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!

It's All Good... All of it.

Luckily, with Amazon-

most things in the world

are accessible in England.

There are exceptions

like tex-mex & cheap dry cleaning...

But for the most part,

we have all we need & want

at our doorsteps/fingertips.

However, there are few goodies

that I have picked up

during our trip back this time.

Between birthdays & COSTCO runs,

our bags are getting a bit heavier

for the return.

Some of the highlights...

It's All Good

I know you all know about my best bud, the D.O.C. ("Katie Bug")

but my other gal pal is a girl you may know as Gwyneth.

(We just call each other "bosom friend.")

She just wrote a new cookbook

and after seeing Liz instagram some new recipes

I bit the bullet and paid $17 for it at Costco.

I love it.

The recipes are fresh and simple.

Go getcha one.

Missoni Hand Towels

They are the cheapest way I can make my bathroom

not look like a college (shared) bathroom.

They're $25 which is a bit pricey,

but not terrible.

A worthy splurge

at a Dallas boutique, Nest.

Or you can find similar ones here at One Kings Lane.

Lululemon Yoga Pants

Y'all.

I once, not too long ago, mocked girls

who ran errands in work out clothes

with perfect hair and other tell-tale signs

of having not actually working out.

Until I tried these on

and saw my butt in the mirror.

Two days later, it was the #1 item on my birthday wishlist.

I may have turned a year older,

but my hiney just returned to my freshman year of college.

Fist pump.

Bodum Assam Teapot

I've been wanting one of these pretties for a long time.

Three cheers for my in-laws for picking up on the subtle hint

(of me posting about it on the blog!)

and snagging me one for my birthday.

I love it!

Lanvin Ballet Flats

(via ebay)

I wear flats most days

walking around town.

The pairs I wear the most cost me £3 at Primark

and are slick as a... fish (?)

when it rains.

So, basically, every day

I'm hydroplaning and freaking myself out.

Also, my feet ache from having no arch support.

(Weird that £3 won't get you traction or well-constructed shoes, I know.)

So I splurged (kinda) and bought a pair of Lanvin flats on EBay.

They were $150

and I'm already considering this an investment

towards the bionic feet replacements

that were headed my way

with my current footwear + walking combination.

If ebay scares you and you have a 9+ size foot,

there are some cute gold ones 41's on sale at BG for half price!

And they are also some 36.5 for you tiny footed friends!

* * *

So that's what made my birthday wishlist

and is headed back to London

with us when we go back in a couple of weeks.

Five Things On My Mind (Dallas Edition)

Here are five things sitting on my mind

now that I'm residing in the Lone Star State

for the glorious month of August.

Baby in "heat" in England: laughing. Baby in "heat" in Texas: passed out.

I almost forgot what hot was.

When you've just gone through a "heat wave" in England

where temperatures are sitting in the high 80's for weeks on end,

you aren't suffering.

You're spoiled.

Thank goodness for the invention of the pool

& drinks that are available in quantities over 50 ounces...

and for under $1.

I really shouldn't have eaten so much dessert

after every single meal

every single day

this spring & summer.

Now that I'm in a swimsuit or short dresses,

I slightly regret it.

(But let's be honest, I'll be hidden from the glare of chubby white skin in a matter of weeks. YOLO.)

I love king sized beds.

I mean, I can wax poetic

on how snuggly we are

in our cozy double...

But there is something

that can only be described as wonderful

when you can spread out like a starfish

in your bed...

and still have your man in there with you.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

England, you need it.

Trust me.

I've been starting out every day with a big ole bowl of the stuff...

and I'm the better for it.

The Queen would be, too,

I can just feel it.

If not for me,

do it for the happiness of Prince George's childhood.

I'm in the last few days of 28.

My birthday is Sunday.

28 was too much of a bit of a roller coaster for me.

I'd like to recover from the emotional whiplash

I experienced during the last year

with a period of just regular days & goodness.

So upcoming year,

please be kind, boring

& slightly heavy on the trips to Italy.

