Holiday Baking Extravaganza

Happy Holidays Y'all!

It's been a busy time of year but after lots of preparation the holidays finally ended up being a very relaxing time. I went to my future in-laws' home a few days before everyone else to help get everything ready and to help with the holiday baking!

First off, we gathered supplies at about six different stores around the city. We managed to find some festive red chargers and I used them to set the dinner table.

Those hours of origami practice in third grade were finally good for something!

We stopped by an adorable local apple shop and picked up supplies for homemade apple cider. So quaint!

Back home finally, we started baking up a storm! I started with my fiance's favorite Christmas cookies, creme wafers:

They turned out deliciously with a very crumple-in-your-mouth delicate texture and a sweet hint of almond extract. I was pretty proud of them but found out later I have some more perfecting to do: the cookies are not supposed to be browned at all. Ahh well, something to aim for next year! I was able to make a few notes of my own on my future mother-in-law's recipe cards so I can get it just right for Ben in years to come...

Next were spritz cookies! Classic and pretty simple as it turns out! My portion-consistency needs some work, but not bad for my first time!

We also made spicy cheese coins...

Peanut butter blossoms...

Russian tea cookies...

And chocolate roll-ups, which I totally underestimated based on how simple they were, but they were definitely a crowd favorite!

For Christmas Eve dinner we had steak and some simple sides:

(yes that is the badass corn I made at Thanksgiving...with an addition of some jalepeno!)

And on Christmas morning, Ben and I made a delicious four-cheese bacon & biscuit egg bake!

After all of the preparation and hubbub was over, there was plenty of time to enjoy the scenery....

Get cozy...

And go for a romantic walk in the woods with my stellar guy...

Feeling very grateful and realizing how darn lucky I am to have him in my life. Happy holidays and happy new year!!

A Pre-Holiday Getaway

It's been a fun, relaxing, but somehow busy time this past week!

First off, the past few days have been full of organizing and researching wedding vendors to get a sense of how we should organize our budget. I've been really grateful to have some time to hash through all of the factors that'll go into our big day.

On the lettering / stationary front, I've been practicing a lot and managed to design and order a custom-return address stamp! I know it'll come in handy for all-things paper-related!

I also acquired another helpful resource: a book on wedding preparation and etiquette that has been passed down through several southern weddings here in Tennessee! My future mother-in-law gave it to me to look through and add my name to the list of brides!

For the last week or so, I got to spend time with my fiance's family in South Carolina. We stayed in a gorgeous hotel in downtown Greenville and it was fun to get to hang out with them before the upcoming Christmas craziness!

The lobby and downtown area were festive and it was a nice way to get into the holiday spirit!

We went out to eat, enjoyed each other's company, played games, and even got to rest a bit (quel suprise!).

It was a nice, quick getaway, and great to touch base and get to chat about wedding-related-excitement. Can't wait to celebrate the holidays!

4 Simple Steps to Wedding Organizations Success

First of all, congratulations on your engagement!

From the moment you get engaged, chances are you will bombarded with wedding information and recommendations from friends, family, and social media. An overwhelming onslaught of advice and excitement: it's hard to know where to begin! Here's my advice for how to go about getting organized and tackling the information with ease.

Step 1 - Consult the experts

Going into wedding planning, I was amazed at how much I didn't know I didn't know. It's such a complicated process with so many moving parts, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Luckily, since you are not the first bride-to-be, there are so many resources online who have been around the block a few times and can guide you on your way.

My choice was buying the Southern Weddings Planner. It's not only beautiful but extremely thorough and filled cover-to-cover with insider tips and inspiration. Their blog is also full of advice and insight. This binder also doubles as a file-organizer, which leads me to...

Step 2 - Get your paper in order

A binder, file bin, or accordion file organizer will go a long way in keeping info packets, important documents, inspiration clippings, and general wedding scraps in order. Determine how you'd like to categorize your papers and stay vigilant about keeping all the loose papers in place!

Step 3 - Get organized digitally

First, create a folder for your wedding and slap it on your desktop. Make sub-folders using the same categorization process that you used for your paper organization. I generally followed the SW Planner's categories when creating my digital folder.

Step 4 - Create a wedding-specific email account

This one is easy. Head over to gmail, or your other email provider of choice, and get a head start on having all of those important messages in one place. Can't think of a good email address? Try something simple like laurieandscottwedding@whatever.com or smithwedding@whatever.com.

