even our first dance at our wedding. If you're not a big fan of Bob then listen to Adele's beautiful cover. The words get me every time.

Positively Fourth Street, also by Dylan, is my runner up for favorite song with equally good lyrics.



Layered Paint

IMAGE

Blue & Green Details

1 // 2

Shades of Tangerine

SHADES OF TANGERINE

1/ REED KRAKOFF Leather and Suede Boxer Tote, $990.00 // 2/ Deborah Lippmann Celebrity Nail Lacquer, $16.00 // 3/ Banana Republic Tile Necklace, $55.00 // 4/ Neiman Marcus Checkbook Clutch Wallet, $68.00 // 5/ Urban Outfitters Atlas Tapestry, $39.00 // 6/ Michele Tahitian Large Jelly Bean Chronograph, $295.00 // 7/ J.Crew Drawstring Wool Dress, $350.00 // 8/ Tory Burch, Signature Tory Candle, $45.00 // 9/ Topshop Cable Beanie, $32.00

Oh, you know, because Pantone said so. They've got me thinking that it would be nice to feature a few extra pops of color like these as a means to incorporate a little orange into my life (other than playing it safe with the occasional bright pedicure).

On Repeat

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DRIVE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK


1/ Nightcall* // 2/ Under Your Spell // 3/ Tick of the Clock

Staycation Roundup, Part Two

INSTAGRAM PHOTOS // 1/ Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes with Baileys Icing from Smitten Kitchen // 2/ Hazel sleeping with her tennis ball (one of many that may be found around our house) // 3/ John playing his new Playstation 3 (he's hooked on the game Uncharted 3) // 4/ Trying out a new recipe: Breakfast Tacos // 5/ Cuddling with Hazel on the sofa // 6/ Rentals: The Planet of the Apes (horribly sad + difficult to watch) & Colombiana (pretty good) // 7/ Fresh daises on our kitchen table // 8/ Matinee showing of Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol (loved it) // 9/ Currently reading this book on my iPad // 10/ The blue ceiling of our front porch (apparently it's good luck in the South) // 11-14/ Hazel giving me the cold shoulder since I accidentally locked us out of the house when we went for a walk while John ran some errands // 15/ Treats John purchased from Barnes & Noble during his errand outting // 16/ Pre-Christmas J.Crew purchase (charcoal gray striped cardigan) that finally arrived // 17/ New magazine issues (InStyle + US Weekly) // 18/ Athen's Flagpole Magazine to read the most current Tofu Baby Comic + our parking stub from dining downtown

Staycation Roundup, Part One

INSTAGRAM PHOTOS // 1/ Lots of sleeping in & leaving the bed unmade (Duvet Cover + Striped Pillow Cases are from West Elm) // 2/ Cleaning & reorganizing throughout the house (Anthropologie Teacup (old) + Samples from Sephora) // 3/ Iced Chai Tea Latte while couch surfing // 4/ Watching our latest Netflix DVDs // 5/ Hazel hanging out on her blanket on top of our bed // 6/ Using our Kitchen Aid Mixer for the first time since Mom gifted it to us last Christmas (cupcakes adapted from this Smitten Kitchen recipe; so good); thanks, Mom!

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

INSTAGRAM IMAGE // BOWL - OLD ANTHROPOLOGIE // PLACEMAT - CRATE & BARREL

This recipe is my Mom's, so please note that she gets all of the credit.

Over the years, we've continually requested this dish for birthdays, holidays, & get-togethers. Now I make it when I want to share something really, really good with our friends or if I am going out of town & want to leave John with an easy, go-to dinner. This casserole is so simple & it reheats well, so I recently made some for our friends who just had a baby only a week & a half ago (I also doubled the recipe, so that I would have one casserole to keep for ourselves at home).

