Hands Down

{Great spread for a bunch of girls...add some bigger bites for the guys}

Everybody likes to party. There's nothing more satisfying than having a productive, yet challenging, work week followed by a gathering of friends to drink, laugh, and be merry. We all know that the only facet worse than the clean up portion of the event (for me that encompasses placing saran wrap on absolutely everything not nailed to the table and throwing it in the fridge, followed very closely by yours truly falling asleep face down on the couch)  is not being able to be a party to your own party. Hosting a party can be considered very "hands on". How many of us end up in and out of the kitchen all evening or throughout the meal replenishing serving dishes and drinks or stand within inches of the grill, which is as far away from everyone else as could be possible,.....kind of nodding and grinning only catching a glimpse of all the fun??? Not. any. more. Ladies and Gents, I give you the "Grazing Party". Choose a bunch of different items covering all of the basic food groups and all that can stand at room temperature and there you have it. You can sit with your friends, truly integrate yourself into the conversation or gaming that may be had, and RELAX. This is a great party option for smaller groups in a more casual setting. Offer different types of wine, a couple different cheeses, finger fruits, simple veggies and dip (hummus preferred), a small meat selection and so forth. There's a little something for everyone. Look ma..no hands.  

What I've Been Crushing On

{Been pulling some EARLY mornings as of late. Nice having this girl by my side.}

{Donuts with friends.}

{Wonder what the view was like from that little plane.}

{Very true.}

{Crisp white post sunset.}

{Girls giggle fest/game night.}

Golden Cheese Chalice

{A nice light "ish" lunch}

I once joked with a guy I was seeing that I believe I have mastered the entire genre of standard "comfort food" dishes. I make a great meat loaf, a significantly delicious (albeit vegan) chili, melt in your mouth lasagna, your basic black bean tacos, stuffed cabbage, and so on. I love my step mom's mac recipe but you REALLY HAVE TO LIKE CHEESE to enjoy it. Anyone lactose intolerant could be subjected to a trip to the local Urgent Care Center upon ingesting it. So to be on the safe side I found a recipe for macaroni and cheese cups, and changed the basic recipe to suit my own particular taste. More than a mouthful, but the perfect size for party service, especially larger groups where making sure everyone gets a scoop is essential. 

{I omitted the milk completely so you can cross that off your grocery list}

Boil the entire box of macaroni noodles for eight minutes. Drain the noodles, and move to a large mixing bowl. Add 1 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, two cups SHARP cheddar cheese and 2 cups Mozzarella cheese including 2 beaten eggs and four tablespoons butter. Add 1/4 of a finely chopped onion. 

Mix your basic olive oil with some plain bread crumbs and add a little Parmesan cheese. You want it crumbly and not stuck together.

After you have scooped the mixture into the cupcake pan, sprinkle the tops with the oil/bread crumb mixture.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Heap the scoops in the pan, the entire scoop will adhere and come out in one solid piece. So much easier to serve than original macaroni and cheese I think!

If you've done it right it should come out of the pan looking exactly like this. Makes 12 big ones, or if you fill the cups only to the rim, possibly enough for 24. I had some left over so I just stood there and ate it right from the bowl. Why not??

Seasonal Effective

{Perry Park Bridge}

Hard to fathom that Spring has passed by us in such a hurry. It seems like it went from cool to hot in maybe a week? I think my favorite thing about the season has to be all the pretty flowers blooming with all the rich color and texture. It is like the Earth has been reborn. There is so much beauty in our imperfect world that I want to always take the time to appreciate it whenever I can. I try not to drive anyone absolutely crazy on my Instagram account, but I do like posting pictures of flowers I pick up at the market or grocery store every week. It is the perfect pick me up. So was this Boden dress I purchased (on sale for less than 50 bucks) for Mother's Day and went to a place here in Worthington that holds so many precious memories, to take a pretty walk, on a cool and misty morning. 

{JCrew bracelet and shoes - old, and clutch from Target last season}

PS. You can follow me on Instagram @ misstiffany_ann 

All For One

These past few weeks have been pretty crazy not only at work but at home. So much life changes going on that I had to take a little break from this blog, that I love so much, just to get a handle on it all. But even during my mini sabbatical....I never stopped reading. There is something so therapeutic about disappearing in all that text that is very comforting to me when things around me seem out of my control. This book is about a loss of self control, of one person's inability to contain their most primal urges. The "love triangle" spoken about in the description is more reminiscent of a parallelogram. There are three anthropologists in love with the same person, and the journey to finding out who, what, where, and why all pivot on digging deeper into the relationships they all have with each other that seem to feed the ego of the object of all the affection. It is a trip into the jungle, into the mind of a desperately lonely soul, and the things they uncover about each other that change them forever. {Happy to be back :}

Come Fly With Me

{The world is your runway. Including the tarmac.}

With Memorial Day Weekend in a couple weeks, I thought it would be a great opportunity to suggest all of you to take advantage of my personal fave...FREE FUN. I had not been to the Air Force Museum in Dayton since I was very small, and I was stoked on the opportunity to go back this past summer. Just a mere hour or so drive from Columbus, it houses an immense amount of retired as well as currently active aircraft. The best part is being able to get up close and personal to many, and see them as they really were way back when. Another trip back in time, an educational moment, a little more military history for my ravenous appetite. In understanding the past we can change the future. My father was in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, volunteering to avoid the draft, and to be able to choose his desired branch and location. I have been told recently that he gave up a college basketball scholarship to John Carroll University, married my mom, and headed off to war (Turkey to be exact). As I walked through every corridor I was taken by the photographs of these men and their individual stories not unlike his. Their lives, their loves, their losses all there for public consumption. Set aside an entire day. 

{Trophies given to the greatest mistakes.}

{I felt very tiny in this room.}

{WW II}

What I've Been Crushing On

{Sneaking out for a late night showing of Spiderman with my son.}

{15 years of watching her train.}

{Mother's Day breakfast at a local Diner.}

{Friday night baseball.}

{Making time to catch up with friends.}

{Falling in love with reading again.}

{Norman watching "Too Cute" on Netflix.}