Confessions of a Photo Booth

I love a good photo booth sesh.  I love when weddings have photo booths.  Here is proof that we thoroughly enjoyed all of our friend's weddings this season :)

Kate & Nick' Wedding

 Lori & Bryan's Wedding

Ingrid & Nolan's Wedding

Thank you, friends, for the laughs and an amazing night!

We have one more to go in January and it's going to be a good one!

Weekly | Links I'm Likin' (5)

Hey guys!  I PROMISE there will be more food posts on here soon.  After traveling and eating tons of rich food, I decided to take a hiatus for a while.  I tried Gwyneth Paltrow's cleanse and this salad is the only thing I liked :(  Enjoy these links until I get more food up here and I promise you won't be disappointed with what I am making next!

1. I feel like I have been in the stage of not knowing how to make our house a home for a long time.  Glad I'm not the only one.
2. When I do figure out how to decorate the house, I have a feeling this will be part of it.  So cool.
3. So funny, and so true.  I'm just jealous because I am not in a high enough tax bracket to shop here, ha!
4. This will probably be my kid.  I have a list making problem.  I have once or twice made lists where items on that list include reminders to make other lists.  Sad face.
5. My emotions about Gwyneth are so complex right now...maybe more on that later.  But in the meantime, maybe we'll see a cat fight between her and Martha soon?? 
6. Kora's 14th(!!) birthday is coming up!!  I'm totally making this - although I don't have a dog bone-shaped pan.  I mean, who does?
7. I'm skipping right over Halloween and going straight to Thanksgiving.  Here's some turkey roasting tips!
8. There's no way this woman just had a baby.  Total conspiracy theory!
9. Supposedly this is old, but it's new to me and so hilarious.  Whoever married this gal is a lucky, lucky man.
10. This is so fascinating to me.  What does a week of your groceries look like??
11. For all my marching band friends - this is super impressive!
12. Mmmm...who wants to do brunch?

Weekly | Links I'm Likin' (4)

This week = success.  Denny and I went back to California and I got to see old friends and family.  A lot of them got to meet Denny for the first time.  We got to see 2 great friends get married, and I also got my In n' Out and beach fix :)  

1. I'm starting this week's links off with a bang!  If you are as anxious for Anchorman 2 to come out as I am, this will curb your cravings.
2. I am in danger of suffering from this problem....
3. It's like this girl is....me!  Last week was a guide to weddings, now it's a guide to the gym (which I desperately need to get back into!)
4. All of this wedding stuff has me thinking of what we what to do for ours.  I really like this.
5. Ridiculous is the only thing that comes to mind.  And annoyance.  Don't ask me why!
6. One of the very few architecture links I like, probably because it makes fun of architecture. 
7. After cleansing last time, I have come to like homemade nut milks.  This one looks like it is worth a try!
8. I'm trying to make a list of healthier recipes and healthier blogs to follow.  This is just one of the many recipes I like from Rabbit Food For My Bunny Teeth, a new blog that I will be following!
9. Think of this as a Ted Talks for self-help and success.  There's so much on this site, I'm sure it will touch everyone differently.  I went straight to the video called "What if Money Didn't Rule Your Life"
10. Lately sucking at #1, always sucking at #5.  Almost never sucking at #3.
11. I did not need to see this.  Fortunately they look pretty darn complicated to make, so at least you will have earned it by the end.

I hope you all had a great week!  Til next time!

Weekly | Links I'm Likin' (3)

Tomorrow we head out to Californ-i-a for wedding no. 6 of the season!  This one is particularly special because my childhood friend, Lori, is getting hitched!  I will be in her wedding and she will be in ours :)  Here are some links to hold you over until we get back... And here is us at weddings...

Us at weddings.

1. I am torn between being really grossed out and really impressed.
2. I always get jazzed about a recipe that replaces typical ingredients with cauliflower, but have yet to try one.  This could be the one!
3. I really think I would wear this, in public, probably while waiting in line at Chipotle...stop judging me...
4. Warning:  this link does contain partial nudity.  Partial nudity of the hilarious variety.  My goodness.
5. Chowders, actually creamy soups in general, are my weakness.  I kind of wish I hadn't seen this recipe.
6. Since I officially entered the last year of my 20s this weekend (!), a lot of these resonated with me.  I still have another year to get to the rest :) 
7. What better way to ring in 29 than to look through reminders of my childhood?  # 12 had me laughing out loud.
8. It's ok if you don't find this to be funny.  This is really just for my friend Agnes, who loves a literal interpretation of hip hop just as much as I do :)
9. If you are awkward, and go to as many weddings as I do, this definitely comes in handy.
10. I don't know if it is the photography, or the delectable bread, but doesn't this sandwich look crazy good??  Also, I love the message about how we view excessive food and over-eating.  I am currently trying to get out of a glutinous mindset myself.
11. I so need this right now.  When you feel like poop, maybe Goop can help!  And I still need her cookbook in my house.  It never came when I ordered it and now I have to re-order.  It shall go right next to the Mac N Cheese Cookbook, yes, yes.

