Savory Herb Monkey Bread

It's been a wonderful few weeks at home with Baby B.  One of the lovely blessings we have had the opportunity to experience is the gift of hospitality and food.  Many friends have spoiled us just rotten by dropping dinner by so that we can adjust to our new baby routine without the fuss of having to prepare dinner.  While I absolutely love the chance to taste some of my wonderful friends' home cookin ... I've missed having the time and energy to cook and such myself. 

And so ... yesterday in the midst of a home renovation project (more on that later this week), I asked the fam to come over for a visit and dinner with Baby B.  Of course, you don't have to ask my lovely fam twice to spend time with Baby B, so they were over lickity split!  It felt so good to get back in the kitchen and we dined on flat iron steak and chicken, corn on the cob and a summer veggie saute.  It was all delish, but the menu item that had the fam swooning was the savory monkey bread.  It was a new recipe take on an old sweet favorite and it was a HIT!  The recipe came straight from my favorite lady, Paula Deen, and appeared on her show (which I love catching up on while I'm home!). 

Herb Monkey Bread
Ingredients

1 stick butter melted, plus 1/4 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
1 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 packages biscuits

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 12-cup Bundt pan; set aside.
2.  In a small bowl, combine cheese and Italian seasoning.
3.  Roll each individual biscuit into a ball. Dip each piece in the 1 stick of melted butter, then coat with the cheese mixture.
4.  Place dough into prepared pan; overlapping will occur. Bake bread, 30 to 35 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning, if needed.
5.  Let cool in pan, 10 minutes; invert bread onto a serving plate. Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup melted butter on top and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

I actually used 4 cans of the 7.5 oz size biscuits and pinched each biscuit in half to make more pieces in my bread.  You may also want to use more of the good stuff; cheese, butter and herbs, to make it even more tasty!  We all agreed that this not only makes a nice complimentary dish for dinner, but could make a great appetizer if served warm with marinara (pizza bread, ya'll!).

So as an app or with your meal, ya'll be sure to give this one a whirl!

Sweet and Simple Candy Buffet

To welcome friends, family and visitors to our home to meet Baby B, I whipped up this decorative candy display to give a parting gift and a sweet treat to those that stop by.  Sure, they are coming to meet their new friend Baby B, but what's wrong with sending them on their way southern style with a sweet way to say thanks for coming by? 

With a little prep and a few cute purchases, a simply candy buffet is within reach.  First, round up some glass vases or jars.  I have quite a thing for apothocary jars and so tracking down a few for this wasn't too hard!  Then, I filled the jars with cute "baby" candy.  One jar was filled with blue and white M&M's and another was full of sweet tart candy shaped like pacifiers.  Lastly, who doesn't love pixie stix?  And so a silver mint julip cup was added with a handful of blue pixies (and then the other flavors were added later when the blue started disappearing!). 

To stash the cute candy favors, I used simple white bags that I found at the craft store and made sweet monogram labels in blue to add a special touch.  This is all you need to give your guests the supplies they need to help themselves to a self serve buffet. 

But wait ... there's more!  Remember that silhoutte belly shot craft?  Well here it adds a personal touch to the display while we wait (anxiously) for Baby B's newborn pics to arrive.  Lastly, some oversized blue lollipops add a touch of whimsy.  Surprisingly, these are available at craft and grocery stores near me - so check your local spots!  Just fill a mint julip cup with foam and add the pops, covering the foam with some decorative paper shreds. 

See what I told you ... an almost instant, effortless candy buffet!  Enjoy!

Little Luxuries

It's been more than three months since my last trip to southern California.  To say I'm having withdrawl is an understatement.  And, to make matters more desperate ... this week my work counterparts are all ascending upon Huntington Beach for a conference.  I'm sure they are all basking in the glorious weather and enjoying the sunny skies sans humidity like I have the pleasure of enduring here in the south.  While I wouldn't trade maternity leave and my time with Baby B for any conference in  SoCali, I sure wouldn't mind making it back out there real soon! 

