My First Photo Shoot // Kevin and Bria

and a blooper for the road...

I had the pleasure of capturing these two on camera a few weekends back and I loved every moment of it. Some of you may know the name Bria here on the blog and that's because I mention her every now and then. She happens to be my beautiful best friend and that handsome fella there is her man. I should mention that they've been together since we were awkward and smelly teenagers. That love you see in these pictures cannot be faked.

This also was my first "photo shoot" and I really hope it's not my last. I had so much fun behind the camera, snapping pictures left and right. Truthfully I had no idea what I was doing and I'm glad Kevin and Bria didn't mind me fumbling with my camera every now then or bossing them around to get the shot I pictured in my head. I can't wait for the next opportunity to capture so much love on camera.

What do you guys think of the pictures!? Let me know your thoughts and any tips you may for me in the comments below!

<3  

yes, this is another post about cats...

Isn't she a beauty? Snickers has been by my side ever since Patches left. I swear her personality gets bigger and bigger with every death of a feline in this house. I also am convinced that she took apart of Patches' soul, because some of the things she does now is freakishly similar to the things Patches did. For example, the drooling, the following me around everywhere I go, the meeting me outside the bathroom door every morning, or my favorite...non stop meowing. Like, where did this cat come from. A couple years ago it was lucky if we saw her twice a week.

I'm not against it though. Just look at that face.

<3  

Recipe // Individual Apple Pies

I made these cute little mini pies this past Friday and was so happy with how they turned out. They're the perfect portion and can be eaten on the go. How great is that!? Since it was my first time trying out mini pies, it took me a couple batches to tweak them to perfection, but the last couple of batches came out great. 

I would definitely recommend using the egg wash on top of the pies to give them that great shiny brown top. Compared to the pies who didn't get it, there was a big difference in a appearance. No difference in taste, so don't worry about that if you don't care to do the egg wash, it's mainly for looks. These little guys are perfect to give as gifts to. Just wrap up in some bags and tie with a ribbon and you got a super easy gift that no one will be able to turn down. 

Ingredients and Directions

Crust:

2 cups flour

1 cup lard (Crisco)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg + 2 tsp vinegar + water

Mix together dry ingredients. Cut the lard into the flour mix until crumbly mixture forms. Break egg into a measuring cup and add vinegar. Fill to 1/2 cup with water and mix. Add to flour and mix until a dough forms. The dough will be a bit sticky, use extra flour to handle. Form into a ball and set aside. 

Apple Filling:

A handful of apple slices (i didn't measure!) Macintosh apples work best

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

Toss apples in the spices until fully coated. Set aside. 

Assembly:

1. Roll out pie crust evenly and relatively thin. Use a circle cookie cutter to cut out shapes, set aside access pie crust for next batch. 

2. Place several apple slices (or however many fit in the middle without overloading) in the middle of the crust. Use an egg wash and brush along the outer rim to act as glue. Place a second circle on top and use a fork to secure down the sides. Cut a x in the middle, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar. (the egg wash on top of the crust will create a really nice shiny brown finish on the pies. It's certainly not necessary)

3. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until edges have browned and the middles are oozy. 

4. Repeat until all dough and apples are used up. I ran out of dough first and just ate the left over apples as is. :) 

<3

Recipe // Pumpkin Pancakes with Toasted Pecan Topping

It's Fall. I had to make something pumpkin flavored or the season just wouldn't have been the same. I've been craving pumpkin flavored pancakes for week and I never even had them before. How does that work? So one night I did some food gawking and put together a recipe for these amazing pancakes. I used a basic pancake recipe and just added some spices and of course pumpkin puree. They turned out pretty damn good, if I don't say so myself. Just take a look...

Pumpkin Pancakes 

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups flour
2 TBL brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
dash of ginger
1 cup almond milk (or regular milk)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 TBL melted butter
1/4 cup toasted pecans
Maple syrup and butter for topping

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients. Put wet into dry and whisk together until batter forms. Don't overmix! A few lumps is perfectly fine.

2. Heat up your skillet or frying pan and add some butter to prevent sticking or just use some cooking spray. Take a 1/4 scoop to scoop the batter onto the skillet. Helpful Tip: I found that the batter was a bit thicker then normal pancake batters. When I scooped the batter onto the skillet I used the scoop to spread out the batter into a larger circle to make the pancake thinner and also so that it would cook more evenly. Make sense?

3. Let pancake cook until small bubbles form on top and then flip to the other side and let cook all the way. During the same time of cooking the pancakes, I popped some pecans onto the skillet to toast them up a bit. Transfer pancakes to a wire rack or keep them in the stove to keep warm until ready to eat.

4. Serve with maple syrup and warm toasted pecans. So good.