pleasant valley lavender

I am so excited to share these photos. After church we stopped by Pleasant Valley Lavender Farm and it did not disappoint. I’ve been wanting to go for awhile but missed the season last year. Today they told us the peak was really around July 4th but I truly couldn’t tell because the fields smelled amazing. They were so kind and took us around briefly and told us how different lavender smelled differently and you could rub it between your fingers and tell some were more earthy and others sweet smelling. They give you scissors and a basket and you are set free to roam. The are fields all around their house with a little tent shop set up out front. They even had baked lavender cookies that they let us sample! 

The bees and butterflies were everywhere but none of them seemed to care about humans traipsing through they just buzzed around us. 

This is the perfect escape in New Jersey to fool yourself into thinking you are in France for an hour or two!

 

how to make grill cupcakes!

I wanted to share these super cute and (actually) quite simple grill cupcakes. They are perfect for a summer BBQ and will have all your guests in awe!

double glazed donuts

Anyone else a donut fan? I love making baked donuts because they are so easy and such a fun treat. Nothing beats a true Krispy Kreme donut…but these are pretty darn good for homemade.

These are cake donuts and I find refrigerating is not the best way to store them. Instead keep in a sealed container like a cake plate to keep them fresh and soft. The first glaze really keeps them moist but if you reheat them for a few seconds they are a-mazing.

Chocolate Double-Glazed Baked Donuts
Makes twelve donuts

Batter:

• 2 cups Flour
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3/4 cup Milk
• 1/4 tsp Lemon juice or White Vinegar
• 2 beaten Eggs
• 2 tbsp melted Butter

Powdered Sugar Glaze

• 2 cup Powdered Sugar
• 3 tbsp Milk
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla

Chocolate Glaze

• 1.5 cups Ghirardelli melting wafers

Directions

1. Add lemon juice to milk (this is a substitute for buttermilk).
2. Preheat oven to 425. Spray Donut pan with non-stick spray
3. Combine dry donut ingredients in large bowl.
4. Add milk, eggs and butter.
5. Stir just until well mixed.
6. Fill each ring of the donut pan about 2/3 but make sure it doesn’t top center hole. (The dough is thick so I often use a spoon to make it easier
7. Bake about 8 minutes, until fully baked. They should round up a bit
8. Let cool then remove from pan and set on cooling rack.
9. In a small bowl just big enough to dip donuts, combine glaze ingredients and stir until smooth
10. Dip top of donut in glaze.
11.  Return to cooling rack. (You may want to use a paper towel or wax paper under the rack to pick up any drops)
12. Wait a few minutes for the glaze to set.
13. Follow directions on the bag of Melting Wafers
14. Dip top of donut in chocolate glaze– let cool, and enjoy!

I’ve featured these before but these pictures are a lot better 🙂
See the original post here.

we’re going to nantucket!

We booked our hotel and are read to head to Nantucket to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary–how can that be?!

                                                             image source: one kings lane

Meanwhile scoping out everyone of the NYTimes 36 hours, Mackenzie, Julia and Carly’s recommendations.

Have you been to Nantucket? Any must see/do/eats?

 

 

 

book recommendation: behind closed doors

It’s been so long since I posted a book review. I took a bit of a hiatus from reading but I have a few good ones I want to share!

I got this recommendation from The Sweetest Thing and it was so good. Behind Closed Doors is such a quick read and the writing is so simplistic it can seem a little immature or ill developed but its actually the exact opposite. Everything pieces together through the whole story and honestly I had a nightmare after I finished it…like the book just kept going in my mind!

I read this is two nights and the whole story was so satisfying (and a little scary to be honest because its so believable!). I don’t think there is a way to share about this book that doesn’t give things away so pick it up and see for yourself!

valentines cocoa bar

What better way to warm up on these dreary nights than with a valentines cocoa bar?

ina garten’s chicken pot pie simplified

I love chicken pot pies and I’ve made this Ina Garten recipe easier. Whats even better it makes two full pot pies!

christmas decor…that I never posted!

I never posted my Christmas decor even though the post has been sitting drafted since November…its just been a little crazy. Actually I decorated the second we got home from Thanksgiving (a 11 hour drive from Tennessee!). Last year we moved in right before Christmas so we set up the tree but didn’t really go all out. This year it was so fun to put everything up, and extra special because my mom and grandmother gave me some of their Christmas decor.

how to make your own bathroom valances

I’m excited to share a DIY project I worked on over Christmas and New Years…it did take that long. Not because it was complicated but it was involved. I had been looking for new valances since we moved in last December (before pics below) and never found any that I liked. So I decided to take a sewing class (if you are in New Jersey I highly recommend taking them here), find fabric that I loved and make my own.

a very gilmore girls recipe

I started Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life last night! I knew I wanted to watch several in a row (wish there were more) so in true gilmore fashion I had to think about snacks. Coffee and poptarts what could be more gilmore?

Channeling my inner Sookie (with a shortcut because I had leftover pie crust from Thanksgiving pies) I made poptarts from scratch. Naturally, these are divine and easy enough even Lorelai cold whip these up.
AND of course – in honor of Emily – eating these on fine china.

Ingredients:
One piecrust (homemade or bought)
Strawberry Jam
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1 tsp vanilla
sprinkles

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425.
2) Rollout piecrust to a rectangle (if possible). Cut small squares or rectangles, I did a variety of sizes but make sure everyone has a mate to be paired with that’s the same size.
3) Spread jam onto bottom pastry leaving a little room around the edges. Top with the doughs mate and crimp with a fork. I don’t mind mine being messy but clean any overflow in the oven or on the pan with a wet paper towel before it dries and crystallizes.
4) Bake for 10 minutes until dough is slightly brown. While the poptarts cool combine confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla together. Once cooled, pour over pop tarts and add sprinkles.