it's the weekend, lake weekend!

We are off to an annual gathering of some of the greatest people around on one heck of a lake. Hope you are able to enjoy of these last weekend of summer as much as we are going to!

Now join me in a lil Friday afternoon dance party with the hilarious duo, Sophia Grace & Rosie (and of course, the talented tWitch!) Their enthusiam is just plain contagious....and adorable :)

in the kitchen: foodie find!

Some of my favorite things to peruse on the web are different cooking blogs and cooking websites-there are just so many great ones! Because there are soo many great spots to find new recipes to test out, I wish I had a better way of condensing it all together....POOF! Wish granted.

I have no idea if this is old news, but my mom's good friend mentioned a great foodie website that she knew I would be into and boy was she right! It's called Punchfork-have you heard of it? If you have, then I guess I am jealous you have had this lil gem, but if you haven't then I highly recommend taking a gander at their one-stop-shop for great recipes from a lot of talented cooks. Another useful feature is the ability to sort through the site by your type of diet: vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and even paleo! Of course you can always leave the filter off for us meat eaters :) Here are a few of my latest finds that I hope I can test out soon! 

zucchini-crust vegetarian pizza

greek yogurt pancakes

kale, white bean, & potato stew (fall is right around the corner!)

creamy avocado pasta (I'm curious!)

red lipstick + supporting girls' education= a perfect match!

I think it is safe to say that red lipstick is all the rage right now and maybe it's possible that it always has been, but now I just feel like I can actually wear it. Only trouble is that red lipstick sometime looks weird with my olive skin-any other olive-skinned ladies out there have the same issue? Well, lucky for you, one of my favorite singers/writers, Dessa, has partnered with a Minneapolis-based make-up creator, Karoline Wells of Elixery, to come up with a special red lip stick that not only works for those of us with olive-skin, but it also is helping to support girls education!

For every lipstick purchased, Dessa is donating 100% of her proceeds to the charitable organization,CARE, where they will use the funds to support girls' education around the world. Pretty great, right? I thought so!

Sidenote: I don't recall if I have told you about my love for singer/writer, Dessa, of the group Doomtree and also an independent performer of Doomtree Records. Well let me tell you, she is pure great! Dessa has some AHmazing music, truly a talented writer and continually makes an effort to connect with different causes throughout the Minneapolis community, as well as internationally.

Dessa wearing "Dessa"!

Long story short, if you are looking for a new (cruelty-free) lipstick and like supporting great causes, you should visit to get your "Dessa" lipcolor today :)

monday thoughts

Being "all there"...being present. Not often the easiest thing to do, especially on a Monday! Still, the conscious decision of being present in the moment, any moment, can be such a rewarding practice.

I feel like so often I will be in a meeting, talking to a friend, family member, etc. and suddenly realize that I have thought of a million different things and have lost focus on what is going on in the "now". It is so easy to get wrapped up in all the things we think are important: our to do lists, checking emails, running errands etc. And yes, those things probably need to happen or need to get done, but I encourage you to really take in the moment and focus....be present, be all there, so that way when you walk away from that moment you will know that you were a part of it, 100%. Time is precious and you have got to spend it doing the things you love and being around the people you love...otherwise what's the point??

How's that for some Monday thoughts? ;)

on the road...

to Duluth!

Sorry, probably not as exciting as you were hoping, but that's where I am headed! I have a whole heap of things still there that I need to bring home annnd I might even get to see a few friends amidst the packing. It's amazing how long you can stretch out the whole moving process sometimes...probably not the best way to do it, but oh well!

In the mean time, for your Friday "I'm at work, but I really am already checked out for the weekend" mood, you must peruse one of my favorite tumblr's for a few laughs...meet Suri's Burn Book. Yes, as in Suri Cruise (no, it's not actually her), but it features some pretty hilarious commentary on fellow celebrity kids and their parents, sometimes saying exactly what we are all thinking! Anyways, here's one of my favorites:

"Don’t smile at me, don’t match me, don’t even look at me until you get yourself some new shoes.

I’ve seen these heeled elfin booties enough for one lifetime, thank you very much."

100 years (and a few days) with Julia Childs

Happy belated birthday to the queen of the kitchen!

Check out this awesome video brought to you by PBS (they're the best!) which pays tribute to this wizard of how-to's and making some of the most complicated recipes feel a lot more approachable. Have any of you ever tried making any of her infamous recipes from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" like Amy Adams character in Julie & Julia? I personally have yet to tackle that, but I it certainly is on my cooking bucket list.



If you are feeling like spending some time in the kitchen, you can take part in paying tribute to this master chef by cooking one of her recipes and sharing it on Facebook or Twitter with the hash tag: #CookForJulia. 

in the kitchen: mini peach crumbles

I don't know why, but something just came over me last night and I had to make peach crumble (or cobbler, whatever you prefer to call it!). Lucky for me, there just happen to be two peaches sitting at home, practically calling my name. My parents have these great ramekin dishes, so I decided that with just two peaches, I would make mini peach cobblers. I kind of had an idea as to everything I wanted to include, but I also found a recipe from Joy the Baker that served as much better resource for some more specific measurements.

I was really happy with how they turned out and they were the perfect serving size...great to keep in mind for entertaining or if you're just in the mood for a little something sweet to end the day (or start the day) with!

Mini-Peach Crumble, adapted from Joy the Baker
Makes four individual servings

2 ripe peaches
(about) 1/3 c flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3-5 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon shredded coconut
2-3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
4 small, oven-safe bowls (I used small ramekins)

-Get your oven pre-heating to 350 degrees F! You'll want a rack placed in the center of the oven.
-Slice your peaches in half and take out the pit. (FYI-this was trickier than I thought it would be-I was worried I was going to squish my peaches as I took them off the pit, so just be careful with it!) Using a small spoon, you'll scoop out some of the center part to have more room for your topping. Save your trimmings!
-In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, cinnamon, and coconut until it is well blended (you can use a spoon or fork for this). Next, add the cubed butter and with your hands, work the butter into the dry ingredients. You want it to be well combined, but not that some of the butter might be in smaller pieces than others-that's totally fine!
-Take your peaches, place them cut side up into the dishes. Top each of the peaches with your crumble...load 'em up! Optional: Top each peach crumble with some of the peaches you have left from earlier.
-Time to get those crumbles in the oven! Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown...serve with ice cream or a small dollop of whipped cream. Honestly, they are pretty darn good just plain though!

Bon appetit!