autumn baking kickoff - part 2

Super-Spice Molasses Cookies
I love for things that are meant to be spicy, to really pack a punch. As a rule, I always use lots of extra chai when I make my morning drinks, hot or cold. As such, I've looked for a while for a truly spice-featuring autumn cookie that is still soft and chewy, regardless of when it is eaten. And I found it all in this incredible and easy recipe!

Ingredients:
2-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp each: cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup softened unsalted butter
1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup sugar divided
1 egg
1 tbsp orange juice or orange liqueur
1/4 cup molasses

• Whisk together all the dry ingredients.
• Cream the butter and sugar together till fluffy, add the egg, then orange juice/liqueur and molasses. 
• Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture. 
• Refrigerate 45 minutes. (This is important because otherwise the dough is too sticky to work with.)
• Roll dough into 1" balls then press into discs.
• Cover with 1/4 cup sugar and place on baking sheet about 2" apart.
• Bake on 350 for 8-10 minutes.

I personally think these are perfect for dipping in what I call "Snow Cream Steamers"...just a cup of milk with a tsp of sugar and vanilla extract heated up like hot chocolate. Excellent for snuggling up with a book!

autumn baking kickoff - part 1

Caramel-Chai Apple Pie (super tasty and it rhymes to boot!)
This weekend my amazing friend Kirsten's birthday was serendipitously accompanied by a drop in temperature significant enough to merit the official kickoff of the autumn baking season! As such, I am happy to have two incredible recipes to share. Though it may sound totally nuts from the name, I can promise you that this is the very best apple pie I have ever made. Ever.

Ingredients:
Pillsbury 2 ct. refrigerated pie crusts
1 egg white
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp pure caramel extract
1/2 cup chai concentrate (Tazo or Oregon Chai are both great)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp each: cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg
4 granny smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced

• First, set your crusts out for 15 minutes to bring them to room temp. Normally, I'd harp on the importance of handmade pastry but frankly, these are easy and delicious and I'm giving myself a free pass since the rest of the pie is from scratch. Unroll one crust, line your pie pan, and brush it with egg white.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the 1/2 cup butter and add the flour to make a paste. 
• Add the caramel extract, chai concentrate, both sugars, and the spices. 
• Stir and increase heat to bring to a light boil then reduce and simmer, continuing to stir so the sugar doesn't burn to the bottom. Cook on low for 5-7 minutes then remove from heat.
• Line the bottom crust with a layer of apple slices (I think it's essential to keep the slices thin) and pour 1/4 of the filling mixture over them. Repeat layering apples and filling till full.
• Cut up the 2 tablespoons butter and dot the top of the pie.
• Unroll your top crust and either use it whole or cut up into a lattice. 
• Brush the entire top with egg white and then poke vent holes.
• Bake on 350 for 1 hour. Cool to room temperature and *this is key*...let it set up for 5-6 or so hours before serving. 

It got rave reviews for me and thankfully, the birthday girl said she enjoyed her "cake".
Reheat a slice and top it with some vanilla bean ice cream...that's what I call a great way to start off fall!

diy wedding shoes

A couple weeks ago my mom and I found ourselves browsing the shelves at Rack Room Shoes for those ever-stylish black "work-safe" tennis shoes we all know and love. (Ha!) Thankfully, I did find a pair but of course had to order them because if you're an almost 6-foot girl like me, you well know the struggling of finding anything in your size in-store. Regardless, we still had the option to take advantage of the BOGO they were running so Mom brilliantly suggested we take a look around for some wedding shoes.

I knew I wanted flats but it seemed everything was either too plain or dripping with obnoxious glitter and rhinestones. So...I landed on this pair of fake Toms (Bobs) in an unassuming champagne color and set my brain to craft mode. Normally $39, we snagged them for $19!

