EARTHQUAKE! ... among other things...

For those of you who live under rocks and inside caves, we had a pretty significant Earthquake here in Virginia yesterday. I know, people joke about the lack of damage and the general chaos that ensued - but in reality, I think we're all very lucky the damage wasn't more extensive. It was a pretty crazy experience, especially considering the lack of seismic activity that generally occurs in this region. I won't drag on about it - that's what CNN is for - but I figured it couldn't go without mentioning.

Anyways - a few months back I mentioned a new segment I wanted to start: "Website of the Month". Well, needless to say, that was the last (and only) time I've posted a site so FAIL on my part. In an effort to make it up to you, I offer you Copy Cat Chic. Keeney turned me on to this site and it is my new addiction. The woman who owns this blog is a bargain hunting genius. To sum it up, she takes popular pieces from pricey stores like Restoration Hardware, Ethan Allen, Layla Grace (and sooo many more) and finds nearly identical pieces for a fraction of the cost. It's absolutely mind blowing to see the things she finds and the money that can be saved. She provides the links to each piece so you can compare for yourself, and purchase if you so decide. I haven't made my first Copy Cat Chic purchase yet - but I definitely will as soon as the perfect piece comes up. I've been on the lookout for a china cabinet or some kind of buffet table for the dining room. So here you go - August's website of the month... Copy Cat Chic

Bathroom Makeover

I'm so excited to announce the powder room makeover is officially under way! As most of you know, we bought our house from a total loser who basically destroyed the place. I guess I can't complain all that much because that's pretty much the only reason we were able to get the house - but it's been a lot of work restoring it to the beautiful house that it is. The only good thing about our former owner is that he did absolutely zero decorating, which means blank canvas for me! We had no ugly walls to paint over and very few holes to patch up. Painting is one of the few changes you can make for super cheap that will make a BIG impact on a space. Well, super cheap if you have amazing parents who own every type of painting supply on the planet and let you borrow it all - then all you have to do is buy the paint :)

So rewind back to a few months ago - I had a decorator come out to help us pick a wall color for the dining room. I wanted a color that would flow with the rest of our colorful rooms without making it look like Joseph's Technicolor Dream House. We settled on a beautiful coraly/rosy/pinkish color that would tie in with some fabrics we had chosen. All was great until I showed Johnny the swatch later that evening...

"PINK!? You want to paint the dining room PINK?!" ....(long pause of silence accompanied by blank stares)..... "No, I want to paint the dining room Hydrangea Flowers". Needless to say I got shot down. But it was too late, I was attached to the color and was determined to use it. So after some thought and deliberation, I decided to use the color in our downstairs powder room. I had been pushing the bathroom makeover off as a small project that could wait, but with the perfect color in hand, I decided to start.

I ordered a fabulous custom mirror on Etsy (otherwise known as the greatest place on Earth.) And some cute PB monogrammed hand towels. Stefani and I hit up the craft store and I'm going to make a cute candle tray for the the toilet tank, as well as a few shadow boxes for wall decor. I have an adorable idea for something I want to do on the main wall, but I don't want to reveal it until I know it will work :) The only thing I am having trouble finding is the perfect rug. The search continues...

Fast forward to the present. I've been procrastinating on getting the painting done because A - the mirror hadn't arrived and B- I suck terribly at painting. Lucky for me, my wonderful mother-in-law has been in town this week visiting from Tennessee. She flips houses for a living, so she is a total pro with a paint brush. She of course offered to paint the bathroom and even shut me down when I offered to help (probably because I had already told her the story of when I tried to paint Jack's playroom....FAIL.)

I don't have any before pics (imagine white, boring, builders grade bathroom) and I don't want to reveal after pics until it's complete - which should be about 2 weeks from now when my fab mirror will finally make its debut. So until then, I leave you with the swatch that got this whole thing rolling...

It's a little darker on the wall than it appears online, with a touch more coral. I can't wait to add all the finishing touches!

4th of July Fun

They always say a conservative's favorite holiday is July 4th (I'll let you guess what they say a liberal's is... I'll give you a clue, it's in April) and in my case, that is definitely true. I love the patriotism and the general brotherhood felt by true blue-blooded Americans as we gather to celebrate this significant day in US history. The flag waving, the fireworks, I love it all. It's even the one day of the year I can stand Toby Keith. Nothing says "America" like "We'll put a boot in your ass!"

