2 in 1 One Recipe Post

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Today I have a round up of a couple recipes I made the past two weekends. You may have seen them on my instagram. They are both delicious and completely dad approved (as well as being approved by the rest of my family). I made a Bourbon Bread Pudding for Father's Day and Carrot Cake for my dad's birthday this past weekend. I highly recommend both recipes!
First up, the bread pudding. This was a classic bread pudding using french bread, raisins and spices like nutmeg which gave it awesome flavor! It was then topped with a bourbon sauce to send it over the edge.

{Bourbon Bread Pudding}
Bread pudding may seem daunting, but this recipe was far from complicated! 
Next is carrot cake! Yum yum yum is all I have to say about this cake. You can't go wrong when the recipe is The Pioneer Woman's. She shows the cake being baked in a sheet pan, but for visual effect I baked it in a bundt pan! After I smothered it with a pecan cream cheese frosting, we dove in to this delicious birthday treat! It was so good, my family and I decided it was a perfectly acceptable dinner. Nothing like cake for dinner, and breakfast, and lunch, and probably an afternoon snack!
{Carrot Cake}
Use this recipe and it won't disappoint! We had a slight carrot cake disaster at Easter, so it was nice to find this recipe that I believe is foolproof!
There you have, 2 recipes in 1 post. Now excuse me while I slip into a sweets coma. 
xo annie

Simplifying

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Have you noticed the re-design going on, on the blog? I changed up the header and some icons to make  the overall look more simple. I loved my navy and mint theme, but it also felt a little cheesy to me. I wanted something more streamlined that was still fun! I want the focus to be on the posts and content, not everything going on in the background. 

vs.

What do you guys think? Do you like the new look? I'm still working on it a bit and want to get a new picture up. I like where it is going though! 

xo annie

Bites of My Life

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Last week was a good one. I'll let the pictures do the talking. Good times at work, with friends and family, good food and good weather! I also have some "bites" of things I'm loving lately!

{Bites of My Life}
{right to left}
-Easy taco salad made with leftover chicken and cabbage.
-I can't go home without making a stop at Chirps and Cheers. The cutest stationery store in the world, and the scene of my first job!
-A poached egg over oatmeal is becoming my breakfast staple. With a couple dashes of hot sauce, you just can't beat it.
-Summer nights call for a round of bocce ball. My parents won...
-The New Yorkers heading off to a wedding, loved having them home this weekend!
-Happy 55th Pops!

{Bites of what I'm lovin'}
{images via Pinterest}
-Boho braid. Perfect for hot summer days.
-Horizontal stipe walls and a photo gallery for a focal point.
-Need to make this strawberry cake. For your birthday Kathleen?
-My jeanie suit, as my dad called it. My oldest sister brought home this American Apparel romper this weekend. I couldn't take it off, so I had to order my own.
Lastly, if you haven't heard OneRepublic's new song "Counting Stars," take a listen. I can't get it out of my head, but I don't mind one bit!
Enjoy your last week of June!
xo annie

Snickerdoodle Bars

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I whipped up these yummy cookie bars with the intention to take them as a treat for "board game night!" Board game night was a fail and ended up not happening, so I was then stuck with a full pan of cookie bars. Not really a huge issue because they were delicious and I easily could have eaten the whole pan myself. Luckily, I persuaded some friends to come over and help me out! 
The bars are an adaption of the classic snickerdoodle. In my opinion they are even better because they are drizzled with a sweet glaze! Someone mentioned they tasted like a cinnamon roll! Now how good does a cinnamon roll cookie sound?

packaged up and ready to deliver to co-workers!
I had favorited the recipe on my Food Gawker page forever ago, so I was excited to finally try them out! You can find the recipe here. I recommend eating them fresh out of the oven or heating them in the microwave so they are warm and the glaze is a little melty!
xo annie