Raspberry Pie

Michael loves pie. Like...on ultimate Pi day, a couple years ago, he was sincerely upset that I hadn't made him pie (oops). He particularly likes fruit pies...which is tricky because I don't really dig fruit pies. So I only make them for him on occasion. Thusly, it's a special event when I do.

Sometimes Michael sits around and questions why certain pies don't exist...and then I tell him they do exist. One time that was grape pie (although admittedly it sounds weird, it apparently exists). And then another time he questioned raspberry pie. Before looking it up, I knew that it wouldn't be difficult-it should be the same premise as blueberry or blackberry pie, and of course I was right and I found various recipes online. So I was a nice lady and made him some raspberry pie. And right before this year's Pi day, so he finally got his Pi day pie. 

It's actually fitting that I share this recipe today, because I'm spending the whole week with Michael while he's on spring break (and he took off from work today-Friday). I so rarely get to spend this much time with him, between work and school (and the fact that on the weekends I am usually working) so this is a special treat! Just like pie :D

Anyway, more about this actual pie. It's my first time making a lattice top crust-I thought it turned out pretty well! You do not have to do a lattice, you can kind of do whatever you'd like. The lattice is so evocative of a classic berry pie though, you know? And I used my favorite butter pie crust recipe which was flaky and delicious. The filling has a pleasant tartness and lots of pure raspberry flavor-I mean the ingredient list for the filling is beautifully short. It's essentially just raspberries, sugar, and cornstarch. I love that, it really let's the raspberries true flavor shine through. Michael was super super happy about this pie, and I bet you will too!

Monthly Meal Plan-April (Easter/Spring)

Wheeeere did March go?? How is it almost gone?! It's already time to prepare for April, which is exciting because April means SPRING! I am so ready and these recipes are here to get us all even more ready!

This month's recipe round up was brought to you by:

The Pajama Chef | Ninja Baker | The Cooking Actress | Pies and Plots | The Spiffy Cookie | Foodtastic Mom | Kelly Lynn's Sweets & Treats | Savory Moments

Something Saturdays (3/25/17)

HOORAY! Today marks the first day of Michael's spring break! I'm so excited to spend lots and lots of time together and hopefully get some stuff done. Yippee! But today I just want to enjoy the nice weather that we're having :)

Rewinding, what did you guys do this week? Monday I took our taxes to Michael's friend (who is also an accountant). Tuesday I got some stuff done and then had a meeting with my boss Val and a wedding photographer whose work we love. Then I had dinner with my mom, which was nice. Wednesday I had another girl date with my boss Val and our friend/fellow wedding professional, Evie--which is way too much fun, always! Everything else this week was fairly chill. 

Half-Fried Chicken and Gravy

The original title of this post was Fried Chicken and Gravy. BUT...it's only kind of fried. It's fried and then baked. And it doesn't taste exactly like straight up fried chicken so...I changed the name to better represent what we're working with here.

Whatever you call it, I will admit that it wasn't quite as crisp as I wanted and...I don't know. The chicken itself wasn't my favorite (but that's just me, goodness knows I'm particular)--but the GRAVY. Oh mama the gravy is goooood.

The gravy is rich, and creamy, and so perfectly flavorful. And when you serve it with chicken and over some mashed potatoes, you are in comfort food heaven. Rainy or cold day? Make some of this. Had a fight with someone you care about? Make some of this. A beloved character on a TV show you love dies? DEFINITELY make some of this!

Something Saturdays (3/18/17)

Happy day after Saint Patty's day! Are you all feeling ok? I hope so! 

I don't really do St. Patrick's Day, but power to all you green-wearing peeps.

So, I did a good amount of work this week-blah. But I also was in the kitchen a fair amount-yay! Michael was out of town for a work conference for a couple days (he left Wednesday night and got back last night) so I missed him a bunch :( To keep my mind off it, on Wednesday I had lunch with my boss/friend, Val, and our new friend and fellow wedding professional (she's an amazing calligrapher-check out Pine Calligraphy on etsy!), Evie, at Sarah's Vineyard. We ate deeeelicious food and had so much fun chatting. Then I went to my friend Kevin's house and played with his sweet spaniel puppers, Tali and Atlas (Tali is a couple years old, Atlas is a new little pup!) Thursday and Friday I just worked, and then I got to be reunited with my Michael on Friday night! Today I'm working and tomorrow I'm also working, but then we're going to a 2 year old's birthday party, yay!

Whole Wheat Burger Buns

I'm going to start off by saying...mmm...these aren't the bestest burger buns. They're delicious bread and they'll work as buns but Michael will attest that they're not very...bun-like. If that makes sense? But he's picky. I know I'd love to eat a sammie on these, and I think you should consider them!

In the scheme of bread recipes, this is pretty standard-not terribly difficult, and not too much rise time. The whole thing should take less than 3 hours. And the rolls are lovely and have a nice balance of whole wheat flavor, without being overwhelming, and a perfect, chewy texture.

I mean...Michael said it was tasty bread. He just wants processed store-bought white buns. *sigh*

Send help.

I want to hear from the masses--what do you think? Would you want to serve your burgers on these buns? If you make them, tell me what you think!

Something Saturdays (3/11/17)

Hiya! It's been a pretty great week. Let's chit chat.

