Settle in, friends, and get ready for a bunch of posts about all things Italy and travel. Before I get to the specifics of our day in Siena, let’s talk a little bit about our trip in general. Joe and I have been thinking about taking a trip to Italy since we got married two years ago. Italy was the natural choice. I mean, what’s not to love? Amazing food, beautiful countryside, tons of history and super friendly people. Count … Read More
Hello, Stranger
Hello, friends! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Joe and I just got back from the most wonderful 10-day-long vacation in Italy and I’m just now sitting down to my computer for the first time in just as many days. It’s been one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever taken, and I can’t wait to share all about it! My mind is already swimming with ideas on posts about packing light (we only traveled with backpacks), amazing Italian recipes … Read More
My Stitch Fix Story
It’s no surprise I love Stitch Fix, is it? I know, I sound like a broken record. But I’ve had so much fun with the service, so when the Stitch Fix team asked me if I wanted to be featured on their blog with four other of their favorite bloggers I jumped at the chance! Of course, we all know that I’m not a fashion blogger, and sometimes I tend to fall into a bit of a rut with my … Read More
End of Summer Salad
We have been swimming in produce over here! This weekend my mom brought us a basket full of peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and other veggies that were absolutely beautiful! And then there is the abundance of produce we have at our house: cherry tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, basil. Oh, and did I mention we’re also members of a CSA, so we get a box of produce every week? Yeah, like I said, we have a lot of produce at our house. … Read More
Classic, No-Fuss Banana Bread
A couple weeks ago I shared with you a recipe from Joe’s great grandma Jacobs. Maybe I was a bit early with sharing a recipe for pumpkin bread in August, but it was so delicious that I’m sure anyone who bakes up a loaf would quickly forgive me for sharing something not quite seasonal. I was so inspired by the pumpkin bread recipe. It was so perfect, exactly how I remember perfect pumpkin bread tasting, and, more importantly, the texture … Read More
My Favorite Things: August 2013 Edition
This past weekend I had so much fun putting together a box of some of my current favorite things for last week’s giveaway winner, Julia. Since it’s been a while since I shared what I’ve been loving in beauty, health and fitness, I figured I would snap a few photos of what I put in Julia’s giveaway box. It’s pretty hard to go shopping for your favorite things knowing you are going to give them all away. I wanted … Read More
Owning Your Journey
Thank you for all the sweet words regarding the giveaway! The winner of the giveaway is Julia! I’ll be sending you an e-mail today so I can get your “birthday gift” in the mail asap! Over the past year I’ve spent time reading the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It’s a short and concise daily devotional that takes just a couple minutes to read each morning, but I’m always surprised at the deep and profound nature of each devotion. … Read More
Traditional Peach Cobbler and a Blog Birthday Giveaway!
This week Espresso and Cream celebrates another birthday. It’s really hard to believe that I’ve been blogging for four years this August. When I started this blog as a college intern at Better Homes and Gardens magazine I had no clue I would be blogging and documenting my life in and out of the kitchen four years later. This site has come along for a crazy ride and lots of changes over the past four years, including a college graduation, … Read More
Cornmeal Biscuits with Fresh Corn
Do you ever find yourself in awe of the way God moves in your life? Lately, I’ve been reflecting a lot on how God has worked in our lives over the last year. Joe and I have a life now that looks very different than our life last year at this same time. And while we had so many things to be thankful for about our life in Grinnell, we also had prayers that we hoped God would answer. Prayers … Read More
Healthy Banana Pudding
If I had to pick one dessert to eat for the rest of my life it would be banana pudding. I haven’t always loved banana pudding, since I hated bananas for a good chunk of my childhood. But once I realized the error of my ways and discovered my love for bananas, I was head over heels in love with banana pudding. I still remember visiting my grandmother in North Carolina a number of years ago and being greeted with … Read More
Grandma Jacobs’ Pumpkin Bread
I think I’ve mentioned before that when Joe and I got married his mom passed along to us a recipe binder full of heritage recipes from Joe’s great-grandma Jacobs’. I’m a huge fan of old recipes, since I think they have so much to teach us about cooking before it became all complicated and fussy and, most importantly, before it became the cool thing to do. It’s hard for me to remember a time when cooking wasn’t flashy and fashionable … Read More
Dressed for Game Day: Vikings Edition
Do you ever suffer from that thing where you face is a little puffy for the first two hours after you wake up? Please don’t tell me that I’m the only one who suffers from this, because that’s totally what I’ve got going on in these pictures. This past weekend Joe and I woke up bright and early on Saturday to get to Mankato, Minnesota, for the first weekend of Vikings training camp. By now you’re well aware of our … Read More