Sand Tarts

Last year at this time, I was fantasizing about sandcastle cakes. Now, I’ve decided to celebrate the birth of this blog with Martha’s fittingly adorable sand tarts. The recipe is simple, relatively mess-free, and yields the perfect treat for the special occasion. Though my boyfriend and I will be enjoying most of these tomorrow, I’ve tucked a few away in the freezer, with plans to take them down to the beach in my picnic basket as soon as the temperatures turn.

Winter Wonders

My boyfriend and I usually carpool to and from work, and although our commute is long, the drive is on a leisurely stretch of road that winds through the picturesque North Shore communities lining Lake Michigan.  This time of year, when the sun has set long before we’ve even left our offices, we can admire the holiday decorations adorning the beautiful mansions along the way.

Invariably, we begin debating the merits of white vs. colored lights, and I usually change my preference depending on the day. Every so often though, we’ll stumble upon an untraditional and highly impactful display that happily reminds me that there can be much more to holiday decorating than a single string of lights.

Images via

Seasonal Afflictions

It’s a sure sign that the seasons are changing when I begin to suffer from allergies. Although I’ve literally been a bit under the weather the last few days, my mental fog hasn’t prevented me from noticing that Halloween decorations are now hitting shelves. Though it may be a bit early to unearth my pumpkin, spider and skull collections, I may use my sister’s upcoming visit as an excuse to start prepping for what might be my favorite holiday.

This year, I’ve already added a few things (like these and these) to my ever-expanding arsenal. After seeing these pictures, I’ve also started to realize that other creepy DIYs involving ghosts, bats, mice and snakes really need to be incorporated into the mix too. 

Images via and via

Berry Crumble

I have been putting this book to use ever since I added it to my cookbook collection, and it certainly came in handy when trying to figure out what to do with all of the berries that we picked in Bayfield.  I adapted two of its recipes to fit my needs, and the result was the perfect ending to a late summer dinner of grilled cheeseburgers and corn on the cob.

Filling:

1 pound of berries, picked over and rinsed (here, I used blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and baby strawberries)

¼ cup granulated sugar

1/8 cup cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

 Topping:

 ½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup of light brown sugar

1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions (couldn’t be easier):

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
• Butter a baking dish (if you're looking for a lighter option, baking spray will do)
• Mix the filling ingredients together in a bowl and pour into the greased dish
• Mix the topping ingredients together with your hands, and then crumble on top of the filling
• Pop into the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, keeping an eye on it until it is lightly browned and bubbling
• Remove from the oven, let slightly cool, and serve with a dollop of cold vanilla ice cream!

Blink of an Eye

I channeled Carrie Bradshaw with a very affordable new flower pin (and the most fun nail combo ever: Essie’s A Crewed Interest with a top layer of Lux Effects Set in Stone)

I rarely reach for an afternoon coffee, but that’s precisely what I did this Sunday afternoon when I found myself with a half-finished list of things that I hoped to accomplish before the day’s end. I love jam-packed weekends, but I find that the time flies by much more quickly than it would if I spent the day in front of the TV. That’s not to say that I didn’t reserve a few hours to check out HBO’s Game of Thrones, and the highly anticipated series premiere of Girls. Here are a few of the other highlights.

Obsessed over my new semi-permanent lash extensions from Benefit

Finally celebrated the arrival of a much-needed bahn mi shop with a toast of unfiltered ginger ale

Got started on a surprise craft project, details to be shared soon

Stashed some fragrant lilacs, “borrowed” from a neighbor, in the bathroom