lately...

happy halloween!

here are a few instagrams (follow me: adairrr!) and photos from lately. one of my favourite coffee shops called dichotomy recently opened up shop downtown and i am more than happy about it. i could live off of their lattes. if you're in town, stop by and check them out.

also-- speaking of new places coming to town- today a new little place called lula jane's is opening up. and i am really excited to try it out. they bake all sorts of cookies, pies, muffins cakes, etc. and have daily lunch specials. trying to see if jamie will take me there for lunch today. one of their specials for today is mac 'n cheese and mustard greens. YUM-O.
its really fun to live in a town that is in a state of change. so many good restaurants to try (not that waco had a lot to begin with-- ha.)!

also been getting my fill of fruits lately -- even if some of them are covered in caramel.

its finally gotten cold enough to wear jackets! -- well at least it was this past weekend and early in the morning. :)

also- this is a picture of the paint samples for our dining room. jamie and i are REALLY indecisive. we posted this picture on instagram to get some help (THANK YOU) -- and i thought i'd share it one more time and see what you think: white, gray or black?

let me know what you think!

++ update-- we just added our bloglovin widget to the right --please follow us on bloglovin!

-adair

imogene + willie

y'all -- can i get something off my chest? i dream about imogene + willie daily. i need their clothes in my life. i need to start a "imogene + willie fund". asap. anybody want to donate?

imogene + willie

love,
adair

pumpkin spice whoopie pies

you see those nuggets up there? those little babies are heaven on earth. pumpkin spice cake and maple cream cheese frosting. yes, MAPLE CREAM CHEESE.

delicious.

ok, i know that you have had pumpkin this, pumpkin that surrounding you everywhere since the fall season started, but these are really the absolute best.

i made them for a girl's night last friday and they were a hit. 

so, feel like baking this weekend? try these. you won't regret it.

INGREDIENTS:

whoopie pies-

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 3 cups chilled pumpkin puree (the big can of canned pumpkin) 
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the maple cream cheese frosting:

• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

to make the pies:

1- preheat oven at 350 -- you can line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. i did not. i just sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray and mine turned out fine. but note, they'll probably look 'neater'.

2- combine and whisk together the first seven ingredients in a big bowl.

3- in another bowl (or kitchinaide mixer like i used),  combine the sugars (brown and regular) and oil then add pumpkin-- mix well and then add eggs and vanilla. * i always add a little extra vanilla.  :)

4- add mixed ingredients of step 2 ( flour mixture) to the pumpkin in your mixer.

5- you're ready to put them on the lined or sprayed cookie sheet -*note this will be a much quicker and more seamless process if you have two cookie pans and can have the other one ready to go when you are pulling the other out of the oven* -scoop with your teaspoon or tablespoon (depending on how small or big you want them) to scoop out onto the pan. put about an inch apart-- i did rows of three.

6. put in the oven for 10-12 mins. my oven tends to be a little on the hotter side and 10 minutes was perfect. test one with a fork to make sure they are done.

7. set aside to let cool. -- and seriously let them cool before you put the filling/frosting on. i got a little excited and added some too soon to a 'tester' and it was a mess!

and for the frosting:

1- beat butter until smooth (med-high speed)

2. add the cream cheese and beat til smooth

3. add powdered sugar bit by bit 

4. and then add vanilla and maple syrup to finish. 

assemble the cookies -- put about a teaspoon of the frosting in between! 

* this recipe makes a lot -- about 4 dozen-- just fyi- i always just cut the recipe in half if you want less or give them to neighbors/ friends and family-- you won't have a problem getting rid of them-- i promise! ;)

happy baking!

-adair

fall wish list no. 2

scarf (buy local in waco at plum in spice village!), nail polish, top, glasses, shoes, necklace, lipstick

what are you excited for this fall?

-mary

weekend photos

hope you had a good weekend. we spent ours relaxing, if you can't tell. ;) 

jamie and i had friday off too (fall break for him and i took off). 

so we had a little bit to catch up on some sleep and things. looking at my calendar i've realized our weekends to just relax are pretty much gone until december! crazy. but between gigs, trips to NOLA, baby showers, jamie's birthday and thanksgiving we're booked solid. but i'm not complaining. sounds pretty awesome. i mean who doesn't love trips to NOLA (i've never been!) and birthdays?

if anyone has any new orleans recommendations i'd love for you to share!

anyways, my monday is going by pretty well for me. hope yours is treating you well too.

-a

road trip.

this weekend jeremy and i went on a road trip to lexington, kentuky to see his parents. it was our second time visiting the city- we really like it- lexington has so many neat places to explore. here is a little peek into our weekend! 

1. road trips with henry are the best 2. keeneland 3. our tour guide around keeneland mr. bob 4. keeneland stables 5. lexington's art museum 6. boone tavern in barea, ky 7- 11. north lime donuts and coffee 12. graeters- my favorite. 13. jeremy's parents. 

wishlist no.1

fall wish list part no. 1---

above: sweater, glasses, nail polish (buy local in waco @ Glow Studios), cuff,  lip pencil, shoes, earrings, tote.

recipe- tomato soup

One of my favorite things about fall is that it is finally cool enough outside to start making soups! My favorite soup combination is tomato soup and grilled cheese. I don’t think that there is any better combo.

My favorite tomato soup recipe is a recipe adapted from the Pioneer Woman, so you know that it is golden. That woman is a genius and she brightens my Saturday mornings at 9:30am. I’ve tweaked it just a little bit, but it is relatively the same.

Tomato Basil Soup

6 tablespoons butter

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (46 oz can) of tomato juice

2 (14 oz cans) of diced tomatoes

1 ½ - 3 tablespoons sugar

Salt and pepper

1 cup cooking sherry

1 cup heavy cream

Chopped fresh parsley and basil

Then, the only thing that you can add to make it better are grilled cheese croutons to go on top. YUM.

hey, we're starting something new!

(photo by aelish)


m + a