scratch one off the ‘ol bucket list…

Two weeks ago, Lane and I had the opportunity to scratch an item off of our bucket lists… We were able to go to Augusta National for the Masters. It was beyond incredible. Even if you don’t like golf, there’s something to be said about being at this magical place during such a renowned sports event.

Before we made it to Augusta, we spent some time in Charleston and Columbia. We were shown around by such great hosts, Amy and Aaron Dupree, and are sooo thankful for their hospitality. They are expecting their fourth child and so it was really great to not only be the only pregnant girl, but also getting Amy’s advice and input was wonderful. 

Charleston was such a great town. There’s so much history and charm…and food. So much great food. When we arrived, we walked from our hotel and were told to go to Market Pavilion for  drinks and appetizers on their rooftop patio. Even though it was kind of rainy, we enjoyed seeing the city and being on vacation. Afterwards, we walked around Charleston and Aaron was a great tour guide! (PS. This became the start of the sausage feet!)

 

Just one of the many beautiful churches in Charleston.

 

Who knew a whole store devoted to moon pies existed!?

Precious street in downtown Charleston.

I loved all the history and architecture. I felt like I was stepping back in time.

That evening, we started our food filled trip with a visit to FIG.

It’s kind of an unassuming little restaurant in an older corner building in Charleston. It was not pretentious at all, yet the food was unbelievable. The wait staff was so friendly and knowledgeable. They made us feel like regulars, but at the same time providing 5 star service. We had the most amazing gnocchi as an appetizer. I could have had a giant plate of it for my entree and been perfectly happy for the night. But we didn’t stop there. Amy and I both had the flounder, which was so light and delicate and Lane and Aaron had the soft shell crab. All were ridiculously good. Amy and I also had a fancy mocktail made with “drinking vinegars”. It was so tasty. I am craving one now. For dessert I had a salted chocolate and caramel mousse-type dessert. It could have fallen on the floor and I would have liked the floor clean. I’m salivating just thinking of it. mmmm. Oh how the thought of a good meal makes this fat girl so happy!

The next morning we woke up and headed to our brunch reservations at Husk.

Aaron called three months ahead for this reservation! Husk was recently voted America’s Best New Restaurant, so we certainly were excited about the meal ahead of us! The waiter kind of gave us the side eye when we ordered 3 appetizers (including a cheeseburger!) just for the four of us, but was beyond impressed when we downed them all!

Our appetizers included a cheeseburger (which is apparently the chef’s favorite menu item), black pepper biscuits and jowl gravy, and crispy pig ear lettuce wraps. All were beyond delicious. We continued our gluttony by ordering four entrees, which were all glorious and eaten entirely!

Outside of Husk after our gluttonous meal.

After that meal, there was no way we were going to be able to walk our way around Charleston, so we hopped on a horse drawn carriage tour!

Ike was our tour guide. He did a great job! His driver, Mike, however, had the personality of a brick, but it made for some fun commentary from us heathens in the back row! This tour was a great way to see a lot of Charleston in a little bit of time.

Rainbow Row

The bridge to Charleston

Perfection

Alright, I realize this post is getting a little long, so I’ll skip ahead to the pièce de résistance…First I do have to give a huge shout out to Amy’s family. Every Sunday night they have their entire family and even some neighbors over for “Sunday Night Dinner”. They welcomed us into their home and we are beyond grateful!

The Masters

Augusta National is everything you’ve heard about it and more. The grounds are impeccable, it seems like there are 3 workers/volunteers for every guest and it’s every bit as charming in person as it seems on TV. Even though we only had tickets to Monday’s practice round, we didn’t want to miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity. (Although now we’re trying to figure out how to make it an annual trip!) Once you step on the property, the air feels a little different. It’s an air of greatness. We first got there and walked around a bit, but the two preggos needed to sit. So, we are now the proud owners of a Masters emblazoned camping chair!

   

Amy and I posted up at Amen Corner and the boys were able to walk around. It was great to talk with Amy about babies and life and really get to know her. The guys would bring back water and pimento cheese sandwiches, which was glorious. Around noon, we picked up and moved locations to the 16th hole and watched the players skip balls over the water. It was really fun and relaxing. We were able to get up close and personal with several players, which was fun. Lane told me that if I lifted up my shirt to expose my pregnant belly and asked Miguel Angel Jimenez to sign it, he would immediately buy my the new purse I’ve been wanting. While it was tempting, I am afraid I would have gotten kicked out of Augusta National!

We are so, so thankful that we had this opportunity before baby Wright came. I felt great for the entire trip (minus some wicked cankles after a day at the Masters and a day of flying) and we really enjoyed the time spent together.

Hopefully one day we’ll take Wright back and he’ll appreciate it (and appreciate me carrying his large body around a golf course!!).

