Happy Fall Y'all!

Oh, man! I have been loving this fall-ish weather we have been having! Today I made a trip to the farmer's market for some mums and found this amazing lettuce pot!



They called it "living lettuce". It makes me want a HUGE salad. You just trim off what you need to make your salad, etc. and it keeps growing for you!! LOVE it!

Here are some pics me and Baxter enjoying these beautiful days:


gorgeous sunny sky

sweet puppy dog

some of my roses making one last show before winter


You are probably wondering what I have been cooking lately, huh? Well, last week I had some cupcakes to make for Hunter Beason. His mom, Mecie, told me they were having another camping party and wanted cupcakes. She gave me creative control and told me to "do whatever"! Here is what I made:

S'Mores Cupcakes!

They have been really big lately on all of the cooking blogs, so I thought this was a perfect time to try them out. Here is a link to the recipe I used from "Good Thymes and Good Food" that includes the graham cracker crust, chocolate cupcake,and marshmallow buttercream. I topped each cake with either a graham cracker stick or a mini hershey bar. Also, I left out the chocolate chips from this recipe. (only because I forgot to buy them!!) They were soo yummy!

Also, I discovered a new love at The Fresh Market! I have many many loves there, but this one is taking the number one spot this week! This pistachio gelato is beyond words. Get some.


I was really craving seafood a couple weeks ago (specifically crab legs and shrimp), so I decided to make Justin and I a form of Surf and Turf. After searching the internet, I found this recipe on "What's Cookin' Italian Style" for a crab, shrimp, and mushroom sauce to go on steaks.

For the steaks, I got 2 filets from The Fresh Market and cooked them according to the only steak recipe I will ever use...Ina's Steakhouse Steaks. Perfection, everytime!

I served Rachael Ray's potatoes gratin on the side. This is one of my absolute favorite potato recipes. If you know me, you know I LOVE potatoes. So, trust me on this one...it is like potatoes in alfredo sauce....mmmmm.



Umm. Yeah. Definitely not something you want to eat on a regular basis, but a good splurge!

Hope everyone is getting outside to enjoy this weather if you can! Have a great week!

Hello!

I don't know if I have mentioned it or not, but I am in love with my new job! I mean, really. Now I have time to do all the things I need to do around the house and lots of time for cooking! Yay! My running and yoga are going well. I'd probably be doing better at the running if it weren't 150 degrees outside, though. I have abandoned that "Couch to 5K" program, since I am able to run a little farther than what the program designates at this point...so I guess that's good! Today, I am getting ready for a party tonight. We are going over to the Beason's for a get-together with Justin's class. I am working on a cheesecake, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and a 7 layer salad. It has been quite a productive week...back to work tomorrow!

Here are some of the recipes I have made this past week:


Sauteed Tilapia with Lemon Caper Pan Sauce

Another Cooking Light success. This was very very similar to the chicken picatta I made not too long ago. I served it on top of some leftover risotto, and it was perfect. I love that lemony sauce. yum yum. Oh, and I used capers instead of the peppercorns that the recipe calls for, just cause that's what I had on hand!


Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta, and Pine Nuts
Cooking Light

Simple, healthy supper!



Yesterday I got some beautiful fresh figs from the farmer's market. Plus, I found some steaks on sale at the grocery store. So, I decided we would have a fancy steak dinner!
I found this fig salad recipe from, where else?, Cooking Light. For the steaks, I use my go-to Ina Garten steakhouse steaks recipe. Here ya go!

Prosciutto, Fig, and Gorgonzola Salad
Cooking Light

I used goat cheese instead of gorgonzola, because I found the goat cheese for a great price at Kroger. This was an amazing salad...very fancy!



Steakhouse Steaks
Ina Garten

This recipe is more delicious every time, and you can use pretty much any cut you like. I had sirloin this time because it was on sale. I don't use quite as much salt as she suggests, and this time I let some goat cheese melt on the steaks while they rested...yummy! I served the steaks with smashed potatoes and green beans.