After staring at them for a week or so, I decided some lace and maybe buttons or simple jewels to add a "something blue" would be just the thing. I dug through my ribbons bin and found half a roll of leftover lace from my bridesmaids boxes project (originally $1.99 at the great Hobby Lobby). Grab a glue gun and get to work! I glued the lace along an existing seam running diagonally across the toes so if they peek out under the dress, the details will be visible. On a whim, I added small pieces to the back to cover up the brand tag. Step 1 complete:

For step 2, I debated in the aisles at Hobby Lobby between buttons and jewelry-making accents. They didn't have a huge button selection, but there was plenty to choose from in the jewelry section. I knew I wanted to tie in my "something blue" on my shoes but didn't want it to be super obvious. Bows and the like really aren't my style so in the end, I purchased two strands of turquoise and bronze jewel thing-ys for $2.99 each. More glue, and the inevitable web of hot glue strings everywhere, then ta-da: an awesome pair of one-of-a-kind wedding shoes for about $25!

I'm super happy with them (and their price tag) and can't believe they have to just sit in a box for another 161 days!

what is marriage?

I promise I'll be discussing some non-wedding/marriage topics soon, but I think today's post title is a vital question, especially for my generation. So...what is marriage, really?

The Oxford Dictionary defines marriage as: the formal union of a man and a woman, typically recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife; a combination or mixture of two or more elements.

You may have also heard that marriage is a commitment, a promise, a covenant, "the long game", the old "ball and chain", a "permanent mistake", and possibly, the end of life as you know it. Unfortunately, with divorce rates as high as ever and negative portrayals scattered across every form of popular media, it is easy to dwell more on the difficulties than the joys.

I've also had several people make the comment that they just "couldn't picture themselves loving one person forever." In response to that, I always think about my grandpa-- in this area, he proved quite the philosopher. 

For much of my life, I remember my grandmother being a somewhat harsh woman. Though God has brought recent opportunities for me to see a new side of her, when my grandpa was still alive, my memory consisted mostly of her nagging him and being demanding. One day, while visiting my grandpa in the nursing home, I asked him how he had loved my grandma for so long? How has they managed to stay married for 50+ years? His response was simple, like so much of who he was. He turned his bright blue eyes to me and firmly stated, "Because I choose her every day."

I have meditated on those words for years. In hoping for my future husband, in my early relationship with Strider, and now in the anticipating of our marriage. What a simple, beautiful perspective on a life spent with the woman he loved. He chose her. Every. single. day.

Just that, just a choice. Not a one-time promise of "I'll love you forever." Not a naive hope that marriage will be wonderful and magical. Not a bitter resentment of a 50-year mistake (despite the many hardships they endured). Just a simple choice to love her -- to wake up every single day and choose to love her all over again, no matter what the day would bring.

That's the love I want. To give and to receive.

Making a one-day promise to love someone forever does seem too huge and impossible for a fallible person to keep. It would be much easier to give up on the one promise that you made 10 or 20 years ago, rather than the choice you make each day. It seems easier to "fall out of love" when the love you promised was just a feeling, not a choice. 

I can't promise to feel the magic every day or look at him with googley, twitterpated eyes. 
But I can promise to choose him every day. 
Promise to work to love him when I don't feel like it. 
Promise to put him first even when I want to be selfish.
Promise to forgive and to fight for us.

Just a choice, every day.

courtesy of staymarriedblog.com

nuptial nonsense

This post is about wedding things I don't understand or feel are completely unnecessary. It is not intended to offend or to suggest that our planning choices are better than others. If you disagree, that's totally fine, but if not, maybe you'll join me in just asking, "Why!?"

Things I've found to be wedding nonsense:

The 3-month-salary ring rule. If you're rolling in the dough, sure, go crazy--but for all the guys out there that aren't: your girl will love anything you give her (or should). It's about the promise, not the ring. This is the beginning of your life together - don't start it off in debt. Plus, there are beautiful, totally reasonable options out there. Try Gordon's online.

