Tomorrow we are going camping in the wilderness. Today I’m getting a pedicure.
I brought yesterday’s pad thai to my pastor’s family since they have four kids and I have…none. I got so much joy when their oldest immediately had a bowl of it and deemed it “the best pad thai in the whole world!” It’s the little things.
There seems to be some question over my pin boards so let me explain. I’m just a girl who loves puppies, weddings, book nooks and cats cuddling other cats. I have no announcement to make other than I’m training Dexter to hold his stuffed mouse while he sleeps so I can take a photo and pin it.
I thought I was tired of pumpkin after last weekend’s whoopie pie production and this week’s cinnamon rolls but…nope. All I want in life is a big, thick slice of this.
I recently read this book for book club and became obsessed with the author. In the past two weeks, I’ve read four of her books and am not stopping until I finish each and every one. This happened a few summers ago with Jodi Picoult (Diane Chamberlain reminds me of her!) and I didn’t leave my house for a week.
I’m making Halloween themed cake pops for a contest next week judged by Bakerella herself! I’ve never made cake pops before. Help?
I recently got nominated for SHAPE Magazine’s best “healthy eating” blog. And while I’m a little confused on how someone thought frying bacon and making deep dish pizza was healthy, I’m honored!
RunEatRepeat
October 13, 2011 at 11:23 amI’m drooling over the pad thai recipe! Hope all is well 🙂
Casey @ Pocket Full of Sunshine
October 13, 2011 at 11:23 amWhat a lovely photo of you!
I love your posts like this. 🙂 Have a great time camping!
katie @KatieDid
October 13, 2011 at 11:33 amHave fun camping, hope those toes hold up! And I love your apron, thats truly adorable.
Tiffany
October 13, 2011 at 11:39 amLOVE your apron!
And love that you are nominated for a healthy eating blog. All in moderation- a little dose of fat, greens, and yoga all do a body good! Congratulations, Jenna!
Best of luck camping. You are more woman than I could ever be!
Bev Weidner
October 13, 2011 at 11:39 amGet down gurl, go ‘head, get down!
Shannon @ A Pinch of Ginger
October 13, 2011 at 11:46 amThat Pad Thai looks Ahhhhmazing. 🙂 The thing I’ve learned about cake pops was its all in the amount of icing you add in when mixing with the crumbled cake. And the first time I was super impatient and didnt wait for the cake to cool. Wont do that again 🙂
Enjoy camping!
Alyse
October 13, 2011 at 12:01 pmRee got nominated, too! haha. I guess healthy can be anything? I think it’s cute.
Kim
October 13, 2011 at 12:02 pmI LOVE Diane Chamberlain!! Have you read The Secret Life of Cee Cee Wilkes?? If not, make it the next one!! SOOO good!! The only other one I’ve read is Before The Storm. I might have to go grab a few others!
PS: I get pedi’s before camping trips ALL the time. Who wants ugly toes when you’re sitting around a campfire in flip flops??? Not this girl!!
Teresa
October 13, 2011 at 12:08 pmThe reason you probably got nomintaed is that we can see this blog as very healthy because there is balance. I’m sure u are not frying bacon every single day……are u? LOL
Such a beautiful, talented, body consciuous, amazing role model u are Jenna !
Victoria (District Chocoholic)
October 13, 2011 at 12:09 pmcake pop help: I like to crumble the cake and let it dry overnight so that it forms a tighter mixture with the frosting.
Amy @loveAmyx
October 13, 2011 at 12:10 pmThe lost daughter by Diane Chamberlain is wonderful, I was so said when I finished the book!
Amy x
Kati @ The Ivey League
October 13, 2011 at 12:13 pmCongrats on the nomination! I’ve dropped off reading several “healthy blogs” in the past few months but yours has stayed. 🙂
I’ll have to check out that author and while I’d love to whip up some of your pumpkin recipes, I’m on a no-sugar diet for 30 days. Help? Indeed!
Yolie @ Practising Wellness
October 13, 2011 at 12:14 pmLol! to the last sentence 😛 You’re a beautiful (literally, that top photo is stunning) example of living a life true to yourself, and practising balance with your food choices – cakes and kale, veggies and butter. Wonderful! <3 Plus, you are living with passion, and following your dreams! That's pretty healthy- and those dreams involve eating (and reading and yoga, but that's not the point :-P). So I get it! 😉 xyx
Yolie @ Practising Wellness
October 13, 2011 at 12:16 pmPS; Have fun camping! 😀 xyx
PPS: You write beautifully.
Carissa @ ChoiceSustenance
October 13, 2011 at 12:21 pmI love your apron. The neckline is gorgeous! I never wear an apron but you’re making me want to.
Cait's Plate
October 13, 2011 at 12:25 pmLove that first photo of you! And can I just say how great I think it is that you’re preceding a camping trip with a pedicure? Haha. That is awesome.
