Weekend in Photos

In all my years spent in New York, I'd never been to The Cloisters so it seemed like a necessary adventure. It's a museum and garden owned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it's a really beautiful space overlooking the Hudson River. I'm always amazed by how quickly the scenery changes if you just go a little bit north. Then we headed downtown on the subway and rewarded all our uphill walking with Shake Shack. The rest of the weekend was filled with cocktail creating, tea and doughnuts and of course, Breaking Bad, which Jonah and I were discussing at 2 a.m. because I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it.

September Photo Project: Routine

I love the simple beauty captured in your images this month. I took a photo during my morning makeup routine. Here's what you shared:

Vanessa of Hey, Lady Grey shared this lovely image of dishes soaking in the sink. It almost makes washing dishes seem appealing.

Ann of Oh Beauty snapped a picture of her son playing (and sneaking mouthfuls of cherry tomatoes) in the backyard with a neighbor.

Lesley shared a photo from one of her daily walks to school with her daughter Matilda. She said she loves holding those tiny hands and hearing about dinosaurs and apples.

Nivikka shared the view from her window of the sunrise and the pigeon that shows up most mornings.

And I love this photo of shoes being tied from Wendy of Young Heart.

If you want to share one of your routine photos, just leave a link below! I'll announce October's photo theme next week. Thanks for participating!

Godiva Truffle Flights Giveaway

Update: Cathi of Everyday Adventures of a Curious Gal is the winner. Congrats!

I felt selfish going on and on about Godiva's new Truffle Flights while you were probably sitting in front of your computer completely truffle-less. Thankfully, Godiva is offering a generous giveaway to make up for it. One lucky winner will receive all six Truffle Flights! The tasting journeys include ultimate dessert, dark decadence, nut lovers, heavenly mousse, milk chocolate lovers and cake truffles. That's 36 truffles (a $96 value) to share or eat all by yourself. No judgement here.

For a chance to win, just leave a comment below before noon on Friday, October 4, telling me which Truffle Flight you're most excited to try. You can learn more about each truffle flight here. One winner will be chosen at random. Good luck!

Thanks to Godiva Chocolatier for sponsoring this giveaway for SoHo readers.

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread with Apple Cider Glaze

I'd been wanting to make cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread for a while now. I spotted it on Pinterest months ago, and it just had Natalie written all over it. It probably has your name written on it too. In delicious cream cheese frosting.

Since this bread starts with a homemade dough, it's a good amount of work, but once you bite into that warm, buttery, soft, sweet deliciousness, all those memories of rising and waiting and sticky hands seem to vanish. I used this recipe from Joy the Baker, which is pretty darn thorough and exact, so I don't have much to add. I did use a larger loaf pan, so I just made sure to cut my sheets of dough wider. This made for fewer but bigger pieces to pull-apart

My only addition was an apple cider and cream cheese glaze because frosting only makes amazing things more amazing.

Apple Cider Glaze

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup apple cider

Combine ingredients with electric mixer until smooth and runny. Drizzle over pull-apart bread while it's still warm and serve immediately.

This and a cup of tea have Saturday morning written all over it.

I Bought It, I Like It: Infinity Scarf

I bought this infinity scarf early in the summer, but it's only been in the last few weeks that I really put it to use. It's a perfect light layer to throw on as we transition out of these summer temps, and it's multi-colored and multi-patterned, making a t-shirt and jeans a little less basic. The plaid version is calling my name now that it's officially fall.

This series highlights items I've purchased with my own money that I think you would like too.

Weekend in Photos

Happy Fall! It was a rather blustery weekend as Winnie the Pooh would say. There was brunch, a pizza date night and things like wishing my dad a Happy Birthday, catching up with friends and family on the phone and the task of organizing pictures on my computer. I let it get out of hand, and now it's the stuff of nightmares. As a reward, I did a little cinnamon-sugar-centric baking and searched through this beautiful cookbook for fall recipe inspiration. How was your weekend?

Thoughts of the Week

Ah, the glory of squash season.

Who wouldn't want their cupcakes with a little color?

If I had this, I might never get out of the bathtub.

Thinking this five-ingredient pasta would make a perfect weeknight meal.

Quilts make all photo shoots better.

Amazed by these thread paintings.

I would like a balloon chandelier permanently installed in my living room.

I've already got my 2014 calendar picked out.

Also, a reminder to send me photos of your routine before next Friday!

As always, thanks for spending your time here. Y'all are the best. Have a great weekend, friends!

Godiva Truffle Flights Tasting

On Tuesday night, I hosted a tasting with Godiva where my special guests and I had the chance to try Godiva's new Truffle Flights. It was so much fun to attend with fellow bloggers, readers and friends and enjoy delicious chocolate together on a chilly New York night. Godiva's Chef David taught us the correct way to eat a truffle and fully experience all of its flavors, and he took us through the inspiration and intention of two truffle flights, the cake and the dark decadence.

The cake flight includes: birthday, hummingbird pineapple, cheesecake, red velvet, chocolate lava and lemon chiffon cake truffles. There were raves about the cheesecake and lemon chiffon in particular.

I opted for the dark decadence, which includes: dark chocolate vanilla mousse, chocolate soufflé, 50% dark, chocolate lava cake, 72% extra dark and aztec spice. I especially enjoyed the lava cake and the aztec spice truffles. I'm amazed by all the tastes and textures Godiva packs into each bite. I hope you get a chance to taste them for yourself! See more photos from the event and get a closeup look at those truffles on Godiva's tumblr.

Thanks to Godiva Chocolatier for hosting the event and providing me with product and compensation for this post. All content is based on my own experience and opinion.

Odds and Ends

The last thing I need is more stuff just sitting around my apartment, but with knick-knacks like these from Cute Old Things, it's hard to resist.