{image via Cooking with My Kid}

Croque Madame in a Hole, for 2

Ingredients:

I’m Samma (also known by my full name, Samma Faye, after both my grandmothers).   Pictured with me is my new rescue golden retriever, Buddy (also known by his full name, Buddy Bear).  I’m a relatively newlywed.  My husband ...]]> I am so excited to be a contributor to EAD Living.  Now that the holiday rush has passed us by, I combat with winter blues with lots of projects and cooking, all of which I am dying to share with you!  So, to introduce myself-

I’m Samma (also known by my full name, Samma Faye, after both my grandmothers).   Pictured with me is my new rescue golden retriever, Buddy (also known by his full name, Buddy Bear).  I’m a relatively newlywed.  My husband and I got married in May 2009 at my family’s home.

It was a wonderful ceremony, under the oak tree where my husband, Hubs, proposed.  It was also a rocking party-

Hee.

Anyway, after the wedding was over, I began a blog to release any and all creative urges which were not without an outlet.  I’m a business lawyer by day, which does not exactly fulfill my artistic needs.

Hollow-legged when it comes to bacon and wine, I am happiest puttering around my kitchen.  An East Tennessean (go Vols!), and Georgia grad (go Dawgs!), I cook a lot of Southern food.

And go to a lot of SEC football games.

Hubs and I just purchased a new house this summer, so I’m having a lot of fun transforming our “move-in ready” rancher.  Also, learning how to garden.  Which is quite the learning process for this black thumb.

We throw a lot of parties, some of which are planned. . . and some not so much.  However, with at least five friends engaged or pregnant at any given moment, there are a lot of celebrations to be thrown!

So next post, pour yourself a glass wine, get out your wooden spoon and possibly dancing shoes, and we will have a party.  Well, a virtual party.  Over the internet.

Hmmm. That sounds a bit inappropriate.  Let’s rephrase.

I am so excited to post all about parties, recipes and entertaining!    Better?   Nice to meet you and thanks for reading!

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2011 · Permalink · 10 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Just for Fun, Newlywed Life

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For the last 7 years, I flew from coast to coast with frequency. I lived in Los Angeles. My family lived in Virginia Beach.  I got on a plane and a few hours later like magic I was at my destination. I never bothered to consider nor appreciate the vast country that lies in-between. When I decided to return to Virginia, I knew that I wanted to drive cross-country. Driving cross country has been on my bucket list for quite ...]]>

For the last 7 years, I flew from coast to coast with frequency. I lived in Los Angeles. My family lived in Virginia Beach.  I got on a plane and a few hours later like magic I was at my destination. I never bothered to consider nor appreciate the vast country that lies in-between. When I decided to return to Virginia, I knew that I wanted to drive cross-country. Driving cross country has been on my bucket list for quite some time. I was fortunate to have my best friend Cicely volunteer to join me. It turned out to be the trip of a lifetime.

We drove from California and passed through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina to get to our final destination of Virginia. It took us 5 days to make the trip. Ideally, we wanted to take 7 days, but we spent some time shopping sightseeing in Southern California. Along the way, we tried cuisine from different locales. Some of it was good; others not so good. We also stopped at as many cupcakebakeries as we could manage. This trip was nicknamed the Cucpcake Tour. The southern part of the United States is beautiful. Here are some of our pics.

Needless to say, we both gained a new-found perspective and appreciation for this country and our friendship. I highly recommend embarking on a cross-country trip of your own either with your significant other or your best friend. My next goal is to drive cross-country via the northern route.

Should you decide to embark on a cross-country trip of your own, I have a few tips.

