We're MARRIED!!!

Well, it happened!!!

Mike and I were married last Saturday, November 3rd. :) It was honestly the best day of my life, and we couldn't be happier right now!

I've included several pictures from the day in this post. These pictures are from a few different wedding guests. The professional ones won't be done for another month or so, but once we get them, I will be sure to share them with you on the blog!

My handsome groom, his brother and best man, Dave, and one of his groomsman, Andy.

We got married in my hometown church in upstate New York.

This is my parents' 1938 Chevy, which they also rode away in at their wedding in 1979. How cool is that??!

Pictures on the beach by the lake! This was Brant Lake, NY, by the way. :)

The day was actually quite cold, low 40's, and during pictures, the winds were blowing pretty strongly (15 - 20 mph). We tried not to look cold in the pictures even though we were freeeezing!

Cake cutting!!

The cake Mike and I cut was a pumpkin cake with vanilla frosting. It was soooo soooo good!

And for our guests we had two types of cupcakes - vanilla cupcakes with a Bailey's chocolate frosting and chocolate cupcakes with creme de menthe Oreo frosting. I didn't get to try either kind that night, but I was able to try a vanilla cupcake with Bailey's chocolate frosting the next day. It was awesome! And our guests said the other flavor was deeelicious too.

And no, I did not bake our wedding cake or cupcakes. No time for that. ;)

My wonderful mom, sister (best maid of honor ever!!), and me.

Love that guy - who's now my husband. :)

We had an absolutely amazing weekend, and we are so thankful to have had such a wonderful celebration to begin our married lives together! I could go on and on here, but for now, I will just keep it at that. We are so very happy. :)

In the coming weeks, I actually hope to mix in some wedding-related blog posts with some normal food posts. I thought it would be fun to share more details of our big day (if you all don't mind!).

Hope everyone's had a great week! Happy Friday and weekend!

Wedding Week!

I'm getting MARRIED in three days. :)

And to be completely honest with you, it still doesn't feel entirely real. Despite the hundreds (although, at this point, it feels like it's closer to thousands) of hours of planning, I still have a hard time realizing that this thing is actually happening. Of course, I am super excited...but it still just feels surreal, that's all. I am guessing that when I put on my gown Saturday morning, it'll feel pretty darn real. ;)

I've spent the better part of this week worrying, thanks to Hurricane Sandy. My heart goes out to the millions of people who have had to face the very devastating effects of Sandy. I am incredibly thankful that here in Boston we were spared any major damage. And I'm also thankful that where we're getting married in upstate NY was also spared. The aftermath of the storm where we are and will be this week is nothing compared to other parts of the country. I know that our wedding guests in various places along the East Coast are all safe, and for that, I am grateful. I am also thankful that Hurricane Sandy came earlier in the week and not later, closer to our wedding...

Although my heart will still be with Sandy's victims for the rest of this week, it's also time to move forward and focus on the exciting celebrations that are just days away! So much time and effort have gone into the preparations for this special day, and I can't wait to see it all come together. It's amazing to think that we will have so many of our family and friends in one place all at the same time. I hope to remember to take a few minutes here and there throughout the day to take a step back and realize how amazing it really is. There have been a few small snafus here and there despite our careful planning (and I'm told, that's always the way, no matter how well you plan). But so long as I'm married to the love of my life come this Saturday, I will be a happy gal. :)

I'll be back in touch next week with you all, hopefully with some pictures of our
WEDDING DAY!!!!!!!!

Pumpkin Banana Smoothie

I have been on such a smoothie kick lately, and I'd be remiss if I didn't share my latest favorite smoothie recipe with all of you. I've made this almost every day for the past week. That's how much I love it. :)

The ingredients are very simple (and also very healthy!). The proportions I'm about to share with you are approximate though. I don't really measure when I make this...sorry. :(  But what's great about smoothies is that the ingredients don't have to be exact! And you can change the amount of one ingredient or another to make the smoothie to your own personal liking.

Ingredients:

-1 medium to large banana, sliced and frozen

-1/4 to 1/3 cup pure pumpkin

-2/3 to 3/4 cup milk (I usually use 1%, but any kind will do)

-1/3 to 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

-generous dash of cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend away! Enjoy. ;)

You may remember that earlier this fall I posted another recipe for a pumpkin smoothie that is actually very similar to this one. The main difference between that smoothie and this one is the addition of the frozen banana. This is key! I looove this smoothie with the banana in it. The frozen banana eliminates the need for any ice. And it adds a ton of potassium too. ;) I actually have frozen, sliced bananas in my freezer all the time. Whenever I have bananas that are too ripe for eating (but just right for baking!), I slice and freeze them if I don't have the time right then to bake with them. Then when I am ready to bake with them, I just thaw them. Oooor, when I want to make a smoothie like this one, I just use the banana as is! Sliced and frozen.

