Sweet Home Alabama

Ever so fortunate, I have seen and traveled near and far. There is a moment when you journey somewhere new and it instantly warms your soul. You suddenly feel right at home. I have been so lucky to find a few places that never grow old.

For my family the phrase "Sweet Home Alabama" are three little words that come to life nearly every summer. Something in the air changes the eve of vacation. The minutes slowly pass by as we so eagerly await our departure. 

The clock strikes twelve and so we set sail (relatively speaking). The hum of the tires, windows down, the sound of cicadas singing, and the morning dew settled in are nothing but nostalgic reminders of a well traveled journey back down south. In a matter of hours the Gulf rays will be toasting my skin and the salty mist will be fresh in my hair. If only for a week, we will be home by the sea, altogether again.

Just to give you a little taste of my family vacation none better spent than in Gulf Shores, Alabama. A week filled with sun, salt, laughter, love, books, mischief, and more. Welcome to one of my favorite places.

The mischievous one.

Shark!

Mother and daughters.

 

Sunsets.

True love.

 XOXO,
Bee

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Cookie Monster

Well if you haven't caught on thus far I have a bit of a sweet tooth turning me into a ravenous, unstoppable dessert loving monster. At the beginning of the summer I had the privilege of tasting the best cookie known to man, made by my homegirl Emilie. This really is saying a lot because I am incredibly loyal to my mama's cookie making abilities. I felt some serious guilt asking for this recipe feeling an incredible amount of betrayal to my own family recipe.

On the other hand it just didn't seem fair not to share this mouth watering cookie with all of you. Not to mention the whole blogging about baking isn't really that big of a sacrifice. It basically gives me a good excuse to eat cookie dough...justification I can live with.

So Thursday night was the season opener for Ole Miss football. My girl Alex and I decided to do a little baking before the game...cookie tailgating I suppose. She was the baker in this blogging story. I was her sous baker if I can even take credit for that. I really just took pictures and ate spoonfuls of dough.

Not only are these cookies insanely delicious but easy as pie to make. Just dump all the ingredients into one bowl and mix.

Yes, two sticks of butter makes all the difference in the world.

This is Amber. If dogs could talk I think it would go a little something like this..."Hey guys, watchya doin'?"

"Can I have some too?" Bless her heart

We are peanut butter and chocolate lovers so we got a little crazy with the chips.

Let me start by saying this, I am perfectly aware that I have a double chin. It has little to do with the camera angle and a lot to do with the fact I love cookie dough, chocolate, cupcakes, doughnuts, etc. Let's just say I have to run aaaaa loooottt to find some sort of balance. Life is too short not to enjoy all the sweetness.

Make sure to pull them out when they are just golden around the edges. This is the trick to their ewwy gooey goodness.

The gal behind the recipe. Girlfran can make a mean cookie.

Ole Miss earned themselves a victory. I will gladly take the credit and say that it had everything to do with these lucky cookies ;)

Here's the recipe:

2 1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 bag (about 6-7 oz) mini chocolate chips
1/2 bag (about 6-7 oz) peanut butter chips

Mix everything together except the chips. Then throw those in and mix again (wooden spoon really does the trick!). We used an ice cream scoop for giant cookie size on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-9 minutes, and take them out of the oven just before they start to get brown on the edges.

Happy Eating!!!

XOXO,

Bee

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City

Maddie is an actual grown-up now, so while she headed off to her real job this week I set out for more exploring. It's my last two days in the city, so I made sure to pack in everything I've wanted to see and missed so far. Brace yourselves for a whole lotta pictures. I'm an avid Today Show watcher, so my first stop was Rockefellar Center. By this point all the broadcast was over for the day, but it still was cool to see it and NBC Studios. No Brian Williams in sight though (he's my fave).

 I channeled my inner Blair Waldorf and headed up to the Upper East Side. First I made my way to Central Park to work on some blogging.

This was my spot for the afternoon, Le Pain Quotdien. It's a cafe chain around NYC and when I saw they had a Central Park location I knew it would be the perfect spot.

This building/ courtyard area looked just like the school from GG. 

 The UES is made up of avenues lined with designer boutiques and charming townhomes. It makes sense why Blair would call it home. The neighborhood is also home to Laduree, a famous Parisian macaroon bakery. I'm dying to go to the one in Paris, but walking in the NYC version felt like I was there. The staff referred to me as "madame"... I could get used to that.

Look, they're so glorious they're glowing. I got salted caramel, chocolate, coffee, pistachio, and at the recommendation of the staff, melon.

I loved the Upper East Side. Being there re-introduced my Gossip Girl obsession. I think I'll have to re-watch all the seasons when I get home. The only thing missing from my afternoon was lunch on the steps of the MET, maybe next time.

My next day on my own I started out a little farther south, in Chelsea. I spent a little time roaming Chelsea Market. It's a big warehouse-like building full of little food joints and shops. 

The high line is an old train track that has been converted into a park/walking path in the middle of the city.

I did a bit of research on the best NYC coffee shops (are you really surprised?) and Culture was on multiple lists. I made a special trip there to try a latte. It was definitely in my top 5 favorites, but I don't know if I'd give it the number one spot. 

The New York Public Library was not something that wasn't really on my radar of places to visit, but I was sitting in Bryant Park having internet connection issues and realized that it was right next door with abundant wi-fi, so I decided to make a visit. I'm so glad that I did. The architecture was beautiful, reminiscent of the opulent museums I visited all over Italy.

After the long days hiking all over NYC, I was ready for a little rest. Luckily, Maddie knew just the spot. We headed back to Brooklyn for a little night cap. First we stopped at Zombie Hut for a famous Tiki Torch shot. I'm still not sure what was in it, but you start with a lemon and finish with a marshmallow you roast off the bar. Genius.

Clover Club was a dimly lit, old fashioned bar with a huge list of interesting yummy drinks. We cheersed to my last visit (aka next time I come I have to move there) and soaked up my last few hours in NYC.

My final morning I took a little stroll to the Brooklyn Heights promenade with its sweeping views of the city and the Brooklyn Bridge. I heavily considered sitting here all day and missing my flight back home.

Until next time, NYC....

XOXO,

Gossip Girl

I mean,

LO

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