instagram diary - springtime journeys

maybe i've had a little too much of a good time for the past 2 weeks (the gym is calling my name, i'll just put it that way). i've been happily exploring some new birmingham spots, revisting my old favorite (hello j. clyde!) and spending time with my family. my parents & grandparents came up on friday, and we trekked over to collins bar (new obsession) & el barrio. saturday, we ventured to pepper place farmer's market, followed by red cat for coffee. next, lunch at slice, followed by an afternoon at avondale brewery for black warrior riverkeeper's earthfest. aaaand finally, dinner at vino in mountain brook. this was my first time at vino and i was thoroughly impressed. see? what a birmingham-tastic weekend. (yeah, my parents did still get me a chocolate bunny for easter. never too old).

birmingham bloggers has seen a great turn out, and i'm hoping to organize a meetup in may. if all goes as planned, i'll have those details sorted by the time the april end-of-the-month newsletter reaches member inboxes. exciting!

lemon squares: a springtime dessert

i love baking for the seasons. as soon as springtime hits, i'm thinking of light, fluffy, fruity stuff - though i'll take a cupcake year round. i remember my mother making these lemon squares, and had to ask her for the recipe. i'm not entirely sure where it came from aside from my grandmother - possibly southern living? - but she scanned the little card & sent it to me. cute right?

this recipe is incredibly simple, gooey, buttery, tart and delicious. they're a perfect spring or summertime dessert, and probably would taste even better on a picnic or at an outdoor party. so, just in case you cannot read my mother's handwriting, you'll need:

• 1 cup softened butter
• 2 cups unsifted flour
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 & 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup flour

01. preheat your oven to 350 degrees. combine the first 3 ingredients with an electric mixer. this forms a sort of dough that will be your crust. press the dough into the bottom of a baking pan. (sizes? who needs sizes?)

02. bake the crust for 20 minutes. while it bakes, whip up your lemon mixture.

03. combine eggs, sugar, lemon juice, baking powder and flour with an electric mixer. once your crust has baked, pour mixture on top and bake an additional 25 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. when it's cool, sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top. enjoy!

what are your favorite springtime recipes?

color me rad! tips & tricks

this weekend i did the color me rad 5k run, and it was incredible! such a fun, casual experience and a great workout to boot (our course was tough!). my brother, colin, did the race with me, and we had a blast. i've been in plenty of races, but never one like this, so i wasn't entirely sure what to expect. i won't spoil the whole process for you, but here are some tips & tricks if you're planning on running color me rad:

01. put your cell phone in a ziploc bag - yes! do not forget this! you'll definitely want to take photos before, after and maybe even during the race, but keep your phone safe wrapped in a bag, tucked away in a pack or pocket.

02. don't even think twice about not wearing sunglasses - as annoying as they can be to run in, definitely wear your own pair of shades or rock the ones provided to you. when the color comes at your face, the last place you want it is in your eyes.

03. don't worry too much about buying extra "color bombs" - i found there was plenty of color to go around without spending extra cash.

04. shower right after - i'm not sure what hanging around in dyed cornstarch can do, but i immediately threw my pants in the washer (i didn't even bother with the shirt - it got sacrificed to the color gods, i guess) and found there to be no issues. everything came off in one shower, surprisingly!

have you ever run in a themed 5k?

birmingham bloggers, where y'all at?

since moving to birmingham, i've discovered so much in the blogging world that i was blind to before. we've got an amazing number of bloggers here, and in tuscaloosa too! i have put so much thought into how to best bring these groups together, and i've been wishing for a site, a facebook group, something that put everyone in one place.

we've got the wonderful social media conference y'all connect, in addition to see jane write birmingham - but i want a more casual group with an identifying badge, something bloggers would be able to join. because when you google birmingham bloggers, not much comes up!

i've worked with beth of bethcakes and molly of hey there sunshine and we've finally got a site together! it would mean the world to us if you checked it out, filled out the join form and helped us move this community forward! we can't wait to start hosting events, having monthly meetups, helping one another and making new friends!

follow us on twitter (@bhambloggers), 'like' our facebook page, & visit bhambloggers.com!

post grad tales: cooking

did you make it through college without having to cook? if so, congratulations. i don't know how you did it, and frankly, i'm impressed.

being comfortable in the kitchen isn't something we've all been bestowed with. for some, growing up involved parents or someone else making food, and kids staying out of it. for others, food and cooking were a natural process. either way, once you're "on your own", so to speak, you've gotta feed yourself, right?

this list is more so targeted to those who have little to zero kitchen experience. i've heard many peers say, "i don't know how to cook, and it's so scary to me!" but i am here to assure you it's not. it only takes a very basic level of familiarity to begin experimenting and eyeballing ingredients.

• try it! fortunately, cooking doesn't get much simpler than that. while some recipes are more daunting, there are tons and tons of resources and simple to follow dishes that can get you started. looking for a quick lunch? try this pasta salad recipe. you don't even have to turn on your oven. start with easy recipes to get comfortable in the kitchen. bookmark or print the ones you enjoy, and begin building your own "cookbook" for future reference.
• invest in a slow cooker. if you don't have one of these, get one. now. i mean it. get up, and go get one. they're as cheap as $15, so most any budget can accommodate one. buy a pack of chicken breasts or pork, cover it in bbq sauce, turn it on 'low' when you leave for work and when you come home, you'll have instant bbq for dinner. slow cooker recipes are simple and endless.
• invite a friend over for dinner. if you don't feel too kitchen savvy, invite a friend over to cook with you. whether this friend is skilled in the kitchen or not, you'll have a great experience bouncing ideas off one another - and laughing about how you have no idea how to tell when pasta is done. the meal could be bleh, it could be delicious, but either way, you're getting yourself kitchen acquainted.
• plan your meals + make a schedule. start off each sunday by deciding what sounds yummy for the week, and pick up the ingredients. if you're just starting out in the kitchen, make it a goal to cook 2 nights a week. if you're cooking for one, each meal should provide leftovers for lunches on other days.

the recipe pictured above is for mandarin orange chicken, found here.

this is a blog series on college post-grad life. click here to navigate to the list of posts in the series.