There’s more than cupcakes in my oven…

 

Yep, there’s a bun in my oven! Lane and I are expecting a little boy in June!

While it was a HUGE surprise to us, we are thrilled. We are excited that this is part of God’s plan for us. I’d be lying if I said we weren’t a tiny bit scared, (well, I can’t speak for Lane, but sometimes I’m scared out of my mind…) but we pray daily that God continues to guide us in His plan.

I have to share the story of how we found out I was pregnant, if only to have a place for me to journal it… Basically, I went out for a movie and came back with a pregnancy test. The only reason I bought it was because my body is ridiculously predictable and regular, so when I was four days late, I knew something was up. When I walked in the door with a CVS bag, Lane asked me what was in it. I told him and he strongly suggested that I immediately take it. I said I’d do it the next morning and it wasn’t a big deal..I was sure it was negative and that I was just unusually late. He won the argument and I took the test. I didn’t have the guts to look at the results because I was starting to get a strange feeling at this point. I made him look.

When I left the test, it was blinking a clock…It was one of those digital ones that says “Pregnant” or “Not Pregnant” when it’s finished. When Lane went in to the bathroom, he yelled, “What’s it supposed to be doing?” I told him that I left it blinking and it should be still blinking or saying a message. He was kind of quiet and I said, “Maybe I did it wrong…” Another long pause and he said, “No, you did it right. It says you’re pregnant.” Long story short…I PANICKED. Full on freak out. Luckily, I have an AMAZING husband and he calmed me down and told me it would all be ok… and so far, he’s right.

So, here we are. 15 weeks pregnant. We found out two weeks ago that our little cupcake is a healthy boy! We both (along with several friends) were totally convinced that it was a girl, so when the initial shock wore off, I immediately went to Strasburg Children and bought a little boy outfit. And, in the past two weeks, baby boy has acquired about 20 articles of clothing! He’s going to be very well dressed! 

Both my parents and Lane’s parents are beyond thrilled, hence the massive amounts of clothing already purchased! We can’t wait to meet this little guy in about 5 months! In the meantime, I’ve got to get a nursery together, take some classes, read some books, oh, and you know, figure out how to take care of another human being!!! Any and all advice is welcome.

And, I can’t write this post without completely bragging on Lane. I’ve been pretty sick. If I’m not in the bathroom puking, I’m probably asleep on the couch or in the bed. He has stepped up as cook, maid, laundry washer, nurse and dog caregiver. He does it all without complaint or asking for anything in return. I could not be more proud of him and I know that he will be the most wonderful father. I am beyond lucky to share my life with him.

So, let’s raise a glass (non-alcoholic for me, of course) to 2012…It will surely be a year to remember!

“daddy, I met a boy and we’re getting maaaaarrried!”

Father of the Bride is one of my all time favorite movies. It really is genius. Steve Martin and Martin Short rock my world. I especially  love it because it reminds me of one of my very best friends... Erin and I met in junior high and our friendship really started growing from there. By the time we graduated college, we were close enough to spend over a month backpacking around Europe together. Some of my favorite memories in my life are shared with Erin, so I was beyond thrilled when she asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding and share that moment with her. I’m actually getting teary thinking about how special our friendship is…

The wedding was this past weekend, and I’ll save that for another post, but it was magical. Erin and Reed have this amazing love that I wish I could capture in a bottle and pass around. The wedding was perfect. The bride was perfect.  It was all perfect.

A few weeks before the wedding, her other bridesmaids and I threw them a couples shower. Thanks to the gloriousness of Pinterest, we decided on a “rustic fall” theme. We really had a ton of fun planning this party. It was part Pinterest inspired and partly inspired from our brains. The best part is that Erin said it was everything she could have hoped for. And little did we know, it matched the theme of her wedding perfectly!

The girls and I bought burlap and made some ruffled squares for the center of the table. And thanks to Linen Tablecloths for some amazingly cheap white linens!

I also have to give major props to my daddy. I told him I needed some wooden disks for the tables, so he spent one Sunday afternoon cutting down a tree at the lake for us (it was already halfway cut down and needed to be removed, just so you know.)

Mason jars really were the main component to the theme. I found some vintage jars at Canton and they were the perfect addition.

Working part time at a winery has lots of perks, as you can imagine, but one is that I get a great discount on some wonderful wine! For the party we had Grenache and Sauvignon Blanc. We just wrapped them in their brown bags and tied labels around them with twine! Such an easy, cute detail!

This was one of my favorite parts of the night. Jill thought of this and we certainly had a ton of fun with it! I won’t post the pictures yet, since the bride and groom haven’t seen them, but they’re awesome. Sooooo awesome!

