Recipe: Almond Sugar Cookie Bars

Well the baking bug hit me and I thought I'd try something easy, new, and something that required things that were already in our cabinets.  So here's what I came up with! I'm not fully sold on the name yet, but I went with what it tasted like--an almond sugar cookie bars!  If you like sugar cookies or almonds or blondies, chances are you'll love this!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

1 hand full sliced almonds 

1 cup all purpose flour

Step by Step:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray 8x8 pyrex glass dish.

3. Cream butter and both sugars until light.

4. Beat in salt, egg, and vanilla extract.

5. Add in almonds.

6. Add in flour.  Stir until everything is well-blended.

7. Pour mixture into pyrex dish and smooth it out with spatula.

8. Stir together the remaining sugar & ground cinnamon.

9. Sprinkle mixture/dough with the cinnamon sugar.

10. Bake for 30 minutes.
11. Cut and eat!

Pictures:

 

 

 

Yum,
SG

Around Our House...

So I was changing the linens on the guest bed and Troy decided to "help."  Yes, that is my foot under there.  He was supposed to be holding the mattress while I straightened out the bed skirt!  Instead, he made a Shunta sandwich and took a picture! 

 

Pardon the many sheets on the floor.  It was a lot going on in there!

Never a dull moment in our home! (for real, ask our friends!),

SG

My Favorite Things: Martha Stewart Throw

Not only is this one of my favorite things, it's one of the favorite things of many of our guests!  Our Martha Stewart cable knit throws are super cute & sooooo soft!  Cable knit on one side and some super warm/soft material on the flip side!  They sit on the super cute chairs in our guest room and living room.

 

I also lay under it at least once a day on the couch! 

This Macy's find has been one of my favorites! Unfortunately, now I cannot find it at Macy's (see below for explanation why!)!  So here are are a few that are similar--one from Macy's and one from Pottery Barn.

There ya have it! Another one of my favorite things!,

SG

Update:  So I've got great news! My fantastic MS Throw is not discontinued.  I heard from a Martha Stewart representative who confirmed the following:

"I work with Martha Stewart and Macy’s, and wanted to share the good news that in fact they have NOT been discontinued. They just aren’t in stores during the summer months. They will be back in stores starting in September to gear up for the fall and winter months."

YAY!!!  I've already emailed my sister-in-law who told me that she planned on suitcasing one of our throws because she enjoyed laying under it so much when she visited!!

Stay tuned, once I find it at Macy's I'll update the blog with a link!

Things That Make Ya Go Hmm....

I see some pretty interesting things on an almost daily basis!  So I've decided to share them with you all every now and then.... here we go!...

• who in the world is buying these butt pads?  (aka "butters" so appropriately named by Allison) YES, this a real picture taken in a store!
  

• I saw this man in the DMV and had to sneak a picture! Head to toe camo!
  

• Why is the person in this picture (he'll remain unnamed for anonymity purposes, but anyone who knows me knows who this is) trying to warm up a honey bun with the car's heater!! LOL!!
  
  

• WHY?! WHO?!! So many places to begin here.  I saw these tennis shoes sitting neatly beside a parking space outside of Dillards!! WHO!?! WHY!? And there was NO car around!
  
  

sorry for blurry

• These gentlemen were next to me on Laurens Road. 

Which is your favorite? LOL!

Hmm...,

SG

Friends & Family--I Love It!

I've spent most of my May, June and July surrounded by friends and family! On May 15th, Whitney graduated from UGA Law!!; the next weekend Troy's cousin, Andrew, graduated from High School in St.Mary's, Georgia; weekend after that was our wedding anniversary trip to Hilton Head.  The first weekend in June, my parents visited us in our new home for the first time, the following weekend I visited Regina in Charlotte, weekend after that Jenn visited me in Greenville to do some final shower prep and then Troy and I headed to Charleston for Father's Day.  Weekend after that, Allison's bridal shower!  First weekend in July, we had friends over for food, fun & fellowship! Weekend after that (which was last weekend), my sister-in-law, niece, and nephews visited Troy & I all the way from Miami!  I hadn't seen them since May 24, 2008--yup, our wedding day!! So, yeah, that's every single weekend since May 15th folks!

As ABSOLUTELY TIRED as I am, I am so grateful to have been surrounded by friends and/or family every single weekend since mid-May!  Here are a few pics from the last two weekends...

Recipe: Creme Brulee French Toast

My friend Brittany made this incredible meal for me a few weeks ago and I had to give it a whirl!!  Thankfully I had an honest audience this weekend--my niece and nephew! And yup, they loved it!! The recipe is from a cookbook printed by the Hill House Bed and Breakfast in Asheville, NC!

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 tbsp. light corn syrup

6 or more (1-inch thick) slices French bread (fresh from bakery; not in bread aisle)

5 eggs

1.5 cups half-and-half cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Note: this dish needs to chill overnight.

Step by Step:

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. 

2. Mix in brown sugar and corn syrup, stirring until sugar is dissolved. 

3. Pour into a 13x9-inch baking dish. 

4. Arrange bread slices in the baking dish in a single layer. 

5. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half & vanilla extract. 

6. Pour over the bread. 

7. Cover and chill at least 8 hours, or overnight.

8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

9. Remove the dish from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. 

10. Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until puffed and lightly browned. 

11. Remove from oven & flip so that caramelized side is on top. 

Pictures: 

 some are prettier than others...

Definitely going to try this recipe again soon!,

SG

Pretty Paper

I ordered some fun stationary last week and it has arrived!!  Initially, I was a little hesitant because I never really understood the cards with the sender's name on the front, but I always think they are just so cute, so I'm giving it a shot! I'll use them to send sweet notes to friends. 

What is your take on personalized cards/stationary? I think the blue/green card & thank you card are my absolute favorite!! super cute!!

Ready to write,

SG