strawberry dream cake (cake, cake, C A K E!)

this cake.

oh, sa-weet mama, this cake!

strawberry coconut milk smoothie

this smoothie hits the spot for a healthy and quick breakfast or afternoon snack!

my favorite summer berry

if you have been following my facebook page, you know that i am more than slightly obsessed with strawberries right now. they are, for certain, my most favorite summer berry. don't get me wrong! i adore blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, but the sweet strawberry truly owns my heart (and belly).

balsamic strawberry + orange sauce

i am a strawberry-obsessed woman. 

i will shout it loud and proud from the rooftops. well, i would if i had a roof to climb up onto. and if it wasn't so damn hot out there. plus, i'm not too fond of ladders. since it is brutally scorching outside, i guess i will just stay inside my cool, air-conditioned house and consume mass quantities of this sauce. 

on ice cream.

in a milkshake.

on ricotta or plain yogurt.

on a toasty little slice of bread with some tangy, creamy goat cheese.

on a spoon or finger.

got any cardboard?

strawberry buttermilk cake

i have said it before, and here i am saying it once again- deb from smitten kitchen knows whats up. all the recipes i have made from her blog have been so right, plus it doesn't hurt that she is funny and sarcastic (and i respond well to sarcasm). she also has her first cookbook coming out in late october. 

i will be all over that.

waffles with berries and honey ricotta cream

this is a total cheat of a breakfast, but oh mama, it was good.

smoothies cancel out fatty garlic bread. fact.

step right up, folks!

let me introduce you to the delicious, creamy and healthy smoothie that cancels out any wrong-doings you may have done in the past 2 days!

(you know...like eating double cheese, butter, mayo-laced garlic bread for dinner 2 nights in a row.)

cocktails!

as we s l o w l y creep closer to the weekend, i find my mind settling on what we will be doing this weekend. bbq'in some pork chops that have soaked in a chipotle, lime and honey marinade for half the day, seeing a movie with a sweet friend, and you know we will be drinking a cocktail.

or three...

these cocktails are looking pretty good right about now

yes. right now. at 1:44 on a thursday afternoon. don't judge.

pomegranate lime fizz

popsicles!

i'm gazing out the living room window, listening to the rain. yep. rain. personally, i love a little summer storm to break up the heat of a northern california summer (read: scorching hot) and you will not hear me complain about the water that is falling from the sky in june.

bring it, i say. bring it!

the weather today isnt really conducive to them, but lets talk popsicles!

boozy campari citrus pops via the kitchn 

strawberry + blueberry galette

dear pie crust...

i used to fear you. the mere thought of trying to create you left me quaking in my flip flops. but then, i saw the light... and her name is martha stewart. toss a few ingredients in a food processor and pulse? thats all it takes to take control over pie crust? done. so simple, so flaky, so delicious. i own you pie crust. you cant scare me any more!

love~brown sugar and bacon

petite cheesecakes with balsamic raspberry sauce

if you are anything like me, all you need is one miniscule, gentle nudge to get in the kitchen and whip up a sweet morsel. i bake when i am happy, when i am sad and when i am bored, but only on days that end in y.

yah, i'm strict with myself like that.

an ode to strawberries...

oh, sweet little red berry

full of summer's juice

how do i love thee

let me count the ways...