I live in a small town, "Anytown USA" as some would say. We have two stoplights and an abundance of white picket fences. Americana at its finest. And like all the other great small towns across the country, the 4th wouldn't be complete without a local parade. So after a few celebratory mimosas with the Shepherd clan, we packed up the kiddos into their wagons and headed off to the Annual Purcellville Independence Day Parade.

Jack getting excited for his first parade experience. 

Everyone knows Uncle Sam drives a Deere.

Happy 4th of July!!!

We wrapped up the evening with your standard 4th of July BBQ, a few cold ones (several in my husband's case...) and some backyard fireworks. A great time was had by all.

In honor of Summer and all that it entails, I've included a great, easy, go-to recipe for your next BBQ or pool party. I got this one from Stef's husband's mom (did you follow that?) who brought it to Ethan's 3rd birthday. I probably ate half the bowl... and I know for a fact Jack ate the other half. As far as I know, it doesn't have a name, so I made one up in honor of it's founder (Josh's mom) and it's appearance (bright and colorful). I give you....

Roanoke Confetti Dip

1 can sweet corn
1 red onion, chopped
1 large tomato, diced
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 bell pepper, chopped (I opted for orange...)
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, diced
1-2 jalapenos, finely chopped 
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. white sugar (I imagine you could sub with Splenda....)
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

Heat the EVOO, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and let cool. Add all other ingredients to a large mixing bowl and toss with cooled sugar mixture. Chill for a few hours to let the flavors really absorb each other. Serve with tortillas, on tacos, or even as a side. It's lightly sweet and tangy and absolutely addicting! 

Enjoy! Happy 5th of July :)

An OBX Food Experience

Wow - so basically I'm the worst blogger ever. I've managed to let an entire month of blog worthy events pass me by and there's no looking back. Craziness at work, craziness at home, and one mediocre vacation have kept me away - but now I'm back and have quite a delicious story to tell.

Last week Johnny and I took our first mommy and daddy only vacation down to the Outer Banks. We were pretty excited about roasting ourselves on the beach all day, doing some shopping, and eating like kings. Well, due to some pretty sub-par weather and a nasty cold that struck us both on day one, we managed to do nothing but eat. Seriously, that's all we did. Johnny gained 14 lbs in 5 days. Enough said.

Being the lifetime OBX regulars that we are, we had a pretty solid idea of all the spots we wanted to hit up. So if you're planning a trip down to the North Carolina barrier islands this summer, take a look and try a few of these spots. You'll thank me later.

Frog Island Sea Food
Junction of 158/168 in Barco, NC

This little gem is located right on 168 before you get to Coinjock (for those of you coming from the North). We always stop in on our way to/from the beach since it's not technically in the OBX. Not only does this place have a fresh seafood market where you can purchase some of the freshest shrimp/oysters/crabs/etc, they also have a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant where they will fry up some of their fresh wonders-of-the-sea deliciousness and serve it to you in style on a good ol' paper plate. Johnny and I always go for the Oyster Po'Boy and fried pickle spears. You really can't go wrong here - and best part, it's dirt cheap. Our only mistake this visit - showing up at 1pm on a Sunday. This place was PACKED.

The Bad Bean

MP 5 in Kill Devil Hills (main road) OR Timbuck II Shopping Center in Corolla

Taking a recommendation from our friends, the Gabrielles, we opted for the KDH location and let me tell you - we did not regret it. This was one of our favorite food experiences of the week and we will definitely be going back. Everything (seriously, everything) here is made from scratch, in-house, and using super fresh, local ingredients. We split the shrimp and grits appetizer (fresh grilled shrimp over a chorizo grit cake with their homemade mole sauce) and both got a few of their specialty tacos. I opted for  one mahi mahi and one barbacoa - Johnny went with one mahi, one shrimp, and one softshell crab (their specialty for the evening). All come with your choice of house made salsa and fresh jicama slaw. One warning - stay away from their habenero salsa. Too hot for your own good. Oh yeah, killer margs too. 

Nags Head Pier House Restaurant

MP 11.5 in Nags Head (beach road)

Best breakfast spot in town. Best view in town. This place is a small restaurant literally attached to the Nags Head Fishing Pier with 180 degree views of the ocean. As long as you aren't expecting anything fancy - you'll be pleased. Great southern home cooking, the relaxed atmosphere, and the incredible view make this place impossible to skip. We've only been for breakfast, but their lunch and dinner menus look decent too. Johnny was pretty pleased with his sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit smothered in sausage gravy (again, 14 lbs in 5 days...) and my biscuits and gravy were pretty killer. We split a giant blueberry pancake and I will definitely be getting those next time. Add your favorite breakfast cocktail (pointsetta, anyone?) and this place will make your day. 

