A BLUEBERRY FOOL...

I thought I would thought the week off on a sweet note - a super easy sweet note that is. July 4th is coming up this weekend and desserts with blueberries and raspberries are usually the first desserts that come to mind when I think of that day. You know I am a stickler for quick yet really, really good desserts and this one is just that. It's called a "fool" because one could easily be fooled into thinking this dessert took a lot of time and thought. But it totally doesn't. This dessert is simply a ten minute blueberry sauce that is folded into fresh whipped cream. That is it. It's so incredibly good - so good that I can honestly say that it's in the top ten of the best desserts I've ever had. That says a lot - especially for a dessert that is so simple to make. If blueberries aren't your thing, use strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, blackberries... or a mixture of berries. It's good with pretty much of those fruits. So if you are short on time, or not short on time and just don't feel like putting a lot of energy into dessert for your 4th of July cookout or that summer dinner party, then this is what you should whip up. So good!

Here is what you need and what to do (makes 4-6 servings):
Recipe via Food Network

2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
Juice of 1/2 small lemon
Zest of 1 small lemon
1 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Heat 1 1/2 cups of blueberries and 1/4 cup sugar in a saucepan set over medium heat until bubbling. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries are soft - about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and zest and remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries and set aside to cool.

2. Add the heavy cream to an electric mixer and whip until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and sugar and whip again for a few seconds until the vanilla and sugar are fully incorporated.

3. Divide 1/3 cup of the sauce among the bottom of each serving glass. Fold the remaining sauce into whipped cream. Divide among the serving glasses. Serve immediately or refrigerate until served.

Enjoy!

Images by me

GALLEY STYLE + LINKS...

Hellllllloooooo Friday! What's good for the weekend?? Rain is the forecast, so the plan is reading (something I've been doing a lot of lately thanks to the nonexistence of good summer tv) in bed during the rain, taking a trip to my tailor (more on that next week), a really long walk post-rain with a friend, and restarting my plan for a possible kitchen makeover. Hence, the photo above... Have a wonderful weekend!

Good Things

My tech is all dressed up in these at the moment...

Very much looking forward to her new clothing line...

My new favorite Instagram feed. It gives me hope... #love

10 household products to replace with castile soap. LOVE that soap...

Good Spaces

The power of a coat of paint...

And the power of a simple garden stool...

Good Reads
How to do pretty much anything...
I adore her blog, so I'm sure her book will be fabulous...

12 Ways Netflix might make you eat just a little healthier...

10 ways Target is robbing you. I still love that place, though...

Probably the next addition to my cookbook collection. Loved him in A Devil Wears Prada...

Good Food
Summer in a cup.
My favorite side item - all dressed up...
Cakes don't get much more creative than this...
A perfect treat for the kids. Adults will love them too, I'm sure...

Photo by Scott Frances via The Cut

GRILLED PEACH & PLUM SALAD W/ A HONEY-LEMON VINAIGRETTE

So one of my absolute favorite things about living in Georgia is the peaches. Georgia peaches are unlike any other peach. I just love them. One of my favorite things to do with peaches is grill them. Grilling them really brings out their flavor and caramelizes their sugar. I eat them for dessert along with a little ice cream and I eat them on salads...

About this salad... It's just summer on a plate and reminds me of something I would serve with a little Rosé at a table full of my closest friends. I simply cut a few fresh peaches in half and grilled them on my indoor cast iron grill. They were ripe, but not too ripe (peaches that are too ripe will just fall apart on the grill). To make the salad a little different, I also grilled some black plums. I ate tons of plums from our backyard plum tree as a child, so adding them to this salad added a personal and sweet touch. I used a little goat cheese for tang, some store-bought caramelized walnuts for crunch, and topped it off with a homemade honey-lemon vinaigrette. It's just a sweet, fresh salad that is the epitome of summer... 

Here is what you need and what to do:

Salad

Mixed greens
3 ripe, yet firm peaches, cut in half or quartered
2 plums, quartered
Goat cheese, crumbled (feta works, too)
Walnuts, toasted or caramelized
Freshly ground black pepper

Honey-Lemon Vinaigrette

Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon honey
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Add the ingredients for the dressing to a jar. Put the lid on the jar and shake it up. Set aside.