• Plan to take at least a week to drive from one coast to the other.
  This will allow you to time to stop and enjoy the sights along the way. This also minimizes the amount of hours you spend on the road per day. By condensing our trip to 5 days, we spent far too many hours on the road which was very exhausting.
• Take your trip during transition season like Spring or Autumn.
  We drove in late February which put our travel in the middle of winter. This made for some hairy moments. At one point, we drove just to stay ahead of a snowstorm that was coming across the country. Summers are great, but I don’t necessarily recommend them if you’re going to be driving through the southern part of the country. Anyone that lives in the Deep South can tell you summers are not fun.
• Have your GPS and traditional maps ready.
  My car does not have a built-in GPS unit. So, I opted to buy a stand-alone unit. This was the best decision I made by far. The worst decision was not testing it out and updating it before we left. We ran into a few hiccups while we were in Dallas, TX. This is exactly why you should also have good old-fashioned paper maps at the ready. When the GPS failed us, we simply pulled over and pulled out a map. Voila! Problem solved.
• Do not count on staying with friends when you don’t have a set travel schedule.
  In theory, we weren’t going to have to pay for any accommodations while on the road. In actuality, we made so many stops that we were arriving at our destinations later than we expected. We didn’t think showing up on someone’s doorstep at 12AM was very polite or proper.
• Do not stay in hotels with numbers in their names unless you’re absolutely desperate.
  We stayed at a Motel 6 in Tempe, AZ. That was the sketchiest place I’ve been in a long time. That’s saying a lot considering I lived in L.A. for some time.
• If you plan on making your trip food/restaurant-centric, check the operating hours of the place you plan to visit ahead of time.
  This was supposed to be a cupcake tour. Two of the bakeries we visited were closed. One closed as we got to the door.  The other wasn’t open on Sundays. During our five-day trip, we only got to sample 2 bakeries. :(
• Bring lots of snacks and beverages.
  While it was fun to sample new cuisine, some of the food we encountered did not look like it would sit well with either of our stomachs. For moments like those, we relied on the contents of our trusty picnic basket to carry us through. Also there are stretches of highway were there was nothing for miles. Had we relied on simply eating on the road, we would’ve starved.
• Keep an open mind and be flexible with your schedule.
  Being flexible allowed us to visit blog friends that contacted us at the last minute for meet-ups. Keeping an open mind allowed us to stop and see more than we originally planned.

For our readers who have driven cross-country, do you have any additional tips or stories to share?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 1 comment · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Just for Fun, Travel

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While I’m a major Christmas Freak, Fall is by far my favorite season.  Unfortunately, we get so little of it down here in Texas that I tend to get all wrapped up in tinsel and holly and eggnog before I’ve truly taken the opportunity to stop and smell the cinnamon sticks and crunchy fallen leaves.

Happily, I think I might have just created the optimal “Get the Most Out of Fall” itinerary!  Here’s the skinny on how ...]]> {Food, Beverage, & Entertainment Edition}

While I’m a major Christmas Freak, Fall is by far my favorite season.  Unfortunately, we get so little of it down here in Texas that I tend to get all wrapped up in tinsel and holly and eggnog before I’ve truly taken the opportunity to stop and smell the cinnamon sticks and crunchy fallen leaves.

Happily, I think I might have just created the optimal “Get the Most Out of Fall” itinerary!  Here’s the skinny on how I’d fill a totally-unencumbered, totally-lazy, totally-Fall day…

Voluntarily extricating myself from underneath our cuddly pick-stitch quilts is somewhat easier when there’s pumpkin cream cheese in my future!  It’s a slightly odd combination, but lately I’ve been cheering for a toasted mini-”everything” bagel (yep, the kind with the onion and the garlic) topped with the pumpkin-y sweet stuff.  Einstein Brothers makes my mornings simple with their take-away Pumpkin Shmear, but you can always go all fancy-pants with the homemade variety!   Add a few slices of a Honeycrisp apple and I’m one happy gal!

After a jog (note: “jog” is a relative term when it comes to my athletic capabilities) around White Rock Lake (insert favorite neighborhood route here!), I’m ready to kick off my tennies and curl up with my new go-to, get-ready-for-the-holidays read, Wishin’ and Hopin’.  I’ve always loved Wally Lamb for his brutally honest, sometimes uncomfortable, yet unbelievably relateable novels (think: She’s Come Undone; I Know This Much Is True), but this little gem is something different entirely… a light-hearted and poignant tale that I’ll surely be sneaking into my dad’s stocking (a kindred feisty ex-parochial schoolboy spirit if there ever was one!).  My Main Man Van plays softly in the background… Bonus Points if you know all the words to some of my personal (lesser known) favorites: Coney Island, Queen of the Slipstream, Tore Down a la Rimbaud, the Comfortably Numb collaboration, and Whenever God Shines His Light.

We’ll pretend I was so engrossed in my reading that I somehow forgot about lunch (in reality, this would never happen… I’d be quickly boiling whole wheat pasta shells, steaming broccoli, tossing both together with white truffle oil, and shredding Tillamook extra sharp cheddar over the whole shebang for a comforting, quick “broc-mac-and-cheese”).  I’ll rest my eyes a bit with a cuddle on the couch and Good Will Hunting on my television.  I was recently reminded of how much I love this film after Evs admitted he’d never seen it!  I tracked it down on one of our many movie channels and it’s now permanently saved on the DVR for posterity (I actually own it on VHS… sigh… technology marches onward without me).  While not a “seasonal” movie by any stretch of the imagination, there’s something about this flick that just feels like Fall to me.

