LAVENDER ICE CREAM FLOATS

Good morning lovelies! Don't mind me while I race around behind the scenes making little bits of awesome and finishing up some school shopping. I did want to share a little DIY for grown up ice cream floats that I did over on THE SWEETEST OCCASION...

Have you ever had a LAVENDER ICE CREAM FLOAT? I have tried lemon lavender ice cream, but I had never heard of lavender soda until I tried DRY Soda. A company based in Seattle, making the most divine, not too sweet, all natural, only 4 ingredients, soda. It comes in a variety of flavors like cucumber, blood orange, lemon grass and rhubarb. I can say they are all delicious. DRY Soda was one of our sponsors for the Meet & Greet and I was dying to try it out for a float. It was awesome.

The packaging is so pretty, and the soda itself is clear.  How gorgeous would these be at your next event? I highly recommend grabbing some on your next trip to the grocer.

*yes, I got the soda for free for the event, but all opinions and the idea to post this are mine.

I am a cake girl. aka Thank heavens for Ina...

The infamous cake or pie debate. I am getting older and have grown to love fruit and pastry. YUM. Delicious. But if you had one last dessert to eat, or you had to choose one to eat for the rest of forever, for me, cake wins. hands down. I just found the best recipe for cake that I have EVER made and its all I am ever gonna eat. It would be my last dying food wish. Thank heavens I ran half of the cake over to Miss Dylan, cause I would eat it all, and my hips would torment my pants that are already a smidge too tight, and my hubby would be mad that he 'got two bites and that's it?'
The recipe is the Carrot and Pineapple Cake from the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. I love her. I want to win the lotto so I can buy a house on her block in the Hamptons. I bet if you lived next to her, you might get a "welcome to your new home" baked good. Or at least, when the ocean breeze wisps by you'd get a whiff of deliciousness.
Ahhh, Ina, I love you so. When I found your Coconut Cupcakes, I rejoiced. Now, they are a delicious but distant second to the luxury of Carrot Cake with Pineapple, with cream cheese icing. Oh heavens...

Let the new year begin!

It's supposed to snow again today. It has been quite cold, frigid to be honest. Two days left until the new year - you absolutely must make this recipe from Southern Living today (before the diets er... eating healthfully... begin) - DELICIOUSNESS. divine and easy. oooooh.

PRALINE PULL-APART BREAD

(Dec 2009 Southern Living)

1 cup sugar

4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 (2 lb.) package frozen bread roll dough (used Rhodes)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup chopped pecans

3/4 cup whipping cream (whipped)

3/4 firmly packed brown sugar

1. Stir together sugar and 3 tsp. cinnamon. Coat each roll (still frozen) in butter and dredge rolls in sugar mixture. Arrange in a lightly greased 10" tube pan, sprinkle with pecans. Cover and chill 8 - 18 hours in fridge (overnight.)

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Stir in brown sugar and remaining 1 tsp. cinnamon. Pour mixture over dough. Place pan on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.

3. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes; invert onto a serving plate, and drizzle with any remaining glaze in pan.

So easy, so delicious!