Outer Banks Brewing Station
MP 8.5 in KDH (main road)


The first wind powered brewery in North America, you can't miss the wind turbine from the main road. They make all their beers in house and they are no joke. I prefer their Hefeweizen style brew but it sells fast - so when they're out we both opt for their classic Olsch. The Brewing Station does pub food right. Gourmet pub style, if you will. We never miss the fried oyster appetizer and the Yard Bird sandwich is pretty incredible as far as chicken sandwiches go (cilantro lime aioli? Yes please.) Not too dressy and not too casual - this place is great for an ice cold beer and a delicious meal after a long day at the beach. 

John's Drive-In

MP 4 in Kitty Hawk (beach road)

Be careful - if you blink you'll miss it. This shabby little shack by the beach has been serving up fresh seafood and damn good milkshakes for over 30 years. Place your order at the window and take a seat at one of three picnic tables and wait for your name to be called. Try not to gnaw off a finger or two in anticipation. This place is famous for a reason - the banana hot fudge milkshake was the best I've ever had and Johnny threatened our marriage if I didn't share my Mahi sandwich with him. We can't wait to go back (everyday?) on our next trip in July. If you try any place on this list - make this the one. 

Stop-n-Shop

MP 8 in KDH (beach road)

Planning on spending the day on the beach? Stop here first. Don't let the Exxon that's attached fool you. Another OBX institution (for over 20 years) this place has it all. Whether it's a fishing license, a new pair of rainbows, designer sunglasses, snacks for the beach, they have it. This is our favorite place to stock our cooler for a long day at Oregon Inlet. They have an amazing deli with a great fresh bread selection, boar's head meats, and house made sauces. They sell locally made gourmet snacks and dips, as well as every other snack food item under the sun. You can even call ahead with your order and they'll have it ready for you so you don't have to waste a single second of precious tanning time. And yes - there's an Exxon for all your refueling needs. 

So that's all for now folks. I hope these recommendations help make your next OBX trip as delicious as ours was. If not - enjoy your frozen clam strips at the Jolly Roger. 

Blackberry Bread Pudding

Another food event at work = another opportunity to try a new recipe! My group at work tries to organize a social event every few months just for fun and to take a break from the every day grind. We usually try to theme our gatherings for the time of year - so this time we did a spring time brunch. I of course wanted to bring something yummy and homemade, but I also wanted it to be something that would travel well and taste good at room temperature. I also didn't want to make anything too involved considering I was planing on making it the morning of. After searching through a few cookbooks I settled on Blackberry Bread Pudding. This recipe is a lot more custard like than a traditional bread pudding, but next time I might try adding more bread and less heavy cream to give a more cake-like consistency. Decide for yourself  :)

 Blackberry Bread Pudding

1/2 loaf Brioche or Challah (I opted for the Challah - so light and delicately sweet)
2 c. half-and-half
2 c. heavy cream
1 pinch of salt
6 large eggs
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. blackberries (I will definitely use more next time, maybe another 1/2 c.)
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the crust from the bread and cube the crustless loaf into 1 inch cubes. You should have about 3-4 cups of bread cubes. Scatter the cubes onto a baking sheet and lightly toast in oven for 6-7 minutes.

Toasting the bread is a very important step. Think of the bread as a sponge - the less moisture in the bread, the more liquid it can soak up. You want the bread to be able to soak up as much of the custard as possible. Do not overtoast - lightly golden is perfect.

In a medium bowl, mix the half-and-half, heavy cream, and salt. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Gradually add the cream mixture to the egg mixture while whisking - be sure to break down any clumps.

Lightly fold in the bread pieces until coated. Soak for 15-30 minutes to allow the bread to fully absorb the custard mix. Lastly, gently fold in blackberries and pour into a 9x13 baking dish.

Place the baking dish into a large roasting pan and fill about halfway with hot water.

Baking with a water bath is very important for a lot of egg-based dishes. Moist heat will allow the eggs to cook more gently. Oven heat can be very harsh on light dishes like this and cause your final product to be rubbery or dry  (custards, cheesecakes, puddings, etc. should all be cooked using a water bath)

Bake until the pudding is set and golden brown. The original recipe says about 50 minutes, but mine took a little over an hour. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.

I probably could have let this stay in the oven for another 10 minutes or so just to brown a little more on top but I had to get to work.  It turned out GREAT! Perfect for breakfast, a snack, or even dessert with some vanilla ice cream.