INGREDIENTS

----------------------------

4 Grilled Chicken Breasts

2 Packages of Frozen Broccoli Florets

1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (sometimes I use Shredded Colby Jack or Sharp Cheddar)

1 Can of Campbell's Cream of Celery Soup (Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Onion work 
well too)

1 Cup of Mayonaisse

2 Eggs (Well Beaten)


1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

4 Tablespoons of Butter

Half a Sleeve of Ritz Crackers

Pinches of Salt & Pepper

PREPARATION

---------------------------

Preheat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook & drain the broccoli well. Grill the chicken in a large skillet (add salt, pepper, & additional seasonings now if you'd like; I sometimes add ancho chile pepper for a little kick). Cut both broccoli & chicken into smaller pieces & set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the shredded cheese, cream of celery, mayonaisse, eggs, & lemon juice well with a large spoon. Fold in all of the broccoli & the chicken until everything is distributed evenly.

Transfer the mixture into a greased casserole pan. Crumble the crackers overtop & dot with butter. Bake for forty minutes (hit broil at the end for a few minutes if you want to brown the top a little extra like I do; just keep a watchful eye on it, so it doesn't burn) & cool slightly before eating or refrigerating for later. And enjoy the leftovers next day for lunch (if it's not completely devoured in one sitting).

*For vegetarians -- sub the chicken for 2 or 3 extra eggs (well beaten & seasoned with salt & pepper) & add additional vegetables like diced onions & mushrooms.

Holiday Roundup

A little late, but here are a few of my favorite things from our holiday.


INSTAGRAM IMAGES // Ted Baker iPad Case - thank you, Mom // Jonathan Adler Ornament - thanks, Mom // Madewell Angora Dot Scarf - thank you, Dad // Sephora Goods purchased with a Gift Card from my Aunt B - thanks, B // Our Tree + Hazel Blending in with Our Sofa // Hazel playing with her toy from Santa Paws // Cuddling with Hazel // Colorful, Family Christmas Tree

Pretty, Pretty Pins

IMAGES // 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/

Listening Lately

IMAGES // 1 2 3


All three of these albums are so good; the entire Ceremonials album is a particularly good listen all in one sitting if you're working on a project or in front of the computer designing all day like me. Below are my top three track picks from each right now. 

FLORENCE + THE MACHINE
CEREMONIALS
-
Only If For a Night // Never Let Me Go* // Spectrum




 THE BLACK KEYS
EL CAMINO
-
Dead & Gone // Run Right Back // Hell of a Season*




RIHANNA
TALK THAT TALK
-
You Da One* // Talk That Talk (featuring Jay-Z) // Roc Me Out

Staycation

IMAGES // 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 /


John & I are currently on our staycation this week. You know, that thing you do when it's more rational & less stressful to not spend a huge chunk of change on jetsetting somewhere new & undiscovered, but instead stay home to enjoy your local surroundings. There are a lot of things that we don't make time to enjoy when we are busy working, so it's still fun & exciting like a true vacation (that's not to say that I would pass up a trip somewhere tropical if presented the opportunity).

 Here's a visual roundup of some of the things on our list that we'd like to do, see, & make while spending all of our time together. Among other things, we will  sleep in, spend time  outdoors (long walks with our pup, Hazel, are always enjoyable), see a live show (if possible, at the newly renovated Georgia Theatre here in town), visit the High Museum of Art in Atlanta (John's never been!), tour the Georgia Aquarium (neither one of us has been yet), try some new recipes & cook them together (also dine out at a new-to-us local restaurant), & bake some things to further satisfy the lingering holiday sweet tooth.

There'll be an Instagram photo roundup of our adventures posted next week.

Currently Obsessed

The Currently Obsessed site is like a fashion & home decor specific version of Pinterest with lots of popular products all in one place. Choose which of your favorite bloggers you want to stalk in order to access the top items they have pulled from a wide range of offerings from numerous designers & companies.

Click directly on a photo to view details. Price can be a dealbreaker for me, so I love knowing the cost of the item first thing. If further interested, hit the buy button to go directly to the purchasing site.

Not ready to purchase? Then mark & store your most liked items, so that you may revisit them when you've got a little extra cash burning a hole in your pocket. This site is a fantastic way to discover hidden gems that have already been scouted by the bloggers you most admire for their taste.

Click here to view my recent finds & to stalk me.

HNY

1/ Gold Silverware // 2/ Pink + Gold Dots