Home Grown Goodness {Installment 2}

I have a special recipe for you today, Dreamers :) This is a dish that my family craves every summer until our potatoes and green beans are FINALLY ready to enjoy. I am talking about Beans Bacon and Potatoes! Yep, it is exactly what it sounds like (we didn't get too creative with the name). A culmination of fresh green beans, home grown potatoes, and pork from an Iowan raised hog, this is one of my all time favorites <3

Beans Bacon and Potatoes

• Approx. 2 lbs Fresh Green Beans
• 1 lb Bacon
• 8-10 Medium Potatoes 

1. Boil water in a large pot
2. Wash, peel and halve potatoes
3. Cut slices of bacon into thirds
4. Wash and snap off the ends of fresh green beans
5. Add potatoes to the boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.
6. After the potatoes boil for 5 minutes, add bacon
7. Let boil for 5 more minutes before adding beans
8. After 10-15 minutes (or until potatoes are thoroughly cooked), remove from heat
9. Let cool and serve with a slotted spoon

PS I like to mash my potatoes with my fork and add a little butter and salt :) 

Home Grown Goodness {Installment 1}

I'm back Dreamers! And I'm back with one of my most favorite things, FOOD! But not just any food :) It's food made with veggies you can easily grow yourself. The three recipes I am featuring this week were made using fresh veggies from our garden at home or at my grandpa's (aka my second home).

Super Simple Pasta Salad

• 1 lb box of rotini pasta
• Your choice of veggies (We used tomatoes, broccoli, green and red peppers, onions, cucumbers, and olives)
• Italian salad dressing to taste (I prefer about one cup)

1. Boil pasta following the directions on the box (I recommend adding a little olive oil to your water to prevent sticking)
2. Drain pasta and allow it to cool completely
3. While pasta is cooling, wash and cut your veggies (Most of the veggies we used can be easily grown in your garden at home)
4. Add veggies and dressing to the cool pasta
5. Refrigerate for an hour and serve

Sangria and Black Garden Wedding

Good afternoon Dreamers! As promised I have created an inspiration board for a unique garden wedding I am helping a friend to plan. While many of the following pictures are self explanitory, I feel I must go into detail about my excitement over some elements. First comes the plum upside down cake. Altering the recipe slightly to make indivdual cupcakes for each guest would be a creative and tasty way to pull the unique color scheme into the menu. Next there is the butterfly boutonniere. I am in love with the idea of non-floral accessories for garden weddings because there are already more than enough flowers at them. Lastly, there are those darling little birds :) To me, they would not only make an adorable cake topper but would also work as a ring pillow or table decor. Hope you enjoy today's post! My sister is coming home for the weekend so it may be awhile before I post again. Have a happy weekend <3

Photo Credits: Gazebo, Butterfly Laterns, Watering Can Centerpiece, Plum Cake, Bridal Headpiece, Nest Stamp, Butterfly Boutonniere, Nest Cake Topper, Bridesmaid Outfit

My First Bridesmaid Outfit

Hello Dreamers :)  I am excited to announce that I am currently in the process of helping my dear friend Alyssa plan her wedding to my dear friend Adam! Alyssa is a total sweetheart with a rock and roll streak a country mile wide while Adam is quite the outdoorsman. For this reason, I feel their sangria and black themed garden wedding expresses who she and Adam are just perfectly! Since I am a greedy little bridesmaid, I have decided to feature a bridesmaid outfit I created on Polyvore. I am hoping to pair this outfit with other images to create a lovely inspiration board for them by tomorrow :) But for now, I hope you enjoy my creation.

Photo Credits: Bridesmaid Outfit

Getting Started and Saying Goodbye

My name is Erica and today I decided to start a blog. I've been thinking about doing so for quite some time but haven't gotten my nerve up until now. I suppose I am only using this venture as a distraction but in my opinion that reason is as good as any to get started. You see yesterday I moved my sister into her first apartment and, since she's been my best friend for the past 19 years, it's a little hard to say goodbye. I've created this blog with the intentions of forcing myself to focus on happy things such as weddings, interior design, and baking. Here's to hoping this is a positive experience :)

I find it ironic this Suzy Bogguss song from 1992 (the year my sister was born) is stuck in my head; especially since I haven't heard it for at least 15 years. It's hard letting go but I know it is for the best :) Love you, Morgan!