The Week: August 1, 2014

I’m a huge lover of pasta. Actually I’m just a huge lover of carbs in general. Especially in the gloomier months though, I love sprucing up my pasta with fresh veggies and savory cheeses…

I’ve never been much of a talented baker, but ever since I can remember, my mom has always been able to come up with incredible, delicious baked creations. These fudge cookies are one of her latest marvels and I’m slightly obsessed…

This weekend I’m headed home to Chicago for my baby brother’s high school graduation. It seems crazy that he’s already old enough to be headed off to college but somehow that’s the case. So while I’m off spending time with family and catching up with some old friends (and eating here and here), here are my favorite bits of Internet from this week…

I’ve been dying to try these peppermint marshmallows forever. Since I got a candy thermometer for Christmas (dream big, you guys), I decided our recent polar vortex was the perfect time to do a little marshmallow making…

I absolutely adore Bon Appetit – both from a design standpoint and because of their truly delectable dishes. Recently I caved and finally shelled out for a subscription, meaning that I have lots of foder…

I’ve been wanting to try my hand at a summer vegetable tian for awhile now so last week when I had a few days off, I decided to put some of my Farmers’ Market veggies to good use…

This month has been a whirlwind of travel, stress and holiday preparations. So now that I finally have a week or so off of work, I’m taking some time to decompress and spend time doing things I truly enjoy…

There, I said it. Over the past few weeks I’ve gotten a lot of mixed responses when I’ve told friends, family, co-workers, you name it, that I’ve decided to run a half marathon.

A few days ago I stumbled across a vague recipe for veggie lasagna “cupcakes” on Pinterest. Then, as I was getting ready to leave Chicago, my well-meaning parents piled my mini cooler high with fresh veggies and herbs from our garden…

In my last update, I talked about baseball games, the Pitchfork Pie Stand and more. This time I’m tackling a few of my in progress goals as well as some others you might have spotted a blog post about…

We had our first dusting of snow this week in Des Moines, and while I was mildly disappointed that there hasn’t been more of it yet, I’m in no real rush to commit to a full-on relationship with my parka just yet. That doesn’t mean I can’t start enjoying some tiny doses of holiday spirit though… While I spend the weekend curled up with a book and some hot chocolate, here are my favorite bits of Internet from this past week…

I’ve been trying to hop on the kale trend for awhile now. Despite a few substitutions for spinach in pasta recipes, I haven’t truly enjoyed eating this leafy green yet…

Yesterday some of my oldest and dearest friends got together to catch up and celebrate the holidays while we’re all still in town. Our party was a potluck of sorts and involved lots of old…

The first hints of winter are in the air and I’m slowly finding myself getting into the holiday spirit. While I haven’t begun streaming Christmas music nonstop yet, I may have impulse bought some holiday decorations from the Target dollar section. While I spend the weekend at some of my favorite seasonal events, here are a few of my favorite bits of Internet from this week…