One of the hotels I frequent in Orange County offers the La Source line of bath and spa products for guests.  From my very first visit, I fell in love with that clean, beachy scent.  Upon further investigation, I realized that this line was from Crabtree and Evelyn and absolutely attainable for my home use, glorious!  The La Source products have a wonderfully relaxing scent of almond oil, oat kernal and sea algea.  The delicate scent layers nicely for everyday.   

Frequently on special sale online, I recently stocked up (thanks Dear Hubs) on the shampoo, body wash and lotion.  Until I can make my next visit back to my favorite place on earth ... the smell of the ocean air in a bottled bath product will just have to do! 

It's a Cinch!

Topping my fashion "to do" list right now is a search for a (or a few) belts.  Luckily, I came across a great collection of reasonable belts at Piperlime.  And to make the deal even more smashing ... there are tons of options on sale so deeply discounted that they are under $20 each!  What a deal!

Piperlime is a gap owned concept store and they offer free shipping (and free returns) on all of their merchandise.  So, I cashed in on the recent sale and found a few adorable new belts!  All of these cuties, and plenty of others, are on sale NOW so hurry over to Piperlime and pick up a few new looks as quick as you can!





Happy Shopping!

~charmed, b

Welcome Home!

Our Little Precious Baby B

Welcome Home!

It's been just about a week since Dear Hubs and I made our way home from the hospital with a little more in tow than when we arrived.  Baby B arrived on July 7th and made his appearance at 8lb 11 oz and 22.75 inches long.  We have spent the past week adjusting our duet into a trio and I'm happy to report we are doing just fine!  The last two weeks has been full of firsts with great promise of many more to come!

Baby B is a strapping young man and already proving that he will one day surely eat us out of house and home.  If there is any truth to the addage that babies grow when they sleep, this explains why our good little sleeper has already doubled his nourishment intake in just two weeks.  We love every minute with him and just can't take our eyes off of our sweet little boy!

Here's a few pics of our time with friends and family at the hospital and our big return home!

Family Photo of the Triple B's at the Hospital

Auntie LaLa meeting her new nephew

Zsa Zsa and Dear Ole Dad

MIL and FIL

Grand Nana Meeting her new GREAT Grandson

Bestie M with Baby B

Bestie S comes for a visit

Besties P, D and K stopped by to say hello!

Besties A and M with sweet Baby B

Dear Friends for Years S, M and S

Zsa Zsa's Childhood Friend D and her Mister

A's Mister B Came By With Well Wishes

Neighbors and Good Friends Since my Childhood, J and O

The Happy Family - Diva Dogs and ALL!

Boys VS Girls

For the first time in my life, the pink team is outnumbered by the blue team!  Growing up, pink wwwaaaaaayyyyy outnumbered the blue that Dear ole Dad could muster up.  He didn't really stand a chance, quite frankly, against the girly powers of Zsa Zsa, Lala and me!  There were dresses, dolls, ballet recitals, cheerleading competitions and so on.  And like a champ, the man's man obliged and supported his girls every step of the way.

Then, when Dear Hubs and I added our first diva dog to the family, Sheila added a point to make the girls outnumber the boys in my own household.  While diva dog #2, Colby, levelled the playing field ... I've neva eva considered the thought that I would one day be OUTNUMBERED in my own home! 

While I will enjoy every moment before Baby B grows boy enough to start toting bugs and boy things into the home, this book will prominently be displayed on my not so childproof glass coffee table in the media room.

I saw this book at Barnes and Noble a while back and just thought it was the most clever little collection of short stories, tips and tricks.  Of course, it must be made mine!  A survival guide of sorts, The Double Daring Book for Girls by Buchanan and Peskowitz is an adorable collection of stories, facts and tips that every daring girl must know!  Hey, there's even a short entry on "how to fish" ... perhaps this will help prep me for the day when Baby B asks me to put a worm on a hook for him (eeeewwwwww).

~charmed, b

Cupcake Love

It's no secret that I just love all things cupcake and this little bishop dress caught my eye and even further supports my claim that I love ALL things cupcake!  One of the new designs from Charmed Life Kids arrived this week and I am just in love!

Be sure to check out this sweetness!

~charmed, b