A Different Kind of Guest Book

When planning our wedding, I decided I didn't want a traditional guestbook but this was in the pre-Pinterest days so I didn't  have a bajillion different ideas laid out for me.  After some brainstorming, I decided to get some small pieces of paper in our colors, leave out some pens, and see what people came up with.  I put together some brief instructions, popped them into a frame (fun fact: this frame now hosts a map of Colorado on our map wall), and left everything on a table that guests passed coming into the wedding:

A few weeks after the wedding, I bought a book that held a small photo in front...

...and had plenty of blank pages inside for the kind wedding notes mixed with candid photos from the wedding...

I hate to play favorites with all of these thoughtful and sweet notes, but Jesse and I cracked up when we saw this one, from one of my Bates friends, which simply reads "Yo Yo Yo Congrats":

It was quick to assemble the photos and notes afterwards and turned out to be a simple way to keep all of these well-wishes in one place.  The book now lives either tucked away on a bookshelf in the living room or out on the coffee table.  I love how it turned out and I could spend all afternoon reading and re-reading all of the messages from our friends and family.

What did you do for a wedding guest book?  Have any memorable wedding messages (or guests)?  Let us know!

Cheese Dips for Tailgating

Ah, cheese.  How I love thee.  I really love cheese.  Everything about it.  It's comforting and just amazing...in all forms.  I've never met a cheese I didn't like.  Grilled, melted, cold, off the block, and of course mixed with other amazing ingredients, too.  We are tailgating this weekend and I'm thinking about trying one of these.  What do you guys think?

Dude, check out Life's Ambrosia's Cheesy Jalapeno Dip with Tater Tot Crust.  Hello little love.




Hot Cheesy Mushroom Dip by Closet Cooking.  Charlie wouldn't touch this but I would hurt this thing.



Zesty Bacon Cheese Dip posted on Yummly.com.  Zesty = happy.



Beer Cheese Spread posted by Taste of Home.  This would be another great one for tailgating - you can serve it cold!  And it already has beer it in!  Score!



Pimento Cheese Spread by Pine Gate Road.  LOVE pimento cheese spread.  Perfect dip to make ahead of time and serve from your trunk.



Can't wait to tailgate this weekend! Stay hungry!

Bumblebee Doorknocker

I logged into Pinterest last night and the first thing that popped up was this pretty teal door with a gold bumblebee door knocker:

I want!  I need!  The perfect front door touch for burgeoning beekeepers like us!  Though the link on Pinterest sent me back to the HGTV main site, a quick internet search turned this up:

Do I really need a $125 door knocker?  Probably not.  My front door is obscured by a screen & used fairly infrequently (we mostly come in and out from the mudroom), but a girl can dream.

Speaking of bees, I also came across this family's costume when searching for Halloween ideas for us.  I LOVE IT!

Stay busy & stay homey!

Creative Halloween Desserts

Can you guys believe that Halloween is only a few weeks away?  I can't believe it.  Fall seems to move quicker than Summer.  Well...almost.  Anyway, here are a few of my favorite Halloween desserts that I stumbled upon.  I think these are SO creative and would make for a super fun Halloween dessert spread.  The witch finger cookies totally freak me out.

Dracula's Dentures by the Girl Who Ate Everything.



Creepy Chocolate Chip Cookies by Hungry Happenings.




Candy Corn Bundt Cake by A Baker's House.



Monster Cupcakes by Whipped.




Witch Finger Cookies by Sweetest Kitchen.



Stay Hungry!

Creamy Blackened Chicken Pasta

You guys are going to be so impressed with me.  Cause I'm even impressed with me.  This pasta dish came out SOOOO amazing.  Spicy, creamy, decadently rich...I could write poems about this thing.

 



 

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM drool to the face. YUM.

 



 

 

You can use any chicken you want.  I'm a big fan of boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  The darker meat is just WAY more flavorful than white meat.  Get a Cajun seasoning of your liking and HEAVILY season the chicken.  Don't be scared...the seasoning is what's going to make the crust. 

