cream cheese and jam pastry

(from my instagram)



aren't mornings so much more productive when you have a little sweet pastry with your coffee? here's a recipe so simple you have no excuse not to indulge yourself!


cast of characters:

1 sheet puff pastry, cut into quarters (4 pieces)
4 tbs jam (i used razzleberry but strawberry could taste just as good)
4 tbs cream cheese


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1. let puff pasty sit in room temperature for about 20-30 minutes to defrost
2. preheat your oven to 428°F.
3. when puff pastry is defrosted and soft, unfold it and cut it into 4 pieces
4. put a quarter of the jam & cream cheese in the center of each piece
5. bring the four corners of the puff pastry together to form a parcel (make sure the edges are tightly sealed so that as little jam as possible leaks when baking)
6. bake for about 20 minutes or until golden
7. dust with powdered sugar & enjoy!

honey and gold

doesn't this photo (leo patrone for kinfolk) make you want to throw a party and invite all your favorite people? guess what y'all, there's an excuse for that this week and it's called thanksgiving. 

i hope you all have a wonderful day of feasting (even if you're not in the states and you just want to set aside a day to see family, eat well and give thanks)! it's amazing how many things i can find to be thankful for when i actually look outside of myself and the things i find daily to be discontent about. i have a roof over my head, a wonderful husband, a craft i can really find joy in and wonderful people who are kind enough to call me sister and friend. God is so good!

happy thanksgiving!  

leif shop

loving these sweet little items from leif shop ... perfect as stocking stuffers!

(mug, brass spoon, ring, watercolor scarf, sea urchin, horse) 

where the road goes

haven't updated this blog in a while (famous words of mine) because i've been so busy catching up on work and going in & out of town for weddings.  this past weekend, the husband & i shot the most special & intimate little wedding up in the hills of topanga canyon. (fun fact: the groom is the co-editor of a show we love very much .... think zombies & the south!). thought i'd share with you a fun snap!

the weather has been quite unbearable even in our typically breezy area of california, but fall is on the mind & pumpkin spice lattes are out and i feel good. i like to think of the autumn version of myself as the best version of myself, you know, because sweet warm drinks and nippy weather naturally bring about productivity.

and dear readers, i promise to try and share our honeymoon photos soon!

new shelves!

i finally had some shelving put up in my tiny office; i still have to organize a bit, but i'm obsessed with them! i'm embarrassed how long it's taking us to get settled in and organized (that's what we get for getting married/moving during wedding season), but any kind of accomplishment should be celebrated, right?

what small victories have you had today?

garlic parmesan pita bites

i've been working a lot in my make-shift office, and other than working, the thing i do the most is snacking. i have absolutely no self control when it comes to food within reach :(. my favorite new (super simple) snack to make & eat lately: garlic pita bread bites (with parmesan)!



cast of characters: 

pita bread, cut into small pieces
butter
crushed garlic
dried italian-style seasoning (if you don't have any, just mix some dried thyme, oregano and basil)
grated parmesan cheese

(no exact measurements, it really just depends on how much pita you're using and how garlic-y/cheesy you like your food)

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1. preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. cut your pita bread into small pieces (i slice about 6 slices per round) & arrange on a baking sheet.
3. in a small saucepan, melt the butter (over medium heet) and mix in garlic & seasoning. pour it over your pita pieces!
4. sprinkle with cheese and bake for 10 minutes (a little less if you don't want it too crispy, a little more if you like extra crispy)
5. enjoy! i like mine with some hummus, but it is equally good without!

home sweet home

even though we've been in our house for about a month and a half now, we're not making a huge amount of progress in settling in (as you can tell by my bare office...the mess is conveniently pushed off beyond the camera's view). all the furniture is set up, but i still have a lot of funiture to buy for my office (yay, we have an extra room for my office!) as well as fun little decor items for the rest of the house. my mother-in-law is coming this weekend so i have a great incentive to get a move on it! 

even though i love our little home (so much beautiful light and perpetually beautiful weather)... we don't know anyone in the area and i most definitely need to get out of the house more during the week. especially since i'm mostly at the computer answering emails or editing images with nary a soul in sight (afternoon pajamas and messy hair testify to this on too often an occasion).  to conclude, i must say that married life is wonderful and complete. my most favorite part of the day is greeting my husband when he comes home and going to bed together!