Pineapple Angel Food Cake

This is the easiest, most delicious, and possibly one of the most healthy desserts you will ever make. Seriously, it's two main ingredients, plus two optional ingredients. 

Here's what you'll need: 

1 box of Angel Food Cake mix
1 large can of crushed pineapple
Shredded sweetened coconut (optional)
Light Cool Whip (optional)

Pour the cake mix and crushed pineapple into a bowl. Stir until well combined. That's all the mixing you have to do!! Have you ever heard of an easier recipe?

Pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

We may have gotten ours a little too brown...

You can stop there and enjoy a light, fluffy semi-healthy dessert. OR, you can add even MORE deliciousness by spreading the cool whip on top and sprinkling with shredded coconut. 

I'm telling you, you'll be shocked at how good this is. 

And, you could even substitute the shredded coconut for strawberries or another fresh berry and have a guilt-free dessert.

What do you think? Will you try this recipe for your next gathering? What's your favorite easy recipe?  

Cruise Tips + Pictures From Our Trip

First of all, thank you to Kelley for taking charge over the last three weeks while I was away for my wedding and honeymoon. It was all a whirlwind, but everything was just perfect. 

I hope to post some pictures from the wedding once we get them all back from our awesome photographer, Josh. Side note: Josh photographed Katherine Webb and AJ McCarron's wedding last weekend, so we're in the company of Alabama Royalty!

R.B. and I were so fortunate to be able to take a two week honeymoon to the Mediterranean. We flew into Barcelona, got on a cruise ship, and ended in Rome. We stopped in Marseille, Monaco, Calvi, Florence, Tunisia, Sicily, and Naples along the way. It was such a great trip. 

Being that it was my first cruise, I wasn't really sure what to expect. But, it ended up exceeding my expectations. And, we picked up a few tips that may help you on your next cruise. 

1. Upgrade your room if possible: The regular rooms on cruise ships aren't particularly large. We upgraded to a room with a private balcony, and it was our best decision of the trip. Even though you don't spend much time in your room (hopefully), 11 days is a long time in one tiny room. We enjoyed reading on the balcony and watching the sun set each night.

2. Participate in the onboard activities: There are tons of activities on board the ship all day every day, ranging from Bingo to musical entertainment to karaoke. We tried to do something every night after dinner. We especially enjoyed the shows by the Noordam Singers and Dancers (mini Broadway-type shows), the Marriage Game Show, and karaoke. 

This was our favorite show on the ship by the musicians of the BB King Blues Lounge.

3. Book spa appointments ahead of time: I really enjoyed some relaxation time at the spa, but I learned that if you want a prime appointment time (ie. an at sea day), you better book before the ship leaves. The appointments book fast, but you can usually book online before you leave. 

I got a keratin treatment while on board, so I sported straight hair most of the trip. This is in Marseille.

4. Research your shore excursions: There is tons of information online for just about every cruise port city and the excursions that are available. We gleaned lots of great information from Cruise Critic. We purchased excursions through the cruise line for Marseille, which also included Aix-en-Provence, Tunisia, Sicily, and Naples, and we purchased a shuttle pass through the cruise for Florence, but explored the city on our own. We also did Monaco and Calvi on our own. We enjoyed the Aix-en-Provence/Marseille and Pompeii/Sorrento (Naples) excursions the most. The tour guides are very knowledgeable about the area, so you're able to learn a lot. And, everything is prearranged, so it makes things much easier and less stressful. 

La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

Aix-en-Provence

Marseille

Monaco

Calvi, France

Florence

Carthage in Tunisia

Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia

Palermo, Sicily

Sorrento is known for their huge lemons and limoncello.

The people of Pompeii were instantly fossilized under 20-30 feet of volcanic ash from an explosion of Mt. Vesuvius. 

Rome

We have over 1200 pictures from the trip, so if you'd like to see the slideshow, come on over! 

Here are a couple to make you laugh...

At the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco

We've all had one of those days...

We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back! Are there any tips you would add to the list? Where are some of your favorite vacation spots? 

Recipe :: Sausage Stars

Y'all.  I can't even begin to describe how good these are.  They are a staple at any get-together.  I've even been told I couldn't come to people's houses unless I bring these.  This recipe makes quite a bit of them, but they always go fast so if it's more than 10 people I would absolutely double the recipe!

