Weddings are F.U.N.

This past weekend, Lane had the honor of serving as a groomsman for one of his best friends, Brandon. I of course, was so excited to join! Brandon and Courtney got married overlooking beautiful Lake Travis in Austin and we had an amazing weekend. The wedding was beautiful and it was great to catch up with some of Lane’s friends that we don’t see very often.

(Sadly, I took lots of pictures at the rehearsal, and not a lot at the wedding)

One of my favorite parts of the weekend, though, was that Lane and I were both reminded of how wonderful marriage is and how blessed we are to have each other.  This was our first wedding to attend together since our own, so it was really amazing to get a new perspective on how special of an event it is. We were so excited for Brandon and Courtney to experience this magical thing called marriage! Listening to the ceremony really made my heart smile. To have a partner and best friend for life is such an incredible thing. I know B & C are going to love being married!

It was also  really fun to catch up with our friends Bobby and Leslie. They live on the other side of the state and have crazy schedules, so we really enjoyed spending time with them…especially at 3 a.m. driving around Austin. :-)

 

So, yay for weddings. Fun for all and what an incredible gift from God!

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." …For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Genesis 2:18 & 24

And finally, I couldn’t post without mentioning my new obsession..Hey Cupcake! I’ll spare you the story, but I call little Airstream RV’s “nuggets” and really want one. Well, when I came across a Cupcake Nugget…I almost had a heart attack. I really want one!! Sadly, they were closed when we went so I didn’t get to taste, but you can guarantee that I will be back!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Chocolate ButterCreamCheese icing!Yes, please!

(sorry for the crappy picture. My tiny camera is not as awesome as my mom's Nikon D90 that I was using.)

Wow. Seriously, these are amazing cupcakes. I wanted a recipe for vanilla cupcakes, but really wanted it to be extraordinary. I wanted people to tell that they were homemade and not from a box. So, when I came across Annie's Eats version, I was sold. Everything Annie makes is amazing, so I knew these would be as well! Plus, I got to use a vanilla bean, which I have always seen used on cooking shows so I felt super chef-like using one. I had a bit of a hard time locating the vanilla bean in my mega grocery store (no thanks to the man who said "no, i've never seen one in the 5 years I worked here." Little did he know, they were right over his shoulder. It was really fun to be able to split it and reveals its amazing goodness. This batter makes at least 28 cupcakes so my little KA stand mixer was working hard, but I am glad I had a stand mixer to make them. I don't know if it would be possible without one because it takes quite a bit of time to make them and it's nice to walk away while everything's mixing.

I first made them for Jake's birthday sports cupcakes but I'm not sure Jake's 5 year old classmates had the palate to distinguish the vanilla bean goodness, but they ended up looking cute!

After Jake's birthday cupcakes, I decided to make them again for my monthly Cupcakes and Cocktails girl's night, and our family's crawfish boil. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of the finished product until after they had been tossed around in their storage container, hence the horrible picture above. Anywho, they were even more delicious the second time around. The girls couldn't get enough at C&C! The chocolate buttercreamcheese (you have to say it all as one word!) is AH.MAY.ZING. I have to really talk myself out of making a batch just to eat with a spoon by itself. I discovered it from the genius that is Bakerella and it is my new favorite icing recipe! Enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes from Annie's Eats

3 cups cake flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Set aside.In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the bowl of the mixer with the butter and discard the pod (or reserve for another use.) Beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and creamy in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for one more minute.

 Add the sugar to the butter mixture, ¼ cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Mix in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.

 Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full (you will likely have batter left over after filling 24 wells.) Make sure you don't over-fill the liners. It makes for a mess...trust me. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Replace paper liners and bake remaining batter if desired. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Yield: approximately 30 cupcakes

Chocolate ButterCreamCheese Icing adapted from Bakerella

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ( I used the normal Hershey's Cocoa powder)
1 box (1 lb) confectioner’s sugar (I find that Domino is the best)
1 tsp vanilla
1-3 Tbsp whipping cream

Cream the butter and cream cheese with a mixer, about 1 minute. Add the cocoa and vanilla. Add the confectioner’s sugar in small batches and blend on low until combined. Scrape down sides with each addition. Add 1 tablespoon of cream at a time until you get the consistency you desire. (I add the cream after the cocoa and vanilla and after each addition of sugar, but just a teaspoon at a time.)

This icing is great because it sets really well and doesn't melt like a normal cream cheese. And, did I mention, IT'S AH.MAY.ZING!

Emmaversary

I've had this written since Monday, but I'm just now able to get it out.

Monday marked two years since I last saw Emma Lou. I am still as heartbroken today (I am tyring not to cry as I write this) and not a day goes by that I don't think of her. She was an amazing dog and I am so thankful for the short time that I had with her. I am also thankful that I took so many pictures of her because they are nice to be able to go back and look at. It's amazing what an impact pets can make on your life. I mean, who else is beside themselves (and sometimes gets so excited they pee on themselves) to see you when you walk in the door? Who provides hours of laughter without even trying? Who else loves you just as much, even after you scold them for peeing on your bed (yes, twice she peed on my bed)?