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga
October 13, 2011 at 12:27 pmMaking cake pops for the first time AND to be judged by Bakeralla…no pressure there 🙂
I hope you have fun camping, with your new pedicure, too.
And taking food to people with four kids…I don’t have 4, only 1, but if some woman dropped food off on my doorstep that was delicious and saved my dinnertime sanity, I would feel like I won the lottery. Better than the lottery 🙂 You not only made the kids’ day, but the mom’s day, too!
deva @ deva by definition
October 13, 2011 at 12:39 pmI love your apron! We haven’t trained our cat to snuggle with his mouse while sleeping, BUT he sleeps so hard we just tuck one under his arm and snap a picture anyway.
Emmy (Wine and Butter)
October 13, 2011 at 12:41 pmI think because you are lucky enough to be one of those people who looks healthy no matter what you COOK! ps – totally inspired to try your Pad Thai now as well!!
Emily @ The Finicky Farmer
October 13, 2011 at 12:44 pmCongrats on the Shape nomination! I consider your blog the best of “healthy eating” precisely because your writing, photos, and recipes proclaim your love of all things delicious. In a culture that does not encourage women to love food, much less their own bodies, your joyful blog is a welcome reprieve.
julie
October 13, 2011 at 12:49 pmDYING over your apron…where is it from?
jenna
October 13, 2011 at 12:49 pmI got it from Anthropologie in college!
Lori Lynn
October 13, 2011 at 12:54 pmCongrats on the honor! I have not heard of the cake pops before. That’s a cute idea.
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma)
October 13, 2011 at 1:02 pmI made your pumpkin roll last Christmas and loved it. I would also love a piece of it right now.
kathleen @ the daily crumb
October 13, 2011 at 1:09 pmjust voted for you 🙂
i absolutely love that apron. are those little doggies ?!
Em
October 13, 2011 at 1:18 pmCongrats on the wonderful honor!
And how very nice of you to share your food.
Hope those cake pops turn out great!
Krystina (Organically Me)
October 13, 2011 at 1:29 pmWhy does a pedicure before camping in the wilderness sound so poetic?
Kate @ Kalamazoo Foodies
October 13, 2011 at 1:39 pmI love cake pops! I am making them this weekend for my sisters’ (yep, twins’) 25th birthdays!
I find that putting the cake balls (as I call them) in the freezer for 15 or so minutes before I start putting them on sticks and dipping them in chocolate makes it much easier. And, typically, about part way through, I put them back in the freezer as they will start to soften. It is a disaster when the soften because they can slide right down the stick!
Good luck! Can’t wait to see your finished result! 🙂
Happy eating from one foodie to another!
ATalley
October 13, 2011 at 1:40 pmyes, Diane is my new Jodi too! The Secret Life of Cece Wilkes, Summer’s Child, and The Lies We told(my most recent) are all pretty great.
Liz @ Tip Top Shape
October 13, 2011 at 1:55 pmCongrats on the nomination!! And you are all about balance–that’s healthy!
Chels
October 13, 2011 at 1:59 pmCongrats! Just voted! I love your blog & love ur pinboards on pinterest! 🙂
Have fun camping!
Carolyn @HealthKitten.com
October 13, 2011 at 2:07 pmNever underestimate the healing properties of bacon!! 😉
kristen @ kristen's sweet stop
October 13, 2011 at 2:54 pmI make cake pops all the time-they are not hard! Have fun!
Jaime
October 13, 2011 at 3:18 pmI don’t know what the contest thinks but I love how you approach food. You obviously enjoy it to the fullest, from baking to savory and back again. For me, personally, it’s an excellent reminder that healthy eating doesn’t have to mean anything more than a healthy respect for what you put into your mouth. You definitely have that.
Jaime
October 13, 2011 at 3:19 pmOh right, and it might be partly your fault I am currently hooked on Pinterest. And my fellow doctoral students but still. ;o)
Lisa
October 13, 2011 at 4:44 pmYou look so pretty!! Good luck with the cake pops! I’ve never made them. Let us know how they turn out!
Danica @ It's Progression Not Perfection
October 13, 2011 at 5:08 pmI love Jodi Picoult–I’ll definitely have to check out Diane Chamberlain! P.S. You read super fast! Lucky!!
Joelle (On A Pink Typewriter)
October 13, 2011 at 5:20 pmScore, I love learning about new (to me) authors that are fabulous! And I think it’s semi hilarious how people try to figure out your life behind the blog.. understandable but also a little much sometimes. 😉
Emily @ Life on Food
October 13, 2011 at 5:39 pmI love all of your post but this one I relate to the best. Makes me feel like my mind is not so weird after all.
Ashley
October 13, 2011 at 5:47 pmwhen you make the pop cakes please do a blog with detailed instructions. I tried it myself and they were a disaster! Although that doesn’t really mean anything- almost all of my dishes are disasters.