Ingredients:
1 pound sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (do not use pre-shredded)
1 1/2 cups grated Monterrey jack cheese (do not use pre-shredded)
1 cup prepared ranch dressing mix (make sure to use the dry ranch packet and make it yourself)
1 can (2.25 oz) sliced olives
4 oz. diced pimentos, drained well
1 package fresh or frozen won ton wrappers (usually 36 or so in a pack)
Pam or other cooking spray

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cook the sausage according to package directions.  Once cooked, let it drain on a paper towel lined plate.  In a large bowl, combine sausage with cheeses, prepared ranch dressing, olives and pimentos.  Set aside.

Lightly grease a regular muffin tin and press one wonton wrapper in each cup.  Spray wonton wrappers lightly with Pam.  Bake for 5 minutes, remove and fill baked wonton wrappers with sausage mixture (I would say about 1 heaping tablespoon - 2 tablespoons).  Bake 5 minutes or until bubbly.

Enjoy!

Currently Crushing :: Anthropologie

Hello!  Happy Monday!  Sorry for the radio silence guys.  With Maeci on her honeymoon still and me being out of town for business last week, this little ol' blog fell to the wayside.  But don't worry - things are back on track!

I received the most recent Anthropologie catalog in the mail last week and while skimming through I saw several items that I wanted to make sure I pinned to my style board on Pinterest.  The jewelry drew me in, but I found much more once I was online.  Isn't that how it always is?

Lately, Anthropologie has been killing it.  The past few years their stuff has been a little iffy.  Almost like the stuff looked kinda cute, but the quality and fit just weren't there.  I don't think I even bought two items there over the past several years, when I used to find stuff all the time.  But lately, I've found several items I'm really loving.

Here are just a few of the items that caught my eye...

Pincelada Tunic (bought this one a few weeks ago and LOVE it!  It's on sale now with an extra 20% off!)

Joliette Pendant Necklace

Flower District Jumpsuit

Verity Pearl Necklace

Solana Swing Dress

Filifera Slingbacks

Alsace Tee

Aren't they lovely?  I'm going to keep my eye on several of these to see if they get added to their sale, although I don't know if I can wait on some of them.  Do you have your eye on any of these items?  Are you finding more items at Anthro recently like me?

Currently Crushing :: The Parsons Bookcase

Happy Monday!  How was everyone's 4th of July?  We spent ours in Zach's hometown of Guntersville, Alabama.  We saw wonderful friends and watched the fireworks on the lake.  After this weekend, I plan to restyle our bookcase in our living room, and although it isn't a Parsons bookcase I completely wish it was.

One of my favorite looks and pieces is that of a Parsons bookcase.  The lines are so simple and a bit of a modern touch, but are still a traditional look.  I love seeing them in all sorts of different colors - from white to blue, red to yellow, purple to green.  What's even better is how people display their books, collections and keepsakes on them.

Here are a few of my favorites...

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Hope everyone's Monday is off to a great start!

Happy 4th!

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We hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th!  Zach and I are in his hometown of Guntersville, Alabama, celebrating with friends and family on the lake and enjoying some much needed down time.

Maeci and R.B. are still on their honeymoon and enjoying the Mediterranean, so they'll be celebrating America's Independence Day from there!

DIY Gel Nails :: Update

If you missed the how-to on our at-home DIY gel nails manicure, you'll definitely want to check it out after you see how my mani stayed in place for a full seven days!  Since it worked so well, I knew I had to update so y'all could see for yourself...

It wasn't until Day 7 that I had even one tiny chip.  You can see it on the corner of my pointer finger on the Day 7 photo.  I really couldn't believe how well our tutorial worked and how long it lasted, and will absolutely be using this method all the time.  I love a good salon mani, but this will be my go-to method for when I can't get to the salon and don't want to fork out the dough.

I'll also point out that a good top coat is essential - so make sure to check out what we used on the DIY tutorial!

Have you guys used our tutorial?  If so, send us your pictures!  We'd love to show off y'alls manicures!  Do you have any tips or tricks to making your mani last?