Since I got such positive responses about sharing wedding details as decisions are made, I have a few more specifics coming your way right…now! After plenty of searching, both in stores and online, and buying (following by returning) the wrong dresses, we finally purchased bridesmaid dresses! I say ‘finally’ but really, I think we are slightly ahead of the game. Sticking to a budget and knowing I wanted to stick to a neutral color palette made it a little more … Read More

This year has pretty much knocked me off my feet. Over the past twelve months my life has changed in such remarkable ways that it’s hard to remember what things were like at this time last December. There was a new relationship, a graduation from college and my first big-girl apartment. Falling in love while trying to figure out just what it was that I hoped to do with my life. No one really prepares you for how difficult it … Read More

I know it’s only the second day of December, but I can already feel that my holiday spirit is lagging a bit. Not getting to partake in tree decorating with my mom and my sad selection of Christmas music, paired with the fact that I don’t have any Christmas traditions of my own may have more than a little to do with my attitude.  So this morning, when I was catching up on a little blog-reading, I was inspired by … Read More

  Another weekend, another road trip. What a crazy Thanksgiving weekend it was! Joey and I traveled home to NW Iowa for Thanksgiving, then over to Chicago with my mom and Joey’s parents to watch his brother play for Bethel University in the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs. And on Sunday it was time to head back home. Bethel won. We had a wonderfully exhausting time. And I got to spend a lot of time with family and loved ones. … Read More

This past weekend I took a much needed (and very much enjoyed) long weekend. And how did I spend it? At the beach, of course! I don’t get to spend nearly as much time with my dad (or any of my family, for that matter!) as I would like to, so when I realized there were a few extra vacation days in my reserve, I took full advantage of some father-daughter bonding time. We spent three days at the beach, … Read More

Before anything else, I want to say a big thank you for your helpful and reassuring comments and e-mails about my blog identity crisis. Knowing I’m not the only person to have these feelings made me realize I don’t need to make a formal decision about where I want Espresso and Cream to go. Instead, I’m going to keep cooking and baking, and when other events seem post-worthy, they’ll make their way to these pages, too. Case in point….   … Read More

I’ve got a pile of clothes waiting to be folded, laundry running, dishes washing and a whole lot of packing to do before hitting I-80 tomorrow afternoon for a trip to Illinois (again!). But before I take off for a much needed three day weekend and break from technology, I’m going to fulfill a request from my mom at the beginning of the summer: a fun, light, summer salad. Well, it’s not exactly a salad, per say. It’s more of … Read More

I don’t know about you all but I’m in a bit of a crazy place right now. After a three day trip to Florida for work, I returned to Des Moines, only to turn around and head out to Illinois for a weekend at J.’s apartment. The weekend was lovely and relaxing. I didn’t think about work or the number of things on my to-do list, but now I have six bags of flour, ten bags of powdered sugar, and … Read More

Back in February, when it was cold and bleak, I received an e-mail from my mom with this link attached. It was the website of a company called Outstanding in the Field, a group of chefs and organizers who spend the months of May through October traveling around the country in a bus, setting up large farm-to-table dinners in fields, on beaches, and barns. Immediately, I was drawn in by the pictures of beautiful, simple tables and the idea of … Read More

J. has an aunt, a really awesome aunt to be exact, with four of the cutest kids I’ve ever seen. Last week, while spending some time with J.’s extended family, I had a chance to talk with her about food, nutrition, life, you name it. During this time, one thing was very evident; raising and caring for four children is a lot of work and takes a good chunk of time when done well. But what really blew me away … Read More

E-mails have come in from a few people asking where I got the jars pictured in yesterday’s Light and Fit Berry Sorbet post. I figured I would take this opportunity to put together a little midweek mini-post. These beautiful little jars are actually Ball Jars purchased from the baking isle at Target. I found these jars perfect since they are smaller, only 4-oz., than regular canning jars making them a more manageable size to fill. Oh, and did I mention … Read More