Pumpkin Whoopie Pies {Foodie Friday}

WE finally made it to dessert!  If you are already working on a Thanksgiving menu--or even if you're not, give these a shot. I made them bite size and so they were utterly irresistible. You will have to hide them from yourself. Promise.

Roasted Pumpkin seeds {Foodie Friday}

Here's a quick and easy snack that will keep you noming all month long. I had my first experience with cooking a pumpkin in my oven. I froze the insides and cooked the seeds. Truth be told, I had never had pumpkin seeds before the time I made these. Clearly I was missing out, because they tasted so good. Caroline had a taste too. She liked them, but we all had a hard time sharing. ;)

Pumpkin Butter {Foodie Friday}

I love the cool crisp mornings that we have been having. It's nice to sit around on a Saturday morning and enjoy it. Toast with pumpkin butter really just puts the icing on the cake. It's not just good on toast though (that's just my favorite way). You can stir it into oatmeal, eat it on crackers or yogurt! It will also make your house smell like fall so enjoy it!

Pumpkin Pie Seasoning {Foodie Friday}

Welcome to pumpkin month. Probably my favorite in the Foodie Friday world. 

Here's a quick DIY that will add some 'spice' to your life.

Ultimate Grilled Cheese {Foodie Friday}

I'm seriously on an easy streak these days. With my busy schedule, I'm having a hard time with making any effort on dinner. And a lot of nights it's a straight up grilled cheese.

Hamburger Soup {Foodie Friday}

I don't know about you, but I am so glad that fall is here. This summer was just so..weird. Fall seems so...refreshing.

Honey Glazed Chicken {Foodie Friday}

I thought I should post some real food around here, lest you think all we eat is dessert. It's just more fun ;)

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie {Foodie Friday}

So... my lack of motivation...its been pretty conducive to smaller desserts. Faster, less clean up and immediately satisfying.

Peach Pie {Foodie Friday}

Here's the problem. My motivation- it's gone. It wasn't until my recent promotion that I realized how people could work all the time and literally not care about anything.

Chocolate Peanut Butter {Foodie Friday}

Let's be real for a minute. On my birthday 2 weeks ago I found out that I got a promotion. I was all sorts of excited.

Scotcharoos {Foodie Friday}

Funny story. There was a gluten-free request at work that led to this deliciousness, but the night I made these I broke my ankle. I guess its a good thing that my kitchen was small and this recipe is not labor intensive.

Puppy Chow {Foodie Friday}

I've been on vacation this week, and one of my favorite things to do is make snacks to take with us. This vacation is a 'sit around and read at the beach' type so there is lots of snacking going on.

Spaghetti and Meatballs {Foodie Friday}

One of my favorite ways to eat spaghetti is like this. The other is the more traditional way with meatballs! When we first started eating the Skillet Baked Spaghetti we ate it that way a lot. Then we decided we needed to mix it up a little and rotate it with the traditional way. 

Double Chocolate Muffins {Foodie Friday}

I'm not sure what I like more about Saturdays. The fact that I don't 'have' to get up and do anything or the fact that I can eat something other than cereal for breakfast.

Photo Books-The Nitty Gritty

In my last post I talked about listing out all the steps to complete a photo book. Today we will go through the nitty gritty of the actual 'putting together' of the photo book. 

Roasted Vegetables {Foodie Friday}

I've posted a lot of goodies the past couple weeks, so I thought we were overdue for some veggies. Although I have to say, that these really are good enough to eat for dessert.

Photo Books- Making a List

“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.”

Isn’t this so true? I don’t know how your mind works, but I spend a lot of random time in my day thinking, “Oh, I need to remember to wash my jeans so they will be ready for tomorrow.” And then two hours later “ I need to remember to pick up that CD from the library” And other random things-the list just piles up to the point that I can’t remember any of it. I have a terrible memory and as soon as I get home I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing. So the only thing I can do is to make a list. I know this isn't rocket science, but it works for me. 

Chocolate Lasagna {Foodie Friday}

So..I actually thought I had posted this recipe already. It works out I suppose, because it's the perfect thing to make for your 4th of July cookout. I took the recipe for Pistachio Lush and converted it to a chocolate version. (That's what girls who love chocolate do!)

Anthony and Viv Go to Prom {my photography}

I had the distinct privilege of meeting Anthony and Viv while they were on their way to prom. They look so good. Are you kidding me? I know I didn't look close to this good when I went to prom, and we certainly don't need to post those pictures. Here are a couple of my favorites from their mini-session.

Photo Books-Get Started Now

It's July 1st, so I thought it was time to take a look at my list of things I was hoping to accomplish for the year. The one thing I have actually been able to stay on top of this year is photo books.

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie for One {Foodie Friday}

I'm not sure that there is a better way to celebrate the upcoming birthday of our great nation than with a giant chocolate chip cookie that is not meant to share. Sounds so typically American.haha.

Baby M- Age 1 {my photography}

So many little guys turning one this spring. Baby M is growing up so fast! He's such a charmer and I know he will be breaking a lot of hearts in the future. He had his session with his cousin and they are both on the move in a major way!

Free Samples, anyone?

So I've officially missed 2 Mondays of showing our new house. I'll try to do better. In exchange, I have some free samples to share with you today. If you know anything about me, you know that I am literally the cheapest person on the planet. So if someone offers something for free, you know I will take it.

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta {Foodie Friday}

Our move date is now pushing close to the one week mark. As we get closer I am starting to fall back on dinners that are quick and easy. 

Baby J- Age 1 {my photography}

It's hard to believe baby J is 1 already! You can see his maternity shoot, birth photography and newborn photography.