Isn't this a fun glass? We received these glasses as part of an awesome Goose Island beer pairing dinner we attended a couple weeks ago at Petit Robert Central in Boston. What a fabulous dinner! The glass makes my smoothie feel a little more fancy, don't you think? ;)

♥ 11 days!!!!!! ♥

Cinnamon-Sugar Pumpkin Donuts & Donut Holes

Helloooo! Do you remember me? I'm the girl who loves to bake and has the Barbershop blog. I've been rather MIA lately, and although I've had every intention to blog, my schedule has not allowed it at all! So now that I finally have a few minutes, I wanted to bring you this awesome new recipe that you are going to loooove.

A couple weeks ago I made these pumpkin donuts and donut holes, thanks to a wonderful recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. Sally actually calls them mini cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins, but I thought they seemed quite a bit like donut holes, so that's what I'm calling them. :)

The recipe was incredibly easy! You could easily whip these up on a weekend morning and enjoy them for breakfast with your family. And I highly recommend that you do that this fall. ;)

Ingredients:

Donuts:

-1 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or white whole wheat flour)

-1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder

-1/2 tsp. salt

-1 and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

-1/2 tsp. nutmeg

-1/4 tsp. ground cloves*

-1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

-1/2 cup dark brown sugar (I actually used light)

-1 egg

-1 egg yolk

-1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

-3/4 cup pumpkin puree

-1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)

*Sally's recipe actually calls for 1 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice. I didn't have this, so instead of adding it, I increased the cinnamon from 1 tsp. to 1 and 1/2 tsp., and I also added in 1/4 tsp. ground cloves. I thought the donuts had plenty of flavor with these spices, but I'm sure you could vary the combination of spices to match your own liking and they would be delicious!

Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

-1/4 cup unsalted butter

-1/2 cup sugar

-2 Tbsp. cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini muffin pan with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar. Add the egg and stir for 1 minute. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, pumpkin, and milk. Slowly pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined; do not overmix.

Using a small spoon, spoon the batter into the mini muffin pan, filling about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If making regular-sized donuts, bake slightly longer, 15 to 17 minutes. While the donuts are cooling, prepare the coating. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter in a separate dish. When the donuts are cooled, dip them into the melted butter and then dip in the cinnamon sugar. When ready to eat, warm the donuts up slightly by popping them in the microwave. They definitely taste better warm. :)

For some of my donuts, I dipped them in this awesome maple sugar. I found this at a great store called Gardenworks, which is located near my home town in New York (Gardenworks is also doing the flowers for our wedding!). I haven't really looked for this maple sugar in other places, but I'm sure it's around. It's a great alternative to cinnamon sugar in recipes like this!

The mini donuts on the right are the ones dipped in the maple sugar.

This recipe made 24 donut holes and 3 regular donuts for me.

Sooo so good! This recipe will definitely be making another appearance in my house... Actually, it will be making many more appearances. ;)

With the wedding now less than 3 weeks away (!!!!), I will likely be blogging pretty infrequently for the next month or so. The goal will be to post at least once a week, so hopefully I can still share a recipe (or something fun, even if it's not food!) with you all over the next few weeks.

Have a great week, everyone!

Just Poppin' In...

...to say hi! I meant to have a recipe for you by this point this week, but the past few nights have been way busier than I anticipated, so I haven't gotten around to it yet. Hopefully I will soon because the recipe I'm sharing with you next is awesome!!!

In the meantime, here are a few recipes from the food blog world in the past week or so that have caught my eye! Thought I'd share them with you in case they catch your eye too. :)

Candy Corn Sugar Cookie Bars from Cookies & Cups

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Dark Chocolate Fudgy Cookies from Simply Life

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Chocolate Caramel Bars from Taste and Tell

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And because every recipe can't be a dessert (!), here are a couple recipes that aren't sweet treats...

Tomato Basil Soup from Eat Yourself Skinny

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Roasted Buttermilk Potatoes from Bran Appetit

(image source)

I don't know about you, but I could read food blogs and look at food photos all day long!!!

Oh, and guess what?! I'm getting married ONE MONTH from today!!!!!! :) :) :)

Banana Cinnamon Pancakes

Did you know that all along, for this month of September, we're supposed to have been celebrating National Better Breakfast Month?! Who knew?? I certainly didn't. That is, until I read a blog post by Sally's Baking Addiction this week, sharing this fact with us all.

Who comes up with these holidays?! I'm not sure, but it is a fun reason to blog about something specific "in honor" of these crazy occasions. :)

At my bridal shower this summer, my mom gave me this really fun cookbook - the "I Do...Not Cook!" book. Now, we all know that that's not the case for me (ummm, hello, I have a baking/cooking blog!), but nonetheless, I always love new cookbooks! A few weeks back on a weekend morning when I had a little extra time (what's that? extra time?), I decided to try a new pancake recipe from this new book.

I didn't follow the recipe exactly though, and as you know, I rarely do follow a recipe to a "t" anyway.

