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Jess

RECIPES | COOKING LOCAL MILK

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From the bridal shower and sending out our official invites with all the information on them, we’ve started receiving wedding gifts which has been a lot of fun – Like an early Christmas!

We’ve been replacing old baking sheets with fresh new ones and donating usable items, like our plates and bowls, to Goodwill. One of the most exciting gifts so far has been the Kitchenaid mixer.  I’ve wanted one since my mom got hers when I was in 1st grade!

What else to do with all these new kitchen gadgets then to BAKE! On Sunday I baked two recipes I had been eyeballing. Both come from Local Milk blog and both contain buttermilk.

The first one is an apple and rosemary quickbread and the second is blueberry and goat cheese hand pies.

I won’t tell you it’s a breeze baking things from scratch but I will say I had a whole lot of fun running around the kitchen, experimenting and experiencing things I had yet to do!
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This milk company just appeared at my local Kroger and they do a bottle exchange “bring back this empty bottle and receive $2 off your next Homestead Creamery purchase” which I thought is pretty cool! I don’t drink regular milk but when it comes to buttermilk, I’ll definitely continue to use this company!

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My experience:
Not sure if it was because I did these in the disposable, paper loafs or what but I had to add on a good bit of time to Beth’s suggested 35-45 minutes, somewhere around 15-20 minutes extra.

How it tasted:
It’s like Fall in a loaf a really, really yummy loaf!  Like she suggested, best served warm.

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These lil guys were a boatload of fun! I couldn’t tell you the last time I used a rolling pin but love the marble one my friend Liz gave us from West Elm. The weight of it helps with the momentum and makes it a breeze (well, after the dough became more room temperature.)

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My experience:
I used the exact measurements provided with both the dough and filling and ended up with more filling than dough. But this may be because I was scared to overfill. I also chose to look for basil in the neighboring community garden and didn’t have any luck so that was forgone in the recipe but they still came out A+++

We’ve only had them once so far and warmed up and topped with Greek yogurt. OMGOOD. You could also try with vanilla ice cream!

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Before I tasted either I was patting myself on the back, simply for them coming out the oven looking edible…and then I had a taste and was like ..YOU GO GIRL! Pretty proud of myself for these babies!

I didn’t include the recipes here because Beth put in a lot of work so visit her site if you’re interested in trying these. Bread recipe here. Pie recipe here.

Let the baking begin! *Maybe I should wait till AFTER the wedding to get really into this?!?!

LIFE LATELY

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This week I don’t have an outfit or food post but I do want to share some favorite moments from life lately~

Above is the lovely backdrop of my wedding shower! My bridesmaids held the event at one of their homes and made my boho dreams come true! I’m a lucky lady when it comes to friendships, truly lucky.

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Been obsessed with the newly opened Revelator on the Westside of town. Their iced espresso with almond milk is on point!

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A corner in the barn where we are getting married.

love you x forever is fitting wouldn’t you say?

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Jessica of My Style Vita and I combined forces and I shot 5 cocktails for her in her Buckhead condo. The above ingredients are for a “Salty Dog” check it out here.

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Mom, Dustin and I made our own soy candles for the wedding party table using old candy dishes and jars. They turned out great!

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We decided this year to skip Music Midtown and then at the last minute our friend Courtney hooked us up with a free pass for Friday. We rode our bikes from the house – around 4 miles each way – made attending and exiting a breeze!

We saw Metric and Elton John, both of which, killed it. Metric was upbeat and we turned it into a 3 person (Me + D + Muriel) dance party and Elton was, FANTASTIC. Definitely a bucket list moment!

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VSCO partnered up with Artifact Uprising and gave away a free print and I got this photo from our engagement shoot in an 8.5×11. I was blown away with the quality! We are going to frame for our little home.

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Speaking of great quality and Muriel, this tote basket is a recent gift from her trip to Morocco! Her and her bf were traveling for about two weeks and picked this up on like the second day, it then went from Morocco to Spain and then to ATL – it’s well-traveled already!

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A scene from Jess Jones’ loft rooftop, gah I love this city!

There ya have a short and sweet recap of recent life. Happy Friday + enjoy the weekend!!

BEYOND THE BASICS WITH WILLIAMS-SONOMA

 

Atlanta recently welcomed a new Williams-Sonoma located inside the wildly popular Ponce City Market and it’s a first of it’s kind in the South! What makes it unique is the comprehensive home showroom and design center.  It also features a direct pass-through to Chef Jonathan Waxman’s latest dining venture, Brezza Cucina-

A glass wall strategically placed between the restaurant and Williams-Sonoma will offer guests an immersive culinary experience with an exclusive view into the dining room, while simultaneously lending inspiration while they shop. This type floor plan is the first in Williams-Sonoma’s history with an independent business.

21466085656_d1d1e73589_kI’m super thrilled to share my partnering with W+S hoping to inform couples that are planning their registry that you can go beyond the basics and have a new experience with their wedding registry through their unique departments! For example, they have an entire DIY section which includes kits to make your own cheese, alcohol and even bacon! They also carry a ton of gardening supplies for that new home you’ll be settling into, or their convenient above-ground gardens if you’re renting.

With marriage comes combining not only your lives but your activities so why not add some spice with some of these gift ideas versus the pots and pans folks normally have on their registry.  Unless you need updated cookware-then you’re in good hands with W+S!

