monday morning reads

If you couldn't tell from my tweets all weekend, I spent it watching the Masters and Jordan Spieth dominate each round. It's the first major of the year, and possibly my favorite, so I was glued to any and all coverage. I teared up when Ben Crenshaw played his last hole and hugged his longtime caddy and family. I got goosebumps when Rory McIlroy hit a great approach on the 13th while trying to make the cut. And, of course, I admired the great fashion, like Morgan Hoffman's debut of his Greyson line.

It should come as no surprise that some of my morning reads revolve around golf:

1. Are the people at Nike psychic? They recently released this amazing commercial {completely worth the watch!}, and then the pairing actually happened during the last round of the Masters.

2. This is a great video of Augusta National's greens keepers making sure the fairways and greens are as pristine as you imagine.

3. I started another round of the Whole 30 this week and am dying to try out this recipe for Slow Cooker Kahlua Pig.

4. If you ever questioned how fit golfers are, here's a behind-the-scenes look at Rory McIlroy's shoot for Men's Health.

5. These tips on how to keep allergens out of your home during spring will be extremely helpful.

6. I recently tried curling my hair with a flat iron and used this tutorial from Anna. I wish I had taken a picture because I loved how my hair turned out!

7. GUYS. Game of Thrones came back last night! Did you watch? It was so good! {Spoilers included in that link so don't click if you haven't seen the episode yet!}

Happy Monday!

pimento cheese and the masters

If you didn't know, the first Major of the year starts tomorrow and I cannot wait. It's my favorite of the four, mainly because I've been to Augusta National and the course is one of the prettiest I've ever seen.

There are a ton of fun facts to know about this tournament, but one really cool one is that the concession prices are insanely low. Like, so low that the most expensive thing on the menu is an import beer for $4. The best thing to get on the menu, and a classic, is the pimento cheese sandwich. As a Northerner, I had never had pimento cheese before, but since it's such a classic thing in the South and at the tournament, I had the sandwich and washed it down with some sweet tea. Both were great, but I absolutely loved the sandwich. I wanted to recreate it and whipped up this recipe that I think is a pretty similar version of the classic.

Ingredients:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened and at room temperature
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz. diced pimentos, drained
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:
1. Stir the softened cream cheese and mayonnaise together in a large bowl until well combined.
2. Grate your block of sharp cheddar cheese and add it to the cream cheese and mayonnaise. {Don't get the shredded cheese at the store. It's worth it to grate it yourself and the end product is better!}
3. Add in the diced pimentos and all of your seasoning and spices. Mix everything together.
4. Chill for at least one hour and then serve.

This makes for a great sandwich by itself but would be good with crackers, Melba toast, or vegetables. Or you could go crazy and use it for a grilled cheese sandwich with tomatoes - YUM.

final four fashion

Victoria's Secret University of Kentucky Baseball Tee // Victoria's Secret University of Wisconsin Tank // Michigan State Cropped Muscle Tee // Duke University Tank // Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Cherry // Essie Polish in Petal Pushers // J. Crew Contrast Bracelet Set // Rebecca Minkoff Mini Love Cross Body Bag // Kork-Ease Leather Bootie // J Brand Mid-Rise Jeans

The NCAA Final Four is this weekend in Indianapolis and for me and my parents, this is one of the exciting sporting events we travel for. Even though my school hasn't been in many of these since we started attending {Syracuse is going through a rough patch right now}, it's still such a fun atmosphere to be in. And while I won't be sporting any school colors this weekend {except for maybe a little bit of red lipstick for Wisconsin when they play Kentucky}, I thought I'd put together a simple and casual outfit to wear while cheering on your team.

Since I'm leaving for Indy early Friday morning, I'll be back with a new post {it's a really easy recipe!} next Wednesday. Until then... have a great weekend and a Happy Easter!

pure & simple carrot cake

I'm probably in the minority, but I love, love, love carrot cake. It is my absolute favorite. But, as with a lot of other things in life, I am really picky about it. I think that a carrot cake shouldn't have anything else in it except for... carrots. I could completely do without the raisins and walnuts and coconut or whatever else it is that other recipes call for. I'm just looking for a simple carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting. It's actually really difficult to find what I love so I thought that since Easter is coming up, I would share with you my carrot cake recipe.

Ingredients: {cake recipe adapted from The Faux Martha}

Cake:

1 pound carrots, freshly grated

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups canola oil

1/3 cup skim milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup plus 2 tbsp cake flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon sugar

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground allspice

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature

8 oz cream cheese, softened

about 4 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line cake pans with parchment paper and spray with non-stick baking spray.

2. Whisk together the carrots, eggs, sugar, canola oil, skim milk, and vanilla extract.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon sugar, nutmeg, and allspice. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until well combined.

4. Pour the batter evenly into the cake pans and bake in an oven for 30-38 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. {I used six inch pans, but the time in the oven should be the same for an eight or nine inch pan.}

5. Allow the cakes to cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1.  In the bowl of an electric mixer {or a large bowl with a hand mixer}, beat together the butter and cream cheese.

2. Add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time until smooth and creamy. Side note: one box of powdered sugar {usually one pound} is four cups of powdered sugar. I never use the full four cups because it makes frosting really sweet and I prefer mine not so sweet. I just eyeball it.

3. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Assemble and frost the cake. Since I made this cake for Easter, I added some mini Cadbury creme eggs.

For more Easter recipes, check out my last post!

five easter treats

I'll be sharing my own recipe for an Easter treat next week but wanted to let you know about some that I found. They range from the quick and easy to ones that may take just a bit more time. They're all fun and can probably be considered springtime treats, not just for the Easter holiday!

Resurrection Rolls {A great way to teach kids about the meaning of Easter!}

Bunny Dirt Cups

Lemon Drizzle Cake

 Mini Cheesecake Nests

 Cadbury Creme Egg Brownies

Yum, yum, yum! I made Cadbury Creme Egg Brownies last year and they were a hit so I highly suggest those. I love how super easy Resurrection Rolls are to make. And besides being cinnamon sugar deliciousness, it's a great way to get the kiddos involved and teach them about the story of Jesus' death and resurrection.

Don't forget to check back on Monday for another recipe just in time for Easter!

Have a great weekend!