• Tea at the Aubrey Rose Tea Room

    tea pots

    I’m sure you’ve noticed that I am a certified tea fanatic, and going somewhere for afternoon tea is my favorite. Thank goodness I have friends and family who will indulge my tea and scone addiction, or I would just be stuck drinking a pot of tea by myself in my house every day (like usual). […]

  • Grown-up cherry vanilla Coke

    alcoholic cherry vanilla coke

    I’ve always been Team Coke. Even though I didn’t grow up in the South, I have always referred to fizzy soft drinks as Coke — not “pop” or “soda.” And I really dislike the taste of Pepsi. What is really annoying, though, is when people try to tell me I can’t tell the difference between […]

  • Georgia peach tea punch

    georgia peach tea punch

    I have a problem. I love inviting people over and making tons of food for them — way too much food, always — but I never plan it out correctly. What that means is that I’m usually still cooking when the first guests arrive, and there’s always at least one thing that doesn’t get made. […]

  • Not horchata

    not horchata

    Horchata in Spain is made with nuts. Mexican horchata is made with rice. Neither one is made with bananas. But, bear with me here. We recently started (and then failed at, but are trying again) Whole30, and I randomly started craving horchata. I don’t know why — I rarely order it, even though it is […]

  • Very merry unbirthday tea party

    My good friend Melissa came to visit last month, and after the awesome experience we had last year at afternoon tea, we wanted to try a new place.   We went to Shakespeare’s Corner Shoppe, which was lovely and very good (I especially loved the Welsh rarebit and the meringues with raspberry), but our service […]

  • Cali casual date night at Whisknladle

    Hey, y’all! I’ve been traveling like crazy for the past week and a half-ish, and I haven’t had much time to breathe, let alone blog, sadly. But I’m finally home! And I wanted to talk about a fabulous date night Toby and I had a few weeks ago in La Jolla. We try to go […]

  • Gold panthers and (kinda) free beer

    Although we’ve lived in California for almost a year, Toby and I still feel like newbies. Sure, we have our favorite restaurants and I’m on a first-name basis with employees at both local Kate Spade stores, but the only time we really attempted to “go out” was kind of a disaster. We are definitely not cool […]

  • Pineapple and jalapeno-infused tequila

    Happy Cinco de Mayo! I hope you’re celebrating with tacos and margaritas! I celebrated a bit early, by infusing some tequila with pineapple and jalapeños in an empty lemonade bottle, as one does. The restaurants around here all seem to have some kind of margarita with a spicy kick, and I’m partial to the pineapple […]

  • Fab Fave Friday: Bourbon, mint and big hats

    Happy Friday! I was originally planning to give you a rundown of our favorite places to eat at Disneyland, but since tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby, I figured it made more sense to share my Derby-related favorites. First, you’re going to need a mint julep. Try the classic, Jessica’s pineapple mint julep, Southern Living’s bourbon smash or […]

  • Peeptini

    Over the years, I have learned that Peeps are a VERY controversial subject. Some of you — like Toby and I — love them. But many of you — like my friend Aaren — despise them with a burning passion. A few years ago, inspired by a fellow Peep lover, I started a yearly tradition […]