Maybe it’s Spring, or maybe just coincidental, but it feels great to be motivated again.  I’ve been in a creative slump the past few months, so just the chatter of fresh new ideas has me excited.  Lorien and I have been making some plans for Get Along and Go in the upcoming months.  We sat down this week to focus on where/how to get started.   Of course we had no trouble finishing a bottle of wine (always helps the creative process) and came up with a bunch of new projects we’re excited to share.  So much so, we decided it would be best to take a short ‘vacation’ from posting in order to sort through our thoughts, organize the next steps, and come back in a week introducing some new series (so excited to get started!).  It’s hard to believe – but we haven’t taken a break since we got started almost a year ago. I always say it – but really, time flies….so we’re hitting the pause button and regrouping.  Coming up for air is the best.  See you in a week!

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If you follow us on Twitter and Instagram, you’ve probably already know about my lemon cake adventures. I’m not much of a baker, I prefer cooking because there is more freedom/ I need more freedom to make mistakes, so I was very happy to find out my cake looked good and tasted even better. (Confession, I may have forgotten the eggs the first time around, luckily the batter was so easy that it was easy to whip up again.. oops.)

I used Ina Garten’s recipe, I think that helped with my confidence since her recipes are 99% amazing. I added poppy seeds because we were doing a Game of Thrones themed potluck dinner (I can’t believe I’ve admitted that) and I also needed 3 or so lemons for the icing.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the glaze:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired.

Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Full recipe here.

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This post was meant for yesterday, but after a very long work day, I needed to unwind, and Ben treated me to dinner out.  It was a fun surprise, and after a tasty dinner and a few drinks, I couldn’t muster the energy to finish up this post.  So, alas, here it is a day late.  It’s the first of a new series I’m writing, all about color mood boards featuring some of my favorite pins from pinterest coupled with some suggestions for interior paint colors.  The first installment is all about grey (I’ve been thinking about painting my living room and bathroom grey in the coming months).

Grey is such a versatile neutral.  It can be warm or cool, it blends effortlessly with other neutrals, or creates a perfect base for bold colors (think neon).  I sifted through some amazing images on pinterest for color inspiration.  The grey soft serve ice cream is memorizing (what do you think it tastes like?), and grey lab puppies, wow!!  These four Benjamin Moore colors are just perfect.  I’m loving the smoked truffle!

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Inspired by my upcoming summer and all the shows/bands I can’t wait to see, Newport Folk Festival being one(!), this new series ‘Paper Trail’ is all about featuring well designed print material from bands. Over the weekend, I spent a good while getting lost in well designed posters for bands and I found myself either checking out or re-listening to many of the bands based on their posters. Posters and flyers have always been collectibles, and there are some amazing ones out there…

First up, Tycho. Tycho is someone I’ve enjoyed for awhile now. He is an ambient music artist and producer, who is also known as ISO50 for his photographic and design works. His posters are a direct reflection of his music – dreamy and serene.

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Guacamole / Green Pozole / Green Enchiladas / Baked Mangos

I’m a huge fan of Mexican flavors, so I don’t need a special reason to prepare a Mexican inspired menu for a dinner party.  I’ll say this – most Mexican recipes include inexpensive, but fresh ingredients, which makes for good entertaining.  This south of the border menu includes many fresh vegetables and fruits, and tons of flavor.  I tend to add more spice to most recipes, but when entertaining, I consider my guests and their likes.  I can’t wait to try out this menu for my next dinner party.  Those baked mangoes sound amazing!

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Navy Signal Prints are a method of communication between maritime vessels with flags.  It’s an interesting system, but I’m excited about these prints for decorating.  I want the whole alphabet.

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Did you see these images on Cool Hunting? Without reading, I thought these were just amazing shots of space, but then I realized they were shots of whiskey from the bottom of scotch glasses. Photographer Ernie Button used different lighting to highlight the different patterns from the residue that was left. These would be amazing blown up and hung over a bar station. What do you think?

See more here.