Eggplant, Heirlooms, & Smoked Lavender Pepper

Hey there!  It's been a while since I put a food post on here!  Things have been crazy busy - but all fun things are just around the corner.  Weddings galore, birthdays (ahem), visits from family and lots of yummy dinners!  Not to mention, doing some photography for someone other than me, myself and I (and YOU of course!).

I have been working with Laura over at Indigo Blooms Botanicals and shooting all of her amazing body care products.  She also has some cooking products like seasonings, honeys, teas, etc.  You may remember the lavender scones I made with her lavender infused sugar.  I also made some mean sugar cookies with it and they were REALLY good (sorry, no post about that one - they were gone too quickly).  But, don't be surprised if you see a few things from her company on here from time to time.

Today, I share with you grilled eggplant with heirlooms and parmesan cheese, marinated in her smoked lavender pepper.

1 Heirloom tomato, cut into 1/4 thick slices
1 Small eggplant, cut into 1/4 slices
1 Tbsp smoked lavender pepper
Lavender salt to taste
1/3c olive oil
2 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese

Toss eggplant and tomato slices in oil and pepper.  Let marinate in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour.  Grill eggplant slices on medium heat 4-5 minutes each side or until tender.  Sprinkle lavender salt on remaining tomato slices to taste.  Stack tomato and eggplant slices, alternating between each.  Top with parmesan cheese!

Weekly | Links I'm Likin' (2)

Tonight's links are brought to you by Kora the Beautiful...enjoy.

1. I'm always looking for on-the-go breakfast ideas.  This sounds like it might be worth a try!
2. Just thinking about living with this person gives me anxiety.  But heck, if you are gonna hoard, do it like this guy.
3. Anything that makes fun of hashtagging is fine by me.  I wonder if there will ever come a day that I stop loving J.T.
4. Just in case you needed a good cry.  It's a happy cry, I promise.
5. Having a comedian as a parent = Score!  Love A.P.
6. I'm pretty sure I would have picked the exact songs Jimmy Fallon did, and would have had a hell of a time trying not to belt it out for real.
7. Only Louis CK can make the depressing truth so funny.  Just cry it out!  Also, #5.
8. One day you are living a normal life, the next Vince Milligan is knocking on your door.  No spoiler alert here if you have yet to see the last episode of Breaking Bad.  Although I'm really not sure what else in your life was more important yesterday at 8pm.
9. Oh, and I kind of like these :)  More to come soon!

Weekly | Links I'm Likin'

Hey guys!  Fall is here which means everything is going to start smelling like cinnamon.  I hope you're ready.

I blame my recent adoption of the iPhone for this new feature on the blog.  That's right, I'm sharing with you all of the things I currently like on the net!  I'm online constantly now, for better or for worse, and I'm taking you all down with me!

This week, I'm likin':

1. This site - it is hilarious.  I'm not even sure how I came upon it, but I mean, their slogan is "Eat like you give a f*ck."  If my brother were to have a food blog I picture it going a little something like this.
2. This guy was featured on said hilarious site above and is equally talented.  You don't even have to like comics.  Promise.  (I'm going to pretend like that rhymed)
3. Denny and I used to make boxed mac n cheese with tuna and sriracha ALL the time.  Still in our top 5 favorite meals.  This grown up version quite literally makes me drool.
4. Speaking of mac n cheese - my birthday is coming up and whoever gets me this cookbook earns a place in my will.  And you can all trust I am going to make it big someday. (Update: I have been told by my awesome aunt KimAnna that she purchased this for me. SO excited!)
5. I know most of us have seen this already.  But if we have a soul and have shopped at Whole Foods, we have all been there.  Read it again.
6. I made this this weekend, and you all should try.  Pretty dang easy, pretty dang fancy, pretty dang delicious, and the possibilities are endless!
7. I'm doing some photos for this great company and hope to have a post about it soon!!
8. Surprise, marriage is hard.  Here is a nice little article about how to show some love.  (Am I the only one with "What A Girl Wants" playing in my head?)
9. Then this guy goes and says "Marriage is easy" and it sounds true because he is on Breaking Bad. (One more episode???  WHy, GOD, why?!!)
10. Once I start embracing fall I will happily make soups and stews :)