Grandma Evon’s Bean Dip

February 24, 2015February 24, 2015 / mikeysinmykitchen / 12 Comments

Ever since the first day I met Mikey he’s been talking about is Grandma Evon’s bean dip.

I FINALLY got the recipe from his Mom and decided to make it for a party. It disappeared within minutes. Not joking, it was the first thing to disappear that quickly out of any party we have ever hosted. It’s that good.

Mikey would always reminisce about this amazing dip and how it was always served with Doritos. When I told him I was making it he asked me about 4 times if I had Doritos to go with it.

I sadly did not get to meet Mikey’s Grandma Evon. I have heard a thousand stories about the amazing and loving woman that she was. One of the things Mikey and I found in common in the beginning of our relationship was the fact that we both had amazing Grandma’s who were CRAZY similar. They were the same woman. They loved their kids and grand kids unconditionally. They were the glue that brought and held everyone together. They loved to drink. A lot. And we laugh about some of the stories we have involving their favorite cocktails.

Mikey’s family always talks about the amazing parties and food spreads Grandma Evon used to have. There was never room for dessert (opposite from my family. We only had dessert) because they had so many appetizers and savory dishes. Many of the recipes have been passed down to me, but this one has an extra special place in our hearts for sure.

I’ve never heard so many food noises come out of one person as I did when Mikey took his first bite of this bean dip. It’s amazing how food can evoke such memory and emotion, and I hope that I can pass on the same love through food to my family one day!

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Lately

February 20, 2015February 20, 2015 / mikeysinmykitchen / 4 Comments

Who is sick of the weather temp screenshots, hashtags about ____beria and overall complaining about how people are so sick of winter?

Obviously I’m not…(that’s a joke). Friends, we need to embrace this weather for the dirty, dirty rascal that it is and make the most out of it. I have a few tips for you being the northern Wisconsinite that I am. Here they are:

1. Layers. Stack your layers until your boots don’t fit and you cant bend your arms. Seriously. You can always remove them. Wool socks. Fleece lined leggings/jeans. Everyone looks fat under those puffy coats. SO fill that puppy up as thick as you can and I promise that commute (walk to Starbucks) will be a little less brutal.

2. Cover your butt. If you have a lot of junk, or a little junk, in that trunk, cover it. A warm butt is a happy butt. When those winds come whipping off Michigan ave your butt is one of the first things to feel the cold sting. A long jacket makes a HUGE difference.

3. Quality hats and gloves. I don’t want to see any of this open knit hat garbage. You need a tight fitting, wool or fleece hat. If your ears aren’t covered you are not going to make it. And, since all stores are no longer carrying gloves but instead swimsuits (found that out the hard way) you don’t even have to leave your house to buy a pair of super thick ski gloves. I’m talking the kind you would wear skiing in Aspen. Stop trying to look cute, no one cares. .

4. Heated blanket. I learned this from my Mom long ago. Your bed can act as a toaster to your body. All you have to do is click a button while you brush your teeth and BAM! You can slide into a nice, toasty bed. Be careful to turn it off though so you don’t wake up in a sweaty mess…not that I’ve ever done that before…

Take my advice for what it is. I obviously give zero eff’s what I look like when I head out the door in the dead of winter. All I care about is the fact that I stay as toasty as possible (it’s more like a creepy zombie hobble due to all the layers) from one building to the next in this BEAUTIFUL cold weather. Embrace it. It’s all you can do. Find the beauty in the crisp morning sky. Thank God for the warm roof over your head. Focus on the fact that at least it’s not November and that we are flying towards March at an increasingly fast speed.

Grab some blankets, grab an animal (cat, dog, cute friend) buy a case of wine and hunker down. We can get through this together if we stop talking about #chiberia2015 and start talking about the blessings that have kept us warm thus far!

Boom! Now that I’ve dropped what knowledge I have (sorry it’s not much)…lets talk about some beautiful things I love!

This Swedish Semla Layer Cake looks like a giant cream puff. It has some almond paste in it as well which we all know is the way to my heart. Although it seems a teeny bit time consuming it sure looks worth it! I’m always so attracted to these white, whimsical bedrooms. This one has a fireplace on top of the amazing bed, hanging lights, a sky light and don’t even get me started on those floors…jealous is the only word I can think of at this moment. I found this quote the other day and thought it was beautiful and so filled with hope. Pretty much everything Jessica over at How Sweet Eat’s does is gorgeous. Her pictures are always so bright and crisp and I’m never surprised when I click on a beautiful picture of food and it directs me to her website. I like my coffee hot when It’s -25 outside…but when the weather warms up you better believe I’ll be reaching for a glass of cold brew coffee. I was chatting with my colorist this past week and I told her that I was thinking about doing something new with my hair. She asked me if I have ever considered pastel’s and I just about screamed with excitement. She read my mind. SO, although my hair is not purple (yet) I did buy this Bumble and Bumble Spraychalk that worked really well. It made my hair crunchy…like, imagine a mix between a wax and a hairspray. So that was kind of gross…but the temporary color was super fun and lasted a couple days until I washed it out. It is a great way to see if you like the color before committing fully (eek!). I love this light lavender color below. I think I’m going to go for it next time I head in to get my hair did!

Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies

February 17, 2015February 17, 2015 / mikeysinmykitchen / 10 Comments

Tell me what’s better than making cookies with your nephew.

