Come one, come all | Girls Night Out

Hey, wanna do dinner sometime?

I know a good pizza place

in Notting Hill- Otto.

(In fact, you've probably seen me instagram from it quite frequently.)

This won't be anything fancy or formal...

Just a way to hang out and get together

for some chatting and good food...

Like "good food" as in 

"two hot chocolate chip cookies 

straight from the oven

separated by a mountain of vanilla ice cream" good.

(aka- the best kind of good)

So who's invited?

If we've met before, you're invited!

If we haven't, you're invited, too!

If you just moved to London,

don't know anyone

and would feel super awkward coming-

hey, you're invited, too!

(In fact, you may need to be there the most. It's lonely being in a new country!)

* * *

Monday, Jan 13th

(yes, like this Monday)

at 6:30pm.

No pre-paying or anything

for this shindig.

Just RSVP to me

lauren@aspiringkennedy.com

so I can know how many people

will be there for the fun.

Happy Weekend!

*images via

A Surprise Hen At the Daylesford Organic Farm

Three years ago,

I would think that the title of this post

would guarantee a story of a chicken

would be about to unfold.

But guess what...

it's not!

A "hen" (or "hen-do" or "hen party")

is what ye olde Brits call bachelorette parties.

So surprise!

This isn't a blog post about chickens...

it's about a girls weekend away

celebrating my friend, Amber, 

and her upcoming wedding.

We surprised Amber with a weekend away

to a undisclosed location.

I came over an hour before we were leaving,

helped her pack a suitcase

with weird, vague scenarios she might encounter.

(Example: Pretend you are going to be in the "It's All Good" cookbook photoshoot.)

Amber thought I was crazy...

which makes her very intuitive.

We hopped the bus,

arrived at Paddington

and- surprise- all of her ladies

were waiting for her at the Paddington Bear statue.

We hopped a train,

gave her a box of clues,

and before we were out of the city-

our destination was revealed:

a ladies weekend at the famous
Daylesford Organic Farm
in the Cotswolds.

We had such an amazing time.

I really can't think of a prettier and more relaxing weekend.

We stayed in the Wild Rabbit Inn,

had a group yoga class,

got a visit to the spa for massages,

and took a four hour cooking class.

Now, I can hear your thoughts:

Lauren, you're supposed to be cheap.

This place looks fannnnncy.

Who do you think you are, Nora Ephron?

It was, but going as a group helped out the pricing so much!

We paid for our hotel separately, 

but for the yoga, 45 minute massages + cooking class

it was only around £160 per person.

That's not terrible for two days of activities...

especially of this caliber.

(And this group of girls was a pretty awesome one to share it with.)

Personally, I have to say,

it far trumps my bachelorette party,

which was so much of a disaster

I'm not even going to talk about here.

*    *   *

What do you think?

Is this your type of girls weekend

or would you spend that £160 on a flight to Ibiza?

(Personally, this girly weekend was my Gwyneth-y cup of tea.)

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

Rise To The Occasion

On Friday,

there was a small table

of really nice people

having a great time

over some awesome soufflés

at Dallas' beloved 

Rise No. 1.

It was such a great time,

and- as admittedly awkward as those parties can be at the beginning-

turned out to be a FUN evening.

It's always so refreshing (and dare I say, "flattering?")

to meet people who read my blog.

The internet can be a tricky place

with false identities (ahem, Aspiring Kennedy?)

and tiny little profile pics...

You can never be too sure about who you're meeting out there.

So to show up and meet completely awesome/normal people

really floored me.

I can't believe that such cool people 

 take the time to read my blog.

I'm not even sure my own mom reads it.

Ok, I'm drifting...

All that to say,

I was on a high from getting to hang out 

with so many sweet ladies.

Thanks for coming out-

blogger meet-ups wouldn't be nearly as fun

if no one was there to actually meet up!

And now, 

some pictures

to prove that it actually happened.

the set-up.

fancy fizzy water

viola got some swag from the party. a sophie giraffe from helen! merci. :)

getting our instagrams on... #dallasbloggerbash

marshmallow soup  with floating "marshmallows" of mini goat cheese souffles!

crab souffle.

les femmes du blogging :)

bread pudding soufflé

table dancing.

me & my co-host, beth dotolo.

this strawberry souffle has been on my mind ever since the party. gorgeous!

last ladies standing. closing down the party!

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

#dallasbloggerbash

Don't forget-

tonight's the 

#dallasbloggerbash!

We will be meeting 

from 6-8:30

at one of my favorite restaurants

(in the entire world),

Rise No. 1

My favorite: Marshmallow Soup with "marshmallows" made of goats cheese. Mmm...

It's gonna be 

Beth Dotolo of Pulp Designs

and myself relaxing 

with some ridiculously good souffles

with nice people around us.

So, if you think you're a nice person, too...

we want you there!

There are a few spots still available

(three to be exact),

so if you'd like to join us

email me at

lauren@aspiringkennedy.com

so I can get you on the list.

