Happy Birthday POC! & Other marvels <3

Happy Monday! Hope you had an excellent weekend : )

First things first, since it is Monday and around here we like to share some marvelous things.. this first one is super marvelous..

PIECE OF CAIT IS O.N.E. !!!

Happy birthday/ blogiversary to this little blog of mine.

I can honestly say this past year has been more amazing because of this blog. Something that I once thought would be a little outlet for myself, post once in awhile for friends & family became something much bigger, a love affair actually. The community I am in, the people I know and feel like I know in person { hi blends! ❤ } my creativity, baking & food palette have immensely grown and the fact that I can come here to share, spill and connect has been amazing. I can’t wait to see what happens with POC for the next year 🙂

Thanks for making this piece of my internet feel like home!

Some other marvels: 

Friday night we attended a going away party for two of our friends, they are heading to the South.. I’m sure it’s really bittersweet for them- but I think they already have wait list for visitors! & no matter where they are, Crol can still read piece of cait 😉 ( Hi Carol! )

Saturday was gorgeous out, too bad it only lasted one day. A walk in the park, trip to trader joes & fresh flowers.

Gifts from friends, ah I love my yogi tea!

Face masking + Netflix. Because, you just need to sometimes.

Since cass was sick last week and missed Florida- a belated birthday dinner on Sunday at Fire Birds.

{soup & salad deal}

Followed by, froyo : )

{good thing Oliver approved!}

I am linking up with Katie today to share on this marvelous Monday!

I gotta get moving, today & this week seem like they are going to be busy and taking on a few other projects for my intern, catch ya later ❤

What was the highlight of your weekend?

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MIMM = a nephew & belated birthday brunch!

Happy Monday beautiful friends!

Hope you had an excellent weekend, I know I am little tired from the time change but aren’t you happy we have more SUN LIGHT!? Woohoo!

.. As always, thank you Katie for the Monday link up. Always great to start the week on the right foot!

A few marvelous things happened this weekend. We received the best news on Friday that Courtney & Danny will be having a boy! Another little man to join our once girl family 😉 So excited! ❤

Also, We { Cassidy & I } celebrated a dual birthday with the family since we are heading to FL this Saturday and wont be around to do it with our parents, so we decided to combine my February birthday with her March : )

I love when my weekends are filled with happy news & family. Photos… take it away 😉

{ too cute! .. can’t wait to meet the little peanut ❤ }

Sunday’s belated birthday brunch:

Lot’s of yummy different brunch foods and of course cake! My mom each gave us our own { how nice 😉 } white cake with chocolate frosting for cass, brownie for me!

I ended up going to work after, so I never really got much done after the party. It’s Monday, a new day and start to the week = lots to do!

Friday favorites + HBD mama! <3 11/ 15

Well well.. Friday has arrived! and today is a very special birthday, happy birthday to my beautiful mama! Thanks for teaching me that it’s totally acceptable to eat cake, frostings & ice cream in the morning 🙂 !!

>> Let’s back up a little bit, and here are some favorites from
the week & my mom’s birthday dinner! <<

This might be my new favorite. I randomly saw it at Marshalls + HAD to try.

New NAKED flavor to me: Orange carrot, loved it!

Feeling pasty.. time to brighten the skin with this!

I made it to yoga again this week! Once a week is what I’m aiming for 🙂

This song came up on Pandora while at the gym.. lovin’ it!

Spiced up some brownies with the coconut choc + shreds!

* * *
On Wednesday night, Cassidy & I went over to my mom’s to celebrate her birthday. We made her these Mediterranean burgers {she said they were the best she ever had! <3} sweet potato fries, & a big ol’ salad. AND of course beautiful hot pink cupcakes!

Happy birthday mama! AND happy birthday to my father in law over in Greece! lots of love to all of you 🙂

xo
C
Have a great weekend ❤

Georges birthday dinner + Peach upside down cake

Good morning! How’s your Tuesday treating you?

I am enjoying some OIAJ, TJ style : )

* * *
Last night, George & I headed into the city for his {belated} birthday dinner. A week or two ago, in the Best Of Philly magazine, Branzino was in there for “best outdoor dining” so we set out to try it.

