Memorial Day is coming up next weekend, and I’ve been thinking about all of my favorite summer BBQ recipes to break out for some grilling and al fresco celebrations. It’s also the perfect time to test a few new recipes too, and one of the ideas I’ve been cooking up takes no actual cooking at all! I made these mini berry mascarpone cakes, and didn’t even have to turn on my oven. Want to know the secret to this magical 15-minute no-bake dessert? A few store-bought ingredients! I used a pre-made pound cake and cut it into little cake rounds, then topped it with a sweetened mascarpone and lemon spread. Fresh berries give the dessert tons of patriotic color and sweet seasonal flavor. Just a little dusting of sugar on top and it is ready to serve. It comes together in just minutes, and can even be prepped a few hours in advance and chilled before your guests arrive. I think this is going to be on the menu for all of my summer parties this year! Get the full recipe below: 
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I am loving warm-weather this year a little bit more than usual. Life with a toddler gets exponentially easier when the sun is shining and they can run wild in the grass and on the beach. Because of this, we have been spending as much time as possible outdoors – sidewalk chalk drawing, bubble blowing, nature walking, and a little bit of good old-fashioned picnicking too! I plan to put my picnic-skills to the test this summer and thought I’d share a few of my favorite picnic menu and packing tips to get you inspired for some al fresco dining of your own:
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I have been feeling little bursts of summer all around this week — a few warm days, lots of playtime outside with Jane, and our yard is coming back to life! It’s been just the motivation I need (getting back on track post-vacation was rough) to get rolling on some new content with summer in mind. Get ready for grilling recipes, outdoor entertaining ideas, and home projects coming up in the next few weeks! And in the meantime, a few links to check out in this week’s download:
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My husband asked if we had any plans this weekend and I answered (maybe too quickly), “The Royal Wedding!” — as if, you know, I’m going to get up at 6am on Saturday morning to attend these festive nuptials. The fervor in my response was met with some teasing, but I am genuinely excited to wake up early this weekend to watch the coverage on TV. It might partly be that we’ve just returned from a trip to London, so I’m still riding a buzz for all things British, including afternoon tea and all of the treats that go along with it. In fact, I decided it was the perfect time to make some baked treats to enjoy during the royal wedding broadcast, inspired by our vacation tea time.
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I had an absolutely, lovely, low-key Mother’s Day. We woke up out in Western Massachusetts where we were staying for my brother’s college graduation the night before. I got to see my own mom in the morning and exchange some hugs and treats before we hit the road, stopping on the drive back for a quick visit to wish my mother-in-law a Happy Mother’s Day too! In the afternoon I took a long walk with Jane by the water, played with her in the yard for a bit, and then my husband got us take-out from my favorite Indian restaurant for dinner. It was a totally chill afternoon where I ignored deadlines and emails and to do lists, and that is exactly what was needed!
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After quite a few journeys under my blogging belt, I have gotten accustomed to scribbling down notes when we travel now to help me compile these destination guides! It’s sort of like my own little scavenger hunt when we visit a new city; I love finding special spots that I can report back on. We lucked out on this trip in so many ways – the flights were easy (we got a great deal on Norwegian Air), we managed the jet lag well, and we had amazing weather. Locals kept telling us that it was rare to have that much sunshine and warmth the first days of May, and the timing had been perfect to see so many of the spring flowers in bloom. The trip gave me a fresh case of the travel bug, and as I write this recap of our week in London, I’m already scheming our next adventure!
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Home, sweet home! I got back this weekend from an amazing vacation exploring London and parts of England. It was a wonderful trip, full of beautiful weather, tons of sightseeing, and my fair share of eating and drinking! But it’s true what they say, there is no place like home. It’s been a slow start to the week as I dig out of my inbox and ease out of the jet lag fog, but coming back to what finally feels like spring weather has helped with the adjustment. While I play catch up, I thought I’d share a few links and updates below:
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The number one thing that gets me through winter (and let’s be honest, the very wintry spring we had this year!) is thinking about how gloriously wonderful summer will feel when it finally arrives. I start making a mental bucket list of all of the things I want to do when warm-weather hits, and at the top of my list is usually entertaining outdoors. My friends at Better Homes & Gardens have been getting me extra excited for some al fresco celebrations this summer with their annual Summer Entertaining Guide! It’s chock full of great entertaining tips, cocktail recipes and outdoor decor ideas (oh, and a giveaway for a $250 Crate and Barrel gift card!). Flipping through this inspiring guide got me thinking about a few of my own favorite summer entertaining tips:
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We have been the biggest fans of the Chicco Bravo travel system since Jane was an infant– the stroller and car seat are probably our most used baby products we’ve had since she’s been born. The brand just launched a new version of this model that has many of the same features – like the quick fold mechanism that is SO key when you’re juggling a squirmy toddler and a bag of groceries in the parking lot – but it’s smaller and lighter. Now that Jane is bigger, we were looking for something a bit more flexible to throw in the car with us for quick errands and weekend trips, so I jumped at the chance when Chicco offered for us to try these new wheels out!
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Around the time that Jane was born, we noticed how much trash we were creating as a family (bags of diapers will do that!), and we started to make an effort to do more to reduce our impact on the environment. We started buying our dairy products from a local farm that reuses their glass containers, my husband built us a big recycling center in our back hall, and we even started composting our food scraps. These things are a just start, I know there is a lot more we can do, but our small changes were such easy swaps to be more eco-friendly. I thought that Earth Day would be a great chance to share a few of the items I use to be bit more conscious of my impact on the environment. 
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