Recipe Review | Strawberry + Avocado Baby Kale Salad

The perfect spring/summer accompaniment to a simple grilled meat. This strawberry and avocado salad is bright, easy, and absolutely delicious. Piper loved helping me put it together and we all loved gobbling it up. Strawberry + Avocado Baby Kale Salad (slightly modified from Ali's recipe on her blog, Gimme Some Oven) ~ What you need (salad): 6 cups fresh baby kale 1-2 avocado 4 ounces crumbled goat cheese 1/4 cup candied pecans (I use Diamond Nut Toppings, Glazed Pecans) 2-3 green onions, chopped ~ What you need (dressing): 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar 3-4 tablespoons honey 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper ~ What...

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Twilight Garden Party

The on-again/off-again sunny weather has me craving spring and both looking forward to and reminiscing about having friends over for outdoor gatherings (both tediously planned and impromptu). I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to share some pictures of the backyard party we hosted last fall for Greg's company.  With rented picnic-style tables, borrowed adirondack chairs, professional catering, and lots of help with the details (like following these thorough directions on how to string your own lights), the party was a huge success.  The dinner buffet was set up overlooking the picnic area under the lights. Burlap table runners, gourds, Ikea lanterns, and tins stuffed...

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Things I Love Thursday // 3.12.15

Having my brother, Bobby, out visiting (all the way from California) for the week ~ Cannot say how much I enjoy this time with my little brother (who will forever be the "baby" no matter his age). I love watching him interact with the girls: whether it's giving them a hard time, playing driveway tennis, riding bikes, or listening to them play their instruments. He gives them his undivided attention.  These adorable woven slip-on sneaks I found at Target last week Grabbing a pre-made dinner and literally dumping it into the crock pot ~ It's been a while since I wrote about my crock pot. It's worth directing your attention back to an older post describing some recipes you can pre-make...

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