lake days

days at the lake this summer have been few and far between. it's rained almost every day this month here in south carolina. we've mostly watched a lot of movies and gone out for runs in between thunderstorms. but we finally had a clear weekend and took advantage of it by enjoying some sunshine, lake water, and friends. i'm glad we got it in because once again, rain is on the schedule.

i left the tubing to these goofs. as a kid i LOVED riding on the tube. the bigger the waves the better. i lost part of my adventurous spirit somewhere along the way...maybe it was puberty? but now i much prefer to ride in the boat, feel the breeze, and relax. riding behind a boat on a tube makes my blood pressure shoot through the roof..i feel out of control and like i could be on the brink of a panic attack. so yes, you'll find me watching from the boat, and maybe taking a picture here and there.

around town || swamp rabbit cafe and grocery

me and my man are loving our greenville life. our young hippie spirits are free to thrive. we've been enjoying downtown and eating many a meals at our favorite place--tupelo honey. but for brunch this weekend we decided to try out the swamp rabbit cafe and grocery, right on the swamp rabbit trail that runs through greenville and into traveler's rest (a biker's dream). we heard they had delicious homemade scones, fresh every morning. we can't miss that! 

because of my wheat allergy, i was delighted to see that they had gluten free scones. sometimes gluten free can really let you down....especially when the "regular" baked good have 10 different flavor varieties, and there is only one option that's gluten free. my heart sinks a little every time, because i love trying new flavors. the stranger, the better. but this little cafe was spot on with their blueberry chocolate chip scones.

see you again soon, swamp rabbit cafe. but next time, we'll be on our bikes.

lately.

brunch with friends // yoga in a rainstorm // icecream // new plants // exploring little mountain towns // chopped my hair off // girls night out

surprise!

over the weekend, i surprised scofield with a birthday party for him at our place. he had no idea, which was pretty amazing considering he has guessed about every gift i've ever gotten him. i was so nervous the whole day thinking he was going to figure it out. he was fooled until we were walking up to the house...the smirk on my face and the fact that i couldn't look at him kind of gave it away. but still...success!

    ^^birthday boy.

happy birthday my husband! i hope you enjoyed your party as much as we did; and know that you are so very loved. 

a blackberry and beet chocolate cake for my husband

    my handsome man just had his birthday...and of course i show my love by baking. first it was dark  
    chocolate red wine cookies...yum, except i burnt them. so it was more like "bum." next, it
    was this cake. luckily, it did not burn, but instead it came right out of the oven perfectly...and then
    right into our mouths..

thanks to the beets, this cake has those earthy tones that we all know i love. and if you don't think about all of the cream cheese you are consuming in the icing, then you can totally think about it as "healthy."

blackberry and beet chocolate cake

adapted and inspired from verses from my kitchen

ingredients:

• 2 1/2 sticks brown sugar
• 5 small beets
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt

for the icing:

• 16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 tbsp. heavy cream
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp. vanilla

preheat the oven to 350 F. melt the butter on low heat in a sauce pan. while the butter is melting, puree the beets in a food processor. once the butter has melted, remove from heat and stir in the beets. add the sugar to the mixture and mix well. next, crack the eggs one by one into the pan, whisking as you go. finally, add the  tsp. of vanilla extract. transfer mixture to a medium sized bowl.

in another bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, 1/4 tsp. salt). add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together. transfer the batter into three 9" cake pans that have been prepared with nonstick cooking spray. cook at 350 F for 25 minutes.

while the cakes are cooking, work on the icing. using a hand mixer, mix together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. add the wet ingredients--heavy cream and vanilla extract. mix until well combined. finally, add the cocoa and powdered sugar. you can add more powdered sugar if you want a thicker icing. chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator while the cake is cooling.

after the cakes have cooled, icing the top of each layer one at a time and stack them on top of each other. use the rest of the icing to cover the outside of the cake.

i was pretty happy with the outcome, and i think you will be too! enjoy!

goat cheese and raspberry banana bread french toast

if you don't believe your ears, believe your eyes.

this recipe was inspired by my good friend michael. he worked on the top goat cheese farm in the country, here in our state of south carolina. i say "top" goat cheese farm, because they supply the goat cheese for more restaurants than i can name off, and they have been ranked number one in the nation for their goat cheese fudge and feta. he brought us some raspberry goat cheese once and recommended we try it on french toast. so i added a little twist with banana bread, fresh raspberries, and voila!