2. Preheat a grill over medium-high heat. Brush the grill with a little olive oil. Add the peaches skin side up and grill until the flesh is caramelized and slightly softened - about 8-10 minutes. Do the same to the plums. Set them aside to cool.

3. Add the greens to a large bowl or platter. Top the greens with the cheese, walnuts, and cooled peaches and plums. Dust the salad with a little freshly ground black pepper. Add the dressing just before serving.

Enjoy!

Images by me 

WEEKEND IN SIX PICS...

{My new summer bag... It practically goes with everything and holds all of my random stuff. Love it.}

Is it Monday already?? Gosh I need an extra day, but on with the week! How was your weekend? I had the best pizza here with a good friend and got all of my errands done on Friday and Saturday so that I could have the WHOLE day on Sunday to just hang out and do whatever without a schedule. I love days like that. One of the things I did was empty out the card on my camera and organize the photos. Here are a few of my favorites along with a few photos I took over the weekend. These are honestly my favorite posts to do (food posts are a close second). They remind me of all of the simple moments of life that are so good - yet go by so fast. I like that they are frozen right here so I can go back and look at them anytime - and just feel grateful. Have a wonderful week friends... 

{A kitesurfer on the beach in Florida. I'd never seen anyone do that in person before and it was quite fascinating to watch...}

{Tempura Grouper Cheeks - yep the cheeks of a grouper - that I ate in Florida that I'm STILL thinking about. They were insanely delicious, tender, and fresh... }

{An updated photo of my little basil garden! It's coming right along! I love the feeling of just going right outside and cutting a little basil for my salad, eggs, or pizza... I'm definitely doing this again next year!}

{Yesterday I tested a recipe I made up a recipe using this freshly grilled corn that turned out SO GOOD!!! I will certainly be sharing it with you soon...}

{An amazing 6AM beach sunrise photo taken by my brother...  I'm definitely framing this.}

FRESH + CLEAN + LINKS...

Happy Friday!! How was your week? This week I've focused on that post-vacation reset -  resetting my regular routine (that unfortunately does not include daily trips to the beach), restocking the fridge so that I can reset my regular eating habits, and resetting my bedtime schedule by getting to bed on time or before time most days this week. The older I get, the more important -and harder - all that stuff becomes! I plan to wrap the week up with a few dinners this weekend with friends, watching this documentary that I've heard so many good things about, and maybe a trip to the farmers market... Hope you all have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to all of the wonderful fathers out there!

Good Looks
The newest addition to my bathroom (large white) that I'm loving (on sale)!
Lace & chambray look so pretty together...
These are different, yet really cute to me...

Good Spaces
Another one of her amazing kitchen makeovers...
This kitchen makeover is beyond beautiful, too...
A beautiful coastal front porch - that has a pretty pink door...

Good Reads
Love her videos for DIY deodorant and eye cream. Definitely planning to try...
How to graciously set boundaries personally and in the workplace...
Ina Garten on how life can begin at age 50. Love her.
The sweet, yet hilarious start of the brand Tibi...
Where I've been going to find my next read...

Good Food
A black & white pancake cake... So creative and good-looking...
A good resource for your weekend trip to the farmer's market...
I've never been so amazed by a saltine cracker...
I think this is brilliant...

Image via Amber Interiors

I'M WEARING... BEACH ATTIRE

One of my favorite memories from my vacation was practicing photography with my brother. We both love photography (he is so very talented at it!) and it was just fun for me to be able to talk camera-talk with him. One afternoon on our way to the beach, we stopped so he could take these photos. I know I've already talked about what I'm wearing in this post, but I wanted to put these photos on the blog to show you how I styled it all up- and most importantly to have a visual memory of how much fun I had working with my brother. This was our first time doing a shoot like this together and he told me where to move my head, where to put my arms, where to sit, where to stand, how to stand - everything. One of my fondest memories of our childhood is of us building cities on the dining room table made entirely out of legos - and today he's all grown up and telling me what to do. I couldn't be more proud of him... :)

A few notes: The peasant top runs REALLY large, so I wore it as a cover-up. If you wear it as a cover-up, go one size down. If you want to wear it as a regular top, then go two sizes down. The swimsuit ran small for me. I actually went two sizes up so it would fit my top and backside, but I sacrificed a good fit on my waist. It might be different for you though!

