Monogrammed Midi Rings

These lovely monogrammed rings from Leif have just been wishlisted. So gorgeous.

(Image via Leif)

Back to the Future Cake (aka Jailbird Joey Cake)

My friend was throwing a Back to the Future viewing party and asked me to recreate the cake featured at the beginning of the movie. You know, the Jailbird Joey cake?

I did my best:

I used the delicious recipe that's below and my own sub-par art skills. Which were oddly perfect for this particular task.

Vanilla Cake

2 sticks unsalted butter (at room temperature) (plus more for pan)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for pan)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup low-fat buttermilk

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour your 13-by-9-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
-Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy. Then beat in eggs and yolks one at a time, then the vanilla. Next, take turns adding and beating in flour mixture and buttermilk. Mix until all the ingredients are combined.
-Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Bake 25 to 35 minutes until cake pulls away from the side of the pan. Let cool for 10 minutes. Run knife around edge and invert cake onto a wire rack. Cover with desired frosting.

(Recipe via Martha Stewart)

Ampersand Love

Love (& love & love) all of this.

Ampersand table.

Members of the Ampersand Club.

Ampersand iPhone case.

Ampersand necklace.

Easy Lemon Tart

At first glance, this recipe seemed really odd to me, basically because of the adding an entire lemon, rind and all part. But I am a sucker for any recipe of under ten ingredients that looks like it might brighten an otherwise dessert-free weekday night. And then after making it, I realized that the odd part is actually the brilliantly simple part. Lesson here: Never judge a recipe by its ingredients, y'all. It just might surprise you.

Ingredients
1 large Meyer lemon, cut into 8 pieces
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
Pie crust (your choice) (This would work though.)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the first five ingredients (everything but the crust) into a blender. Blend until you have pulverized all the lemon pieces.
2. Pour into pre-baked crust.
3. Bake 35 minutes, and then cool on a wire rack.

(Adapted very slightly from The Food52 Cookbook)

Snacking On: Carrot Cake Ice Cream

I love it when a random trip to a store results in a new-favorite-something. Like Lick's carrot cake ice cream I picked out at in.gredients last week. Such a perfect sweet treat for that in between summer and fall time in Austin. Just plain goodness.

They also sell a seasonal butternut squash ice cream that I need in my future...

Lick // 2032 South Lamar // ATX, 78704

Also available to buy at Quickie Pickie and the Flag Store.

This and That

Love this robin print.

Twig salad server set.

What does 200 calories look like?

I signed up for Miranda July's email project.

Twenty books to read before the movies come out.

This. Is. Everything.

(Image via Pinterest)

Tomato and Zucchini Gratin

Summer, where did you go? You technically ended this past weekend, but it just got breezy and beautiful in Austin. It's still in the 90s. You're doing a really poor job of convincing me that it's autumn actually. So. This side tastes like a protest to the end of you. Which is perfect because until I'm cozily wearing that orange polka-dot sweater I bought at Madewell on impulse even though it was nearing one hundred degrees outside I refuse to act like you're gone.

Tomato and Zucchini Gratin
Serves 4

3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

Mix Panko, Parmesan, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in bowl and season with salt and pepper. Heat the rest of the olive oil in ovenproof skillet over medium heat, and add tomato slices. Cook, turning once or twice, for about 5 minutes. Layer zucchini slices and then Panko mix on top of tomatoes, then bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

(Adapted from Bon Appetit, August 2013)