I wish I had a better picture of this, but for dessert we did little packets of s’mores to cook over our bonfire! They were precious. Jill and Jonathan worked hard putting them together and their hardwork paid off! They were a hit! The little tags said, “Eat, Drink and have S’more fun!”

Our wicked awesome bonfire!

The bride and groom enjoying their s’mores!

We were lucky enough to have an “in” at Woody B’s catering and had the most delicious food! Smoked chicken mac and cheese, beans, pulled pork sandwiches….mmmmmm. It was so good! (Also notice the candle holder in the center of the table..thanks again to Daddy!)

And finally, I would be remiss without saying that I am so truly lucky to have some of the best friends in the entire world. Really. You should be jealous. They are encouragers, prayer warriors, comedians, stylists, listeners, entertainers and so much more. In the words of my Gran-Gran, God is good.

the blog post about nothing

karen, this is for you. :-)

well, i have nothing to say other than yes, I’m still alive and yes, I’ve been cooking and  have plenty to blog about, but with the start of school, I just haven’t had time to sit down and type. I don’t know where the past month has gone, but it’s been jam packed. So, all of that to say, I’m still here and I’ll be back soon.

To compensate, here’s a few pictures:

We picked grapes at Cathedral Mountain Vineyard in Alpine.

Lucy’s sleep position

Lucy meets Chunk!

Knox steals Lucy’s pink cupcake bed

healthy? no. delicious? yes.

Both my mom and dad’s families have  roots in south east Texas and Louisiana so I guess I can claim that I have an teensy bit of Cajun in me. Because of our “Cajun heritage", we feel the need to have an annual  family crawfish boil. It’s one  of my and Lane’s favorite times of the year. In true family fashion, we always end up with WAY too much food. At the end of the night, even if you’ve had all the crawfish you can eat, you still continue to peel. In the end, you have a stash of take home crawfish. I smother it in butter and garlic, freeze it and forget about it….until  now.

I’ve had a craving for crawfish this summer. It’s not something that I normally order at restaurants but I keep seeing the little tails peeking at me through my freezer. So, when menu planning this week, I decided that tonight was the night.

This recipe is a hybrid from a website, from my great aunt and from  my brain. It was DELICIOUS. Not healthy AT all, but delicious. We paired it with a Caesar salad and chardonnay. Oh, and homemade cinnamon ice cream…but that’ll have to come later.

Crawfish and Andouille Sausage Pasta

14.5 oz bowtie pasta, cooked according to package directions

2 T. olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 small containers mushrooms (I used baby bella  and shitake)

4 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1 t. Slap Yo Mamma (yep. that’s what it’s called. It’s similar to Tony Cachere’s seasoning)

1 t. salt

1 c. fat free half and half (you could totally use normal half and half. I just couldn’t make myself do it.)

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

1/2 lb. andouille sausage, cooked and sliced

1/2 lb. crawfish tails, cooked and thawed if frozen

1 T. cornstarch (optional)

ground black pepper to taste

green onions for garnish

Cook pasta according to package directions. While the pasta cooks, add the olive oil to a  deep skillet  and heat over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms and celery and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Season with salt, red pepper flakes and cajun seasoning. Add half and half and cream. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes. If the sauce needs to be thickened, use the cornstarch. Add crawfish and sausage and continue to simmer until it’s reached desired thickness and crawfish and sausage are heated through.  Toss in pasta to coat. Garnish with black pepper and green onions.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Lane and I have been on a pizza kick lately. It’s kind of our “leftover” day meal. We’ll throw whatever is in the fridge on a pre-made pizza crust and just throw it in the oven. (Our favorite so far has been our brisket pizza!!)  The only problem is that I kind of hate the pre-made pizza dough. We are really trying to be conscious of processed foods and that dough screams processed!

So, while I’ve made pizza dough a hundred times before, (I teach my students how to make it at school!) I’ve never worked with whole wheat flour before so that was where I was a little apprehensive. All in all, it worked out well! The recipe makes enough for one think crust pizza or two thin crust pizzas. I made the thin crust and put one in the freezer. All you have to do to thaw it out is put in in the fridge for about 18 hours and then let it sit out for a few before you get ready to cook it.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough from AllRecipes.com

• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further. Then, drape it over both of your fists, and gently pull the edges outward, while rotating the crust. When the circle has reached the desired size, place on a well oiled pizza pan.  Pre-bake for about 5-6 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and top pizza with your favorite toppings, such as sauce, cheese, meats, or vegetables.
6. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes (depending on thickness) in the preheated oven, until the crust is crisp and golden at the edges, and cheese is melted on the top.

the sounds of a hungry cow.

I spent last week at my parent’s house in East Texas. They were desperate for a vacation. They’ve been working SOOO hard and the only way they were going to be able to go was if I could come down and watch their house and dog, and help out with the office. So, considering that I’m forever in debt to my parents, I drove down to Tyler on Monday morning and stayed until Saturday morning. I spent the week by myself in the country… Well, not totally by myself. I had Jax. And the cow.

