surprise! it's a cake! no, it's a fruit!

jonathan's birthday was in august. so of course, i made a cake. but the boy loves fruit, so i went with something i'd seen on the ever inspiring pinterest and made a surprise fruit cake. no, not the terrible kind you eat at christmas, but rather a cake made from fruit that looks like a cake but is really just a lot of fruit.

it starts with a medium sized watermelon. i cut off the top and bottom and then cut off the sides to form a cylinder

then i cut mine into two 'layers' and put the bottom layer on a platter

next i whipped up some cream with some sugar and vanilla and spread a layer on top of the watermelon and then topped it with kiwi and pineapple 

and then another layer of whipped cream

followed by the second piece of cake, err watermelon 

then i frosted the entire 'cake' in whipped cream 

and decorated it with more fruit

and then a lot more fruit. i also drizzled some caramel sauce on it, because, why not? 

doesn't look like a watermelon from here...

and the big reveal! 

he was happy. obvi.

xoxo

food lately: you know, from the last six months (part 2)

don't worry, there's more:

arugula salad with tomatoes and cheesy croutons 

pasta salad with cantaloupe, arugula, and prosciutto (awesome!)

pasta with eggplant, grilled onions, and tomatoes in cream sauce

one of my favorite pizzas i've ever made with eggplant, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, and pesto

and... the strangest pizza i've ever made with leeks, broccoli, and veggie patties, but not terrible

thyme & parmesan biscuits, fried eggs, and left over dressing 

cheese dip nachos (oh yes!)

a delicious feast of roasted sweet potatoes, greens, caramelized onions, chorizo sausage, goat cheese, and crepes (also one of my favs)

plus some sweet treats: 

brownies

and blue bell! 

xoxo

spring sprung

Spring made an appearance for a good chunk of march and april and we took full advantage soaking up the sun after the chills of winter:

Ashley had me over for cocktail hour, but really the point was to use the awesome texas cutting board

we hit up big boss for their monthly tour and the grilled cheese food truck

There was some gouge wrestling of course

Ashley made us ice cream sandwiches (with homemade ice cream!)

Casey came into town and we went bowling, because we love a double date

This adorable mural popped up

Cookout fancy shakes were had -- Jonathan tried to tell me you couldn't mix flavors, but no no, I asked the nice man at the window who told me I could mix as many things as I wanted! Ashley heard they'll put whatever you bring them in a milkshake for you...

Picnics in the park

  

Mini golf - my fav! 

And of course: the sonic

I hope you've gotten to enjoy some lovely spring weather!

xoxo

food lately: happening now

I know I've been bad. Blame work and studying mostly. And helping the boy move. And going home to cali for a few days. Hmm, and speaking of traveling, I'm off to Savannah for the weekend so expect some goodness after that.

But in the meantime, I've been eating:

Fried eggs & toast

Nutella popsicles (nutella + milk)

Goat-cheddar cheese pasta with mushrooms & greens

watermelon beer (really delicious, just an after taste)

jerk black bean burgers

oh, and maybe a lot of caffeine, thanks evan.

these things don't study themselves, though i really wish they did...

also, currently listening to these cool fools. all of them, not just ho hey, though it's a winner too.

oh and you are need of a little bit of ridiculousness, read this (vital people, vital). 

stay out of trouble, and the heat this weekend. 

xoxo 

sin in a jar

A while back I saw this recipe for salted chocolate carmel pretzel bark. And it is amazing. I halved the recipe and it gave me two big jars, but that didn't mean it lasted long.

Follow the awesome tutorial for step by steps but it is pretty foolproof:

Just lay out some pretzels on a baking sheet,

Make some caramel to drizzle over the pretzels and bake off...

Meanwhile, melt some chocolate, and then pour the chocolate over the warm gooey pretzels,

sprinkle with sea salt and you are good to go!

I warn you not to make it, it's just too good.

xoxo

oh yeah the super bowl

it happened. we had a party. people came. they ate and drank. i think some people watched the game. we certainly watched some of the commercials, and the halftime show.

But really, we mostly ate and drank.  

There was a lot to be had:

And more food too!

So what did I make?

A peanut butter football and a football field cake. Seriously.

Penut butter dip, shaped like a football:

This recipe and idea came from crazy for crust. Her's looks much better but it was still absolutely delicious, Megan called it her crack. 

And for the cake, I made my chocolate cake. It is just my recipe for chocolate cupcakes but in one big pan. It usually takes a couple extra minutes to bake. The recipe is in this post.

 

And cream cheese frosting, in field green of course:

xoxo