After Will heads to Palo Alto to “see about a girl,” it’s supper time!  Cooking Light’s Cider Glazed Chicken makes my mouth water on command!  You are welcome to give the companion Brown Butter-Pecan Rice recipe a whirl, but I much prefer pairing the slightly sweet, rustic chicken with Roasted Asparagus Risotto…  Preheat your oven to 450.  Spread a bunch of asparagus over an olive-oil-spritzed cookie sheet.  Give the asparaus another good spritz with the olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake for 8-12 minutes.  Chop into small pieces.  Then, stir into a basic risotto (if you don’t know risotto by heart, here’s a great place to start!), toss with Parmesan, and devour!

I’m always game for a companion beverage, so I’m just going to shake a bit of vodka together with a glug from that spiced apple cider jug I had to purchase in order to make that magical chicken dish come to fruition.  Most likely, I’ll sip this concoction from a juice glass, but a cinnamon-sugar rimmed martini glass can transform any old evening into a festive affair (even if you’re sporting your dingiest sweat pants!).  Is wine-ing more your style?  Give your favorite dry white wine a dash of apple cider plus an apple slice floater, and you’re sipping a “Languid Winter Sangria” in no time flat!

Now that my tummy is full and there’s a drink in my hand, my lazy fall day is primed for the perfect ending, double feature style!  Out with the Matt Damon and in with the Diane Keaton… it’s all about The Family Stone!  I’m not sure why this wasn’t a bigger hit back in 2005, but this ensemble cast makes me belly-laugh and ugly-cry every damn time.  While it’s probably impossible for me to nudge White Christmas and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation too far down on the ladder, The Family Stone is definitely my favorite holiday movie of the past 20 years.

Ending the day with the cuddliest of flannel pajama pants (mine feature pink coffee cups!), I snuggle back under the covers, novel in hand, eyelids heavy from the relative inactivity enjoyment of the day.

One delicious Fall day… it’s enough to make you consider logging a “mental health day,” yes?

What does your perfect November day off include?

Photo Credits: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bagel; Apple Harvest; Van Morrison; Wishin’ and Hopin’; Cider Glazed Chicken; Asparagus Risotto; Good Will Hunting; Apple Cider Martini; The Family Stone.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · Comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Books and Reading, Good Things, Holidays, Just for Fun, Recipes

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Saturday was Oliver Pancake’s first birthday {Happy birthday, my snuggly ball of fur!}.

I think Charles Schulz had it right. Happiness IS a warm puppy.

And life with Oliver Pancake is happy.

The way he licks my tears away when I’m having a craptastic day because he knows that puppy kisses are the best form of medicine. How he can destroy my favorite sweatshirt and then look at me like I’m the crazy one. When he rolls over on command and then jumps ...]]>

Saturday was Oliver Pancake’s first birthday {Happy birthday, my snuggly ball of fur!}.

I think Charles Schulz had it right. Happiness IS a warm puppy.

And life with Oliver Pancake is happy.

The way he licks my tears away when I’m having a craptastic day because he knows that puppy kisses are the best form of medicine. How he can destroy my favorite sweatshirt and then look at me like I’m the crazy one. When he rolls over on command and then jumps on my leg looking for praise.

He shows us what’s important in life: good company, yummy food, and boundless love {and the ability to give and receive it all day long}. Living in the moment. Loving without judgment. Finding joy in the smallest things like a new chew toy and an after-dinner treat. Belly rubs and long walks. Soapy baths and fluffy towels. Games of fetch and unlimited energy.

And when I start to come down with a serious case of spoiled-brat syndrome or missing-my-husband-so-much-my-chest-hurts fever, Oliver Pancake and his naptime smell curl up on my lap and sleep for hours, reminding me just how good I have it.

Now if only he would stop leering over the edge of my laptop, begging me with his I’m-the-cutest-puppy-on-the-planet eyes to please give him a taste of my butternut squash ravioli.

He knows I can never say no to those eyes. Dang it.

I love you, little man! So much!

photo c/o Nicole Mlakar-Livingston Photography

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 5 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Just for Fun, Life, Pets

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On a whim, I signed up for the Wilton Cake Decorating Class last month. The Wilton curriculum is a series of 4 4-week courses, and I just completed the first, called Discover Cake Decorating. It’s held at my local Michael’s craft store, and I leave there every Monday night ...]]> I obviously love to bake. I’m pretty steadily mastering the art of making delicious-tasting desserts, but have been incredibly slow on the uptake with paying proper attention to delicious-looking food as well.

