What are you doing this weekend?

Last weekend, I went to one of the loveliest weddings I've ever attended at a place in Sarasota that I never knew existed. My friend Charla got married at The Oaks at Windsong, a tract of green land that's framed by a gorgeous field (where cows happily graze) on one side and thick woods on the other. It was the most beautiful night; the weather was a cool 70 degrees, white cafe lights were strung up everywhere and the whole evening had a comfortable yet elegant country-rustic feel to it, as you can see from the photos above. The simple ceremony took place near a pond—Charla and Harrison got married on a dock hovering over it, and the guests sat in a semi-circle around the perimeter of the water—and then we moved over to the adjacent reception area for a delicious family-style dinner. (And speaking of, we need to talk about gorgeous carrot cake and the homemade Amish pies that were served for dessert, because I am still thinking about them, days later.)

But my favorite thing about the venue was that it didn't even feel like we were in Florida. I think people automatically think of Siesta Key Beach when they hear the word "Sarasota," and this was totally the opposite of that. After living here for more than six years, I love that this city still surprises me with places like The Oaks at Windsong; I'm thinking that many drives out east are in my future this autumn.

No links this week, but I'll see you guys back here on Monday. Have a great weekend.

1. The reception area. 2. That carrot cake. 3. Me and my friend Cindy (I'm wearing my Camilyn Beth dress!). 4. Menu—"pie, pie, pie." 5. Said pies—glorious. 6. The head table with a sparkling chandelier. All photos by me, taken with Instagram.

the weekend + committing to...

happy monday, everyone! how were your weekends? mine was good--i got to spend time with my dear friend shun, who was in town from boston, and my family, who i don't get to see often enough. i also came back to sarasota with several clean loads of laundry (yes, i'm almost 27 and i still take my laundry to my parents' when i can) and minus one flip-flop. the sign of a good weekend? i think so.

oh, and the photo above is what i call cake carnage from my carrot masterpiece--which was pretty delicious, even if i do say so myself.

what do your weeks look like? mine is busy, but it's capped off by my 27th birthday on saturday. my good friend s.'s bridal shower is that day, and my friend k. is out of town until the 11th , so i'm not celebrating until next weekend, but i'm still looking forward to a week of little treats and saying "it's my birthday!" yes, 27 may be my scary age, but i'm still looking forward to a celebration with my favorite people.

so in the spirit of a new year for me, and a new month for us all, here are my commitments for the week:

+ no soda. i've been really, really bad about guzzling diet coke lately, and in spite of my prior commitment to quit it, i haven't been doing that well. it sends me running to the candy bowl and that is not good. so this time, for real: no soda. i think i'm going to try to get back to water, green tea, and coffee-only for awhile.

+  not stressing about 27 being my "scary age" and all the things that i think are supposed to come along with being in one's late twenties. it's not worth it. celebrate our youth, right?!

+ baking nigella's to-die-for brownies. (this is a fun one.) also, continuing to cook as much as possible at home.

+ focusing at work and completing another big project. i can do it.

+ cleaning my car, which is gross, and my apartment, which is also kind of gross.

so that's it for me this week. simple, but they're important to me. sometimes i worry that this list gets a little repetitive, but then i think that, often, the commitments i set for myself are ongoing--i can't expect to commit to completely giving up diet soda, and focusing at work and going to the gym are things that i should always do. i mean, right?

what are your current commitments?

photo of cake carnage by me.

what are you doing this weekend?

happy weekend, everyone! i'm so glad it's friday--as you can probably tell from the light posting this week, it was a crazy week at work that i capped off with a two-hour drive to my parents' house just outside orlando tonight. but now i'm sitting here with my brother's dog in my lap, getting ready to go to sleep in the bed i grew up in. and tomorrow, i'm celebrating one of my best friends' birthday, and i'm so excited about that--especially since he's in town from boston and i don't get to see him often. (i'm making him a carrot cake using this recipe--i did it two years ago and it was a hit.)

what are you up to this weekend? any exciting plans? if you're looking for some good music, i've been completely obsessed with fun's aim and ignite lately. i think it's pretty much a perfect album--lyrically and melodically--and it's definitely been on repeat on my ipod. what have you been listening to lately?

see you back here monday! xoxo

photo by nikole. i wish my cakes looked as gorgeous as hers. 

the next food network star + an awesome recipe.

did you guys watch the next food network star? i didn’t get into it until the third or fourth episode, but then i started to find myself curled up on my couch every sunday at 10 p.m., waiting to see who would be eliminated. the cast of characters – at least, after the initial eliminations/weeding-out process – was interesting, and unlike last season’s top chef, i really wasn’t sure who the winner would be. in fact, i truly thought that little kelsey was going to be a finalist or take the whole thing – until she got eliminated, that is.

still, the top three represented a broad range of personalities and cooking styles. lisa was by far my favorite – maybe because she was the only woman, maybe because i thought she had great personal style (cute haircut, cool clothes) – and she was the one i was hoping would win it all. i certainly would have watched her show; i think she’s an awesome cook. the sabayon she prepared for her pilot looked delish.

aaron (the winner – sorry if i’ve spoiled it for anyone!), the hospital catering chef from camden, n.j., was my next-favorite contestant, and i liked him a lot, too. his vegas commercial certainly turned the tables in his favor, and i think his show, big daddy's house, will be fun to watch. plus, his huge smile is infectious and his reaction to his victory was super-heartwarming. i’m more than ok with his win – in fact, i’m very happy for him.

