Inspiration

 As I mentioned before here, Pinterest and the blog Cupcakes and Cashmere are some of my favorite websites to check out in my free time. While Emily (the writer of Cupcakes and Cashmere) is about 100x more fashionable, creative, and skilled than I am I look up to her as a source of inspiration and am constantly waiting to read her new posts. She usually features a post called "Five Things" in which she takes pictures of and shares five things around her that have recently inspired her or are simply just pretty. So in honor of the ever talented Emily, heres my list of five things that have inspired me recently and I hope they inspire you too.

PS. While I know this is a baking blog I've decided to give my poor body a break and write about food instead of baking/eating it...

1. While I must admit I had never heard of the band Last Lynx before this song, their song Killing Switch is a perfect mix of modern jazz/electronic/hipster music that always suits my mood. It's upbeat enough to keep me singing and happy, relaxed enough to play for a drive with the windows down, and it even got the seal of approval from my dad (who rarely likes my music but admitted that he enjoyed its mellow beat). Feel free to listen while you continue to read ;)

2. While girls today have the option of so many negative role models, this book How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World teaches us how to maintain class, grace, and style in a world currently centered around Kardashians and mini-mini skirts. Christy gives spot on advice on style, language, manners, relationships, and other key factors that play a big part on being a lady -- making this book a must for all girls to read!




3. Since this is a baking blog (which I sincerely hope you already knew from the title), I'd like to share what I'm planning on baking next. Titled the ever-so-naughty "slutty brownies" this triple layer brownie of chocolate chip cookies, Oreos, and chocolate brownies seems to be the ultimate dessert/break-up-splurge/road-to-a-food-coma that I could imagine. While it's not exactly the prettiest dessert I've ever seen it's definitely a mouthful and a crowd pleaser. So before I bake anything else, I vow to give these brownies a go.

4. Whether you're into award shows (like me) or you couldn't care less (like all the men in my family), I'm pretty sure anyone who caught a glimpse of Kate Hudson at the Golden Globes last weekend was mesmerized. Covered from head to toe except for that peeking key-hole at the chest, she looks absolutely stunning in this black Alexander McQueen. While the dress is young, sexy and fitted to perfection, my favorite thing she's wearing that night is her attitude which was perfectly captured in this picture. Her relaxed and fussy free hair, clean make up, and great laugh make her rock this dress perfectly. She looks free and happy to be there, definitely making this whole look my favorite one of the night. 

5. Now, rarely will I ever write about my personal life in this blog. I figure my personal stories of ups and downs are better kept private and reserved for driving my friends insane instead of the poor, innocent public. But when I stumbled upon this post I Accidentally Saw A Picture of You by Joy the Baker I felt the need to share it with everybody. If you don't feel like reading the post (you've been reading this so I commend you already!) then I can tell you in short it is about that exact moment when you stumble upon a picture of someone you used to know but for whatever reasons is not part of your life today. Joy's writing is hilarious and superb yet in this case she clearly expressed the perfect amount of sentiment and longing to describe her feelings. Kudos to Joy for hitting this one right on the mark.

Next on my agenda are the "slutty brownies" so if you want to see some pictures (or even come pick up a few!) you'll know where to find me.

A Time to Celebrate

The past month has been...hectic, exciting, eventful, but mostly it has been full of amazing memories with friends and family that I can't believe time went by this fast. Since my last post (about some of my friends birthdays) there have been countless more events (like more birthdays...) that I cannot wait to share.


For Thanksgiving I decided to make a dozen pumpkin pies, one for each of my best friends and my close family. Along with each pie was a personal, handwritten card sharing why I am so thankful to have each and every one of them in my life. The entire process of making these "pie presents" was a gift enough since I got to bake such delicious treats and share them with the people I love most, but the gratitude and thank you I received from everyone back really made it worth while.

Mess in the kitchen...

Pies taking over my dinning room table!

For my mom and grandmother's birthdays that are only a day apart (I know, so adorable...) my sister and I hosted a dinner party for my family for the first time ever. After days of picking wine glasses, creating a menu, and buying decorations for such a happy occasion we surprised our intimate family of nine with a beautifully decorated dining table, an Italian feast, and a gingerbread cake frosted with my very own, homemade cream cheese frosting.

      

When Brittany's 20th birthday finally came around I made my second ice cream cake in my baking career but used this time I had more experience and knowledge so I could make a better, more proportional looking cake (compared to the tall mountain of ice cream and cake which I made before...). While I don't have pictures of the inside, heres a glimpse of the triple layer chocolate cake and cookies-and-cream ice cream cake I made for one of my dearest and oldest friends.

Baskin Robbins is sooo last year...

There's definitely more to share (like the intimate Hanukkah party I hosted for my friends, my perfect New Years with friends in Miami, and the cake I'm planning to make sometime soon -- but I'll save that for another post this week and let you guys enjoy this bite of my blog for now :)