As much as it stinks to get older....

I feel like 29

is going to be awesome.

Let's do this.

***

What's one thing on your mind today?

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!

Eat Your Heart Out (London): Central & Co.

The other day after Regent Tweet

with Megan, Amber, & Sophie,

I met up with Tyler & my friend Kyla

for a quick coffee to recharge.

{Quick recap of Regent Tweet below. Read more about it on Sophie's blog.}

from left to right: my huge hair | me | amber | megan | sophie

We had met up outside of Liberty

(tucked right off Regent Street at Oxford Circus)

and decided to check out a new place

that had recently popped on my radar,

Central & Co.

It's awesome decor had lured me in

on my way home the week before...

I then added it to my "eat here ASAP" list.

After getting a seat

and making ourselves comfortable,

that "coffee" soon turned into lunch & dessert.

If you're shopping on Oxford or Regent Street,

this place gets two thumbs up for me.

And if/when you go,

do not skip the Eton Mess.

Worth every calorie

in that gorgeous little cup.

Okay, that's it.

Keep Central & Co. on your mental list

for the next time you're in London.

{You can also PIN it or come find it in my London guide when you're ready.}

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

The Lovely Drawer: Not The Dowager's Victoria Sponge Cake

What Victoria was to Albert,

so Victoria Sponge cake is to a cup of tea.

Until I moved to the United Kingdom,

I had never heard of or tasted this classic treat.

For all of the Americans out there

who, like me, may not have grown up

with this on the table at tea time,

I'll walk you through the basics.

Two sponge cakes

+ one layer of whipped cream

+ one layer of strawberry jam

_______________________

Classic Victoria Sponge Cake

When my friend Teri of The Lovely Drawer

(you know, the one who did that killer Chorizo Stew recipe?)

mentioned she didn't like cream

(as in cream, whipped cream & ice cream)

I slapped her in the face.

Fine.

Not really.

But I was really sad.

Fortunately, she offered a peace offering

in saying that she accepted marscapone cheese.

Which, obviously, is the next best thing.

{Or maybe the best thing. Not sure how to rank the dairy family. They're all winners!}

And when she made me this cake

for dessert after dinner at their house one night,

I not only forgave her

for shunning my camarades in the dairy section,

but I vowed to never settle for regular Victoria Sponge again.

{Which means, I'll also need to start crafting up a lot of reasons to invite myself over to her house.}

Here's how you can make one

with instructions from Teri, herself.

(This reads better if you read this in an English accent.)

***

So.....Victoria Sponge with a twist. Not so typically British but far superior, I think. I've been of the opinion that this classic can so easily be dry and boring but replacing the cream with mascarpone icing and the changing up the jam to raspberry gives it a whole appeal. My friend made me this cake originally and I totally had to eat my Victoria sponge-dissing words, along with my huge slice of cake.

Here's the recipe...

Ingredients;

225g self raising flour

225g butter (softened)

225g caster sugar (US read: normal)

4 eggs

2 teaspoons

vanilla extract

For the filling;

Raspberry jam

250g mascarpone cheese

2 heaped tablespoons icing sugar plus extra for dusting (US read: powdered sugar)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

A punnet of raspberries to decorate (US read: little plastic basket of raspberries)

Method:

Whip together butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy

Then add vanilla extract and one egg and beat again.

Add each remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of your flour and beat thoroughly after each addition.

Once mixed, fold in the remaining flour with a spatula until combined.

Pour mixture into a lined 20cm cake tin and put into the oven.

Bake at 150 C degrees (US read: 325F) for about 45 mins or until golden and a knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle. Leave the cake to cool slightly and remove from tin to cool completely.

Once cold, cut horizontally in two to put your filling in. Spread the top half with as much jam as you want.

Mix all the mascarpone, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl until fully mixed and spreadable. Spread this mix on your bottom half and put the two halves back together.

Dust the top of the cake with plenty of icing sugar and then arrange raspberries on top of the cake.

Lightly dust some more icing sugar on top of the raspberries.