I’ve gotten a fair number of questions over the last year about feeding Ainsley, and toddlers in general, and limiting their consumption of sugary snacks. Sadly, I am probably not the best person to ask. Because there’s the parent I thought I would be in my head and the parent I actually am in real life, and that parent is one who probably lets her child have one too many sugary treats on more than a few occasions. It’s become so … Read More
Pie Week #4 // Blueberry
This week has been good and busy and long and short all at once. Joe has been traveling for work (returning home today!) meaning I’ve been manning down the fort at home. I love my days at home with Ainsley, usually Thursday and Friday each week, but if I do a poor job at planning activities, outings and strategic errand running, said days can seem awfully long when they start at 6 am and don’t end until 8 pm. All … Read More
29.
Today I turn 29. I can’t believe that when this blog started, I was just 22 years old, a senior in college, without any background in blogging or the internet world. I wanted to post recipes of food that I loved. I was interning at a lifestyle magazine and working in their food section and inspired by this huge, brand-new world that was suddenly opened to me. Back then I had unlimited amounts of time and few commitments other than … Read More
Pie Week #3 // Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
You’ll have to forgive me for missing one week of my pie-per-week challenge. Already, I’m only three weeks into this thing and I’ve missed a week? #badblogger Needless to say, I think I’m going to have to develop a strategy for how we can gift these pies to friends and family throughout the challenge. Although my husband is happy to eat the pies all by himself (you should see this man eat pie) I think for the sake of health … Read More
Ultimate Chocolate Layer Cake // Joe’s 29th Birthday Cake
Every year I make my husband a birthday cake, and every year Joe asks me to bake a chocolate cake. One of Joe’s favorite recipes of all time is a recipe I developed a couple years ago when I was working for Betty Crocker. Let’s be clear when I say that yes, this cake starts with boxed cake mix, but it’s anything but ordinary. Actually, I should clarify that I have nothing against boxed cake mix in certain situations, including … Read More
Pie Week #2 // Apple
Whew. Coming in right under the gun and posting a second pie recipe before the week is over. I made this pie twice in the last week, and I’ve found that pie making is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do. First, because it’s relaxing and second, because there is nothing like the look of delight on someone’s face when you say that yes, you brought them pie, and yes, it’s from scratch. Oh, and it’s a great … Read More
Strawberry Pie // Week 1
Last weekend I promised to make three pies for a friend of my sister-in-law. Sure, I thought, no big deal! But my pie-making skills (specifically my crust-making skills have gotten a little rusty and I realized quickly that I needed to use it or lose it. I had certainly lost “it.” Being the stubborn one that I am, I made over 12 batches of crust (?!) and researched countless methods before landing on a recipe that that was easy, flaky, … Read More
Fueling My Family
A couple posts back I talked about choosing the right vitamins for your family. Joe takes Vitamin Code Men from Garden of Life and we give Ainsley Vitamin Code Kids from the same company. Well, when the folks over at Garden of Life saw my blog post, they were so kind to offer to send some additional products my way as a thank-you. Let’s be clear, Garden of Life is in no way sponsoring this post, but I was so … Read More
Healthy Peanut Butter-Chocolate Pudding
Once upon a time, Espresso and Cream was a food-only blog. Do you remember those days? If you’ve been reading for the 6+ years I’ve been blogging (where did the time go?!) then you probably do remember that I used to consistently post recipes and very little about anything else. Sometimes I look back at the days of leisurely cooking meals for two with a lot of nostalgia. These days it’s more of a dinnertime rush to get a meal … Read More
Feeding a Toddler // Morning Glory Muffins
This is a sponsored post written in partnership with The Women Bloggers and Kendal King Group. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #CookingWithGerber If you follow me on Instagram, chances are you’ve seen these muffins pop up multiple times. I share Ainsley’s meals using the #EasyBabyEats hashtag on Instagram, and it’s been fun to look back through all the different meals I’ve prepared for her when she’s off at her babysitter’s house. Her meals have changed a lot over the months, … Read More
My Top Tips for Stress-Free Entertaining
This is a sponsored post written on behalf of The Women Bloggers in association with @KendalKingGroup and #SoapboxInfluence; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 1 // Stick with what you know This isn’t the time to whip out a new recipe. Stick with recipes you’re comfortable and familiar with. And if you are going to try something new, make sure to give it a test run beforehand or pick a recipe that you know won’t fall flat or … Read More
Morning Coffee
When designing our kitchen, one of my priorities was to have a little “coffee nook” where I could keep all my mugs, coffee machine and a few other decorative items. As you all already know, coffee is my life blood and my day couldn’t start without a steaming hot cup of joe every morning, and a cup in the mid afternoon, and some decaf in the evenings after dinner. I mean, this blog is called Espresso and Cream for a … Read More