Madewell Peasant Top | J.Crew Swimsuit | Target Panama Hat | Madewell Straw Beach Tote | J. Crew Denim Shorts (old) similar here and here | Serena & Lily Turkish Beach Towel | J.Crew Bracelet | Dolce & Gabanna Sunglasses | Gorjana Chloe Necklace

MY SCENES FROM RIVIERA BEACH, FLORIDA...

{Where I pretty much spent 4-5 hours each day. Loved that towel!}

Hi there!! I'm back from my much-needed family vacation, where I took about 1,000 photos (no joke), so of course I want to some of them with you today! We went to Riviera Beach, FL, which is on the lower east coast of Florida. It's a small town that's a little north of Miami. We wanted to go somewhere a little off the beaten path of typical beaches, somewhere super nice, and somewhere that might not be all that crowded. This place was just that. I absolutely LOVED it. We stayed at the Marriott Oceana Palms resort, which was really, really beautiful. The people were lovely, the food was good (so good!) and the water was so blue - especially for the east coast. The daily routine was eat, sleep, beach, relax on the balcony - then repeat. Here is a little of what that looked like... Gosh I'd give anything to get this all back... :)

{A photo taken by my brother during our walk on the beach at golden hour.}

{More scenes from my daily trips to the beach. That bag worked out perfectly... }

{That beautiful water felt like a warm bath that you could just be in for hours... Swimsuit here... }

{The pool at the resort. The landscaping there was magical...}

{Dinner at a place called U Tiki Beach in Jupiter, FL was so so so good! I had that lobster roll - one that I'll be thinking of for quite some time. Super fresh.. }

{We went on a boat ride before dinner and the captain recommended this Surf-N-Turf roll with the hash brown gratin. So that's what everyone else at the table got. I swear that is the best gratin I've ever had in my life...}

{Our view at dinner... }

{A little bingo & s'mores hosted by the resort... }

{I won one game and ate more than one s'more...}

{Sunset...}

BLUEBERRY & LEMON MUFFIN CAKE...

So every week I poll my friends to get an idea of what kinds of recipes they want to see here on the blog. Last week, one of my good friends recommended this blueberry muffin cake, which I thought was perfect. It looked really good, seemed simple to make, and uses an in-season fresh ingredient. That's my kind of recipe... Blueberries are in season (so excited) and you can usually get two pints for the price of one at the farmers market or grocery store. I always seem to find something to do with blueberries whether it be eat them or freeze them, so I always partake in that sale...

So I used the 2-for-1 blueberries last weekend to make this cake and it is delish!! It tastes just like its name. It's like a fresh, moist blueberry muffin in the form of a cake. The original recipe didn't call for lemon zest, but I almost always add lemon zest to any recipe that has fresh blueberries. Lemon zest brings out the flavor of the blueberries even more. This would make the perfect summertime breakfast served right out of the oven with a steaming hot cup of coffee or a great dessert served with a side of vanilla ice cream. It doesn't get any better than that... :)

Here is what you need and what to do:

Recipe via Fine Cooking

1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup whole milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of one lemon
1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries
Confectioners sugar for dusting (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 in springform pan with parchment paper. Grease the bottom of the pan (top of the parchment paper) and sides of the pan. Set aside.

2. Sift the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl (I actually used a measuring cup), combine the milk, eggs, and vanilla, Stir until combined.

3. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until combined. Gently fold in the lemon zest and the blueberries.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake for about 55-60 minutes. Insert a cake tester or toothpick into the center of the cake at about 50 minutes to see if it's done. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges before releasing the cake from the pan. Transfer the cake to a serving platter and dust it with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

WEEKEND IN FIVE PICS...

{In my bag to the beach... Bag, hat, swimsuit}

Dang! Is it June already?? Time is flying by... I'm starting the month off with an empty laundry basket, a re-organized closet from a good purging session, a rested body and mind from a Sunday afternoon nap (during a crazy thunderstorm - the best), a semi-packed bag for the beach, and an eye free of a torn contact lens that only took me 12 hours to find (don't ask). All I know is that prayer works! Anyway, here are some favorite things from my last weekend of May. I hope you have a great first week of June!

{Organic strawberries that I can't seem to get enough of lately...}

{A friend suggested that I make this and I'm so glad she did. I'll share more later in the week! }

{The most beautifully written "just because" letter from a dear friend - best snail mail ever. }

{An ombré floppy hat for the beach...}