Thursday, May 24, 2012

currently loving: tastes of summer

summer is upon us!
my sweat informed me of that many weeks ago.
it is (arguably) my favorite season. one that I fill with numerous beach trips, lots of grilling and outdoor eating, plenty of summer dresses and tons of fun, bright color.
my birthday falls in summer and a fantastic trip awaits (in a month or so, anyway).
bring it, summer. bring it.

YOLO's espresso ice cream sandwich with white chocolate cinnamon sauce.


Tangerine toenails and hot pink flip flops.
Color: New York Color in Sunny Side Up. Flip flops: Old Navy.

Totally should have purchased this, but I was practicing self-control for once.
Dress: Target. Necklace: Key West Shell Warehouse. Bracelet: gifted, Kameleon.

Homemade granola and greek yogurt parfaits.

Mojito tuesdays! With plenty of fresh limes, mint, and a mint simple syrup.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

tres leches for mom

my mom is a simple gal.
she grew up in Argentina, practically raised on her grandfather's farm. breakfast, lunch, and dinner came straight from the earth. the cows were milked in the morning. if you wanted an apple, you picked it from the tree.
a simple, but rich, life.
she likes her fruits, her vegetables, her soy milk, her whole grains.
but she also loves a gooey, creamy dessert.
(no chocolate for her.)
tres leches cake is one of her favorites: vanilla cake soaked in a concoction of three different milks and slathered with whipped cream.


does it get any better than this?
a friend gave her her recipe, but it never quite worked out. the call for boxed cake mix should have been the red flag. after numerous attempts, she decided buying a slice at the grocery store was her best bet.
when I saw Alton Brown make the cake, I knew it would be perfect. the man can do no wrong.
so this past mother's day I made her the cake.



and she had a big cake all to herself.
sweet, moist, creamy, perfect.


the mix of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and half and half make for a winning combination.
and when you pour it over the cooled cake, you'll think you've made some horrible mistake.
(so much liquid!)
but in about 5 minutes, you'll realize it was no mistake at all. it was just right.


Sunday, May 13, 2012

flashback sunday: happy mother's day



my grandma, my uncle, and my mom (in a handmade dress, of course), 1975, at my uncle's graduation. snazzy, huh?
happy mother's day!