salted.

i've recently added some recipes to my caramel arsenal.

my mouth is watering just looking at them.

it's freezing in kc this weekend.

not kidding, 80's last week.... 50's (and 30's at night) this weekend.

and i think one or two of these are happening:

apple and salted caramel focaccia.

banana cream pie with chocolate ganache and salted caramel.

chocolate cake with salted caramel buttercream.

homemade salted caramel sauce.

*this one looks particularly delicious. it's made without the addition

of corn syrup. just straight up goodness.

don't do the corn syrup thing.

just say no.

and anything caramel is better with salt.

it's the love of my life, says my tastebuds.

and although they're seasonally appropriate, its always appropriate in my book.

have a great weekend.

JILL

just when.

just when i thought it was safe to post all the mirror-metallic shoes that i've found around the web, the world shows me these.

this always happens!

but have you ever seen anything so beautiful?

i would get re-married for the opportunity to make these my wedding shoes.

to husband again, of course.

mid-october wedding....

and a short little ensemble to show off my shoes.

maybe like this:

in a room that looks like this:

and tables for our brunch reception set like this:

serving these things side by side:

{dessert is the best part of a meal, even if it is mid-afternoon!}

gold spun cotton candy?! absolutely.

color scheme of blush pink, gold, and shades of gray.

mmm. glammy.

JILL

{shoes via frya rose london, persephone dress and bellini earrings via bhldn, chandie via this is glamorous, table setting via pink preppy lilly lover, cake via inspired by this, gold!!! cotton candy via pinterest}

citrus.

this whole post is based on the fact that i want to eat this cake.

right now.

i'm making it this weekend.

and might not share.

get the recipe here.

citrus cake with lemon curd filling and orange icing.

might sub grapefruit for the icing bc i love it that much.

it was inspired by stella mccartney's spring 2011 citrus print.

just like it, right!?

me like it long time.

imagine hosting a 'summer's-not-over-yet' party with this cake as the centerpiece.

wearing this on you and your home:

YOU-

citrus party by thebluehouse featuring a gold necklace

Raglan shirt, $63 / Steve Madden platform heels, $130 / Gold necklace, $16

YOUR HOME-

swanky.

and the gold flamingos are mandatory.

love.

JILL.

{gold flamingos via coco + kelley, leaf pillow via whitelockandco on etsy , suzani pillow via textilegallery on etsy, tray via cb2, pink glasses vintage and sold, umbrella via ebay}

big girl ice cream.

get out your ice cream makers, ya'll.

these ice creams aren't just for little kids.

grown ups approved.

these recipes have me drooling.

they're all saved on my dessert pinterest page.

{yeah, i have one of those.}

go get yourself some.

lavender honey. just like on 'it's complicated.'

can't wait to try this one.

brown. butter. ice. cream.

butter.

this one is certainly for special occasions only.

coffee toffee ice cream.

blood orange ice cream.

carmelized banana ice cream.

i bet it's similar to a bananas foster, which i love.

chocolate chip, coconut, and roasted cherries.

bam.

and a healthier recipe i can see myself making all the time this summer (just in my magic bullet!!), it's blueberry frozen yogurt. made with frozen blueberries, greek yogurt and honey!

am i making you as hungry as i'm making myself?

love.

JILL

last night.

we had a little wine night last night with a few girlfriends.

lots of talking and talking and wine and love.

we talked about dessert recipes on pinterest, and nutella and how we eat nutella...

but i gave up candy and all things dessert for lent...

sooo, in a matter of events, i ended up having a dream about cupcakes last night.

i blame them.

but HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!!!!

 

JILL

{image via sparkles and pretending}

sweet treat...

with kids off school, family coming and going, and parties to attend these cookies are the perfect treat to have around the house and take to your thanksgiving host....and so easy!!

dried cranberry and chocolate cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (10 ounces), at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups semisweet or white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

preheat the oven to 325°. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

in a medium bowl, mix the flour with the oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and both sugars at medium speed until creamy. add the egg followed by the egg yolk and vanilla, beating well between additions and scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary. beat in the dry ingredients, then add the chocolate chips and cranberries and beat until incorporated.

spoon heaping teaspoons of the dough onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cookies begin to brown at the edges. let the cookies cool on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

 the cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

travel safely and enjoy all your time with family and friends this week! so much to be thankful for...

xoxo

elle.



dessert for breakfast

as i said, i was in a friend's wedding this past weekend and that means one thing: friends (aka: sorority sistas) were coming in town from all over the country! we especially love weddings for that reason-

after graduation we dispersed all over, and we use them as a reason to celebrate not only the nuptials of our good friend, but also each other ;)

so i had the gals over for some breakfast and coffee friday morning before all the wedding festivities began.

and i made us this:

yes, technically it is a dessert but

1-- it has fruit in it which means it's health food (duh)

2-- it came from my cooking light so really, how bad could it be?!

and 3-- people eat cinnamon rolls and other sugary goodies for breakfast aaaaall the time (and by people, i mean me) so i thought it was perfect!

and it was.

it was.

so good.

please do yourself a favor and go get the recipe here.

especially right now when the blueberries and peaches are so scrumptious.

there were only 10 of us, but i made the whole recipe because i knew i'd want the leftovers. there wasn't that much left! but by sunday morning, my husband and i had finished her off.