Being the busy working professionals that we are, we wrapped up our spring brunch with an Easter egg hunt! Pam and Sang (who organized this lovely event) hid eggs all around our floor - in cubes, offices, huddle rooms, plants, you name it. Now I have some yummy snacks to get me through the rest of today :)

Coming up next week - Jack's first haircut! Stay posted :)

Mac & Pizza

Once again, the Hawkins family has succumbed to the 21st Century. We made our first stride last year when Johnny and I both finally got rid of our circa 2000 cell phones and got Blackberries. Woah, big step. Saturday we made a giant leap into the present when we purchased our first MAC! 

We really fell in love with the desktop (we're old farts at heart and really prefer the giant screen) but the way our house it set up we really had nowhere to put it. Johnny suggested we set it up on the dining room table. I pretended not to hear him. We settled on a Mac Book, got some new fun gadgets, and even got a free wireless printer. To top it all off - I got to use my handy corporate discount and saved about $150. I've been organizing the last 3 years of my life in pictures and loving iPhoto - Johnny is amazed at the speed at which he can now make fantasy baseball trades. Win-Win :)

While the Mac Book is fun and all, the icing on the weekend was definitely Fireworks Pizza. It's part of our favorite restaurant group (Magnolias, South Street Under, and Tuscarora Mill) so it's amazing we had never been there before.

They pride themselves on using all local/fresh ingredients and it makes all the difference. I can honestly say this is my new favorite pizza place (sorry, Emilios...) and I can't wait to go back as soon as humanly possible. I got one of their specialty pizzas that came with a pesto sauce, goat cheese AND mozzarella, salami, spinach, and roasted tomatoes. Holy cow. For you city-folk, they have a new location in Arlington. I highly recommend :)

Lastly - one of my best friends has started her own blog! I love when my friends create blogs because it lets me stay up to date on their lives when my own hectic life keeps me from seeing them as often as I'd like. Melanie will be blogging about her upcoming November wedding, house hunting, and the general craziness that is your 20s. Keep up with her here : Adventures of a Twenty Something. Happy reading :)

Cookies, Macaroni and Cheese, Zoo, More Cookies

A few weeks ago I promised you an amazing new cookie recipe and I failed to deliver - so today I offer you not one, but TWO amazing cookie recipes to try out - as well as a killer crock-pot mac 'n cheese recipe. On Saturday we had a little gathering at my dad's house to welcome home my amazing Grandma and her "lover" (her words, not mine...) from their migration South for the winter. I knew my dad was planning on grilling ribs so I insisted we have mac 'n cheese on the side - he insisted I bring it. I'm also the designated dessert bringer so I thought it would be a perfect time to try my newest cookie recipe: my Aunt Lina's World Famous Cowboy Cookies. These things are so delicious, and really addicting. Impossible to eat just one - I promise. Here you go:

Aunt Lina's Cowboy Cookies
2 c self rising flour
1tsp baking soda
1 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar
1 c butter flavored crisco
2 eggs
16 oz chocolate chips
2 c oatmeal
1 tsp vanilla
1 c pecans - chopped

Cream sugars and crisco, add eggs and beat til smooth. Add flour and soda mixture and mix until blended. Add oatmeal, chips and nuts. Batter will be stiff. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Warning - makes 3-4 dozen cookies. Be prepared to stuff yourself.

Next up - this macaroni and cheese recipe is really easy and soooo good. Best part - it cooks in the crock pot! Feel free to mix up the cheeses too - I doubled this recipe and used a mix of Cheddar and Gruyere. But you can really use anything you like - Jack, Gouda, whatever.

Crock-Pot Macaroni and Cheese
2 c uncooked elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Boil the macaroni until tender, about 6 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.  YUM. Sorry I don't have a pic of this one - it was gone too fast!

So that wraps it up for Saturday. Sunday was a beautiful day so we met some friends at the Leesburg Animal park. Jack loved it and we'll definitely be taking him back.

Picking the cow's nose

Walking around the park :)

Jack's favorite - the baby goats.

When we got home from the park it was time for Jack's afternoon nap, so I had some time to kill. I figured it was a great time to finally try a cookie recipe I've been meaning to make for weeks (and the one I promised I'd post...). This one's a real doozie and not for the faint of heart. This one is for true cookie lovers only.... I present to you......

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 white sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp pure vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 pkg. Oreo cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugars in a large bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda.  Slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.  Using a large spoon take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie.  Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie.  Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough.  Place onto a baking sheet and bake 9-13 minutes or until golden. Makes about 2 dozen.

These suckers are HUGE. Plenty to share... or not ;)

So that's all for now - Have a great week everyone!