Sugar & Spice by Celeste

*** This recipe from the Bon Appetit magazine test kitchens is packed with delicious flavors.  And the best part?  It's actually a quick and easy meal that's perfect for busy weeknights.  That might come as a surprise, but trust me...It comes together in a flash! I was so happy when I came across this recipe...I was in search of a yummy dinner that was decidedly different.  It seemed like the perfect thing to liven up my usual dinner go-to meals.  Sirloin steak, fresh ginger, snow peas, green onions and cilantro are the stars of this dish.  They work together to create a scrumptious meal that is satisfying and fresh-tasting at the same time. I paired the stir-fry with one of my favorites - Coconut Rice.  I've included a simple recipe for it by Sandra Lee below.  It was the perfect companion to the stir-fry.  I think you'll really enjoy this recipe! Bon appetit!*** Beef, Shiitake, and Snow Pea Stir-Fry 4 servings PREP: 30 minutes TOTAL: 30 minutes Source:  B

*** Last weekend, we got to help Brad's cousin, Justin, celebrate his 33rd birthday.  Justin's parents surprised him with 6 laps at the Talladega Superspeedway...It was such an exciting day!  His top speed was over 168 mph...can you imagine going that fast?!? Of course, Brad and I were the photographers for the day.  We had a blast capturing every moment...Check out our fusion slideshow below!  It combines photography, video and audio from the day! Justin Races to 33! from Celeste Ward on Vimeo . I was thrilled to make this racecar-themed cake.  I started coming up with different decorating ideas for it a few weeks in advance.  I was really proud of the final result...It came out even better than I imagined! I originally planned to use black and white fondant squares to form a race flag design all around the outer edges of the cake, and to stick two actual little racing flags into the top of the cake.  Well, I couldn't find the flags anywhere, but I did find t

***For years, my Mom has always made one of the most amazing Italian Cream Cakes...It is spectacular!  It's filled with pecans and flaked coconut, and the cake itself is moist and delicious...with cream cheese icing to finish it all off.  It's always been one of my favorites.  So, you can imagine my delight when my sister-in-law, Christine, surprised me with this Fresh Orange Italian Cream Cake for my birthday.  This recipe from Southern Living takes everything you love about traditional Italian Cream Cake and kicks it up about 100 notches!  In fact, Southern Living describes it as one of their "most showstopping cakes ever"...take a look HERE ! The Fresh Orange Curd is the star of the show.  It is spread in between each of the cake layers and adds the most amazing flavor...It's sweet, but not too sweet.  The orange juice and orange rind adds the perfect hint of freshness, which will make it hard to resist a second piece.  The contrast of the fresh tartness

Don't you just love birthday parties??  I feel so blessed to have recently celebrated another birthday with my wonderful, wonderful family and friends.  After four days of birthday festivities and 3 amazing cakes, I sure did feel special!  Wednesday:  The day before my birthday, two of my best friends took me out to a yummy dinner at Red Robin.  These girls are precious to me...we've been friends for forever, it seems. Here's a pic of us from last year (Mary Katherine, Me and Ashley)  Thursday:  On the morning of my birthday (October 7th), my wonderful husband woke me up by singing "Happy Birthday" and surprised me with a cute-as-a-button little birthday cake that he made.  This put the biggest smile on my face...I knew then that it was going to be an awesome day!  After all, it's quite impossible to have a bad day when you eat cake for breakfast, right?!?  That night, we had dinner at my new favorite French bistro - Chez Fon Fon .  I can honestly say tha

***There seriously aren't very many things that smell better than Banana Nut Bread baking in the oven.   Don't you agree?  This recipe for Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread from Southern Living magazine was one of the very first recipes that I added to this blog...back in November 2007!  In fact, I came across it when I worked for the magazine as a Marketing Intern.  Back then, I didn't have a photo for every recipe, and the blog post was simply the recipe and nothing else.  Because this is my go-to recipe for Banana Nut Bread (and because it is so amazing!), I thought that it deserved a little more attention.  This is quite honestly some of the best Banana Nut Bread that I've ever had.  An entire 8oz. package of cream cheese is added right to the batter, along with 4 mashed bananas.  The cream cheese adds so much to this recipe, with an incredibly moist texture being the main component.  Plus, the roasted pecans are the perfect addition.  Roasting the nuts brings out

***Do you ever run into kitchen dilemmas or realize that you don't have that one special ingredient that would make your dish just perfect?  Well, that happened recently when I decided to make Chicken Fajitas.  I had all of the necessary ingredients...except for one very, very important element - the flour tortillas! Oh no...what is a girl to do?!? The answer?  Well, make your own of course! Tortillas are one of those things that I have always just picked up at the grocery store.  It's never even dawned on me to make my own.  I was determined to make fajitas that night, so I started to browse through cookbooks and food blogs to see what I could find.  I came across THIS recipe and decided to give it a whirl.  The recipe was fairly simple.  It requires ingredients that you've probably already got in your pantry.  They were delicious, especially when filled with the chicken fajita mixture. You'll enjoy this simple and yummy dinner! Bon Appetit!***   Chic