Whether you blog, read blogs,

follow along on Instagram or whatever...

you're invited!

Dallas Blogger Party

Hey Y'all Pillow, Two Peaches Etsy. $29.

If you've been following along

with my Instagrams,

you may have noticed

I've crossed over the pond

and am residing in the US

for the month of August.

Tyler had to work

and I figured

I should be here in the sun

instead of alone in our flat

taking care of a baby

all by my lonesome.

Duh.

I am obsessed with these custom/affordable pillows from Two Peaches. $29!

So here I am,

back in Texas.

And here (some of) you are, too.

Wanna meet up?

Beth Dotolo & I are having a get together

(a really casual, super-fun get together)

to meet up with some of Dallas' finest...

and then regular people, like us.

It'll be next Friday, Aug 16th here in Dallas.

Details to come, 

but go ahead and plan on being there

that evening.

We can't wait to meet & mingle with you!

Let me know if you'd be interested below

so I can know what/where to plan this thing.

England meet Baby Shower. Baby Shower meet England.

My friend, Grace, is pregnant.

So like all good, Southern American girls,

I offered to throw a baby shower for her...

because, duh, that's what friends do.

Except here in England,

they don't actually do that.

And they think it's a little weird

to have a baby shower, too.

Oh well.

By the time I learned this was a bit of an anomaly,

the invitations had been sent,

the cake had been designed,

and I had raided the Baby Gap sale

and robbed them of all newborn clothes.

We were committed.

It ended up being such a fun day.

It was hilarious explaining to our Brit friends

what types of parties we as Americans have

for the various occasions in life.

{Lingerie Party, Engagement Party, Wedding Shower, Couples Shower, Bachelorette Party, Gender Reveal Party, Baby Shower, Mega 1st Birthday Party, etc.}

One of our friends summed it by saying

"Sooo, basically, it's just really expensive to be an American?"

Yeah...

and it'd be a lot worse if it weren't for Costco & Target.

***

Grace is a book publisher

and cute children's books 

have a pretty big place in her heart.

So, naturally, we had to include them as much as possible.

We also based the party off a pretty pattern 

from Laura Ashley's Hydrangea tea set

since we were using this pattern for the serving pieces.

The food matched the theme 

with an sparkly orange & almond cake,

yellow ombre mini cakes (white chocolate mud!),

lemon meringue mini parfaits

& savoury egg cups (for something a little savory!)

And even Viola matched the party colors!

I loved the cake that was the centerpiece.

{It was so moist & so soft.}

The combo of orange & almond
was perfect for a hot summer day.

I loved the gorgeous bunting of mini classic books

that Meg handmade for the shower.

I loved the beautiful cut glass cake stand 

from Laura Ashley

that it sat so prettily on.

Not only was it delicious at the shower,

but I ate it for breakfast for the following two days...

because let's be honest, it's not any worse than a donut, cinnamon roll, danish, french toast.

And this little tower of edible goodness?

Well, what the Tower of Babble did to the people building it

so this tower of temptation did to my summer diet.

(Read: ruined everything.)

I really love the pretty grey & yellow hydrangea pattern of it.

{Laura Ashley is so perfectly English...
which is exactly what we needed for this day!}

It was such a fun day

and I hope my dear Grace felt loved...

because, after all the cake & presents, 

that's actually the point 

of all of our crazy American parties.

Thank you, Laura Ashley, for the gorgeous serving pieces.
They made our day all the prettier.

***

If you want to recreate any pieces of this fun day,

I've done the dirty work & compiled it all for you here.

DECORATION 

Cut Glass Crystal Cake Stand (Laura Ashley)

Hydrangea 3 Tier Cake Stand (Laura Ashley)

Polka Dot Pitcher (Laura Ashley)

Glass Canister (Laura Ashley)

Lovely Little One Bunting (SALT Etsy.)

Children's Classic Cake Bunting (Upon Request via Meg-Made Etsy)

Jane Austen Quote (Dancing & Press Calligraphy, Etsy)
Stuffed Rabbit (Laura Ashley)

FOOD

Orange & Almond Cake 

Lemon Meringue Mini Parfaits 

Salted Caramel ANZAC Blondies 

*Special thanks to Laura Ashley for donating these gorgeous serving pieces for our special day! I love them!

If You Love Someone... Make Them These Banana Bars

Monday night, my southern roots were in full form

as I hosted a Valentine's Day Cookie Exchange.

Each invitee brought 2 dozen homemade cookies

and by the time everyone had arrived and gotten cozy,

it looked like we had landed ourselves 

inside some fantasy land of a seven year old.

We were up to our ears in cookies...
it was glorious!

I'm typically someone who would not try to do a practice run on a recipe.

My instinct is to just wing it

and, normally, things turn out okay.

But this weekend, 

I decided-

what the heck,

I'm as big as a house
and am not in the mood to go anywhere...

so I made a batch of these Biscoff Blondies.

Ugh.