The ingredients below are what I used in this recipe (and in parentheses are the originals for the ones I changed). This recipe makes about 6 medium-sized pancakes.

Ingredients:

-1 cup flour, sifted

-1/4 tsp. salt

-2 tsp. baking powder

-1/2 tsp. baking soda

-1 egg

-1 Tbsp. oil

-1 cup yogurt (buttermilk)

-1 banana, thinly sliced (not in original recipe)

-3/4 tsp. cinnamon (not in original recipe)

Instructions:

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon together. In mixing bowl, beat egg. Add oil and yogurt to egg. Add flour mixture and stir gently. Fold in bananas.

Cook pancakes on griddle pan over medium heat. Drop batter by 1/4 cup-fulls onto griddle. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, or until the bottom side is lightly golden brown and the top side has bubbles starting to form. Flip, and cook for 2 or 3 more minutes until the other side is lightly golden brown. Serve with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

The bananas and cinnamon, as mentioned above, were my own additions. I wanted to jazz these pancakes up a bit! I wanted to make them "better" in honor of this very important holiday, clearly.

Don't flip the pancakes the first time until you see bubbles on top! That's a trick I learned from my mom. :)

I was very happy with the fluffyness of these pancakes! They were light, airy, and perfect. 

I should have stopped at just eating the pancakes. But, I didn't. Sausages and an egg rounded out this "better breakfast." ;)

So good! I drizzled my pancakes with just a little pure maple syrup.

Good 'til the last drop. Er, bite.

If you're looking for other "better" breakfast ideas, definitely check out Sally's Baking Addiction for some amazing looking recipes!!

Happy Friday, all!!

Baking with Mixes: King Arthur Flour Harvest Pumpkin Whole Grain Scone Mix

In the baking world, professional and amateur, I know that people have different feelings on the use of mixes...you know, the pre-made mixes of dry ingredients for cakes, brownies, cookies, muffins, etc. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I do use mixes every now and then, and generally speaking, I don't have a problem with them. Sometimes, the convenience and ease of mixes are just too hard to pass up! If you need to make something quick and easy, baking from a mix may be the way to go. That being said, I do prefer to bake from scratch as much as possible and use mixes on a fairly infrequent basis.

I recently received a box of King Arthur Flour's harvest pumpkin whole grain scone mix as a gift, and I have to say, I was quite excited about it! Although I've made homemade pumpkin scones in the past that were deeelicious, with the super busy summer and fall we've had/are having (you know, with that thing called a wedding?! :)), I am definitely on the lookout for shortcuts in the kitchen that still end up with tasty results. So a few days ago with a crisp, fall chill in the air, the perfect mood struck me to bake these scones and celebrate fall!

The steps to make these couldn't be any easier. First, into the dry ingredients, you cut cold butter until the mixture is crumbly. Next you add an egg and some milk and stir until just moistened. Oh, and by the way, I actually added about 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. cinnamon to the dry ingredients that were already a part of the mix.

At this point, when the wet and dry ingredients were fully mixed, I added a special little Barbershop touch with the addition of one of my favorite kinds of baking chips, Hershey's cinnamon chips! Love these.

Of note, it's really hard to take a picture while pouring chips into a bowl. Just sayin'...

Scones, on the silpat, all set for the oven!

Fresh out of the oven! You can even spot a little speck of melted butter in the scone in the center there. Mmmmmm...

These scones had an awesome texture and were not dry in the least. And the flavors were outstanding! I'm sure they would have been delicious if I had followed the box instructions exactly, but I'm glad I added the cinnamon chips.

Are you wondering what's in the King Arthur Flour mix? Well, let me share that with you. Here are the ingredients listed on the box:

King Arthur white whole wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour), sugar, pumpkin flakes, crystallized ginger (ginger, cane sugar), molasses (molasses, maltodextrin), baking powder (monocalcium phosphate, baking soda, cornstarch), spices.

So, as you can see, the ingredients really aren't that far off from what you'd make if you made scones from scratch. As far as this particular mix goes, I say definitely go ahead and use it if you need or want a shortcut! 

The end result is pretty awesome.

These scones scream fall.

:)

And if you're in the mood to experiment with mixes, I thought I'd remind you of a few of my past recipes that involved mixes. Most of these recipes involve "doctoring" the mix quite a bit.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Monkey Bars (these use a brownie mix)

Darn Good Chocolate Cupcakes (these use a chocolate cake mix)

Easy Pumpkin Crumble Cake (this uses a yellow or white cake mix)

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies (these use a yellow cake mix)

Pretzel M&M Cake Mix Cookies (these use a yellow or chocolate cake mix)

Tomato Soup Spice Cake (this uses a spice cake mix)

And of course, I can't forget my "famous" Cake Mix Cookies (these can be made with just about any kind of mix!).

(easy pumpkin crumble cake)

(pumpkin snickerdoodles)

These last two pumpkin recipes are great fall desserts, by the way. You may want to think about making them this season. ;)