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Our W+S Beyond the Basics picks:

Waxed canvas camping bag
Poler 2-person Waterproof Camo Tent
Lodge Camping Dutch Oven
Lodge Camping Tripod (for Dutch oven)
Enamelware Dinnerware bowls + mugs
Smart Phone Recharger with Flashlight
Antler Fire Starter
Telescoping Skewers

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We are really happy with this tent for several reasons; the one-pole systems offers an easy non-confrontational setup so you can get in and enjoy the high ceilings that make for perfect hanging out with your beau. It’s also “camouflage” so you can “blend” in and do your thing without, say a bear or wanderer finding you!

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In our new Dutch oven I made an easy version of chicken pot pie, here’s the recipe:

Frozen veg-all
Chicken
Canned biscuits
Chicken broth + condensed soup

Spread veg-all in bottom, top with chicken and then pour in the broth and soup. Top with biscuits and close. Place oven on top of coals and then place coals on top of oven (see above photo). We cooked for 45 minutes which burned the tops so we figure 30 is perfect! Enjoy.

Handling the oven: we used a hammer (the part that pulls out the nails) to lift the lid, seems to be the best option. I’m not sure if the traditional oven mitt will withstand the heat so proceed with caution!

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Right before my marshmallow caught on fire and we went into ‘save the ‘mallow!!” mode! I wasn’t worried about getting burned though since the telescoping skewers make it real safe to cook on open flames.

Pro-tip from my Eagle Scout fiance: “You wanna wait till the fire is more coals than flames, it will give you a more evenly cooked marshmallow and you’ll avoid it catching fire.”

But, we (read: I) weren’t that patient this particular day, ha!

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Free People tee, Gap jeans, Sorel boots and TOMS shades.

This Wood and Faulk bag is not only stylish but very durable with the waxed canvas and leather, it’s sure to withstand all sorts of conditions! Also, Dustin has it in green so now we match and that’s just adorable!

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The flashlight + charging station is a must-bring on all future camping trips! Gotta be able to IG our trip ;)

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My man being all hunky and happy in our new tent which we’ll be taking for a real deal spin first weekend of October!

Lastly, here are some fun happenings going on over at the Ponce City W+S:

Atlantans are invited every Saturday for free technique classes at the modern, twelve-seat cooking island in the center of the store hosted by Williams-Sonoma culinary specialist Jon Lagardere. Younger aspiring cooks are invited to the store every Sunday for free Junior Chef Classes.  Williams-Sonoma has partnered with over 50 artisanal, small-batch food producers throughout the country as part of the company’s commitment to community at the new Ponce City Market location. The assortment will include featured representation of artisans from Atlanta and throughout the South.

Thanks to Williams-Sonoma for allowing us a fun opportunity and an excuse to go on all the camping trips this Fall!

Special thanks to Cristi who shot the photos of us!  Check out her site here.

WEAR 12

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Friday I took off work to do lots of pre-wedding things like finalizing the menu (which includes fancy shrimp+grits, cause-duh!), going through the timeline, picking out jewelry (hello sapphires!)  and trying to nail down a cake (which didn’t go as planned in the least bit!)

To run around I wanted to dress chic but comfy for all the errands and car riding so I wore these new slacks I picked up at Nordstrom Rack (under $25!) and my favorite white tee from Target (love it so much I bought it twice in case one gets ruined) with new wedges from Shopbop by Matt Bernson along with pieces that are on constant rotation~

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This Free People necklace spices any’ole plain tee right up! Other accessories include my very worn out Kate Spade shades, FP bra and Madewell tote.

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Next post is a fun shoot featuring items from Williams-Sonoma and I’m really really REALLY excited to share it with yall – come back and see on Thursday!

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ARRINGTON VINEYARDS

While the guys were off at Dustin’s bachelor party, Cristi and I road tripped to Nashville to hang and celebrate our friend Courtney’s birthday.  We went to a few backyard parties, hit up tasty restaurants (Little Octopus + The Post + Pharmacy) but the highlight of the trip was visiting Arrington Vineyards!

Kix Brooks of Brooks and Dunn opened in the vineyard in 2007. Just 25 miles from Nashville, it’s a must visit!

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Naturally my favorite was the chardonnay. I did, however, enjoy the rosé and the cabernet sauvignon during our tasting. Cristi raved about a dessert red that was served with a raspberry chocolate. All around, great wines!

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Whole Foods picnic spread: Pickles, spicy okra, rosemary bread, salami, 3 cheeses (goat, blueberry something and manchego) olives + feta, chicken salad, grapes, smoked salt, pepper jelly. Not pictured (because it wouldn’t fit, ha!) kale salad, prosciutto, almond crackers  *insert smiling chubby faced emoticon here*

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My air mattress mate for the weekend-Cristi aka Lil Bit-enjoying the oaky chardonnay.

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Wearing Free People overalls, Bar III top, TOMS sunnies, Birkenstocks, Ali Sage necklace

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Courtney, the birthday lady and beau, Alex.

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I think she had a good birthday weekend ;)

While writing this (and while we sipped wine on the patio) I listened to Brooks and Dunn and it brought me back to growing up in Montana and going to rodeos with my family.  I love how music can strike up so many feels!

Next time I’d like to get a tour of where the magic happens, but this only happens Monday – Friday. We didn’t know this but it didn’t stop us from exploring, which they encourage, and having a blast!

Whether it’s a vineyard, distillery or brewery-count me in!