fresh raspberry jam

we've been trying to jam-pack (pun intended!) our autumn full of little adventures. yesterday was the first weekend together we've had as a little family in a long time, so we decided to spend the gorgeous day outside raspberry picking.

we filled a little quart container full of ripe red ones, some surprisingly delicious white ones and a bunch of not-quite-ripe pink ones that were the perfect amount of tartness.

this morning i decided to make a yummy + super simple raspberry jam. YUM!

quick + easy jam recipe (from martha stewart)

2 cups hulled raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

puree or blend raspberries to desired consistency in food processor.

mix all ingredients and bring to a boil in a small non-stick saucepan.

boil on medium-high for 10 minutes or so (mine took about 12-14 to thicken)

remove from heat and put in container. let cool to room temp and refrigerate. it will last up to 14 days.


*needless to say, i've been eating toast all day.

zuo quark chandelier

we officially closed on our new house yesterday. so naturally, i decided to buy things for it.

our zuo quark chandelier just arrived this afternoon. i'm beyond excited to put it up in the dining room (mind you, the dining room isn't even done being painted and has no other furniture)

what do you think? love it, no?

oh, and don't be fooled. we would never pay full price for it. it just happened to be on one kings lane last week for a ridiculously good price. i couldn't pass it up.

happy friday!

hope you relax + enjoy the sunshine

cinnamon buttermilk cake

don't you hate when you buy ingredients for a recipe and only end up using the tiniest bit and having loads left over? that said, we had a bunch of buttermilk in the fridge that was almost two weeks old, so i knew it would be on its way out soon.

instead of reverting to my classic buttermilk scone recipe, i decided to bake a buttermilk cake, lacing it with plenty of cinnamon.

cinnamon buttermilk cake a la evans

2 C. all purpose flour (i've used self rising before and came out just as great)
1 TBSP (heaping) cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick salted butter
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
2 C. buttermilk

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. beat butter and sugar on medium/high until fluffy. beat in eggs, one at a time. add buttermilk. gradually add dry mixture to create batter until well blended.

pour into greased + floured pan. (i used 9" round)

bake for 35-40 minutes. ENJOY!

wild over wild flowers

i'm somewhat obsessed with wild flowers. plus, they are just so quintessentially late summer time, no? so we went on a fun mini adventure yesterday to a pick-your-own wild flower farm.

there were dozens of varieties to choose from. rows and rows of bright + gorgeous colors. sunflowers taller than me. lots of sweet bees buzzing around. it was a perfect afternoon.

we picked over two buckets full for a mere $20 + $2 to keep the bucket to carry them home. suburbia highlight: WAY cheaper than a whole foods bundle. 

our picks of the day