Last Saturday's charity event went great, it was a lot of work but everything went well! Sunday I worked, Monday I got some things done around the house. Also, over the weekend, my brother finally announced (I've been keeping this a secret for nearly 2 months) THAT HE GOT MARRIED. Yepp, my little brother and new sister-in-law eloped on the beach in Hawaii. It was super fast but they're adorable and great for each other and I'm so happy for them. <3 Plus they promised I could plan them a wedding here in October, so, that helps.

Tuesday was a BIG day. I drove down to Columbus to spend the day exploring and eating with my food blog pal Erin of The Spiffy Cookie. She, brilliantly, started off the fun at Katalina's with NUTELLA STUFFED PANCAKE BALLS. Which also came with delicious bacon. This was maybe my favorite thing we ate all day, they were so perfect. Our next stop was an adorable VEGAN (yes, vegan!) bakery called Pattycake Bakery where we shared a cookie and Erin brought home a slice of French toast strawberry stuffed cake. Everything looked and tasted fantastic. After that we did a little walking around/shopping to re-build our appetites, we checked out Elm & Iron, Wholly Craft and Global Gallery. Then, of course, we combined the two by visiting the North Market. I ate a tasty cocoa nib macaron from Pistacia Vera, bought some delicious salsa from a salsa/hot sauce vendor, and Erin and I shared the BeetleCat Coconut Pie Sundae from Jeni's (with the Salty Caramel ice cream) and it was looooovely. Oh and then Erin got $2 taco-tuesday taco from Dos Hermanos and I tried a bite and it was the best taco I've had since Mexico. Amazing. Then we went back to shopping to once again try to rebuild our appetites, but this time in German village, which I'm obsessed with. We started at Helen Winnemore's and then checked out Vernacular (where Erin got a super cool dress and I bought an industrial vase that looked like it was right up my boss' alley so I had to get it for her!) Then we laid eyes on Lindey's, one of Erin's favorite restaurants, and decided to just drop in and share an appetizer of perfect arancini. I absolutely love that restaurant and intend to come back and fully enjoy a meal there on a less food-filled day. Then we spent quite a while exploring ALL of the ABSOLUTELY GIANT Book Loft. I was in awe. We both bought some books (she bought Carrie Fisher's, I bought a 6 pack of Olivia books for a friend's daughter's birthday lol). By the time we finally found our way out of there we were hungry again and finished out the day with burgers and truffle fries from The Crest. It was a perfect day full of so much fun and food! Erin was an amazing guide. (And scroll down to the Instagram highlights to see some pics from the day.)

The rest of the week I just got stuff done at home and worked. And I'm working more this weekend. Blah blah blah.

Salted Caramel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes you eat a delicious (browned butter) chocolate chip cookie (with sea salt on top) and think...you know what could make this better? If there was a salted caramel inside.

And sometimes you get a bag of soft salted caramels for your housewarming. And you know what you have to do.

Now....in a perfect world....there would just be an even layer of caramel in the middle of the entire cookie. In my opinion. But there is something fun about the surprise of a gooey salted caramel right in the middle of your seemingly standard(ish) chocolate chip cookie.

And you impress people when you give them as gifts. I love bringing little treats to my boss and my brides when I'm doing the wedding planning thing-these cookies had the honor of being a shared treat. And everyone who was gifted with them was VERYYY happy :D

They're a fairly sturdy, yet chewy, browned butter chocolate chip cookie with yummy bites of chocolate and sea salt on top (NECESSARY!) and then you get a bit of that chewy, gooey, sweet and salty caramel. When they're warm? TOTAL MAGIC. Messy. But magical!

Something Saturdays (3/4/17)

Hi hi everybody! Happy March! This past week was fairly uneventful for me-I spent a little time doing some work with Perfectly Planned/hanging with my boss. AND we finally got the pictures back from the styled shoot we did. It turned out beaaautifully. You can see some highlights from the gorgeous day here. But here's a little sample:

Vendor credits for this photo: Austin & Rachel: Photographers, Perfectly Planned Wedding and Event Planning, Ashley's Floral LLC, Sitting Pretty Linens, Miller's Party Rental, The Pine Needle Calligraphy, Studio 526 

Last night Michael and I also got dinner after we were both done with work, and I always love our little dates so that was fun :) Today I'm helping my boss out with a charity event for the new Akron Children's Museum so hopefully that goes well! 

What are you up to this weekend? 

Spinach & Artichoke Quesadillas

I adore spinach artichoke dip. Seriously, I'm a big fan. My best friend, Alex, can claim credit for my love since she sort of forced it upon me. We used to go to TGI Friday's and she would insist that we share the spinach artichoke dip, even if I told her I wasn't a fan. She said, "No. You like it and will share with me." And I did like it, and I did share it with her. BUT I do not like to eat it with tortilla chips-I need some sort of bread or flatbread or some such to dip in it, or I'm just not about that life.

Which is the beautiful thing about these quesadillas--you can skip the whole step of dipping. The spinach artichoke yumminess is sandwiched between 2 tortillas and it's all warm and cheesy and tortilla-y and I am a BIG FAN.

The spinach and artichoke dip is super creamy and rich, and comes together on the stove crazy quickly. Then it's just about spreading some on a tortilla, topping with another tortilla, and heating in a skillet until everything is warm and crisp and happy-wonderful. Michael and I both give our seal of approval!