Summer Lemon Tart

There is nothing like the bright yellow color and smell of lemons to get you in the mood for summer!  My niece and I made this lemon tart for my dad's birthday last weekend and we highly recommend you give it a try. It would be the perfect addition to a dinner party this long weekend or to savor with a glass of white wine in your back yard after work. 

We followed my lemon bar recipe and baked it for 28-30 minutes to adjust for the shape of the tart pan.  Give the recipe an extra boost by adding 1-2 tbs of minced dried lavender flowers to the crust!  Enjoy darlings!

Food Porn Friday

I am dying just looking at this treat from Jelly Toast!   On top of being gorgeous the combination of warm marshmallow, waffle cookies, chocolate, and berry compote sounds like heaven.  Summer is here and I can't wait to make this over our fire pit!

What are your plans for the weekend loves?  My niece is in town and it's my dad's birthday so she and I will be baking up a storm and preparing for a family dinner tomorrow night.  Hope you have a fabulous sunny weekend!

Party Perfect DIY Pom Pom Ballons

Aren't these DIY balloons from Land of Nod just too cute?  I came across these looking for easy DIY ideas for my dad's birthday this weekend.  My niece is visiting and I have to say I love that her summer visits always coincide with my dad's birthday.  Free child labor, yes please!  

If we can get our act together then Friday night may be us with a big bag of pom poms, a hot glue gun, and a room full of balloons.  Easy, inexpensive, and a fun project for the little one to work on.  Heck, these would just be great for a backyard BBQ or 4th of July.  What do you think? 

Looking for more party inspiration? Here are a few of the projects we did a couple years ago for my dad's 70th birthday.  

Weekend Cocktail: Vodka Lavender Lemonade

The weekend is on it's way and that means it's cocktail time for this lady!  The lavender in my garden is in full bloom and this recipe from The Effortless Chic looks like the perfect way to use it.  A plus, it looks super simple to make.  Time to fill our glasses and welcome in summer with this grown up lemonade! 

Recipe and image from The Effortless Chic.  

A Quick And Easy Asparagus Tart

Darlings, Mac and I have had guest over every week for the last five weeks.  We absolutely love our new house and that so many friends have made the trip to visit us.  But let's be honest, when you're having a dinner party every week you need to find a few quick and easy appetizers that allow you time to prep dinner and still spend time with your guest.  

This asparagus tart is perfect!  We've made it twice in the last five weeks.  Everyone was so impressed by the presentation, loved the way it turned out, and both groups asked for the recipe...my job as a hostess is done here. I can't take the credit though, the recipe link below came from PBS of all places and I can't thank them enough.  It's a gorgeous appetizer that I can make with fresh farmer's market asparagus and takes less than 15 minutes to prep.  Give it a try if you're having friends over or just feel like having a decadent snack to yourself! 

You'll find more photos and the recipe here.    

Would You Have An Autumn Wedding?

As many of you know I am an autumn freak so a fall wedding always sounded brilliant to me but I have been surprised lately to see the trend growing and just how many autumn weddings are popping up.  In fact, Mac and I are invited to three weddings this year and none of them are in the summer.  We have one in late September and two back to back in late October.

What do you think, would you risk the possible chilly weather for off season rates and easier hotel/flight bookings for guest?  Or would you want the guarantee of sun and a classic summer wedding?

Photo via



Office Temptations

Darlings, how do you deal with office temptations? And I'm not talking about the cute guy on the Graphic Design team, I'm talking about that break room full of treats.  Yesterday our break room had not just two dozen cupcakes but also an extra large box of fresh donut holes.  I mean come on people!

So how do you face the weekly temptation?  Do you indulge in a treat then spend a few extra minutes on the treadmill or do you have the will power to walk away?