Pets are truly a blessing and, to the 2 of you that read this, please go home and hug your pets and show them a little extra love. I feel so blessed to have been raised in a family where pets were valued and treated as members of the family. I hope to impress those same values on my children.

My favorite memories of Emma:

Having to put sunscreen on her "nose ring" as my dad called it, losing her the first night I got her (she was hiding in the pillows on my bed), riding on the jet ski with her in her life jacket, sleeping with her between my legs and under the covers, her yelling at me a lot, having to carry her around the bear trail because she refused to walk, her love for my dad and his love for feeding her waffles and cheetos, all of her costumes, including her zebra bikini, her sausage  years, her kissable cheeks, jax trying to nurse from her (see above picture) her snatching and scarfing my kolache....the list goes on and on.

I love quick craftiness!

 

My friend Susan knows I love little quick sewing projects and sent me a link to this tutorial by Delilah's Momma. So, while my kids were watching a movie, (what?? it's TAKS week and I only have one class a day. Don't judge me) I whipped up this little guy from some scraps I had in my room. It's a precious business card/gift card/ID holder. The best part about it is that I got to use my amazing Janome Memory Craft 9700 embroidery machine. I love sewing on it! Janome's are wonderful machines and RISD has the priviledge of working with Thomas Sewing Center for all of our sewing needs. I enjoy working with them on a personal level too. They are good people. Anyway, this was sew easy (giggle) and took me 20 minutes from start to finish, and that time included getting all of the equipment out and situated. My next step is to figure out where the embroidery would go and do one that way. I can imagine myself putting my ID and credit card in this and carrying it in a clutch instead of carrying my big wallet (big in size, not in contents...that's for sure). Enjoy!

Apple Braised Chicken

This is a WW recipe that I tried a long time ago on my mom while I was doing WW in college (stupid skinny b that I was in college thought that I need WW...) Anyway, I wanted to revisit it because it's really delicious! It seems odd at first to use onions and apples with chicken, but it ends up being perfectly sweet and sour. It's only 5 points per serving, so paired with a good veggie, it's a very good, healthy dinner.

Apple Braised Chicken, adapted from Weight Watchers

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz pieces

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 large onion(s), sliced
2 medium apple(s), firm, cored and sliced
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar (the original recipe called for just 1 c. apple cider, but I have a strange love for vinegar. This is what gave it a "sour" taste, and I loved it.)
1 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cornstarch

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, warm oil over high heat. Toss chicken with flour in a medium bowl, patting off excess. Place chicken in skillet and brown well on both sides. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Reduce stove temperature to low and add onion to skillet. Sauté, stirring often, until onion is tender and lightly browned.

Stir in apples, cider vinegar, chicken broth, salt, ginger and chicken. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken, onions and apples to a serving dish.
 In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 2 to 3 tablespoons of pan juices. Combine cornstarch mixture with remaining pan juices, whisking constantly. Simmer for one minute. Pour sauce over chicken and serve. Yields 1 chicken breast and about 3/4 cup of apple-onion mixture per serving. 5 points per serving.

Goat Cheese Bruschetta

While this is not a WW recipe, it keeps popping up in my head because IT'S FREAKING DELICIOUS. (Can you tell I'm still having bad cravings???) Anyway, I made this for Lane when we celebrated our one year anniversary with a picnic in the park next to our reception site. Then, loved it so much that I made it three more times but have just gotten around to blogging about it. This is a great finger food for a party or appetizer before dinner. It's really, really easy and just delicious.

Goat Cheese Bruschetta adapted from Real Simple
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 small shallot, finely chopped (I omitted because I didn't have a shallot)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (such as dill, parsley, chives, and basil) (I used parsley and basil, both dried actually.)
8 thick slices french baguette, toasted
2 4-ounce packages soft goat cheese
 In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir in the shallot and herbs.
Drizzle half the vinaigrette over the bread, spread with the goat cheese, and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Serves 8.

JUST SAY NO (to texting while driving)!

I apologize in advance for this kind of blog entry, but I have really been convicted lately and wanted to share. Embarassingly, I have to give Oprah credit for this conviction. (A benefit/curse of being a teacher is that you get home by 4 to watch Oprah...she's like a siren...you just get sucked in!) Anyway, she's got a new campaign to encourage people to sign a pledge to not text/talk while driving. She has interviewed people on her show that have lost loved ones in car accidents because the person that hit them was texting/emailing. I can't imagine losing someone I love for that reason and I really can't imagine ever forgiving someone for taking away a loved one because they couldn't put their phone down. But what if I was that person? What if I was the person who accidentally took a life because I was reading an e-mail or text? I just can't be that person.

Once being convicted, I realized how much I use my phone while driving and it's downright scary. Even though I've committed to not text/email while driving, I still struggle and I really have to think about it but, I just realized that most things aren't important enough to risk lives. If it is important, it's easy to just pull over and take care of it, then get on the road again.

No need to sign Oprah's pledge if you don't want to, but please make a pledge to yourself. From now on, no more texting/emailing when driving. I know it's hard for those of you that work a lot out of your car, but it's just not worth the risks. I think about my best friend's children or my niece and nephews, and even my dog...I can't risk someone taking them away from me because they were making a stupid decision.
 
Hugs-
LeighAnne
 
Oprah's No Phone Zone Pledge