Birthday Boy

This past weekend was the cutest, sweetest fiancé's birthday! So, of course, I had to buy some festive junk from HEB. Because that's just the kind of girl I am.

Which prompted Nick, with a truly boyish grin, to ask if I was going to a small child's birthday. Whatever, he totally wore the crown.

I love birthdays, and I want us to make a big deal out of them in our new family. My parents always treated birthdays like the event of the year, and some of my favorite childhood memories involve the plethora of birthday signs and the personalized birthday menu. So, to my future kids: I promise to make a big deal out of you all the time, but especially on your birthday...

Speaking of big deals, I made The Cupcakes. And let me tell you, they were worth it. Every calorie was worth it. You might remember that I am something of a kitchen newbie. So, while the cupcakes weren't perfect, they were pretty darn good, and it felt so good to create something for someone from scratch. 

That was our breakfast-- adulthood has many charms...

Food: the results are in...

I did it! The story starts with ingredients everywhere, lots of steam, and finally ends with a lovely/edible pasta meal. It was quite good, but Nick didn't go back for seconds. The seconds trip is a sure-fire sign that something is excellent. But, I think it is worth trying again to see if I can make it irresistible to him. Especially since it took me less than 30 minutes to make. I can definitely get behind that! I'm not sure what to try next... any suggestions?

Uh oh... I'm one of those people who takes pictures of their food!

   

Just call me Suzi Homemaker

Okay, confession time: my kitchen and I are strangers.

I like to say that college killed any urge to cook and bake with its rigorous schedule and frequent coffee shop study trips. But that is probably a lie considering all the movies I managed to watch and the downtown trips I managed to enjoy. I just stopped cooking and baking, end of story. Luckily Nick likes to feed me, or I might A. wither away or B. get fat and happy off boxed mac and cheese forever and ever amen. 

It is time for a change though, the kind of change that requires a theme song. Please hear Europe's The Final Countdown as you read. The ring on my left hand is urging me to not only obsess over wedding plans but also to nest. I want our apartment to be homey, and I want to have pies sitting on the windowsills, goshdarnit. Is that too much to ask?

So, at the urging of my office-mate (who is also one of my lovely bridesmaids and a fabulous cook!) I am going to try, I said try, to make dinner twice a week. Wish me luck?

 I've already prepped Nick for a feast tonight, and I plan to make this delish-looking dish. I will probably modify it a little, but nothing too crazy since kitchen newbies probably shouldn't start by rewriting recipes, just a thought.

{via Eat Live Run}

Add a salad to appease my mom and two glasses of wine, and that is (hopefully) dinner tonight! Expect a report replete with pictures tomorrow. Yes, this blog is about to make room for food... we'll see how long that lasts...