and as for adam, the third finalist, i was pretty much hoping he wouldn’t win. he didn’t seem all that different from some of the current food network personalities, and his antics (tripping when he was giving his presentation to the coast guard, serenading martha stewart, etc.) really grated on my nerves. cookingwise, i thought he was all right—and to give him some credit, his pilot wasn’t bad. but i’m glad he didn’t take it, although i know a lot of people probably wish he had. and to that i say, to each their own. a lot of people hated lisa, too, but i thought she was great.

what did you guys think of the finale? did the right person win? and did you happen to notice that rachael ray seems to have a lot of clout over at good ol’ food network? from her big cameo in the nfns opening credits (it was much larger than any of the other food network stars’) to the fact that the contestants did segments on her talk show and filmed their pilots on her studio set, she certainly seems to be the golden child – even more so than bobby flay, who hosted the whole thing. i like her, but wow.

and now, to change the subject a bit, i have to mention that my lovely friend s.’s 29th birthday fete on saturday was fantastic. i got to see some of my best college friends, who i miss dearly, and the party was relaxed but lively – perfect. s. and his sister put together a great spread of food to nibble on – vegetarian sushi, hummus, tabbouleh, dumplings – and i whipped up a carrot cake that was really good. i mean, not to toot my own horn or anything, but i was pretty proud of that thing. it wasn’t overly sweet or overpowered by carrots, and the ingredients were ones you’d have in your pantry already. i got the recipe from foodnetwork.com (see? there’s the connection to the rest of this post!) – it’s one of emeril lagasse’s and i highly recommend it. click here to check it out. oh, and the photo above is of shun getting ready to make his wish. clearly, he was thinking very hard. (that’s me holding the cake – it had trick candles/sparklers and there were a few moments when i thought my face was going to catch fire. yikes.)

hope you all had lovely weekends, too.

(photo of contestants above via foodnetwork.com; photoshopped by moi.)

un, deux, trois...friday!

a little friday survey fun for you -- and me. it's been a crazy-busy week at work (today included), so i thought i'd end it with something easy. this weekend i'll be celebrating my dear friend s.'s birthday (he's 29!) with some of our college friends; it should be a good time. i love birthdays.

anyway, until monday, my loves! here goes the survey:

1. what are the last 3 things you purchased?

+ new sunglasses
+ new lip gloss
+ a new cropped cardigan

2. what are the last 3 songs you downloaded?

+ “in your atmosphere (live),” john mayer
+ “free fallin’ (live),” john mayer – such a good cover
+ “everyday people,” sly and the family stone (thank you, definitely, maybe opening credits)

3. where were the last 3 places you visited?

+ nyack, new york
+ philadelphia
+ scranton/allentown, pa

4. what are your 3 favorite movies?

+ amelie
+ big fish (although i can’t watch this without crying, so i generally don’t. even so, it’s amazing.)
+say anything (there are SO many more, though).

5. what are your 3 favorite possessions?

+ my kitty cat, oscar wilde.
+ some vintage clutches and necklaces that belonged (well, belong, but she gave them to me) to my 92-year-old grandmother
+ a painting that hung in my grandparents’ house up north. love.

6. what 3 things can you not live without?

+ my friends and family + cheese. no, seriously.
+ e-mail (is this sad?)

7. what would be your 3 wishes?

+ i love sarasota, but i’d really like to go live somewhere new (new york, san francisco, paris) sometime soon. at least for a little while.
+ become a household name (as a writer, people, not as a reality-tv star who puts leeches down my pants).
+ to be a little more financially secure. goal for this year? definitely.

8. what are 3 things you have not done yet?

+ been out of the country (i know, i know…next year, ireland, though? maybe?)
+ gotten married (although i’ve already picked out the most beautiful wedding invitations – i found them on design*sponge yesterday, and even though they're a diy project, i plan on copying. see above. and below.)
+ and on a more immediate scale, i have not yet decided what carrot cake recipe i’m going to make for my friend s.’s birthday on saturday.

9. what are your 3 favorite dishes?

+ heidi’s pea dumplings (and heidi’s pea dumplings in a simple soup of yellow split peas and herby broth, topped with chives and parmesan cheese – yum!)
+ giada’s creamy artichoke soup
+ ina’s mac and cheese

10. what 3 celebrities would you want to hang out with the most?

+ natalie portman (i’m picking female celebs i’d want to, like, go shopping with – boys are a whole different story!)
+ amy adams (who just got engaged, people.com tells me, yay!)
+ john krasinski (ok, forget the no-boys thing: i couldn’t not put him on this list, because i love him. would like to use these wedding invitations for our nuptials.).

11. name 3 things that freak you out.

+ roaches. yuck.
+ weird noises late at night.
+ grasshoppers. uugggghhh.

12. if you could describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be?

+ creative
+ bubbly
+ kind

13. name 3 unusual things you are good at.
i don’t know if i’m good at anything unsual, but here are three regular things i’m good at (aside from writing/editing):

+ baking
+ knitting
+ crossword puzzles

14. what are 3 things you are currently coveting?

+ right now, i’m coveting a starbucks iced nonfat vanilla latte and a croissant from c’est la vie, the little french bistro downtown. it’s almost lunchtime.
+ this great little gray dress i saw at target. i’d pair it with my cute yellow flats and a big bag. at a mere $20 bucks, i think it’s coming home with me this weekend (i’ll post a link when i can find it.) + a pedicure. i pretty much wear flip-flops year-round (although not to work, of course), and my feet are showing it right now. also, an eyebrow wax. it’s been a little while. i'm just sayin'.

15. what 3 bloggers would you like tag? i think erika at in(side) the loop said it best: choosing people to tag makes me feel like i’m in middle school and picking teams for p.e. all over again (fyi, i was always chosen last – i didn’t “blossom” until high school). so if you want to do it, feel free!

again, have a fantastic weekend, everyone – the last one in july, can you believe it? xx.

(images above via design*sponge)