On a whim, I signed up for the Wilton Cake Decorating Class last month. The Wilton curriculum is a series of 4 4-week courses, and I just completed the first, called Discover Cake Decorating. It’s held at my local Michael’s craft store, and I leave there every Monday night covered in frosting, hand aching, and smiling ear-to-ear.

These classes are held throughout the U.S. and internationally, so I thought I’d give a little rundown of my thoughts in case you’re interested in signing up. Overall, I loved the class, and have actually already started Course 2, Flowers and Borders. Our instructor has been fabulous, and she’s especially great at not making me feel lame when I’m doing something ridiculous (couplers and I don’t really get along), which seems to happen quite often.

My only real issue with the class is the frosting they have us practice with. The main ingredient is vegetable shortening, which makes the frosting incredibly messy and greasy, and I strongly prefer not to eat it. There’s a saving grace there, because I don’t like it at all, I don’t snack while I’m practicing, which my body thanks me for. I also find it difficult to work with, though, even at the different consistencies they teach us how to make. I’m a chronic rule-follower, so I continued to make it and bring it to class instead of trying a different recipe, knowing that I’d have freedom outside of class to practice with more delicious frosting.

Other than that, I loved everything about the class, and it’s been making my Mondays a lot more bearable. I still have a lot to learn, but that’s what makes it fun.

Now, on to the fun stuff… pictures!

Week 1, Lecture: No hands-on, just a demonstration and lots of fun shopping! I bought the biggest kit they sell because I know I’ll use it forever, but you’re free to pick and choose which supplies you buy.

Week 2: Rainbow cake! Not to be confused with my original masterpiece rainbow cake. I made this the week of my birthday. There was a picture in the textbook for that week that showed how to make a cake that says “Happy Birthday Amy.” Not even kidding.

Week 3: Cupcakes and Roses. I decided to make a mess with color too. Obviously.

Week 4, Finale: Our teacher let us do whatever we wanted, but I stuck pretty close to the textbook cake (see Week 1 photo above), since it used techniques I wanted to practice more. The inside was 2 layers of red velvet filled with left over coconut-pecan frosting from my German Chocolate Cupcakes (the recipe will be posted on my personal blog soon!).

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 3 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Cooking and Food, Just for Fun

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Amy says:

A few weeks ago, I started working on our personal holiday cards. I tried sayings like “Season’s Greetings” “Happy New Year” and “May your season be bright.” Nothing seemed right. I decided to wrap things up on the computer and go clear my head with a good workout. Right before I closed our holiday ...]]> Our very own ABCD has created the most perfect holiday cards that I just had to share with ya’ll (heads up, they are not kid friendly)!

Amy says:

A few weeks ago, I started working on our personal holiday cards. I tried sayings like “Season’s Greetings” “Happy New Year” and “May your season be bright.” Nothing seemed right. I decided to wrap things up on the computer and go clear my head with a good workout. Right before I closed our holiday card file I wrote this:

Belly laughter ensued. I forwarded the file to Mr. D and received the same response. (At least we had something to laugh about in 2009!) Mr. D shared it with all his buddies. In an email, his friend Jake wrote back “This is AWESOME. I mean really, who had a good 2009?” About the same time, I posted a twitpic on Twitter. Within 30 minutes I had 150 views. Inquiries came in left and right.

Amy’s fabulous “2009 Sucked Ass” holiday cards are available at the ABCD Designs Bespoke Pop-Up Holiday Shop on etsy.

About the cards, Amy shares:

The cards are printed on thick, luxurious, crisp white Cranes #110 lb paper. They are printed in just the right shade of warm “holiday” red. There is something completely ironic about a gorgeous letterpress card with such a sweet, happy image combined with those three *sassy* words in a beautiful calligraphic font. Can you say “snarky?”

If your inner brat has yet to shine through, you’ll be happy to know that she also has two other “traditional” holiday card offerings available at the pop-up shop.

Go have a look and give ABCD some love!

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2009 · Permalink · 2 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Holidays, Just for Fun, Stationery

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Thankfully the insurance gods smiled down at you and accepted your claim. Now you have a pocket full of money and a shit ton of options as to what to do with it.

Would you…

A. Create an exact replica of your lost ring? Why?

B. Create an entirely different ring ? Why?

C. Take a combination of choices A and B and create the ...]]> Let’s say, hypothetically speaking of course (cough, cough), that you were a complete idiot and lost your engagement ring.

Thankfully the insurance gods smiled down at you and accepted your claim. Now you have a pocket full of money and a shit ton of options as to what to do with it.