Lynda
October 13, 2011 at 6:00 pmI love Diane Chamberlains books! The Midwife’s Tale was soooo good. Be sure to read The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes!
http://www.librarything.com/profile/lyndabriggs
Marie@feedingfive
October 13, 2011 at 6:44 pmI love all the book suggestions. I don’t really have time to read a whole lot right now as my kids keep me extremely busy, but I am taking notes.
Khushboo
October 13, 2011 at 11:07 pmDeep dish pizza does wonders for mental health, hence the nomination! Congrats :)!
Tasha @ Voracious Eats
October 14, 2011 at 1:15 amPLEASE tell me you’ve read Kate Morton? She is a brilliant storyteller, weaving complex yet intimate tales with precision and passion. And wow can she write. The House at Riverton is my favorite, and set during WW1 and 1920s England, which is such a fascinating period. That book and The Forgotten Garden are both MUST READS!
Molly @ RDexposed
October 14, 2011 at 4:36 amLOVE the apron!
Ordered pad thai from a restaurant last night and was so disappointed. I kept thinking that I wish I had had yours instead.
Anne
October 14, 2011 at 5:07 amI really prefer your hair like that, beautiful, natural.
Nicole
October 14, 2011 at 5:14 amGood luck with the cake pops. Hope you share the recipes when the judging is over.
Pinterest is too much fun.
The Kidless Kronicles
Kate
October 14, 2011 at 5:26 amI had a miserable fail on cake pops, so I am no help. 🙂
I thought only one commenter asked about your pinterest, did I miss something? Weird.
Jennifer
October 14, 2011 at 5:46 amI keep pinning things revolving around weddings too but with no plans in the making, which I think may be confusing some people as well. I just love the pretty dresses and stockpiling ideas for the future. I’m a Virgo. I.e. type a planner
Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove
October 14, 2011 at 5:48 amCongrats on the nomination! And good luck with the cake pops! I’ve never made them before so I don’t have any advice, sadly.
Rae
October 14, 2011 at 8:27 amLOVE Diane Chamberlain. Just a note…a few of her books are best read in order….but aren’t intuitive. Anything to do with the Kiss River (I think there are 3) are the same story line at different points
Shelly
October 14, 2011 at 8:44 amJenna– you forgot to mention your fans can vote 🙂 Click on the SHAPE link and vote for Jenna’s blog!!
Abbey
October 14, 2011 at 8:50 amI made cakepops for my best friend’s baby shower a few months ago. I have two pieces of advice: 1) Make sure to cover the ball COMPLETELY with icing – that includes the very bottom where the ball connects to the stick. If there are any holes, even very tiny, you will get little “cake worms” emerging as the chocolate sets. It definitly makes for some laughter with your best friend but they are a pain to clean up; 2) Only take a few out of the freezer at a time. The more frozen the balls are the easier it will be to keep the ball in the stick and the chocolate to stick to the ball. Other than that they are one of the simplest desserts I have ever made!!
Amy
October 14, 2011 at 11:14 amCan I just say, you and your blog belong in an Anthropology ad. Everything you make and how you present it just fits so well with that unique, playful, but classy look. Also, doesn’t hurt that your beautiful and take beautiful pictures
Gillian G. @ When Bread Is Broken
October 14, 2011 at 5:51 pmI know exactly which cat-cuddling-mouse pinterest pic you are talking about. I’m not a cat person but I died when I saw that picture! Omgsocute.
I consider your blog very healthy in that you promote no deprivation. I really appreciate that. Congratulations on the nomination, YAY!! 🙂
amy walters, aDESIGNdock
October 14, 2011 at 6:31 pmCongratulations Jenna on the blogger’s award nomination 🙂 That is so exciting, and much deserved! Thanks for the heads up on the author…I’m on the look out for a new go-to author, this might just fit the bill. Cheers!
Tiffany @ texan on the run
October 15, 2011 at 7:46 pmi made cake pops once and it was so fun decorating it!
most online recipes call for a completely cooked cake with a ridiculous amount of frosting holding the cake together…then rolled in ANOTHER layer of icing/chocolate/what have you…which sounds like sweetness overkill to me!
so what i did instead was made the cake as well cooked as it can be but still doughy enough to be rolled into cake balls!
i put yellow dye in white chocolate, and used black icing as eyes, and reese’s pieces as beaks and made little duckling cake pops 😀
see:
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/261850_10100850001801450_7954574_70689308_3240796_n.jpg
the surface isn’t completely smooth though, probably would’ve looked prettier with icing or candy melt.
since i didn’t have access to candy melts or whatever they’re called, i used melted white chocolate instead
nichole (eat & be pretty)
October 16, 2011 at 4:12 amomg Jodi Picoult is my absolute favorite author of all time. I’ll have to read some books by this author! Which one is your favorite??
Megan @ blackberries for jam
October 16, 2011 at 6:16 amI’m so glad you wrote about the Midwife’s Confession. I downloaded it to my kindle immediately and I am positively hooked. And I’ve already added a bunch of other Diane Chamberlain books to my goodreads queue. Thanks for the great recommendation!
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