shake it up {heart and home}

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SoHoppinGood #TopYourSummer #CollectiveBias

Over the last week, the heat and humidity have been unrelenting! There isn't much you can do but wait it out! It should come as no surprise that on a recent Wal-Mart run I found myself headed directly to the freezer section. In a stroke of genius, I decided that homemade milkshakes were the perfect way for us to cool off in this July heat.

Blue Bunny®Bunny Tracks®has long been a favorite. The new clear packaging makes all of that caramel and chocolate goodness irresistible! Nope. Regular old milkshakes weren't going to get the job done when I could use Blue Bunny®Bunny Tracks®! I decided to pick up some Smucker's Caramel Spoonable Ice Cream Topping to make it extra indulgent!
You guys...the resulting creation was the perfect way to end a hazy, hot and humid summer day! It's not a traditional shake. It's part milkshake, part sundae and it's A-Mazing!! Blue Bunny®Bunny Tracks® blended with milk, a drizzle of Smucker's Caramel Spoonable Ice Cream Topping and the final touch...roasted homemade marshmallows!! OHMYGOODNESS!!! It's perfect! I'm not sure what took me so long to stumble on this yummy treat but now that it's in my life, there is no going back!

strawberry season {heart and home}

this morning was a bit of a struggle. i went to bed last night with a headache and it was even worse when i woke up. we were supposed to meet up with some friends but i decided not to push. i cancelled the rest of our commitments, turned on peppa pig for rowan and rested.

one hour and two advil later, i felt a little better. i also felt extremely guilty for parking my kid in front of the television for an hour in an attempt to get a little more sleep.  

so, today was the perfect day to bake(and assuage my guilt!) we had intended to take ro strawberry picking last week but a stomach virus put a kink in our plan. i was more than delighted when one of our neighbors dropped off some of their berry bounty! i promised my husband i would make something tasty. i dusted off ruby- what? doesn't everyone name their mixer?!- and decided to give it a shot.

i will cop to being less than competent when it comes to baking. it's too exacting and science-y for me. perfect icing, intricate crust designs, pulled sugar...not in a million years. but, homey and rustic, that, i can do.

when i spotted a recipe for a rustic strawberry and cream cobbler i had to try it! my absolute favorite treat right now is mcdonald's strawberry and creme pie. seriously. #sorryimnotsorry they are so damn good!!  

rowan helped. and by helped, i mean stole a bunch of strawberries! cutest little thief i've ever seen!

they sit in flour, a little sugar, and lemon juice for at least a half hour. top them with your favorite biscuit recipe before baking.

heaven on a plate!

recipe found here

breaking bread

i consider myself to a decent cook but baking is something that i've never really been able to crack. if i'm being honest, the precise nature of it is more than a little bit intimidating. baked goods have to taste and look delicious too!  but, february is national bake for your family month, so i'm challenging myself to bake something that terrifies me once a week.

this week i'm tackling bread. there's all of that measuring and waiting and kneading and waiting. and praying that after all of that work that it doesn't come out like a brick! while browsing pinterest, i came across this recipe. no knead and the promise of freshly baked bread on a gray and rainy day. sold!  

the results are delicious!!

i think this is my new favorite thing- fresh baked bread topped with ricotta and honey!  four ingredients and 10 minutes hands-on prep time. it's so easy and so worth it. do yourself a favor, go make this. you can thank me tomorrow.