Oscar Night. . . .Love it!

Just when we thought spring had sprung...Missouri weather hits again! Sleet. Snow. Rain. Hail. Repeat. Lucky for me, our house was stocked with all the vegetable soup essentials. I tossed some carrots, celery, leeks, butternut squash and chickpeas together to whip up Martha Stewart's Hearty Winter-Vegetable Soup. Check out the recipe below.

Ingredients (for 10-12 servings)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 leeks, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, cut into 1-inch pieces, and washed well
3 celery stalks, cut on the bias into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
3 medium carrots, cut into cubes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 pinches of red-pepper flakes
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
5 1/4 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
1 1/2 cups water
1 small (1 to 1 1/2 pounds) butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
2 Yukon Gold potatoes (about 12 ounces), cut into cubes
1 head escarole, cut into 1-inch-thick ribbons
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh dill
Directions

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Cook leeks, celery, carrots, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until leeks are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add stock and water, and bring to a boil.
Add squash and potatoes. Return to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in escarole and chickpeas, and return to a boil. Stir in lemon juice and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.

This whole evening has been all about wedding wedding wedding. Part one (ring shopping) was a blast! Part two (dinner with my future hubby) was fun as well. Nothing like coming off of a (ring)shopping high and enjoying sushi and a glass of wine, while talking about your pending nuptials with you loved one. Part three (all the other items we have been putting off while our parents bother us day in and day out) NOT. SO. FUN. In a nutshell, I'm over it. No..wrong wording. I'm just ready for it to be here. Ready for the planning of the wedding to NOT be the center of my evening plans every day. I'm ready to just enjoy the wedding weekend and my new life as Mrs. Gavin Eubank. Even if I do have to give up my initials and go with SEE instead of SEG. Smooches!

We got out wedding bands today! YAY! I couldn't be more excited...and really want to wear it NOW!



LOVE my engagement ring with the band! Ahhh! So ready for April 16!

"It’s not about who you’ve been with, it’s about who you end up with. Sometimes the heart doesn’t know what it wants until it finds what it wants."
-The Office




Well, if that isn't the truth I really don't know what is.

I need some new tunes. Any suggestions?

Its cold, wet and I feel like poo.

I would much rather be in my warm home today, cuddled up under our new (and super soft) PB blanket, sipping on something warm.

That something warm would be hot tea with a little of this deliciousness below mixed in.

Enjoy.



For 5 cups of this yummy berry blend, combine 3 cups fresh cranberries, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 strips orange peel, 6 cloves, 1/2 vanilla bean halved lengthwise, and 5 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; after about 5 minutes, reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring, 10 minutes more. Let cool a bit; pour through a strainer into a pitcher. Refrigerate, covered, up to 1 week.

Not only can this be mixed in with hot tea, you can sip it cold with soda water, vodka or white wine if you are in the mood for a spritzer!

I've always loved the look of aged terra-cotta pots but knew I was never old enough to have pots that have already aged to look like that. Luckily, Martha Stewart has the answer for everything!

Stir 1 cup of lime powder, a mineral available at garden centers, into 2 cups of water until it takes on a thick, gravy-like consistency. With a bristle brush, paint the solution onto pots, sparingly in some places and generously in others.



When the pot is completely coated and still wet, spray some spots with water from a spray bottle on the "stream" setting to let some of the lime solution run off.



Allow the pot to dry, then sand in a random pattern with medium-grit sandpaper (about 150 grit) until you are satisfied with the gently mottled surface.



DONE AND DONE.

Twice today have I randomly ran across Protea today. Completely difference situations but two times in the past 24 hours (hell, even closer to 12 hours) have I crossed that word. Protea. One was a picture while I was browsing the blog of my wedding photographer. Another on a random blog I accidentally clicked on. Then I realized I had not clue what Protea was. So, what's a girl to do? Mr. Google to the rescue. And what did I find, you ask, that compelled me to blog about this mysterious Protea?

"It is sometimes called Sugarbush"

Holy moly! I seriously giggled out loud for about 2 minutes. For those of you who know Gavin & I personally, you probably know that is his nickname for me. Where else would the start of my blog address (SugarB) come from? Talk about making me smile over something random.

How do you know when you are starting to turn a corner after feeling sickly? When you start having food cravings. That is exactly what just happened to me. In true pre-wedding spirit, Gavin and I have been eating healthy and cutting back on carbs. I, however, am having a hankering for good 'ol Folk-Life Festival Beer Bread. If you've been, you know what I'm sayin'...Good news is that I have the recipe. Now if I can just get out of bed long enough to whip this piece of cake (or bread) recipe up.

3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 can (bottle) beer (best at room temp, but I don't have the patience for that)

Mix flour & sugar, then add beer. Mix until just combined. Bake in greased loaf pan at 325 degrees for an hour and a half. Butter the top of the loaf every 30 minutes while baking.

Nom Nom Nom...but I think all this typing has actually worn me out. Must. Get. Energy.

This makes me so excited for spring flowers I want to scream--or just break out my bike and go for a joy ride.

{Bicycle Planter, Pottery Barn}

With the recent spike in temperatures (yay!) I have had some intense cravings for warm weather food. What does that mean? For me, it's something light and fresh. This Baked Flounder with a side of Roasted Tomatoes seems to fit the bill perfectly. The best part? Toss together a fresh salad and you can have dinner for 4 on the table in about 35 minutes!

Ingredients

6 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for one of the baking sheets
3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
pinch sugar
coarse salt {I use sea salt} and ground pepper
1/3 cup mayonnaise {I like the olive oil mayo}
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 slices sandwich bread {I like flaxseed bread, but the recipe calls for white}, torn into large pieces
4 flounder fillets (1 1/2 pounds total)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Directions

Preheat oven to 450, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Place tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet (or be prepared for a mess in your oven). Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon oil, teaspoon tarragon, sugar, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Arrange tomatoes cut side up. Roast on lower rack until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. (Keep oven on for fish.)

While those are roasting, make sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, remaining 1/2 teaspoon tarragon, and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush with oil. In a food processor, place bread, a pinch each salt and pepper, and remaining tablespoon oil; pulse until fine crumbs form.
{YOU CAN ALWAYS GO THE EASY ROUTE AND JUST DRESS UP SOME STORE BOUGHT BREADCRUMBS IF YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE IT SIMPLE}

Lay fillets flat on prepared baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Spread top sides with mustard; sprinkle with bread crumbs, pressing to adhere. Bake on upper rack until fish is cooked through and crumbs are browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve with tomatoes and sauce.

After this weekend's bridal shower, our home is turning into a Pottery Barn catalog...and I couldn't be happier! A HUGE thank you to everyone!

What to do when you are snowed in during a blizzard in Missouri?? Break out old issues of Bon Appetit and cook up a storm. Thank goodness we raided the grocery store just days ago. Stay tuned for my yummy concoctions & recipes!