 

Heat up a skillet (cast iron works great) with 3 Tbs of Olive oil and 2 Tbs of butter.  Let the skillet heat on HIGH until the oil and butter are completely melted and glistening but before the butter begins to burn - about 4-5 minutes. Sear the chicken on high for 4-5 minutes per side. This is what you want...a nice blackened crust.

 

While the chicken is searing/blackening, cut bell pepper strips.  I like blending yellow, orange and red peppers for a variety of color.

 



 

I must have blacked out halfway through the cooking process because I just stopped taking pictures.  I was probably too busy eating.  

 

 

 

 Anyway, here's the recipe:

 

1 Lbs of Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs

1 Lbs of Bow tie Pasta

3 Bell Peppers, Seeded and Julienned

4 Large Green Onions, Chopped

1/4 Cup of Cajun Seasoning, plus 1 Tsp for seasoning the sauce

3 Tbs of Olive Oil

2 Tbs of Butter

3 Cups of Heavy Cream

1/2 Cup of White Wine

2 Garlic Cloves, Chopped

 

Heat up butter and olive oil in a skillet over high heat until it begins to glisten, about 4-5 minutes.  Season the chicken heavily with Cajun seasoning.  Sear chicken on each side for 4-5 minutes, set aside.  Once the chicken is completed, deglaze the pan with some white wine and simmer, scraping the bottom to release all the yummy bits.  Strain the remaining juice/oil/butter in a pan to remove any burnt bits. Add the juice back to the pan and add 2 cloves of garlic, chopped.  Saute for 2-3 minutes then add 3 cups of heavy cream.  Simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until cream begins to thicken and reduce a bit.  This is not an alfredo sauce - it's going to be more of a thinner cream sauce.  Cook pasta to package instructions in seasoned water, drain. Add the additional Cajun seasoning to taste to the sauce and then add pasta, peppers, green onions.  Toss and then plate. Chop up the blacked chicken and top the pasta before serving.  Enjoy!

 

Paper from Paperless Post

I've been receiving Paperless Post invites in my email for a few years now but had never actually used it myself to organize an event.  As we plan baby Will's baptism, I thought it was the perfect time to give it a shot.  I reviewed a ton of samples, chose an invite, put in my information, and then input email addresses.  Here's the preview Paperless Post gave me of my online invites:

I love the design and the chapel happens to look just like the little country church we're baptizing Will in.  Ninety-five percent of our guests have email access, so this online invitation works perfectly, but what about guests like my grandfather, who is one hundred percent not online?  I could obviously have just called him up and given him the details, but I liked the idea of him getting some mail for this special occasion for our family.

Luckily, Paperless Post has recently introduced paper versions of some online cards and I was able to order 10 paper invitations to send to my offline loved ones.  I was so excited when they showed up in my mailbox.

Looking just like the online invites and printed on beautiful, thick paper.

This worked out as the best of both worlds for me - all the conveniences of online invites paired with good, old fashioned snail mail.  I definitely will be pasting one of these paper invites into Will's baby book!

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Charlie!

Today is Charlie and my 2nd anniversary.  Last year was crazier than the first year.  We've packed a lot in...well, eating wise.  We enjoyed a nice breakfast in Madrid, we ate everything in sight in Amsterdam, and continue to eat ourselves silly in Chicago.  We finally built our roof deck and have found ourselves in the midst of two very busy and fulfilling careers.  We've seen best friends say "I do" and said goodbye to my dear Nonnie Connie. We've joined a new church and have even started thinking about parenthood.  Shhh, don't tell Charlie I said that.

 I love our anniversary.  I love it because it's another milestone and another point in time to stop and say, man, I'm crazy about my husband.  And I just happen to know he's crazy about me too.

We have big plans.  We have plans to see more of the world, more of Chicago, and to enjoy our sleepy weekends where we do a whole not of nothing except hang out with each other.

I love you Charlie.  Happy 2nd, anniversary. <3