Escort Cards/Place Cards/Seating Charts. So much work, stress, and extra printing costs! Trust me, I know families can get complicated, but really now...if guests aren't grown up enough to find their own seats and play nice for a couple hours, well, maybe they should just sit with the kids or stay home.

The garter toss. To each their own I guess, but to me, this is always awkward. The idea of a husband creeping under tons of layers of his new wife's dress to pull out essentially a piece of underwear that he is going to throw at his friends...uncomfortable to even think about.

Unrealistic bridal party expectations. Since getting engaged, I've heard all kinds of crazy stories about how bridal party members have been treated when participating in weddings for family and friends. Between excessive costs, unfair travel expectations, and "all about the bride" mentalities, can we cool it already? These are your best friends...they love you...please don't make them wish you harm over outlandish, self-obsessed requests. (To my incredible ladies, please throw a shoe at me if I get crazy!)

Alcohol. Whether or not your family and friends drink, bars are a wallet-black-hole for weddings. And why introduce all the drama that can come from including this as part of your special day? No one wants a drunken speech giver. Thankfully, it isn't an issue for us.

Registry complications. Registries are a beautiful thing. This way, guests know they are getting the happy couple something they actually want...and that is awesome. But why do they have to be so complicated? Between choosing what you want, reading reviews to make sure it is a quality pick, choosing where to register for it, and checking the registries periodically to make sure your picks don't become discontinued before the big day....whew! Complicated. Plus, add all the people who just get you gift cards--a kind and helpful gift, but bittersweet because it makes all that registry bother for naught.

The costs. All the costs! This is an obvious one. Go as simple as you like, but inevitably, you're still going to end up spending more than you feel like you need to. And it is pretty evident that vendors play to the emotional bride, trying to coerce you into "needing" something you don't or scaling things up and out of your budget. Admittedly, it's hard not to get wrapped up in a tornado of tulle, tapas, and transportation, but smart ladies...stick to your instincts on what is really worth it. It is just one day. Preparing for your marriage should be a much higher priority than plans for the wedding.

There are lots more, but these are the ones that have become most clear during our planning thus far. What did you nix for your "big day" that no one missed?


Also, just for fun, here's a partial sneak peek at our invites. I'm in love with them!

say no to the expectations

I have a dress. You know, the big, important, white kind that you see in pictures for the rest of your life. The kind you feel endless anxiety over because you have to make sure that it's perfect. Brides-to-be are expected to pour over magazines staring hungrily at glossy photos of stick-thin models pretending to be blissfully happy, learn the names of a thousand designers who exist in a fashion-centric world completely apart from a normal-person-reality, and then be willing to choose between a kidney or your first born to pay for it all. And on top of all that pressure, there's the ever-elusive magic moment when you see yourself in the "right dress" for the first time and you start to cry, your mom cries, your sister cries, your cousin cries, and twinkling confetti and rainbows burst forth on the horizon as a cherub trumpets this momentous event...and everyone knows....knows it's the dress.

Well, excuse me, but I call major BS.

I'm no expert on bridal fashion (obviously) but I have seen/read enough to know that when I was two bridal shops and nearly 20 dresses in with no tears or magic, I was completely disheartened. 

Not only did I feel I was wasting everyone else's time, but I also had spent entirely too much of the day in my underwear in front of strangers - I mean, can we talk about modesty in a bridal fitting room for a minute, please. Sorry future-mother-in-law, I wasn't planning to get to know you that well just yet! Regardless, after diving through a literal sea of tulle and satin, we narrowed it down to 3 dresses. All pretty, my size, and reasonably affordable (as much as a wedding dress can be, anyways). But still, no magic.


I was overwhelmed by a sense of dread and dashed hopes because everyone knows, if you don't cry, it can't be the right one. And then, it struck me: what's the deal with all these crazy expectations anyways? I get that this is the "most important day of your life" and that the dress will be in pictures forever, but frankly, I think that's trumped up, Say Yes to the Dress, crap.

