LITTLE PEICES OF YOU & ME

I know what you're thinking. Whatever happened to Stephen and Natalie? 

We're still alive and kickin'. It's just lately we've been up to no good... or nothing at all.

And that's where all of this "other" stuff comes in... you know, filler. 

Don't fret, we'll keep you updated on us. But for now this will have to do.

His & Hers cookies

The other night Stephen and I wanted to make cookies, but we both wanted different things. So we decided to split the batter (we used the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe found on the back of the semi-sweet chocolate chip bag) and add our own mix-ins. I can't believe we haven't done this before... it seems like a no-brainer. He ended up with his favorite and I ended up with mine...

Feels like home

The other day I took a quilt to be quilted. I went to Cinnamon's Quilt Shoppe here in Jacksonville. It was awesome. Like really awesome. They had lots of designer fabrics and fun patterns. I sure do miss the Fabric Mill and Material Girls, but this is good, no, great. It always makes me happy to find a good fabric store, a close one too. I picked up a couple of fun things while I was there and I just thought I'd share them with you.

P.S. If you are ever trying to find fabric online, here are my suggestions (other than fabric.com):

or

or

Modest dresses

Here, there and everywhere. But mostly BR.

 1.2.3 Banana Republic Fall Collection

1.2.3 Banana Republic Mad Men Collection

So I'm kind of in love

with Aunt Peaches. 

Can you believe these were made from recycled goods?

coffee filters. cupcake liners. straws. crayons.

{my apologies for the picture overload, I just couldn't help myself}

Normal.

Yep. Things are finally starting to get back to normal. Our apartment is unpacked, the piles of laundry scattered about are now clean, the pantry is stocked and the craft room is a mess. While Stephen is away at school, I've been working on some design work and a couple of side projects (and cooking/baking a lot too). I'll admit, it sure is nice to have free time, to do whatever I want, whenever I want... but a part of me feels out of the loop. Maybe because we moved across the country, or because I'm no longer in school, or that its taking forever to find a job. I'm most worried about the job thing. It seems like absolutely no one around here is hiring. Also there's the whole I want to do something with photography, or graphic design, or baking, or sewing/clothing. Any suggestions on where to look?

dinner with Stephen = the best time of the day

Early morning observations

I don't know a better way to start the day than a 

glass of milk and a handful of mini blueberry muffins.

yum.

Happy Monday!

Will's birthday bash

 The past couple of days have been busy as we've been planning/prepping for a birthday party. Katie and Bill's little boy Will turned one earlier this week and I was in charge of the decorations/baked goods. Since cupcakes always seem to be a favorite, I made lemon, funfetti, chocolate mint and plain ole chocolate. For party favors I decided to go with sailboat sugar cookies and for Will's "smashcake" we opted for a giant cupcake instead of a standard round cake (which was easy and really cute with the sail topper). Stephen's mom made an adorable doggy quilt for Will and gave Emme a camera. She was absolutely in love with it and wouldn't let anyone touch it. Kids these days...

Triple chocolate cookies

Unfortunately the cheesecake I made the other night was more complicated than I thought. It turned out pretty well, just not how I expected. Instead of serving it, I made these cookies --->

Triple Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. (2 sticks) butter (room temperature)
3/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
1 1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2  c. bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. white chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl.
3. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
4. Stir in chocolate morsels and then using a cookie scoop, place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 9-11 minutes until cookies are golden brown. Allow to cool on sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling rack.

Rolls well worth the work

I've been searching for quite some time now for a good roll recipe, one that doesn't require a bread machine. When I ran into the "unedited" version of this recipe I thought it could be easily altered. So I made a few changes and they came out perfectly. I will say that making these rolls is quite time consuming, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time and follow the directions... and hopefully you'll have yourself a tray full of these fluffy golden rolls!


Parker House Rolls
Ingredients

• 2 c. whole milk
• 1 stick butter (1/2 c.)
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. (heaping) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. (scant) baking soda
• 1/2 tbsp. (heaping) salt
• 1/2 c. (additional) all-purpose flour
• 1 stick (additional) melted butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine 2 cups milk, 1 stick butter, and sugar in a large pot. Bring to a simmer, and when the mixture is hot (but not boiling) turn off heat and allow to cool to warmer than lukewarm, about 40 minutes.

2. Sprinkle in the yeast and 4 cups of flour. Stir to combine, then cover and allow to rise for 1 hour.

3. After 1 hour, add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1/2 additional cup of flour. Stir to combine, then turn out onto a well floured surface. Knead dough for 8 to 10 minutes (you will have to use a lot of extra flour to keep the dough from sticking), then form into a ball and cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

5. Melt 1 stick of butter in a small saucepan.

6. Roll out dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut circles with a 2 1/2 inch cutter (or the rim of a glass cup). 

7. Dunk each circle in melted butter, then immediately fold in half and place on a cookie sheet, flat side down. Press lightly to encourage sealing. Repeat with the rest of the dough. {you will be able to place them very close to one another and should be able to fit at least 30 on a sheet}

8. Cover with a towel and allow rolls to rise 30 to 45 minutes.

9. Bake for 15 minutes till golden brown. Remove and serve.

(recipe adapted from Joy The Baker and Pioneer Woman)

Weekend menu

This weekend I've really felt like cooking/baking. 
So here's what I have in mind:

Tonight: Pizza and salad
Later tonight: Raspberry white chocolate cheesecake
Brunch tomorrow: Waffles with strawberries, bananas and whipped cream + fresh squeezed orange juice
Dinner tomorrow: Stuffed pork tenderloin, roasted potatoes, green beans, parker house rolls, salad, cherries + cheesecake

Our creative space

Sewing.

Silkscreening.

Spray painting. 

Stencil making.

It all starts here.

A few little updates

Well, the internet situation still is in the air, so right now the posts are few and far between. But I did manage to take a few pictures of recent finds/purchases that I'm kind of loving. The first would be my Kitchen Aid. I finally decided it was time (and had the counter space)... it's only been three years. Second would be the Fiesta mugs I found at an antique store. They're kind of awesome. Finally the clothespin picture frame from Pier 1. I thought it would make a perfect recipe card holder for the kitchen... also it was a pretty good deal. Anyway, other than finding fun places around town and Stephen getting ready for school to start, we've just been enjoying the last few days of summer vacation. I hope they go by real slow.

Time has flown by

Since we moved to Jacksonville, we've been busy trying to put things in their place and find our way around the city. So far we're really liking it. Unfortunately we haven't hooked up internet yet, so Starbucks has been our best friend for the past week or so. Hopefully things will return back to normal in a couple days and lots of updates will be posted...