Would you…

A. Create an exact replica of your lost ring? Why?

B. Create an entirely different ring ? Why?

C. Take a combination of choices A and B and create the same setting with a little more flair? Why?

D. Upgrade your center stone in either size, clarity, or shape? Why?

Thoughts?

All images c/o the Art of Platinum.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2009 · Permalink · 9 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Beautiful Things, Good Things, Just for Fun, Life, Newlywed Life

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#1 1999. Our freshman year of college. I believe my best friend and I are ‘Julia Goolia Spice’ and ‘Hannah Banana Spice’. We are possibly related to the Spice Girls in some way, but mostly we fell prey to they ...]]> In case you need some last minute Halloween costume ideas for those raging parties this weekend, allow me to display years worth of somewhat clever and always hilarious outfits. Let’s step into the Halloween time machine for a second, shall we?

#1 1999. Our freshman year of college. I believe my best friend and I are ‘Julia Goolia Spice’ and ‘Hannah Banana Spice’. We are possibly related to the Spice Girls in some way, but mostly we fell prey to they common sport of dressing inappropriately just because it’s Halloween. Shameful, really.

#2 2000. Our sophomore year in college. As you can read in my caption, we are a ‘Pure Angel’ and ‘Evil Angel.’ I had to edit this one a bit but I cannot help but chuckle. The hooker boots are key, my friends.

#3 2001. Junior year in college, fresh out of traveling abroad for a semester. In case you can’t tell, I am a green M&M. I decided not to show you my white hooker boots again. One can only handle so much. Our sorority ruled, by the way.

#4 2003. [I believe I was visiting my then-boyfriend, Nate, in 2002 and thus missed out on the Halloween madness in 2002.] Hannah and I go as ‘white trash’ and hang out in the Central West End. We are now living off campus and obviously very attractive. That would be actual trash and plastic-wrap on our bodies.

#5 2005. [In 2004 I was living in Arkansas during Halloween during a clinical. Again, I missed the debauchery.] This year was a fun one, as we were officially out of college. Nate and Ryan are Ninja Turtles [yes, those are youth sized costumes] and Maggie and I are….

…the ladies from Full House! Maggie is Stephanie, I am Michelle, and Lindsey is D.J. Why Michelle has to wear so much self-tanner, I don’t know. And why D.J. has to sport those hideous bangs, I cannot say. Yikes.

#6 2006. Again, with Maggie and Ryan we go as….Double Dare contestants!!!

And of course, once we were married and boring and stuff, we no longer dressed up for Halloween. Therefore, Double Dare is the last costume I donned.

But I won’t stop there, dear readers. Not only did my college years bring multiple Halloween parties but when you join a sorority you sign a waiver to attend at least 5 costume parties each yaer. True story. [or not].

The following outfits were not worn on Halloween, but on random ‘events’ out with the sorority. I do not remember dressing up this much, but it’s probably for the best.

#1. The Rock Star switch with the Delta Sigs in 2000. Please guess what I am:

If you guessed Missy Misdemeanor Elliott…..the African American, large rapper…..you are correct. Remember her trash bag shirt on one of her music videos? No? Okay, nevermind.

#2 Tacky Prom with the Pikes, spring of 2002. Yes, my friends, this outfit is what I wore the night I met my future husband. Our relationship is special, let’s leave it at that.

#3 Fall of 2002. I was a Pi Chi for recruitment week. That meant I disaffiliated and helped baby freshman during rush week. The Pi Chis all dressed up for one of the days of rush, and what did I wear?

Um, that is me in the front dressed as Nelly. Please note that all of the other girls are cutsie, girlie, pretty characters. Then there is me, dressed as another African American rapper. I never claimed to be ‘normal’, okay?

#4 2003. Another Tacky Prom with the Pikes. The handsome fellow on the left would be Nate, and the other lads would be his future groomsmen. Yes, we are a beautiful bunch, I know.

And finally, if you are of my kind and believe in dressing up your animals for the sheer fun of it, you’ll appreciate Henry’s time warp into Halloween hell. Back in 2006 I decided to buy him this adorable pumpkin outfit. It did not fit, however, and my poor baby…not even one year old at that time….was so ticked at me. I cannot help but laugh at these pictures:

And that’s it, my doves. Plenty of reminiscing for you complete with embarrassing photos of yours truly. I hope you enjoyed and pondered what hideous costumes you’ve worn in the past. Perhaps you’ll rush out to buy a ‘pure angel’ costume, or one of my numerous rapper outfits instead? Please tell me you’ve worn hideous costumes, too.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2009 · Permalink · 2 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Holidays, Just for Fun, Pets

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