Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake

One weekend highlight: picking strawberries right down the street from our house.

We picked over three pounds with the goal of chowing down on strawberry shortcake for dessert that night. Here's an easy and so delicious recipe.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds strawberries, stemmed and quartered

5 tablespoons sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Whipped cream of your choice (I add lemon juice (to taste) to mine!)

Directions

Mix strawberries with 3 tablespoons sugar and refrigerate while juices develop, at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add heavy cream and mix until just combined. Place mixture in an ungreased 8-inch square pan and bake until golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove shortcake from pan and place on a rack to cool slightly. Cut into 6 pieces and split each piece in half horizontally. Spoon some of the strawberries with their juice onto each shortcake bottom. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and then the shortcake top. Spoon more strawberries over the top, one more dollop of whipped cream if you like and serve. Enjoy!

Happy Weekend

From me and B! Enjoy yourselves out there. Love! Xoxo

Recipe: Frosted Sugar Cookie Perfection

Sugar Cookie Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated white sugar 

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Royal Icing Ingredients (using egg whites)

1 large egg white

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

Sugar Cookie Directions

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the beaten egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about one hour (or overnight) or until firm enough to roll. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (keep turning the dough as you roll, making sure the dough does not stick to the counter). Cut out shapes using a lightly floured cookie cutter and transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheets with the unbaked cookies in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to chill the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking. Bake cookies for about 8-10 minutes (depending on size) or until they are just beginning to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Makes about 20 - 3 inch cookies. 

Royal Icing Directions

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg white with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Frost away, and be sure to let the royal icing dry completely before storing (this may take several hours). Frosted cookies will keep several days in an airtight container. Store between layers of parchment paper or wax paper.

Enjoy!

Marathon Wedding Speech

In honor of mine and Hank's third wedding anniversary yesterday, I think it's perfect timing to share what we co-wrote for the speech we gave during Amy and Ryan's wedding weekend (aside: the groom's cake was a race bib). Here we go...

Good evening, everyone! Andrea and I were lucky enough to spend a weekend in October with Amy and Ryan for the Chicago Marathon. It was certainly a great weekend, and based on the groom’s cake, we all know how much Amy and Ryan love to run – so we decided to give them a few tips so they can succeed in their biggest race yet – the marathon called marriage.

Tip One: Mimic the course.

If you’re going to run a hilly marathon, you should train on hills, and if you’re going to run a flat marathon, you should train flat. Well, you two got to where you are today, by building a relationship filled with having a lot of fun, sharing lots of laughs and making great memories together. From running the Rock ‘n’ Roll in Virginia Beach to summer days at Wrightsville and nights at the Durham Bulls ballpark to hunting around the backyard for Easter eggs, you’ve kept the good times rolling. So mimic the course you’ve already taken to get to where you are today, and keep that same love tonight, tomorrow and all the days after.

Tip Two: Be each other’s biggest fan.

In any race, there are fans along the route to help push you through, to inspire you, to make you smile and even make you laugh. We encourage you both to be each other’s biggest cheerleader and help to celebrate all of your successes and to be there to pick you up should you stumble along the way. You should laugh and laugh often. Never take life too seriously, and at the same time, focus on the things you care deeply about. Also, treat your biggest fan like your greatest treasure, because a good spouse is the greatest treasure you can ever hope for.

Tip Three: It’s all about the journey.

Just like signing up for a marathon is a choice you make in an effort to accomplish something great; love is a choice, each and every day. Take in every moment you have together. All the sights, all the sounds and all the memories, because it’s the journey you share that makes a lasting impression. As in training, some days can be more challenging, but with dedication and commitment you can get through anything together. Trust the path and the preparation you’ve taken to get here and mile after mile, day after day, your marriage will be a huge success.

With a solid foundation of faith, the belief in grace and forgiveness and a whole lot of dedication and love, you’ll get through this marathon that is marriage together, and what a beautiful marathon it will be. So, let’s raise our glasses to Amy and Ryan, and may this be the best run of your life.

Fiesta Like There is No Manana

I was so excited to see Amy (my SIL!) the night she got engaged. From Bells Will Be Ringing to Monograms and Margaritas, her showers were so much fun.

And then just like that it was March and the Bachelorette Party was upon us. 

We made our way to Uptown Charlotte on Friday and decorated the hotel room located at the Epicenter. We made snacks, drinks, played 20 questions, passed out treat bags and watched Amy open presents - a bag filled with all things beachy for a tropical honeymoon. 

We enjoyed brunch and bottomless mimosas the next day at 5Church before getting our nails done and heading to Blo for hair. We played more games and opened more presents by night and then it was off to Vida for delicious Mexican before dancing the night away. 

Fast forward to Thursday before the wedding. We enjoyed some relaxation and massages at The Umstead in the morning. Then we lunched and picked up some bridemaids from the airport before heading to get our nails done (complete with cocktails). By night, we enjoyed a Mexican fiesta in honor of Amy's birthday (along with everything else!) the next day.

The next morning it was bridal luncheon time. We lunched it away with delicious eats, sweet company and prettily wrapped presents filled with all things monogrammed.

That evening, we rehearsed it out before it was onward to the most delightful dinner. 

I still remain obsessed with their koozies. 

Bridesmaids!

From beginning to end, the wedding day was insanely gorgeous. Here we are before.

And here is our after. 

The flowers were show stoppers. 

Groomsman & Bridesmaid 

Here's to the newlyweds (more to come on our wishes to them in my next post). 

And more photos coming soon once all the professionals arrive - can't even wait.