Give your dapper fiancee the password too so you can both be diligent about checking the account daily. The first of many shared things. <3

~

Get these things in place, and you're sure to have a running start on getting the basics of planning your big day in order! Happy planning!

Venue Tours - Round 1!

As promised I've got some photos from our first 3 wedding venue tours for you! To get the general rundown of the last week, check out my earlier post, "Venue hunting begins!"

Here we go!

Absolutely no decisions yet but we've got some pretty good lookin' spaces to consider! I'll keep you posted! <3

Venue hunting begins!

I know it's been a bit but I have been super busy the past week or so with dancing, teaching, and .... WEDDING VENUE HUNTING!

I have to say, after dreaming, imagining, and researching for about 18 months, it feels good to finally be able to actively be pursuing information and tours and such.

Spreadsheets

After compiling a list of about 20 Nashville venue options I made a giant spreadsheet with all of the venue info available online. From there, I narrowed it down to about 10 venues that would both fit the budget and aesthetic of our wedding. This was a much more manageable list to look through with Ben. We narrowed it down again to about eight venues and I reached out for more information.
We toured two venues yesterday and have another one planned for tomorrow morning!! I'll make another post soon with pictures and things from these tours!

Yesterday was so much fun, I've been sorting though pictures online and it was amazing to finally be able to walk around and see the spaces for myself. The two locations we looked at yesterday were both between Franklin and Murfreesboro. Well worth the drive, both were totally gorgeous! I came up with a worksheet the night before listing all of the questions that I had about the venue. Using the information packets the venues had sent me via email, I filled out as much as I could and then highlighted the sections where I had additional questions. I printed the info packets and brought them all along. I'll write a separate post with all of my spreadsheet layouts and other tips.

In addition to all of this tour excitement, a coworker of Ben's connected me to a local wedding dress designer. I never dreamed in a million years that there was any possibility of getting a custom-made wedding dress, but it sounds like it might not be such a far-fetched idea after all! I had a consultation with the designer today and I'm so amazed at how many options I have that sound like they will be affordable and beautiful!

I'm also coordinating with several people to have some engagement photos taken in early 2017. Exciting stuff in the works!

It's been a complex process so far but I'm so excited and relieved to finally be planning!

More soon!

Meal Prep #1: Strawberry Oatmeal Crumble - Roasted Veggies - Honey Garlic Chicken - Garlic Rice (recipes included!)

Since my dancing and teaching schedule can be so hectic during the week, I've started meal prepping on the weekends to make the weekdays run more smoothly. Not only is it convenient, but it makes me feel like I have my sh!t together. Super organized, quick grab'n'go each morning... what more could you ask for?

So on the menu this week...

• Strawberry Oatmeal Crumble (with a hint of lemon!)
• Roasted Vegetables (a light lunch, good for pre-rehearsal tummies)
• Honey Garlic Chicken (with veggies and rice on the side)

Breakfast

First off, I start with breakfast. I found this Strawberry Oatmeal Crumble when I was first looking into meal-prepping from Meal Prep Rockstar (recipe here). This sweet (dare I mention, vegan!) treat is a favorite of mine and it feels like you're having dessert for breakfast. I always tend to opt for a sweet breakfast over a savory one, so this recipe is perfect. The little bit of lemon zest adds a nice little kick of sweetness!

Lunch

Next come the veggies. I used this vegetable hash recipe in the past but ended up overcrowding my poor sauté pan. SO this time I decided to try roasting them instead. Using this guide from the kitchn I roasted up the hash's original veggies in this way:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Chop however many sweet potatoes (I used 3) and however many red potatoes (I used 2) you want. Slice up an onion (I used a sweet onion). Toss in olive oil, season with salt and pepper (and crushed red pepper, if you want), and throw those babies in a baking dish (or two if it seems too crowded). Throw 'em in your preheated oven for 15mins. Meanwhile...
3. Chop up your bell pepper (I used one but am wanting more) and kale (about 4 cups when chopped). Toss them with olive oil in a bowl. Season. Once the taters and onions have been in the oven for 15 minutes, mix the bell pepper and kale in and place in the oven for another 15, or until they look like they're crispy to your liking.
4. If you plan to eat some roasted veggie "hash" when you're cooking it, throw a can of drained/rinsed black beans in there for the last 5 minutes to heat 'em up. If you're just prepping for the week, toss them in after the veggies are completely done.

