Catching My Eye: August

Happy August / Last month of Summer! It's true. I'm ready for Autumn. Or, perhaps, ready to move to the city and experience a new life... which will come with the arrival of crisp air and school books. 
It's that time of year when I receive Boden and J.Crew catalogs boasting of new fall styles, making me ready to buy suede boots and wool hats. To top it off, it rained for the first time all Summer - a chilly rain, accompanied by wind rather than humidity. Fall is calling to me!
Although we haven't quite reached that apple cider time yet, some of my picks for this month are styles for the fall. Tunics - I'm loving tunics of all patterns and shapes. Paired with thick tights, boots, and a scarf... or, in our current weather, sandals and a cotton baseball cap (go Sox!). So until that time of orange leaves and red noses, I'll be enjoying the sunny weather that is headed our way next week!

1. Stripy Tunic / 2. Colorblock Wool Baseball Cap / 3. Black Boots / 4. Denim Shiftdress

Baking: Flourless Chocolate Cake

 

I am a chocolate girl. Hot chocolate in the cold. Mochas instead of plain coffee. Rich chocolate ice cream and chocolate croissants. So naturally, I appreciate a good chocolate torte. 

I've tried hard to make the perfect flourless cake. For my dad's birthday, I made one with fluffy peanut butter frosting. For Avery's birthday, I made one with far too much vanilla frosting. So it was about time I made a flourless cake without any frosting. Summer desserts call for fruits as a topping. 

This particular recipe tastes like a brownie and a torte mixed together... and in a 24cm pan, it didn't taste too thick! 

It takes less than 10 minutes to mix, and 25 minutes to bake. Perfect to bake in a late summer evening as the outside heat winds down. 

You'll need:

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

First, melt and mix together the chocolate chips and the butter in a saucepan. 

Once they've melted together into a thin consistency, pour them into a mixing bowl. 

Mix in the sugar. 

Whisk in the eggs. 

Add in the cocoa powder until everything is blended together. 

Pour the mixture into a 8 or 9 inch pan.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. 

Once it has cooked all the way through, set it out to cool. After it has cooled, feel free to sift powder sugar over the top, and add the freshest summer berries you've got. 

Printable: Recipe Cards

Recently, I've become ready for school to start up again - to move into a new apartment, learn to cook new foods with my friends, and buy fresh fruit and breads in the city. To embrace this mindset, I drew out these recipe cards, scanned them, and learned how to use the double sided feature on my printer! So exciting. Feel free to save them and print them out yourself!

Happy cooking!

Happy Father's Day (And Weekend!)

 I spent Saturday afternoon with a plethora of friends, my boyfriend, and my parents. J, Marcus, Hannah and I visited my favorite spot in my hometown, where you can peek through the brambles and see a sailboat or a ferry pass by. It's a quiet, peaceful spot, but that didn't stop us from taking fun photos and goofing around with flowers. 

 J and I have decided we are going to spend the summer being flower fairies. 

Father's day was spent in Seattle; a picnic at the beach with my family. I love my father dearly, but somehow a photo with him didn't make it onto the camera! He was off playing guitar and pushing Em on the swing. Em particularly enjoyed the "bubuhhhhs."

And I loved the the arrival of Summer. 

Xxo

Baking: Zucchini Carrot Muffins

After finishing my final essay by 2 o'clock, I thought I'd treat myself to a little zucchini carrot muffin making. I had an hour and a half to spare, so why not bake something? 

I found the recipe from searching around Pinterest, and discovered this post. I halved the recipe, because I didn't quite need 3 dozen, and it ended up making a dozen because of the acorn shaped pan that I used. 

This is the fabulous Acorn Pan It's especially wonderful when you're making something that's sweet but earthy.

In the oven for 22 minutes... and they come out looking perfect. 

My favorite, because they're absolutely fresh and taste like a sweet version of the garden.Happy first day of Summer Break!xxo

Back home.

What it feels like to be home:

Seeing Em learn about the garden / Picking sweet, green peas / Giggling together

Happy Wisconsin Wedding!

This weekend, my parents and I took the plane to Wisconsin to celebrate the wedding of my cousin. 

Lots of fun family, delicious food (especially those DB Infusion chocolates in Madison), and a truly beautiful wedding. 

Congratulations, S & N ♥