Find a dress you feel beautiful in and move on. If you're looking at your wedding pictures ten years down the road and all you can see is a dress instead of the amazing man you've just spent the last ten years with, well, you need a change of perspective, not wardrobe. 

This mentality may go completely against my romantic sensibilities, but the bottom line is that it is just a dress. One dress. And no matter who designed it, or what you paid for it, you will be stunning -- because you're a bride standing before her best friend as you covenant your lives together.

And if you're like me and the "magic moment" isn't there, don't freak out or feel disheartened. It doesn't mean it's the wrong dress, that you should keep looking, or that you should spend far more money than you have to try to find that impossible Disney magic. Just choose one and know that your future husband is going to think you're absolutely breathtaking in whatever you end up wearing...be it couture or corduroy. 

There is a great quote I read somewhere (no idea where) that I have taped to front of my wedding binder. I try to come back to this every time I feel like I'm getting swept up in all the unrealistic bridal expectations or unnecessary wedding "must-haves":

"At the end of the day, if you're married to your best friend,
then everything went according to plan."

And when you think about the dress through that scope, the magic isn't necessary. Have fun, feel beautiful in whatever you pick, and don't get down on yourself if your experience is lacking in rainbows and tears. Let go of unrealistic expectations and putting so much importance on an article of clothing. You. will. be. gorgeous!

singer's got a brand new dress!

With my morning off, I got productive and finally made the sewing machine cover I've had on my to-make-projects pile for months. My poor little sewing machine has never been properly cared for. In a serious way. If sewing machines had an ASPCA, you'd probably see me on cable TV being dragged out of my apartment with a black bag over my head. Sarah McLachlan will sing in the background as photos of my sewing machine pan across the screen, begging you to adopt it. But it all ends today!

I've planned for years to take it in and get it serviced, but I just never got around to it. My latest excuse is that it would be a waste to get it serviced since it didn't have a cover and would just get all dusty up in its gear-business again. Crafters win at this kind of procrasti-logic.

But today I did it, I made my poor little Singer a brand new dress. And boy is it cute! This is also my first and probably last foray into "pattern-making". To start, I whipped out my tape measurer and plotted a scale from every possible angle. This is what I came up with. It isn't super fancy and ended up being quite a bit too long, but that was a good call in the end.

Using the measurements on the pattern sheet, I cut out pieces from a lightweight cotton fabric I chose for the inside liner. As you can see below, I sewed the two side panels to the top panel first and the sewed on each of the sides.

Once all the panels had been sewn together (particularly difficult at the corners since I'm pretty much rubbish at sewing box corners), I put it over the machine to make sure I wasn't wildly off in my measuring. Just make sure you sew the liner so that the right sides show when it's flipped inside out and fitted into the outer piece. She seemed to realize what I was doing at this point and got excited by all the attention being paid to her.

Next, I cut the same pieces out in the outer, more sturdy fabric. I also did two lines of accent patchwork and appliqued them to the front panel. Once all the pieces for the outer cover were joined, I flipped the liner inside out and did some tiny hand stitches at each of the top corners and midway across the top panel, just to secure the 
liner at the top.

I put it back on the machine and realized I was about 1.5" off on the length. This ended up being a great thing because I reversed it, trimmed the excess inner fabric, then pinned up the outer liner over the inner fabric. I sewed the hem along the pins and then cut any remaining excess. Add some of the most awesome buttons I've ever found and been saving for years, then BAM! I am no longer a sewing machine owner-monster.

And it's done. Now I finally have no excuse not to actually take care of her. You can't tell in the pictures, but the outer fabric is a really pretty egg blue color and looks sweet in my room! Now excuse me as I go sew some more and sing "so happy togetherrrrrrrr......".

As a random aside, do people name their sewing machines? I feel like she needs a name. We've been through almost 9 years of life together (woah, 9 years...when did that happen!). So ideas? What's a good name for an inanimate object you love and can't afford to get a better one could never replace?