In short:

425 degrees

Sweet pot / Red pot = chop, toss with olive oil, season, in (the oven)!

15 mins later add...

Bell pepp / kale (chopped, oiled, seasoned)

Add beans (drained, rinsed)

Done

(Becca shorthand. Modeled after Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cooking Course)

Dinner

And last, Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken, which my fiance found on reddit. Apparently the recipe is from Tasty.

Watch the gif here: https://i.imgur.com/UOcAncI.mp4

Here it is word for word!

INGREDIENTS

• 8 chicken thighs
• 1 pound baby red potatoes
• 1 pound baby carrots
• 1 pound green beans

For the sauce

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix honey, soy sauce, garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and pepper.
2. Place 4 chicken thighs in the bottom of a 6-qt slow cooker. Pour half of the soy mixture over the chicken. Throw in the baby red potatoes, carrots, then the other 4 chicken thighs. Season the top layer of chicken to taste, then pour the rest of the soy mixture over the chicken.
3. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Feel free to baste midway. Add green beans during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
4. Optional: Broil the cooked chicken thighs, skin side up to brown and crisp the skins, about 3-4 minutes.
5. Serve immediately and enjoy!

In short:

Chop carrots and red potatoes. Mince garlic. Trim green beans. Rinse chicken.

Mix up sauce ingredients in a separate bowl.

Into the slow cooker: half the chicken, half the sauce, all veggies, remaining chicken, remaining sauce.

Low 7-8 hours -OR- High 3-4 hours

Turn off, add green beans and cover for about 30 mins.

(this way the green beans stay crunchier, which I like)

I usually end up using 8-10 chicken thighs for each batch. Skin-on, bone-in gives it nice flavor.

Then I quickly whip up some garlic rice in the following way...

-Mince 2-4 garlic cloves.

-Head a glug of olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat.

-Saute garlic until fragrant and season with salt.

-Add 1 cup rice, 2 cups of water (or homemade veggie broth, recipe to follow in future posts) and cook according to package directions (bring to boil over high heat, simmer over low heat until liquid is absorbed)

And just like that, you have food for the whole week. Pretty convenient and delicious. Happy cooking!

Fall Festivities 2016

I mentioned in my first post that the idea for this blog started with my attempt to make this autumn as "Fall Festive" as possible. I made a checklist of different fall-related activities that I wanted to do and I ended up going above and beyond what I'd originally planned! I figured I'd share a few of the activities here, since I've just completed the last item on my checklist today!

The Checklist

I started of simple, one might even say "basic," getting the traditional Starbucks pumpkin spice latte. I know it's cliche but I couldn't resist. I actually got invited to coffee, specifically at Starbucks that day, by chance!

More basics in place: stocked up on fall spices and produce. I accidentally ended up with three jars of cloves... at least I'm ready!

I also ended up, weeks later, mixing up my own pumpkin pie spice when I realized that I didn't have any!

Homemade / Hand Lettered

A staple fall activity for me is making my traditional pumpkin cookies with a sweet orange zest frosting. The cookies are only mildly sweet on their own, and the orange adds a nice brightness to the pumpkin.

I made sure to enjoy the changing colors...

Got cozy with slow cooker meals, stews, and bonfires with s'mores...

Apple Cider Pork Sandwiches

Autumn Beef Stew

Homemade Veggie Stock

Got a little spooky and a little goofy on Halloween...

(that's my fish's face on the left)

Made a few sips...

Cider Prep

Homemade Cider

Bourbon Apple Cider Cocktail

Made the house festive...

(because I'm basically a 4th grade art teacher)

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Candle

Baked to my heart's content...

Fresh Bread from Scratch

Sweet Potato Bread with Brown Sugar Frosting

Pumpkin Pound Cake

And finally today, finishing off my checklist for this gorgeous season, I made my own hot cocoa mix from scratch!

Feeling very glad that I set out to make this autumn special. I don't think I would've done half of these things without setting the goal in the first place. I feel like I could keep going with these but I have to save something for next year! Plus I think it's important to focus in on the upcoming holidays (I haven't bought a single Christmas gift yet!), wedding planning, and time with my man! I know I finish just about every post with this, but only because chronicling things like this highlights it more and more; I really can't believe how much I have to be thankful for.

PS - If you want to see more specifics about each of these photos, check out the captions on my Instagram! <3