Month: June 2017

prepping for hawaii, the big island

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For our honeymoon, Justin and I are going to Hawaii, the Big Island, tomorrow, and I’m so excited. Mentally I’m already on the white sandy beach sipping Mai-tais and contemplating what kind of seafood I want for my next meal. It’s my first time to Hawaii. Justin went when he was a child, but as one of my co-workers pointed out, “You haven’t fully experienced a place until you’ve been drunk there.” I’m convinced that going back as an adult will be an entirely different experience.

We have been looking at things to do there and everything is SO expensive. Continue reading “prepping for hawaii, the big island” →

boozy butter beer

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butter beer

Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the first release of the J.K. Rowling’s book, Harry Potter and the Philosophers’ Stone. I can’t believe it’s been 20 years already! In celebration of the book’s first release, I’m posting my favorite Butter Beer recipe. Justin and I tried several different recipes of butter beer (many of which use pumpkin beer), but we both concluded that this was by far the best. It tastes like the Butter Beer we tried at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. And it’s super easy to make!

Changing subjects—-sometimes Justin cracks me up on the things he becomes indignant about. And recently one of those things is the use of the word “dollop.” He doesn’t like the word because it’s not a specific unit of measurement so he sees it as not very helpful in guiding the reader. I like the use of the word because it gives the reader the option of adding as much or as little as he or she wants. So whether your dollop of whipped cream is a little spoonful or a whole laddleful, enjoy this refreshing beverage!
Continue reading “boozy butter beer” →

last-minute dinner: cheese plate

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cheese plate

Some days I don’t feel like making anything or I get home so late, it’s too late to start dinner. Saturday was like that.  Justin and I went to a friends’ son’s 3-year old birthday (I always love little kids parties because there’s always a good selection of booze!) party. Afterwards, we did a couple hours of shopping for items for the house using gift cards and then stopped by Half Price Books to add more cookbooks to my already expansive collection (you can never have too many cookbooks). By the time we finally got home, it was six o’clock, and we were hungry. I motioned to throw together a cheese plate and Justin seconded it. Continue reading “last-minute dinner: cheese plate” →

welcome y’all!

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LWJBw_-1038.jpgHello everyone, I’m Lauren, and I love to cook, entertain, and eat! I got married last Saturday in Downtown Dallas. I know, crazy, right? You’re thinking, what are you doing starting a blog a week after your wedding?  Perhaps I’m using this blog as a kind of post-wedding-planning therapy. I’m slowly bringing my over-stimulated, over-stressed, sleep-deprived brain back to sanity.  Ten long months of intense wedding planning has finally ended. The wedding was an awesome affair—the venue, the food, the company, the music, the dancing. I feel blessed that I got to marry my best friend and partner in crime. And that Justin and I got to celebrate with so many wonderful friends and family. Really it made the ten months of stress and worry worth it. But now I am free! I can stop having nightmares about forgetting to show up on my wedding day or worrying that I still need to call the florist to work out last minute details. It’s over, and I’m onto pursuing my other love, FOOD. I have always wanted to have a blog, a space I could share my culinary adventures with others. I hope you’ll come along for the ride. Now let’s get cookin’!