.its been a while.

wow! its crazy how quickly time goes when you're planning a wedding and still trying to maintain a nomal life. we are now 16 (SIXTEEN!!!!) days away from the wedding. we are soo excited! and thankful for a three day weekend coming up so we can finalize stuff! the next few weeks are going to go just way too fast! but we are beyond ready for this, we are so excited to finally be married!

because things have been so hectic i haven't had a chance to post anything lately. so i figured i would just post a 'collage' of pictures from my latest baking and cooking endeavors! yummy!

stuffed bell peppers!                        chicken enchi'mamas'!

island spice pork tenderloin!                 stef's homemade granola!

grandma c's lemon bars!

i also made some yummy coconut cupcakes for my bridal shower, but in the excitement of it all i forgot to photograph them! crap! lol. oh well.

the stuffed bell peppers were my fiance's idea. whenever he says he wants something i usually end up making it, after intense recipe research of course! :)

the chicken enchi'mamas' are a recipe i've made before but the second time around - OH MY GOODNESS! yuuuumy! its a totally 'from scratch' recipe, you make the enchilada sauce and the whole deal. soo delicious. and of course my fiance nick named them! ;-)

island spice pork tenderloin is recipe i found on http://www.annies-eats.com/, its seriously so simple and absolutely delicious. its a staple around our house now! we've made it multiple times since my first try.

my homemade granola is sooo yummy! it has everything in it and i am obsessed with it now! after the first try at it, my fiance told me he doesn't want us to buy cereal anymore! he loves it with milk, and i love it in my greek yogurt. its a very loved recipe now! i'm getting hungry just thinking about it!!

ohhh grandma c's lemon bars! where do i begin?? you know those recipes that bring you straight back to your childhood? this dessert is one of those! the recipe is perfect. the crust part is crisp, not mushy and the topping is gooey lemony goodness. LOVE this recipe. i finally got it from my mom, and made it during the middle of what us washingtonians refer to as a 'heat wave'. they're such a refreshing dessert during hot weather! :)

one last photo! what remained of my mini coconut cupcakes! they were so cute, they even had zebra cupcake liners to match the theme my friends came up with! they were a coconut cupcake with coconut buttercream! delish! :)

happy friday everyone!

xoxo

sc

.mission: attempting clam chowder.

i absolutely, 100% hate clams... or pretty much any shell fish with the exception of crab. its a texture issue, plus i think they are all chewy and gross! however, my fiance ♥loves♥ clams. he went clamming with a buddy a few weeks ago and brought home tons of the gross little critters. luckily they were all cleaned, vacuum packed and ready to freeze.

he knows i love to cook and bake, but i drew the line with the clams. i wasn't going to fry the critters, or do anything with them. he looked so disappointed, so i decided to compromise (which, i believe is the source of a great relationship) with clam chowder. i've had it before - it reminds me of potato chowder, but i always end up picking out the gross little clam pieces.

i had a heck of a time finding a recipe that looked good. everyone called for canned clams - what about the real deal fresh kind? finally a co-worker showed me a recipe she's been dying to try. i read it over and almost gagged - i had to go buy clam juice?? really? sick! but, i love my man and i'd do anything for him, including cooking something i absolutely cannot stand.

so, i get home, get a quick workout in and run upstairs (we live in a condo building) and rush to start his clam chowder. things were going really good at first, it was pretty much like making any other soup... saute the onions in delicious melted butter goodness, yadda yadda... i mean, until the very end it was alright. then came the moment of truth, i had to cut open the sealed baggy of clams. siiick! but, being the woman that i am (trying to be an awesome future wife), i soldiered through. the things were so stinky and slimy and disgusting. but i made it through.

when the chowder was all done, i was more interested in trying to get a decent picture of it to show to my mom then i was interested in actually eating the stuff. (my mother hates clams more then i do! lol. and she didn't believe i would actually cook them.) the chowder wasn't bad. i liked the flavor, minus the clams. although, in my defense, i did try multiple of them... i just can't get over the texture. yuckie!

anyhow, here is the picture... east hampton clam chowder with home-made biscuits!