JILL

frozen fabulousness

i stumbled upon this recipe while on epicurious, and it just sounds delicious. the perfect escape during these hot summer months. the refreshing chill everyone needs at the end of a busy week. if you have an ice cream maker i say go for it (and share you thoughts on how it is)...i think i may be off to buy one!!!

frozen lemon gingersnap pie

for crust

• 1 1/2 cups finely crushed gingersnap cookies (6 ounces)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons sugar

for ice cream

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

• special equipment: an instant-read thermometer; an ice cream maker
• garnish: lemon slices

make crust:

preheat oven to 350°F.

toss together all crust ingredients with a fork until crumbs are moistened. press evenly onto bottom and up side of a 10-inch glass or ceramic pie plate (6-cup capacity). bake crust in middle of oven 7 minutes, then cool on a rack.

make ice cream

bring cream, milk, sugar, zest, and salt to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. whisk yolks in a bowl until blended, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. transfer custard back to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 175 to 180°F on thermometer, 3 to 5 minutes (do not let boil).

immediately pour through a fine-mesh sieve into cleaned bowl, then stir in lemon juice. cool custard to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then chill, its surface covered with a round of wax paper, until cold, about 3 hours. freeze custard in ice cream maker.

spread ice cream evenly in crust and wrap pie plate in wax or parchment paper, then in plastic wrap. freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

about 20 minutes before serving, put pie in refrigerator to soften.

enjoy!

xoxo

elle.

too much fun

i think something like this is hard to forget.

imagine you're at a wedding, after lots of dancing and a few cocktails, what could be more exciting than milk and cookies, with love from the bride and groom? and especially presented like this?!

love this idea.

elle and i had a friend that did late night hamburgers and it was fantastic... and i don't even eat red meat :)

anyone else have any great wedding late night snack stories?

JILL

{both images from martha stewart: first one was kevin sharkey's house warming party, and the second, just another one of her good things ;) }

toffee bars

what better time for a little sugar rush then this sunny wednesday afternoon?

i hosted a few ladies last night for our book club and wanted to share the recipe for these delicious treats i served. they are from the cookbook "beyond parsley", a kansas city junior league cookbook.

toffee cookie bars

ingredients:

1 c butter, room temp

1 c brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1 c flour

6 1.45 oz. chocolate bars

(we used chocolate chips instead)

2/3 c chopped pecans

cream together butter, brown sugar and egg yolk. add flour and stir until mixed. spread mixture in a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan which has been lined with greased foil. bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until brown. immediately top with candy bars (or chocolate chips). when melted, spread bars with a spatula and top with pecans.

(we sprinkled the top with a little salt while the chocolate was still soft which i highly recommend)

xoxo

elle.

the key to my heart

i recently received a gift card to dean and deluca from a lovely family (thank you!!) i was lucky to photograph, so my husband and i had a little date with their bakery last night.

dessert really is the key to my heart. i could possibly give up real food and survive solely on that for the remainder of my days...

we sat their eating our pastries and cakes, and talking about the last time we stuffed our faces with such delicious things (oh, oui paris).

i hope you all have lovely weekends :)

JILL

palm fronds and pink and ice cream

summer summer summer. it's not over yet.

via coco + kelly


jonathan adler's backyard deck in the hamptons

via coastal living

via spearmint decor

i LOVE these stepping stones... little yard polka dots! i may or may not be trying this in my own backyard :)

i am loving all the cool, lush tropical greens and bright pink, with touches of orange.

i found this recipe on martha stewart... super simple. tried it with my own mix of flavors and LOVED it. perfect for the triple digit heat wave we have been having in kc.

via martha stewart

(my mom recently bought me an electronic ice cream maker. i have used it more times than i thought i would! so easy and i have homemade ice cream or sherbet or sorbet in only 30 minutes)

ICE CREAM STRIPED CAKE

1. first i made homemade vanilla ice cream (with 2% milk and half & half to keep it a little lighter)

2. as that was in the freezer hardening up a bit, i went to the wal-mart grocery store. usually this is not where i buy groceries but i had their brand of sherbet and can't eat enough of it! i was all out at home, so i bought my 2 favorites, raspberry and peach. (seriously delicious)

3. i went home, let them sit on the counter to soften. i lined a loaf pan with plastic wrap and spooned in the peach sherbet. i put that in the freezer to harden (remember, this will be the top layer of your ice cream striped cake)

4. after 15 minutes, i repeated that process with the homemade vanilla, and then again with the raspberry sherbet.

5. i let that all freeze together for a couple of hours, it slices much much better the harder it gets.... and enjoyed.

the pink/white/orange layers looked and tasted so summery delicious.

JILL