life, lately

I feel as though it’s been a literal age since I last updated you on what’s going on behind the blog, so I thought I’d take this moment to fix that. So grab a cup of coffee or tea, maybe a doughnut (yes, yes, definitely a doughnut), and let’s chat!

First, can we take a look at that peony in the photo above? A co-worker of mine brought those from her garden into work this week and they are STUNNING. And huge. Like, the size of my head. And I get to look at them all day long from my work kitchen and they make me so happy.

Second, my child just turned two years old a couple of weeks ago, so THAT gives me all the feels.

Some of my family came into town over her birthday weekend (which is also my birthday weekend, but no one cares as much about my birthday anymore, include me, now that Avery exists) and since I still have some post-traumatic stress over last year’s birthday events (which featured me, my husband, my mom and my daughter all down for the count with the stomach flu… UGHHH), we all washed our hands extra well this time and thankfully, no one got sick. Instead, we enjoyed the gorgeous spring weather, took a trip to the zoo, played in the backyard with Avery’s new water table and slide and of course, ate birthday cake.

But like, for real, how do I have a two-year-old already. FOR REAL.

On days when I’m not chasing around that incredibly active two-year-old of mine, I am working hard in my kitchen to bring fun, fresh, unique recipes to you from this little ol’ blog. As of late, that’s included these veggie and cheese-stuffed rolls, a coconut oil fruit crisp, some seriously amazing pasta carbonara with bacon and waffle breakfast sandwiches of both the sweet and savory variety. Coming up, we have some granola that I think (no, I KNOW) you’ll love, plus a few other summertime goodies! So get excited.

I’ve also been working hard in my other kitchen, the one where I work at General Mills, on a few fun projects. Lately those projects have included dessert recipes (like these strawberry tarts and a dulce de leche crepe cake that is bonkers delicious), and soon I’ll be working on incorporating yogurt into a few summery treats, plus some scratch baking with a flour brand. It’s been such an eye-opening and rewarding experience to work as a consultant in the Kitchens — I’ve learned so much about not only how ingredients work together and how recipes should be written, but also how brands see how their consumer interacts with their products and how best to market everything. I’m not going to go full nerd on you about it all, but every day I learn something new. If you’re curious about some behind-the-scenes stuff there, feel free to follow me on the Snapchat (stephmwise), where I share what I’m working on from time to time!

I’ve also recently partnered up with Nom to share some exclusive content on their snazzy new platform. I’m sharing photos (like how to build this not-so-basic basic salad, above) but also, VIDEO (gulp), on pretty much anything and everything food-related. So if you’re interested to see (or just want to see how badly I botch doing video, because whoa you guys, I have much to learn), you can follow me over there now, too!

On a more personal note, I want to thank all of you again for the incredible support and kindness you gave me regarding my miscarriage. We are continually on the mend and trying to find a sense of normalcy again, and we are getting there. Every now and then the memory of it all hits me and I can hardly breathe, and I doubt that will go away any time soon, maybe if ever. I still remind myself that I lost a child, even if I didn’t get to hold her, and that is a pain that won’t soon heal. That being said, the whole situation has brought me that much closer to the ones whom I can hold.

Tomorrow night, I’m going to see these guys in concert, and next week Elliott and I are going to see this show, and I CANNOT WAIT. Next month, we are headed to Chicago for a quick anniversary getaway, and then in July, I am doing The Color Run with my mom. You read that right. I am running. In public. Pray for me now.

All of that to say, we are feeling busy and full and happy and tired and whole these days. And I am grateful.

Aaaaaand one more pic of her, just because. 😉