The Well Stocked Kitchen | Baking

Have you ever got a hankering to bake something only to find out you don't have one or two ingredients you need? This happened to me over the weekend. It's one of the things I miss about living at my parents' house. My mom has probably the best stocked kitchen in the world. The only time she didn't have what you needed was if it were some very obscure spice, and even then it's probably there if you search hard enough. I racked my brain thinking about all the things I typically use and came up with a few lists. The first is for baking and desserts, something I absolutely love to do when I'm not swamped with tests or tons of work.

Weekend Wanderings

We had a fabulously uneventful weekend. Friday we visited the in-laws for a delicious dinner, and most of Saturday was spent trying to fix our well pump. Let me tell you, waking up to a house without water is dreadful. I ran a few errands early in the morning thinking that no one I knew would see me (unshowered and disheveled) that early in the morning. Thankfully, I didn't run into a single person I knew, or maybe they just didn't recognize the beast that I was… 

After only 8 or so hours (and cooking with bottled water), the pump was fixed! Hooray! We had friends over Saturday night to watch college football, and I'm very happy that both of my teams won (Carolina and Florida State).

Sunday was completely relaxing, until we went wading on the marsh. The views are breathtaking, but the bugs are the devil.

And if you're lucky, or highly skilled, you might just catch a scaly friend.

He was a little larger than the keeper limit, so we let him swim free.

On our way back to the boat, Jared spotted something in the distance.

And landed the fish like a boss.

Naturally we celebrate great catches with a delicious bottle of wine.

All in all, we had a fantastic weekend. The only thing that would have made it better was some fresh redfish filets pan seared to perfection. Maybe next weekend…

Whirlwind Weekend

Just as I was about to settle down on Friday evening, the hubs realized he mixed up wedding dates for a friend of ours. We were planning on heading to the Emerald Coast this coming Friday, but it just so happens we were supposed to be there there last Friday. Ooops. Seeing as it's a 8 hour drive, we turned to his dad to see if he could fly us down there. He really is a saint. We headed up and out early Saturday morning. We even had a few hours to spare, so we explored a little bit of Destin and Santa Rosa.

We headed to the closest seafood restaurant for lunch. It was delicious, especially the lobster bites and they went so well with a tall bloody mary.

Santa Rosa Beach is probably one of the most beautiful beaches in the US. I'm very upset we got the dates wrong and didn't get to spend the whole weekend there.

The cafe the reception was held at was perfectly cozy, but it was really hot. I guess that's what you get in the middle of the summer in Florida.

Similar Maxis

We had planned on flying back Saturday evening, but a cluster of thunderstorms just wouldn't let us leave. It's a good thing they didn't seeing as we went to eat at Ruth's Chris. It may sound strange to order chicken at a steak house, but it was the best chicken I've ever eaten. Even the boys agreed, it was just as good, if not better, than their steaks. The fact that it was all brought out on a 500º plate so your food stays warm as you eat it made it that much better. See the sizzle?!

We had some heavenly chocolate desserts to end the night on a fantastic note: Molten cake + Chocolate creme brûlée. I will be dreaming of this meal for weeks! 

We flew out early Sunday morning so we could get back in time for the hubs to watch the PGA championship and cheer for Rickie in the PGA Championship.

Weekend Recap

On Friday Jared and I headed to upstate Georgia to visit my sister and her husband. We arrived pretty late Friday night and poked around their house. Saturday we headed for some fun at the Panther Creek Trail. We tracked down a "local" trail that cuts the 5.5 miles into about 1 total. The views were phenomenal, but I don't think I have it in me to hike such treacherous terrains.

This was taken approximately one minute before she slipped and injured her bum quit bad. Fair warning to others planning on this hike, it's not easy.

We had planned on enjoying a quick swim, but due to certain circumstances we didn't.

After thoroughly wearing ourselves out, we headed to chow down on some barbecue. My sister told us that it was the best she'd ever had, and she was not mistaken. It was definitely worth the hour drive, but be warned that they are busy! The line was out the door when we arrived, but we did get a seat and some great food too.

After we filled out bellies to the brim, we drove to the lovely Three Sisters Vineyard for a wine tasting. They have a large selection, and we found it hard only choosing five or six to taste. After tasting, we chose a few bottles to bring home with us. 

I also found a delectable champagne truffle that I absolutely had to try. I wouldn't have minded having a few more of those.

Just as we were heading back home for the evening, we found a game of KanJam on the lawn. We played a game or two over a bottle of wine before they closed.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing at the house before we made our way back east. We had such great time. I can't recommend the vineyard enough! If you find yourself in Dahlonega don't miss this spot!

V-neck | Factory J.Crew

Shorts | Francesca's in store

Weekend Recap

This weekend was just what I needed. It was spent leisurely ambling about Beaufort and Bluffton. The early mornings were spent on the couch watching the Harry Potter marathon. There is nothing better when it's gloomy and stormy outside. Luckily the late afternoon burned the clouds away so we could enjoy an evening on the water. A photo shoot on the boat would be incomplete without the classic prom pose. 

We eventually arrived at our destination, Skull Creak Boathouse, for dinner and drinks. Someone had the bright idea to order the "souvenir" cup.

So naturally we shared.

By the time our food arrived, I was rather full. But not to worry, I took one for the team and dove into my Tuna Rice Bowl which happened to be delicious.

We stayed and chatted with friends and family, it truly is a small world. I only wish it hadn't ended so quickly. I've since headed back to my parents for the week, but lookie what I found on the way.

Here's to another week! Let's hope it passes swiftly.