Thank you, Memphis.

As many of you know, I have been living in Memphis since last summer.  In such a short time, Memphis has helped me to change my life for the better, and, for this, has earned a permanent place in my heart.

Since moving, I have experienced many amazing things...

 I got my first "big girl" apartment.  This was my first place living alone (at least for a little while)!  It looks a lot different than this now...much more like a home.  I've had hardly any problems living in this complex and have really enjoyed living here...minus the loud upstairs neighbors.  Having Phillip here didn't hurt, either. :)

I got a job as a baker at Muddy's Bake Shop, which has pretty much been the work experience of a lifetime.  I got to make delicious cupcakes, pies, and cookies during NORMAL working hours and hang out with some of the coolest co-workers I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.  I expanded my knowledge of baking immensely, and now I'm confident that I would love to have my own bakery someday.

 I visited the zoo (one of my favorite places) several times.  First, we went with Phillip's family and saw about half of it.  Recently, we went back for our anniversary and saw the rest.

We got to see Dane Cook at the FedEx Forum!

My friend Megan took me to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  AWESOME.

I experienced some real snow days!  Mind you, I got my car stuck in the snow a few weeks after this, resulting in the worst 6 hours ever...moving along!

The food!  Oh, man...the food.  This was a pizza from Bosco's, the restaurant we went to for my birthday.  Delicious!  I highly recommend their strombolis.  Texas de Brazil, Soul Fish Cafe, MUDDY'S, Local Gastropub, Cafe Eclectic, Brother Juniper's, Blue Plate Cafe, Humdinger's, Abuelo's, Trolley Stop Market, Huey's, Bronte Bistro, YoLo, SWANKY'S, Young Avenue Deli, and Beauty Shop are just SOME of the amazing restaurants I have tried and loved since moving to Memphis.  And there are still so many more that I haven't tried.

I met The Pioneer Woman, my favorite blogger!  She had a book signing at Davis-Kidd, which an awesome bookstore that has been in Memphis for years now.  I hear it's in danger of closing, which saddens me.


Memphis has given me so much, and living here has made me incredibly happy.  However...life changes!  After living here for close to a year, I (we) have decided to move back to the place I lived when I started this blog...Starkville!  I know...crazy, right?!  Why?  I am going back to school...nursing school, specifically.  It's a lot cheaper to do that there, and we both miss our families very much.  Although I will miss Memphis very much, I am excited to move back.  Being close to our families again is worth all that I will be giving up here, and I believe in Starkville's potential to grow.  I hope to bring all of my entrepreneurial aspirations back with me and keep making cakes for people and (hopefully) open my own bakery one day.

Our last Memphis adventure will be this weekend...Beale Street Music Festival!  It'll be a good time.  It will never be this convenient to go again.  Sigh.  Memphis will always have a huge piece of my heart!  I have grown so much here, and I will never forget all that I have done, all that I've learned, and the people that I've met.


And there you have it...I'm moving yet AGAIN, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna be for good this time!  Life is grand.  God is good.

My Blogger Idol

Disclaimer:  I will be discussing an event that happened over a month ago.  However, this was an amazing night that deserves my reminiscence.

I MET PIONEER WOMAN!  See?

 One day, I would love for this little blog to be as versatile and interesting as hers.  This was at a Davis-Kidd Booksellers event for her new book, "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: A Love Story."  My favorite part of PW's website has to be Pioneer Woman Cooks, though.  When I first discovered her blog, I was starting to become mildly interesting in cooking.  A few years later, I have made TONS of her recipes and have become inspired to constantly  expand my cooking horizons.  Now, if only I could meet Deb from smittenkitchen and Bakerella.

My mom got to meet her, too!  I was so excited.  We definitely bond over Pioneer Woman recipes.  While we were waiting in the very long line, we ate at the in-store restaurant, Bronte Bistro.  I had the fluffiest, most delicious spinach, artichoke, and red pepper quiche.  I have now devoted several Google searches to finding the secret of fluffy quiche...

And we even met Marlboro Man!  He was a soft-spoken gentleman.  He also posed with my friend Jess.  She turned an adorable shade of red.

It was a great night.  I wish I could have talked to Pioneer Woman a little big longer, but there were hundreds of people at the event.  I brought her a dozen Muddy's cupcakes as well, so I was representing!

Thanks for giving me this opportunity, Memphis.

Easy Spring Meal

Wow!  Life sure has been busy these past few months.  I thought I would get back into the swing of blogging by sharing an EASY favorite recipe with y'all!

 I'm talking about one of my favorite pastas:  Green Pea Alfredo.  You're probably thinking, "What's so special about that?"  And the truth is...I don't know.  It's just awesome.  It's pretty much on the same comfort food level as macaroni and cheese for me and Phillip.

First, boil 1 lb. of your favorite short pasta in generously salted water until al dente.  Next, add 3/4 lb.-1 lb. of frozen green peas into the pasta while water is still boiling.  Wait 2 minutes.  Drain pasta and peas.  Toss with 1/2 cup-3/4 cup alfredo sauce (jarred or a super easy homemade version), 2 teaspoons of garlic salt with parsley, and a dash of both black pepper and red pepper flakes.  That's it!  It's so easy, I almost feel lazy calling it a "recipe."

Of course, you can add any of your favorite spices or meats to personalize it.  Some of our favorite additions are diced green onions, caramelized onions, grilled shrimp, and chicken.

And those scrumptious-looking tomatoes?  Pastor Ryan's Roasted Ricotta Romas.  The only change I made to the recipe was adding about 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella to the cheese mixture.  Mmmmm.  Such a yummy spring side dish...or main dish, if you like these as much as I do.  However, I would like the tomatoes to be firmer after roasting, so the next time I make them, I'm thinking I may roast the tomatoes sans cheese mixture for about 5-10 minutes before adding the mixture to the middles.

Happy cooking!