Not only are these the BEST FREAKING COOKIES I’ve ever tasted…they were so fun to make with my little munchkin, Grady.

Mikey and I got to spend the morning with this kid and we had such a blast. Uncle Mikey let him eat a ton of dough and candy and I eventually had to be the mean aunt who told him that he had had enough. We made cookies, chased after Norman and took a trek to the toy store where uncle Mikey wanted to buy Grady everything (we settled on some trucks).

We love spoiling our nieces and nephew (aka, filling them with sugar and sending them home with their parents). And don’t worry everyone (Mom), we can’t wait to eventually bake cookies and spoil our own little munchkins someday… But until that time, we just plan on stealing other peoples kids to spend the day with.

A bit about these cookies: they are dangerously good. They are soft and chewy with a delicious peanut butter kick. We added Reese’s Pieces and chocolate chips to them which made the dough some of the best I’ve ever had. The secret ingredient that makes these extra tasty? A box of vanilla pudding. For some reason that magical bag of pudding powder adds the most incredible flavor and depth to cookies. I’m a big fan and know you would be too. Grady sure did love them!

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Lately

February 13, 2015February 13, 2015 / mikeysinmykitchen / 2 Comments

Happy Friday!

I feel like this has been a long week. Last weekend seems like a blur of friends and fun that happened a lifetime ago! Where do the days go? I was just thinking today that I can’t believe it is already the middle of February.

Remember when Christmas was a thing? Remember when St. Patricks day wasn’t that far away? Remember when I’m turning 28 this summer and it makes me want to cry for a second, but then I realize I still think I’m 23 so it’s cool…or maybe that’s immature and unrealistic? Either way, I’m going to tell myself that age is just a number and what actually matters is how you feel. So, I’m going to go ahead and act like I’m 23, and try not to cringe when I watch college basketball and realize the players are babies compared to me. I’ll probably be that old lady who dresses waaaayyyy too young but no one will ever tell me that I need to stop trying to be so hip. I think I’m already there actually….I think I’m going to dye my hair purple (I know I’ve been saying it, but Katy Perry at the Grammy’s…come ON) which makes me kind of feel like I’m back in high school, trying to look cool like the skateboarders in my Roxy clothes and DC Skate shoes. SO, I WANT TO BE A BAD ASS?!

I’m not. Never will be. But I can always try super hard to be cool as a cucumber.

Sometimes I wonder where my mind goes during these lately posts. I have epiphanies and sometimes it feels more like therapy and a journal entry…except 6,000 people are reading it, so there’s that. Thanks for listening and being my therapist I guess. I think I’ve had way too much coffee and just need to step away from the computer before I get too personal (but you wouldn’t judge me, right?).

Anyways, with all that being said, I don’t really want to say much about Valentines Day. Blah blah blah, Hallmark, flowers, happy, sad, chocolate, champagne, blah, depressing, blah, gifts, blaaaaahhhhhh. Some people love it and some people hate it. So I’m just going to leave it alone and let you do your thannnggg this V-Day. Perhaps if I’m feeling punctual I’ll bake something heart shaped or pink for you tomorrow…but I’m not going to make any promises.

ENOUGH WORDS, LETS LOOK AT PRETTY THINGS:

Mikey almost left me after a (too long) trip to IKEA and 4 (super difficult to assemble, as always) pieces of furniture later. It was the closest we’ve ever come to murder and/or leaving. Kidding obviously but It was awful. And one of the pieces was garbage…So, we basically swore off IKEA for the sake of our marriage. But I came across this kitchen and I am absolutely in love with everything from the cabinet colors to the faucet and copper jars. It is near perfection for me.
This is the second time I have posted from Zoe’s blog. I am always entranced by her beauty and her sense of style. She is a Parisian dream and I want to move to France so we can be best friends.
Here is a little shout-out to Valentines Day. A cute and delicious sounding cocktail! I’m still on the hunt for the perfect pieces of art for our home. I love love this piece by Alexandra Valenti. I am always drawn to darker and more mysterious pieces. This is all those things and then some. SO beautiful! Last but not least, a sweet treat you can make for someone you love, or just for you and your cat. These lovely Pots De Creme are a combo of salted chocolate, pistachio and raspberry. YUMMMMMMM!

Individual Funfetti Cakes with Marshmallow Fluff Buttercream

February 10, 2015February 10, 2015 / mikeysinmykitchen / 10 Comments

I made these cute, individual cakes for my two favorite little girls.

There is nothing better than little girl birthday parties. Tons of pink, glitter, dresses, twirling and presents filled with purple sparkly accessories.

My nieces have birthdays just a few days apart from each other which means joint birthday parties. And when you’re little, that can be hard since sharing the spotlight and gifts isn’t the most desirable way to celebrate a birthday when you’re a kid. But my sister-in-law does a great job of making their celebrations super special each year. This year I tried to do my part by baking them each their own cake.

I loved making these pink, whimsey cakes for them. Plus, the marshmallow frosting is super easy and ridiculously delicious. Like, way better than regular buttercream. It is so sweet and fluffy and it was hilarious to watch my niece, Emma, dive into her cake at full speed.

Lucky for you, these cakes would be loved by anyone at any age. This was one of my favorite cakes I’ve made thus far (we all know funfetti is my favorite). The pink frosting and heart frosting could have been a factor in my love for the cake as well, I suppose. Either way I think I’m going to bake myself one of these cakes for Valentines Day!

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