{live a delicious life: baked ziti}

baked ziti
my favorite dish to bring to new mom's
recipe from the lovely Rachel Albright

{ingredients}

1 box of ziti, cooked according to directions

1 jar of regular Prego sauce

salt and pepper

1 pound ground beef

12 ounces ricotta cheese

2 eggs beaten

1 cup parmesan cheese

8 oz. mozzarella 

2 tbsp chopped parsley

{cooking instructions}

Preheat oven to 350*.  Brown ground beef.  Cook ziti in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but firm, 10-12 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold running water, drain.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and parsley.  Mix to blend well.

Combine Prego and and ground beef.  Toss ziti with ½ the sauce mixture and place half in casserole dish.  Top with ricotta mixture and half the mozzarella.  Repeat and top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake until casserole is heated throughout and cheese is bubbly and lightly browned on top, 30-35 minutes.  Serve with salad and garlic bread.

{thursday thought}

Loving life is so often more than going through the motions. I challenge you to live your life in a way that will bring a splash of color to you and those around you. My hope is that as you prepare for the day, week, and year ahead, that you will add a little more color to your life and not live in black and white.

Take time to write down the ways you plan to live a little more colorfully in 2014:

THINK: Learn everything I can about education reform in Tennessee. Charter schools, private school vouchers, and teacher standards are all topics I want to explore and develop an educated opinion about this year.

{think colorfully}

TRAVEL: JK and I have several wonderful trips planned for this year and I am hoping to add a few to the list. Over the past year, since starting new jobs, travel is one thing that was put on hold for us. We are hoping to make up for it this year!

{travel colorfully}

CELEBRATE: Celebrate each and every holiday and occasion! Especially upcoming friends weddings, seasons and life!

{celebrate colorfully}

CHARM: Oh, this is a tricky one! Charming is not one of my strong points, but I vow to charm my husband into a new Kate Spade watch for starters...

DECORATE: After two years in our simply wonderful house--void of 1970s wallpaper, green toilets and a flower garden that required 4 hours of work each day--I am looking forward to adding furniture and decor to define our living space. I am so looking forward to this stage of home decorating.

{decorate colorfully}

DRESS: Thankfully, a new Lilly Pulitzer shop just opened right down the street... so I will have absolutely no problem living colorfully! Here is my first pick for the spring season:

{dress colorfully}

LIVE: To live colorfully challenges me to live a life radically different from the values of this world. As JK and I grow closer to Christ, I hope to live a Christ-centered life and learn more about God's purpose for our family.

{live colorfully}

{tuesday blessings}

{buttercream, sugar and a little imagination}

The 5th annual Great Cake Bake to benefit Dolly Parton's Imagination Library was Saturday and it was such a sweet success! We had more than 150 cake entries beautifully displayed in Neyland Stadium, vendors, a bake sale and cupcake decorating for the kids. It always amazes me at the talented cake decorators we have in East Tennessee. I am truly blown away and so very grateful for the community support around this event and Imagination Library. More than 1,400 people attend the event and we raised more than $20,000 to purchase books for children in Knox County. 

This is our largest fundraiser of the year, so a lot of preparation goes into making sure it is as perfect as possible. This is my second year running the event, and I have learned so very much about cakes!

1. There is a HUGE difference between fondant vs. buttercream!

2. Dolly Parton can be made into a cake... and she still looks fabulous.

3. Most display cakes are not cakes at all. They are made out of styrofoam.

4. Cake decorators are competitive. Very competitive.

5. There is no such thing as an impossible cake design. I have seen it all from Ferris Wheels to bunnies to the most incredible designs on the tiniest cupcakes- they are all truly a work of art! 

{love!}

{diaper cake}

{my favorite vendor: InFlight Celebrations}

{incredible wedding cake}

{my all time favorite cake from GCB 2013}

What a fabulous weekend that wouldn't have been possibly without all of my wonderful co-workers and friends who also believe in the importance of early literacy and the magic of a little butter cream! 

We are already planning new and exciting ideas for The Great Cake Bake 2015! More details coming soon!

p.s. My favorite part about The Great Cake Bake is all proceeds benefit my favorite organization, Imagination Library! We mail one book each month to all children in Knox County under the age of 5 in Knox County, at no cost to the family! To register your child, visit www.imaginationlibrary.com. It doesn't get much sweeter than this!!

p.p.s. This event is not recommended if you have a serious sweet tooth, or like me, have a huge gala next weekend and your dress is already a little snug :) 

{the new eve:choosing god's best for your life}

{The New Eve By: Robert Lewis}

"The New Eve" poses the question to women living in our fast paced, consumer-driven society that changed the way I view my purpose in life, causing me to re-examine my thoughts on the idea, "Can you really have it all?" Lewis takes the reader through a historical account of feminism and its rise in the past 60 years from Mrs. Cleaver in "Leave it to Beaver" to today's female executive and compares/ contrasts the model of women in today's society vs. that of our parents. 

The author explores God's core callings of women from the perspective of Eve and the first sin through Mary, the mother of Jesus, who contrasts Eve and presents a model for us as the "New Eve."

My small group just completed this study and I would highly recommend it to a group of young, educated women, seeking to find their core callings. It is a great conversation starter and poses thoughtful questions and leads to deep insight among a small group. I also found the historical account of feminism very interesting as I was born in to a culture where as women, we were seen as equal to men.

The book is an easy read, and I highly recommend it!