goat cheese and raspberry banana bread french toast

ingredients:

• banana bread [ recipe found here]
• 100% pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. crumbled goat cheese
• 1 egg
• splash of milk
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries, rinsed 
• 1/2 tbsp. butter

start by heating 1/2 tbsp. butter on medium high heat. whisk the egg in a wide dish and add a splash of milk and 1 tsp. of brown sugar. dip two slices of the banana bread into the egg mixture, making sure both sides are covered. transfer the banana bread to the pan and heat each side until golden and crispy, about 4 minutes [ keep an eye on them so they do not burn. ] once the french toast is cooked, place the bread on a plate and assemble--sprinkle with the goat cheese and raspberries, topping it off with a tsp. of brown sugar. finally, lather on the good stuff [ maple syrup, that is. ] 

twenty two.

my heart is full with this man by my side. happy birthday to my favorite! i love you scofield.

4th of july weekend

over the weekend, scofield and i joined his family in the mountains for a little holiday vacation. we stayed in the cutest cabin...so cute that it made the rain outside, all weekend, not so bad. i actually enjoyed the rain. there's something peaceful about thunderstorms...especially in the mountains.

       ^we got to hang around pups all weekend while janie [scofield's sister] dog sat.

even with the rain, these two brothers decided to brave the torrential waters and go for a swim on our hike. at this point it was just sprinkling. somehow, the rain always seems to hold out until we finish our adventures. the moment we stepped off the trail and under cover, the downpour resumed...

    ^^this guy.

i think my favorite part of the rain was my yoga session on the back porch. between the rain, view, and the breeze, i was in my own little happy place. it was magical.

some of our other rainy day activities included visiting the market and grabbing some coffee at buck's cafe.

so thankful for this country i call home! we hope everyone else had a lovely 4th!

the best gluten free banana bread.

when i make this recipe, it never stays around very long. i've made it at least 4 times, and each time it's better than the last. everything about it is perfect... the rise, the size, and the outer crispy edges [not to mention, it's gluten free!]. i'm sold...when it comes to banana bread, this is the only recipe that will come out of my kitchen.

the best gluten free banana bread

recipe from southern living magazine

ingredients:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup chopped dried dates (or figs)
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups mashed, ripe bananas (about 4)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

preheat the oven to 350 F and pour the boiling water over the chopped dates. let the dates and water sit for about ten minutes. in the meantime, beat the eggs with a whisk in a large bowl. whisk in the bananas, sugar, apple sauce, and vanilla extract. in a separate bowl, stir together the brown rice flour, sorghum flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring just until blended. 

After ten minutes, drain the dates and pat dry. [i did this with a paper towel.] Add the melted butter, dates, and walnuts to the mixture and stir. Transfer the mixture into a 9x5 inch prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. The bread is ready when a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Let cool, and then enjoy!

add chocolate chips to the bread, try it with nutella or cookie butter for an extra delicious treat!

little bits from the weekend

it was another work weekend for me, but before the weekend officially started we had a lovely visit with our friends jaimie and michael from columbia.

we started friday morning off with a brunch of banana bread french toast and fruit [ recipe to come later! ] then we headed to the park downtown for some reading and relaxing. we found a huge tree with a big chunk of shade. between the shade and the breeze, it felt perfect outside...so perfect that my reading turned into sleeping. whoops.

hope you all had a great weekend full of rest and fun as well!

kale chips

looking for a new way to get your greens? two words: kale chips. they're crunchy, delicious, and good for you. seriously...it's surprising. who knew something so healthy could be so delicious and satisfying...and addicting. when you find yourself eating kale chips at every meal, don't say i didn't warn you.

kale chips

ingredients:

• one bunch of kale, rinsed and dried
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp.  olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

preheat oven to 325 F and cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. tear the kale into chip size pieces and place in a large ziploc bag. add the olive oil, salt, paprika, cumin, and garlic powder to the plastic bag with the kale. with the bag closed securely, massage the ingredients into the kale. when the ingredients are evenly distributed, transfer the kale to the cookie sheet. bake at 325 for 15 minutes, turning once.

enjoy!

lately.

summer is here and we are most certainly loving it. weddings, vacations, food, and friends are keeping us occupied and happy.

happy summer!