Food

My husband and I didn’t have a traditional cake at our wedding.

We actually didn’t have a cake at all. Instead of feeding each other cake, we fed each other Dairy Queen Blizzards. This was commemorative of the first time we ever laid eyes on each other, over a Butterfinger and Hawaiian Blizzard as the third wheels of a couple we both knew.

The magic that is Alex and I all started with a Blizzard at Dairy Queen. But if it hadn’t, you can bet your boots I would’ve had a naked cake at our wedding.

Naked cakes are so unassuming. They aren’t showy and they don’t have to get all dressed up — they are simply beautiful in their natural state. When I think about the beginning of Alex and my relationship, or the beginning of many great love stories for that matter, I think about how similar they are to a naked cake. It’s all kinds of happiness and sweetness wrapped up in an adoration for someone for simply being who they are.

At the end of the day the deepest kind of love isn’t based on someone’s outward appearance, it’s based on recognizing and being captivated by someone’s beautiful soul. Peter confirms this in 1 Peter 3:4. He writes, “Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”Read More

When life gives you lemons …

You should make lemon cupcakes! Totally a better pick me up than lemonade, right? These lemon cupcakes are my second gluten-free baking adventure on the road to improving my fibromyalgia symptoms. This is also week three of being gluten free (week two of dairy free) and I am happy to report that my headaches are not as bad as they used to be!

It’s incredible how food can impact the body. It has the power to nourish, transform and heal. How wonderful is it that our God gave us foods that can help us feel better? I feel so lucky that I am living in a day and age where food research is more active than ever and food options are more varied. It has made the transition so much easier. It has also allowed me to explain to people why I am doing what I am doing. I’m not jumping on some food trend bandwagon, I’m trying to salvage my wellbeing.Read More

Ever looked at something and thought, “This is too simple and good to be true?”

I know the feeling. It’s how I feel about peanut butter and chocolate; a glass of wine; quick bread; the quiet of a sunrise or sunset; reading a book in the park; walking hand-in-hand with my husband; and basking in the presence of God. At their core, each of these things whispers simplicity and produces an indulgent moment and memory.

Our lives can be such a complicated balancing act, full of work, appointments, meetings and errands. I think that’s what makes simple things so enjoyable. They allow us to escape whatever madness is around us and hit the pause button.Read More

I believe special occasions are best celebrated with smiles, laughter and baked goods (preferably something sweet).

Some of the best memories I have in life were formed over scoops of ice cream, a perfectly formed pastry or decadent slice of cake. Sweet things are even better when they are shared. They make life a little brighter, and they enhance whatever situation we are in.

So when it was announced that someone was leaving the Spyder Trap team that I have the pleasure of working with, you bet I jumped on the opportunity to make something. You could call it a celebration pie, or an “excuse to make something totally over the top” pie, but whatever the motive I think this Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie hits the spot.Read More