This little guy is so serious! We had to work hard for our smiles, but he is so stink in handsome. Here are some of my favorites.

Cream Cheese Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crumb Topping {Foodie Friday}

As part of the moving process, I am working on cleaning out our pantry and freezer. That means using all those bananas! I've talked about freezing bananas before,

Cash- Age 3 {my photography}

Meet Cash. He's 3 and so sweet. Caroline loves to play with him and talk about him all the time. They are so cute together. He just turned 3 and so we headed out to get some photos. We started as a cowboy and then went to play on the playground. You can just see how happy he is!

So we bought a house...

As I mentioned on Friday, we bought a house!

Refrigerator Dill Pickles {Foodie Friday}

I hope you planted cucumbers in your garden this year! We actually didn't get to plant a garden this year, because we just bought a house and will be moving at the end of the month!

Brianna- Maternity {my photography}

Well I'm behind on my pictures again. Shocker, I know. 
Here is my friend, Brianna and her adorable family. They recently welcomed their second son, Remi! He's probably close to a month old, but these pictures were taken less than a week before he was born. Such a special time in their lives and I am so happy for them.

Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars {Foodie Friday}

So currently I'm out of flour, and I'm just sitting here thinking about what I can eat for dessert. Maybe some of these, this, or this. Definitely the last one.

Grandma Betty's Lasagna {Foodie Friday}

So I decided to post this today, because this is tonight's dinner. Lasagna is just one of those great meals that feeds a lot of people in a relatively short amount of time. Making a meal that is more involved is part of the fun for me, and this one is a nice balance of 'involved' and 'easy'.

French Toast Sticks {Foodie Friday}

Maybe some of you grew up deprived, but growing up my mom would buy us the French Toast Sticks from the Schwan man. They were divine. French toast from the microwave in 30 seconds. They don't taste the same as traditional french toast, but they certainly grew on you.

Grandma's Sloppy Joes {Foodie Friday)

They say that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich will take you back to your childhood. But for me it's these sloppy joes.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I know it's a little late for a post today, but I thought I would do a quick round up of my favorite 'mexican' dishes in honor of Cinco de Mayo today. So if you haven't already planned dinner for tonight, here are some fantastic options. You really can't go wrong with any of them, and you probably already have most of the ingredients on hand!

Veggie Bars {Foodie Friday}

If you are planning a Mother's Day get together or need a good appetizer, this recipe is for you!

Mother's Day Brunch

I can't believe Mother's Day is almost here, again! Here are some pictures of the Mother's Day brunch I hosted at my house last year. I hosted my parents and sisters as well as my in-laws. (Don't think my brother or sister-in-law were there) but I have a really bad memory. Of course I remembered to take pictures of the food, but I forgot to take pictures with my mom. Der! This year, though!

For the frames I printed the printables from Hostess with the Mostess. There was also a little pennant banner that I hung in the living room. I think they are so cute, and they matched perfectly!

For brunch we had a veggie tray, scotcharoos, perfect brownie bites

in the back you see our little fruit pizzas. I made them using sugar saucers, dairy delicious dip and cut up fruit. My sisters helped me assemble those before people started to arrive

Everything else was made ahead of time and all I had to do was set it out!

These are so adorable and so delicious!

My MIL brought her famous ham salad on croissants. That stuff is the best. I guess the secret is to make it with bologna instead of ham. Who knew?

I made mini bacon and broccoli quiche by putting them in a muffin pan. They were a hit!

And I also made banana scones.. I left the glaze on the stove so it would stay warm, but they were also delicious. I made the batter ahead of time and froze them. All I had to do was pop them in the oven in the morning!

All in all it was a great day with lots of food! I'm not sure what we are doing this year for Mother's Day. My sister is graduating from medical school the day before so it will probably be low key. What are your plans?

Pistachio Lush {Foodie Friday}

Growing up my mom made a dessert called Pistachio Delight. That sounds so 80s to me now, but it was so good.

Carrot Cupcakes {Foodie Friday}

Sometimes things just don't make sense, you know. Like I worked out consistently for 6 weeks and only lost 2 pounds. I was starting to feel really good and thought my clothes were fitting better. Then I got a stress fracture in my ankle and was out for 4 weeks. So naturally I lost 4 pounds, because that makes sense.

Brownie for one {Foodie Friday}

You know those days? I mean 'those days'. The kind where you keep looking through the cabinets in the kitchen for something super unhealthy to snack on. It usually hits me at about 2:30 PM. I look, give up, then 10 minutes later I go back and look again as if the contents of my pantry and cabinets have changed.

Mexican Lasagna {Foodie Friday}

Before

Me: I'm making Mexican Lasagna for dinner.

DH: Uh, is there something else  you can make?

Me: No

DIY Spring and Summer Door "Wreath"

Last summer I made this 'wreath' for our front door. It was pretty quick and easy and i think it turned out pretty cute. 

Lemon Crumb Bars {Foodie Friday}

I think we may finally be crossing into spring. The weatherman says the temperatures are going to be in the 60s this weekend and the tree in my backyard is starting to bloom.

French Bread Rolls {Foodie Friday}

Spring, spring. You guys! We finally made it. The longest, coldest and (almost) snowiest winter has finally come to an end. The calendar says it is spring, but it's still pretty chilly in these parts. Truth be told, tonight's dinner is Chicken Noodle Soup served with these-the perfect roll recipe.

Caramel Apple Pie {Foodie Friday}

My aunt, who is really good at taking a hint, got me the new Pioneer Woman cookbook for Christmas. One of the first things I made was this apple pie. It was calling to me with it's pecan and caramel topping. I expected it to be good,