It was charming, cute & romantic. The outdoor seating was a little brick courtyard with lights strung and tiki torches aflame.

The menu had lots of smaller size plates, so we chose to share six.

>Baby beets
>Panzanella Salad
>Mussels in a white wine
>Char grilled octopus
>Risotto with mushrooms + truffle oil
>and a seafood pasta

I like sharing smaller plates, a great way to try a lot in small{er} amount of food? … Right? Probably not 😉

After finishing up dinner, we set out to meet George’s friends for a drink. We walked around the streets and came to Farmers Cabinet.
The place was filled with candles, from the bottom to the top, with dark colors +  old classic specialty drinks. It felt like we were in an Old Inn.

It’s so nice to live close to the city, I think it would be so fun to actually LIVE in the city for a little.
Walking from place to place & finding hidden gems sounds perfect to me!

After our meet up, {we were in food comas} we came home, enjoy a slice of Peach upside down cake.. and called it a night.

* * *

Speaking of {Peach upside down cake}

I have a yummy recipe for you!

This dessert is full of yummy brown sugar, melted butter and sweet summer peaches! DELISH.

Peach Upside Down Cake
from: David Lebovitz

Fruit Layer:
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
4 large peaches, peeled and sliced thick

Cake:
8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups  flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder,
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup  whole milk, room temperature

Directions:

1. Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet, or cake pan.
Add the brown sugar and cook while stirring, until the sugar is melted and begins to bubble.
Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Once cool, arrange the fruit in a pinwheel design.
3. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350F
4. Beat the 8 tablespoons  of butter and sugar until fluffly. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, until smooth.
5. Whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. Stir in half of the flour mixture, then the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Do not overmix: stir just until the flour is barely incorporated into the batter.
7. Spread the batter over the fruit, then bake for 45 minutes to one hour- The cake is ready when it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and the center feels just set.
8. Remove from oven, let cool about 20 minutes, then place a cake plate on top, and wearing oven mitts, flip the cake out on to the plate.

Serving:
It tastes delicious warm with vanilla ice cream!

xx
C

Jenna’s birthday dinner + honored + cupcake cups!

Hello friends, happy Thursday to you all! One day closer to the weekend!

#2 this week. I need more JARS 😛

I’m sitting down to a nice warm breakfast + iced hazelnut coffee. Taking some time to surf the web, read some blogs & search for new pinterest finds since this weekend is going to bet yet another busy one! We are going to be catering a grad party Saturday. So gotta get the ball rollin’ and start prepping.

Special shout out to one of my best friends, Jenna on her birthday!*

* * *
Last night, Jenna and I went into town at the Bistro so we could sit outside and celebrate her birthday.
We came, we saw, and we ate…. isn’t that how birthdays are supposed to go? 😉

We caught up over drinks and our appetizer for awhile, followed by entrees and dessert!

{prosciutto wrapped shrimp with parmesan}
^great combo^

For my main meal I went with my favorite fried goat cheese salad with buffalo chicken.

^A recycled pic from last week, same thing:)^

Dessert was a peanut butter pie.. yum.

We sat out there for awhile, we could talk for hours. We always laugh our faces off about some of our favorite childhood memories.
I cherish her friendship so much.

And… she asked me to be her MOH !
I am so honored to be her MOH on her big day.
I’m already so excited to start planning with her
She is my first friend to get married so it makes all the more special!

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
Part of Jenna’s gift this year was cupcakes,
Who wouldn’t want there OWN personal cupcake cup?

^I made two of these cups using a total of 6 cupcakes^

-I sliced each cupcake in half.
-Starting with the bottom half of the cupcake in the cup,
-layered with vanilla frosting then put the top of the cupcake on
-I repeated this until I reached the top of the cup
-Finish with sprinkles
-Wrap it up in small bag add a tie!

Perfect way to display your cupcake{s} and eat!

For birthdays, do you usually get a cake? or some other kind of dessert?
I am not the biggest traditional white cake fan, I always ask my mom for cupcake brownies
with frosting for my birthday dessert 🙂