I fought my cold for the last two weeks and my cold won. Last night I woke up after sleeping horribly for a couple hours, knowing that a trip to the doctor would be absolutely necessary in the morning. Although I hate having to take medicine, sometimes it’s absolutely necessary. I woke up this morning wanting my mommy, some Tylenol, and food fit for a sick day. I never ever lose my appetite when I’m sick, and I tend to … Read More
Breakfast Cookie Dough
Happy Valentine’s Day, all! Before I say anything about Breakfast Cookie Dough, I want to let you all know how much I love you all. Over the past year, you’ve made this site more than I could have imagined it being, and I’m oh so thankful for you. Every time you e-mail me, send me a photo of a recipe you’ve made from the site, Tweet me, or comment about a recipe, I’m reminded of how blessed I am. I … Read More
Strawberry Cream Cheese Cookies
One last post before I unplug for the weekend. After work tomorrow I plan on spending the weekend with my Valentine. Fingers crossed that I’m able to fight off this cold that has been plaguing me all week so we can enjoy our time together.There’s a little story behind these cookies… One Valentine’s Day when I was 15 and a sophomore in high school I had a boyfriend who was a senior. We dated for almost two years, practically an … Read More
Berry-Love Smoothies
Inevitably, as Valentine’s Day creeps closer, I start to think about people I love and cherish. I’m fortunate to have quite a few of those individuals in my life, and on February 14th I plan to make sure they all know how deeply I care for them. And while it’s so important to love those around us, I think it’s time we start showing our bodies a little bit more love, too. Body-image and weight isn’t something I’ve talked much … Read More
Link Love
I really love you guys. Seriously. Over the past week and a half, I’ve spent my free time sifting through the hundreds of blog and magazine recommendations you passed along during the Silpat giveaway. If you have a few hours (or days) I would highly suggest checking out all the awesome links in that post. Goal achieved: my Google Reader is absolutely packed with great new finds. Here are a few of my favorite new revelations: Sugar Plum BlogJudging by … Read More
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles
Happy “Week Before Valentine’s Day” my dear readers. If the day dedicated to love isn’t up your alley, please forgive me for what’s shaping up to be a very chocolate and love intensive week. Regular posting will resume next week, I promise! Greater than my love for chocolate is my love for semi-healthy desserts. I have been known to incorporate whole wheat flour, ground flax seed and fruit into sweet treats because it makes me feel just a little bit … Read More
Weekend Plans
To say that I can’t stick with the same hair color or style is a vast understatement. With summer and a wedding coming on quick, I’ve transitioned my hair color to blonde and am working on growing it back out. Since I’ve never had long blonde hair, I’m excited for the change. Though anyone who has ever tried to grow their hair out knows the pain I’m going through! My mom and Joey are going to be in town this … Read More
Vanilla Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Now that we’ve discussed food politics and the passions surrounding the meat industry, let’s talk about something a little less controversial. It’s like those times in college when you took a really hard test and then celebrated by reading fashion magazines and watching mindless television. You know you’ve been there. For years, I’ve been baking and decorating cakes for weddings and special occasions. But it wasn’t until yesterday that I realized I’ve been doing it all wrong. Sorry, anyone … Read More
The Great Meat Debate
When I started Espresso and Cream, my motivation wasn’t to discuss food politics or controversial topics. It was to be a feel-good, creative space for me to share recipes and little snippets of life. And for the most part, it will remain just that. I planned on talking about wedding hair today, but after watching Oprah yesterday, I changed my course of action. For those of you who didn’t see the episode, Oprah and many of her staffers went vegan … Read More
Dark Chocolate-Almond Butter Bars
Confession time: I lied to you all. I promised to deliver a healthy dessert and instead I give you these Dark Chocolate-Almond Butter Bars. In all fairness, they aren’t completely unhealthy. It contains dark chocolate and almond butter, both of which can be very healthy in moderation. And compared with cheesecake, it’s practically health food. Each month for work I spend a few days off-site on photography for one of the magazines I work on. Beautiful photos of food are … Read More
Weekend Giveaway Winner
{Emily and Brian who are getting married in May!} Happy Monday, everyone! Have I told you all how much I love you? You seriously rock. I now have a whole lot of ‘fun homework’ ahead of me this week, checking out the blogs and magazines you all recommended, and I have a feeling my Google Reader is going to get lots of fun, new additions! And while we’re on the subject of giveaway entries, let’s get to the … Read More
Silpat Giveaway!
(Source) For Christmas I got many beautiful, useful gifts, but none have been used as often as my new favorite kitchen mate. My Silpat baking mat. You may have noticed that I have been calling for the use of a Silpat in many of my recipes, and for good reason. This thin, silicone baking mat that is used in many professional kitchens. In its simplest form, the Silpat frees you from having to use parchment paper or nonstick cooking spray … Read More