They were so marginal and boring...

and while I'm really glad that I didn't offer them to my guests,

it left me in a bit of a panic on Monday afternoon 
to find a replacement.

I needed something easy to make

that didn't require a proper mixer....

because my Kitchenaid doesn't live in London.

{It lives in a pile of dust in my parent's attic
along with all of my crystal, china & other pretty things.}

My blood tests the night before showed that my potassium levels were running high

and so I realized that this might be the perfect way to use up the bananas

that I was no longer allowed to eat.

Voila!

I now present to you a DELICIOUS recipe

that is soooo easy to make

and the ingredients are really cheap.

{I always hate shelling out £20 for ingredients for baked goods. 

Doesn't that kinda defeat the purpose of making them at home?}

I think these probably took about 5-7 minutes 

from beginning to oven.

The frosting might have added another 5 minutes at the end.

Honestly, this recipe is a winner

and would be an easy thing to whip up tonight

to give to someone you love tomorrow.

{Besides, you most likely have 99% of these ingredients in your kitchen already.}

BARS:

1 cup sugar

2 mashed bananas

2 eggs

1/3 c vegetable oil

1 c flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

FROSTING:

1 regular pack of (light) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup of butter

2 cups powdered sugar

splash of vanilla

METHOD:

Preheat your oven to 350.

Mix the bananas, sugar, eggs & oil together in a bowl until it's a nice yellow, sloppy mix.

Stir in remaining ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon & salt).

Pour into greased pan (9x13) and put into oven for 25-30 minutes... 

or until a knife/toothpick comes out clean when inserted from the center.

Leave to cool for one hour.

Now is great time to toss the cream cheese & butter out on the counter to soften.

After you've run an errand, eaten some lunch or watched a little tv

while the banana bars cool,

come back to the kitchen and start on the frosting.

Mix all four ingredients in a bowl.

You can beat by hand or in a mixer... both will be yummy.

Spread on the cooled bars & cut into 6x4 rows.

Eat your heart out.

****

Mmm...

Wouldn't you feel loved if someone made you these?

Oh yeah.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

*original recipe via here

A Royal Baby Shower

While I may have anticipated pregnancy including

 blowing out of my clothes,

flares of emotional absurdity,

and a slew of other unwelcome aspects,

one thing beautiful about pregnancy I never anticipated

was the outpouring of LOVE that I would experience.

 I have been blown away

by the amount of love and support 

that has been gifted to us during this time.

Not only does it remind me 

of how lucky we are to have such great people in our life,

but it's also been a good reminder

of how important it is

to gift that sort of love and attention to others...

{Because being treated like a princess feels amazing.}

While in the States in December,

I was spoiled absolutely rotten 

with beautiful showers 

in Dallas & Oklahoma City....

So when my friends in London

hosted a THIRD shower for me this weekend,

it almost felt like too much.

Almost. :)

The afternoon was intimate,

attended by a handful of girls I adore,

and prettier than a Pinterest dream...

It was a "Royal Baby Shower"

completely decked out in gold & glitter

for our two princesses. 

{Kate Middleton only wishes 

her sister threw parties this adorable.}

Homemade Tahitian Vanilla & Coconut Cake? I ate an enormously huge wedge of this. Recipe here. 

Sparkly sugar cookies that tasted like a dream and flaky palmiers.

________________

Thank you Amber & Helena 

for hosting this gorgeous day for

me and my little girls...

I can't believe all the work and love 

you both put into making this day so special.

***

Thanks to all my blogging friends

who sent in your secret videos for the day.

Oh my goodness...

it was fantastic to see all of your sweet faces

make a surprise appearance at the shower.

***

And a special shout out to Liz  for flying in from Amsterdam

for the weekend to celebrate & take maternity pics for us...

what an amazing gift!

*images original to A Diary of Lovely.

Blocktail Party!

Bloggers + Cocktail Party = Blocktail Party

And guess what?

You'rvited.

(You're + Invited = You'rvited.)

My blogger friend, Helena, and I are trying to organise 

a London Bloggers (and blog readers) event before the holidays!

 I know! It's pretty exciting, right?

  (Ahem... Right, London peeps?)

 I know there are a few of you so don't be shy. 

Helena & I are working on getting the right place nailed down

 and would love to see if you (yes, you non-commentor!) 

would like to join us for an afternoon/evening of fun with a bunch of fab bloggers? 

 Helena even created a little fun banner for the party...

because it makes it feel more fun this way.

  (You can use if you want, scroll down for various sizes!)

 The idea is to host it in a super cool venue in London on Monday, December 12th. 

As we both blog about a bit of everything, 

we would love to have bloggers from all niches 

(design, fashion, foodies, ex-pats, weddings... whoever!) 

Can you come?

 Please let us know if you would be interested below...

and we'll get all the details sorted.

WE CAN'T WAIT TO PARTY WITH YOU! :)

 

 *Here are some more sizes, please drop me an email if you need a different size or coding to embed it. 

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