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Meatballs and homemade sauce is the one of the easiest meals to make for a crowd, which is what I needed to do this weekend. This recipe by Nigella Lawson is sooooo easy to make – mix the meatballs, make the sauce, then drop the meatballs into the sauce and just let it cook. There is barely any prep, there is no sautéing of the meatballs, you don’t even change the temperature of the heat throughout the whole recipe…. so easy. The hardest part is being patient. You know you have a good recipe when your guests ask you how you made it, can’t wait to make again.

Meatballs:

9 ounces ground pork
9 ounces ground beef
1 egg
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons fine bread crumbs or semolina
Good grind black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Just put everything in a large bowl and then, using your hands, mix to combine before shaping into small balls. Place the meatballs on baking sheets or plates that you have lined with plastic wrap, and put in the refrigerator as you finish them.

Yield: 6 servings

Tomato Sauce:

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil (not extra-virgin)
24 ounces canned tomatoes, in puree
3/4 cup water
Pinch sugar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk

Put the onion, garlic and oregano into the processor and blitz to a pulp. Heat the butter and oil in a deep, wide pan, then scrape the onion-garlic mix into it and cook over low to medium heat for about 10 minutes. Don’t let the mixture stick, just let it become soft. Add the tomatoes and then add about 3/4 cup cold water to the pan with a pinch of sugar and some salt and pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes. The tomato sauce may appear thin at this stage, but don’t worry, as it will thicken a little later. Stir in the milk, and then drop the meatballs in 1 at a time. Don’t stir the pan until the meatballs have turned from pink to brown, as you don’t want to break them up. Cook everything for about 20 minutes, with the lid only partially covering it. At the end of cooking time, check the seasoning, as you may want more salt and a grind or 2 more of pepper.

Yield: 6 servings

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In two weeks I am leaving Park City, my current home, and heading on a two week road trip to Houston, TX.  My April and May are stocked with adventures (more to come), but for this post, I’m focusing on the first part–my camping/hiking trip to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon.  I am just counting down the days until we head toward two of America’s most beautiful areas. I am so excited to get going, I’ve already bought our UHT milk, (in small, daily sized packages so we don’t need to refrigerate anything!), and we are, again, quite literally, not leaving for two weeks.  I’ve decided to make my own snacks for the trip and have listed some ideal versions of camping favorites below.  I am also really looking forward to the seeing the scenery of both parks, which is so completely different to anything I’ve seen before: the washed out, muted, ruddy tones of red rock, pines, and shallow streams.  These colors, which are so popular today with the sun-washed theme of so many clothes and housewares, are quite easy to find.  I’ve attached some ideal finds that, were I to wear, would be the equivalent of stylish, arid, camping camo, right?  Just trying to blend in and decrease my impact on the nature around me…  I am so excited and look forward to updating as my trek continues.

1) These bars look like a tasty substitute for health bars that would be perfect to wrap up and take on the trails.

2) 6) I really love these espadrilles–maybe not the best for hiking and camping, but a really nice shoe for being outdoors in springtime.

3) This s’more sounds amazing.  While I am a fan of the classic, I will definitely be trying these.

4) I feel like Chambray shirts are a necessity once you out of the sun and in front of a fire.  I have a few, but I really like the wash-out, fitted look of this one.

5) I do plan on having beer, seemingly a camping essential, but perhaps if I pack some rhubarb simple syrup, I can also enjoy some easy, refreshing cocktails.  And rhubarb season is upon us.

6) Homemade Poptarts! Is there a better way to camp than with gormet versions of classic throw-backs?

7) A picnic blanket would be nice to set up outside the tent so stargazing becomes a real, a comfortable, possibility.

8) I love this shrug–the color and geometric pattern are really nice and southwestern-y.

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I’m guilty of never using a case for my i-phone.  I just haven’t really found one I like, plus – I’m not a huge fan of all the nooks they create for potential dirt to gather.  It’s just a thing.  These cases by Csera may change my ways.  I love the wood print combined with the bright colors and graphic shapes.  I’m leaning toward the one on the top left.  That wood grain print is my fave.  Another factor drawing me in is the very reasonable price of $20.  I may just give it a go.

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