Memorial Day 2012

WARNING: What you are about to see may damage your eyesight with its blinding cuteness.

 Grady's first trip to the pool! That little girl in the background was so cute. She gave Grady hugs.

 When my sister first dipped his feet into the water he wasn't on board with the whole idea. After hanging out a little while he was ready for his float and liked splashing around.

 His swim shirt has an angry frog hood.

 It started off cloudy, but then the sun came out. Emily ran to get his hat.

 In the meantime he splashed himself in the face.

 Bucket hats make it kind of hard to see.

 Um, daddy? This chinstrap isn't right.

 My, my. All that swimming wears a baby out!

 But not enough not to reach for the shiny camera.

 A bottle finishes the job.

Now if that doesn't melt your heart I don't know what will.

Blueberry Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls

I am evidently on a breakfast kick. I do that sometimes, get really into certain foods for a while. Like the spinach smoothies I've been making for weeks (promise, you can't taste the spinach!). One time I went on a ham sandwich bender. And lately I've had a MAJOR sweet tooth. Maj.

Breakfast is my favorite meal by far. Well, brunch really is because when you can get shrimp and grits and muffins in the same meal I'm there with bells on. I tend to gravitate towards sweets when I'm eating a big breakfast...with a side of bacon or sausage. See, that's another thing I love about breakfast. You can get all the important foods: pig, dessert, fruit (sometimes), butter, and bread. At any rate, cinnamon rolls rank right up there with my preferred breakfast foods. Right under French toast.

Cinnamon Toast Popcorn

This list makes me glad my mom never listened to me when I wanted to get a Glamour Shot made. I was a very...theatrical child, so it made perfect sense that I would want to play dress-up and get my picture taken. My mother is a wise woman.

Instagramania

Well fiddle-dee-dee. I tried to make popovers, but they came out more like pop-unders. It probably has something to do with our oven door not closing properly. They're still pretty daggum tasty with a little jam, blue cheese, and prosciutto piled on top. So hah! Silver lining.

 This isn't an Instagram picture, but is there anything cuter than a baby in a bathrobe?! I think not.

 Remember the fried green tomatoes? I'm still dreaming about them.

 Daisy: Guardian of the Legal Pad. She doesn't sit in that chair as often anymore.

Sometimes your beer gives you advice. Let a good thing happen. Thanks, Magic Hat! P.S. Their Elder Betty has a lovely floral note to it, perfect for summer!...which is why they made it their summer ale. Duh, Christina.

I made Joy the Baker's single serving lava cake from her cookbook. I ate it with a side of French Toast ice cream from the ridiculous folks at High Road Craft Ice Cream. When I was done with the cake I ate more ice cream. In all seriousness, I've found my new favorite ice cream. Next on my list is Bourbon Burnt Sugar.

 I went to a play at the local theatre. Of course I got the program some stranger had used to dispose of his gum. I say "his" because no lady would ever do that, right? Either way, EW.

 I found this cracked egg on my front steps. I think it's a robin's egg. I'm not sure if something hatched or if...the cat got to it. I'm hoping the former rather than the latter.

I'm on an ice cream kick. I've been dying to try Jeni's for months and months now. This was the brown butter almond brittle. Even though it had that cherry flavor almond extract has (at least to my taste buds), I still ate every bite and scraped out the carton. It just beats a humdrum pint of Edy's and quite frankly is better than Ben & Jerry's. Now if someone wants to get me her cookbook...

Strawberry Marshmallows

So we're finally going to talk about these strawberry marshmallows. Look at them. They're a delicate pink with specks of strawberry seeds. They have a tangy bite but are still soft as a down pillow. I just...couldn't find a proper use for them. I had grand dreams of making a toasted marshmallow milkshake, but that didn't quite turn out as I had hoped. I think they'd be a fun twist on s'mores made in the oven. I don't recommend holding these over an open flame because they're likely to just fall off your skewer. But you've made s'mores in the oven right? I kind of almost like it better because the chocolate gets melty, and I have a clinical obsession with melty chocolate. Yeah, melty is one of those technical terms. At any rate I still think these marshmallows are worth sharing because nothing beats a homemade marshmallow.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Have you ever seen the movie Fried Green Tomatoes? I saw it once when I was young, probably around 9 years old. It's haunted me ever since. I won't spoil any plot points (mostly because it's all sort of fuzzy now) but don't even think of watching this movie if you don't have a full box of tissues and access to a puppy to cheer you up after watching.

Actual fried green tomatoes are much less sad. In fact, I would go so far as to call them joyful. At least that's how I felt as I was eating 7 of them. The secret is double battering the slices in a cornmeal-flour mixture. And hot sauce-laced buttermilk never hurt. Let's get to it.

Fig, Bleu Cheese, & Prosciutto Flatbread

Real life: I look better with a little tan, it's true. But let's be clear, I don't go tanning. I've never been in a tanning bed, and I wear sunscreen semi-religiously. Instead, I've started using a little self-tanner lotion again. Nothing cray-cray because I don't want to look like the tanning mom. Although I'm not sure that's possible with just self-tanner. I just don't want to give myself wrinkles, y'all!

Real life: I feel better when I've eaten flatbread with figs, bleu cheese, and prosciutto. With a balsamic reduction. Wait...is it bleu or blue? I'm feeling fancy, let's say bleu. It's lovely for dinner and would make a delightful appetizer.