The first  night was a little rough. I didn’t sleep because it’s always scary to be somewhere “new” by yourself. Oh, and Jax licked and scratched all night. ugh. Even if I had slept, however, there would be no need for me to set an alarm. Every morning at 7 a.m., I woke up to the sounds of a VERY hungry mama cow. (The people who live behind my parents have a high school aged son who is part of FFA and is raising a cow. She and Knox used to play along the fence line and she would moo at him. Recently, she had a baby cow and apparently has gotten quite sassy…) At 7 a.m. EVERY DAY, I would wake up to her mooooooing for food. She would even go over to her food trough and turn it over to make a statement! I’m not talking about a wimpy mooo. We’re talking loud, sassy, HUNGRY moo. (I can’t say I don’t know what she’s talking about…We’ve all been there.) There’s probably an acre between my parent’s bedroom and her pasture and she woke me up. So, needless to say, it was quite the unusual experience for me! It was nice to have a little different pace than what I’m used to. 

I enjoyed being in my parents house because it’s just so different than mine. It was nice to be in a big kitchen and be able to move around while I cook. One night I made myself a steak  (close your ears, mama cow!) using this recipe, and it turned out perfect! I was so proud of myself! I didn’t need Lane to cook my steak! (Although, I do like sharing them with someone else. Steaks alone are kinda sad…)

While I was there, I went and shopped around their fabulous new grocery store. (sad that I’m at a point in my life when I blog about how wonderful grocery stores are..) I roamed the aisles for quite a while. I was in heaven! I picked up some amazing looking organic strawberries and knew I had to make strawberry ice cream (open your ears now, mama cow!)

Look at these GORGEOUS strawberries!

I have made this recipe several times before but haven’t ever blogged about it. It’s SOOOOOO good and SOOOOOO easy. The first time I made it, I told my oldest nephew I was making strawberry ice cream and he turned his nose up. Then, we convinced him to try it and now I’m pretty sure he’s obsessed like the rest of us!

Of course I got the recipe from Annie’s Eats. Where else would I go to get recipes?? She just posted about making ice cream and the  two different techniques used. It’s a great post if you’re interested in ice cream making!

 Strawberry Ice Cream from Annie’s Eats

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed and sliced

3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (If you use too much, it can take on a lemony taste. I just used the juice of half of one medium sized lemon and it was perfect.)

1 cup sugar, divided

1 cup whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine the strawberries with the lemon juice and 1/3 cup of sugar; stir gently and allow the strawberries to macerate in the juices for 2 hours.

In another bowl, use a hand mixer to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream, the vanilla and any accumulated juices from the strawberries.

Turn on your ice cream maker and pour the mixture into the frozen bowl. Let mix until thickened, about 25-30 minutes. Add the sliced strawberries during the last 5 minutes of freezing. Ice cream will be soft at this point. For a firmer ice cream, transfer to an airtight container and store in freezer until it has reached your desired consistency.

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And, finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share with you one more cow story…

When my parents arrived home on Friday night, my dad and I were on the back patio having a few drinks and talking. I decided to walk do to the fence line and see if the baby cow would let me pet it. Before mama cow had the baby, she was very affectionate. She loved to be rubbed on and would come to the fence when you were there. So, I walked down to the fence slowly and made my presence known. Both cows were chewing on grass and the baby was the closest to the fence. As I got closer, the baby got a little scared and moved away. Mama, however, moved closer to me. I thought the was headed my way to let me pet her…

She stared at me the whole way to the fence and as she got about 10 feet from me, SHE CHARGED!!!!!!!! She didn’t come through the fence, nor do I think it was her intention to, but she was sending me a message! I am pretty sure I spilled most of the drink in my hand and I RAN back up to the house. My dad was doubled over laughing. He said he hadn’t seen me move that fast since junior high track meets! She scared the living daylights out of me and I’m pretty sure I don’t feel bad anymore about eating my delicious steak. Hmmmmph.

Glaring at me through the fence…

And, of course, Jax pictures. Jax and I had LOTS of conversations over the course of 6 days. Most were about how I could further meet the needs of the King. That included how he will only, from now on, eat his food after it’s been drizzled in hot water on a paper plate and microwaved for 15 seconds. If you’ve ever smelled microwaved dog food, vomit is probably the word that comes to mind.

His morning pose. He lays like this until you rub his belly for a LONG time.

In the car on the way to the vet for his allergy shots..

I went to the restroom and came back to find him on the kitchen table. He LOVES to sunbathe and was not happy that I had interrupted him. (This picture isn’t from last week, but I caught him in this same position.)

Cheers!