This is not an original Joan recipe, but it's one that I recently adapted to my weird vegan ways. My non-vegan husband and sister both enjoyed them so much that I decided they would kick off our recipe box feature here on the Gerald & Joan blog.
We found the muffins to be moist, fluffy and just sweet enough. By replacing white sugar with maple syrup, you won't find yourself craving more sugar by lunchtime, but we can't promise that you won't be craving more muffins! Enjoy!
Our latest installment of On the Road takes us to England, specifically my old stomping grounds of Windsor, Maidenhead and London. I was born in Windsor almost 30 years ago and was raised in the nearby town of Maidenhead. London is only a short drive or train ride away from the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, so we spent many weekends there. While I always enjoyed our close proximity to London, my favorite memories of my eight years in England are of warm summer days spent outside. While the temperatures in the American South range from 80 to 95 degrees during the summer months, most June, July and August days in England were in the mid 60s or low 70s. I remember frolicking outside in breezy summer dresses and cardigans, hosting tea parties in the grass and taking long walks along the River Thames. As the river was only a short walk from our house, we enjoyed these walks on a regular basis. There were so many wonderful things to explore! I know that our love affair with nature began all of those years ago.
When Jonathan and I visited England together for the first time in August 2009, we spent the majority of our time in London, but we did take the train to Maidenhead so I could show him a little piece of my childhood. He experienced a similar childhood on this side of the pond, so he felt right at home on our nature walk. We completed the day with dinner at Chef Peking, a restaurant that my family loved even before I was in the picture.
Sadly, as I was searching for their website, I discovered they have closed. I guess I'm showing my age now. Since I can't give you a good restaurant recommendation, I would suggest that you visit the Marks and Spencer on the High Street. There you can get great sandwiches, sausage rolls, crisps (prawn cocktail and salt and vinegar are the best), bake well tarts and lemon fancies that will make for a wonderful British picnic lunch. Your afternoon can be spent on another stroll, this time in Windsor, which is the home of Windsor Castle and Queen Mary's dollhouse. There is also plenty of good shopping in Windsor as well as lots of quaint places to enjoy a cup of afternoon tea before you take the train back to London and the more typical tourist spots. :)
[gallery type="square" ids="1034,1035,1036,1037,1038,1039,1040,1041,1042,1043,1044,1045,1046,1047,1048,1049,1050,1051"]
With 1,500 photos from this special weekend, we have many good moments to share. We loved the special details of this wedding -- the venue itself has so many (from the weathervane to the rustic lanterns to the porch swings), and then we added little touches of our own as well. Perhaps the most noticeable one was our LOVE letters which were displayed over the fireplace in the center of the Barn, the reception venue. We also loved making and hanging our custom bunting and setting up the display for our Little Love Letters guestbook. The guestbook was customized for the bride and groom, but similar versions will be available in our store that is set to open next week! Take a look and see which details you love the best....There are still more to come! [gallery type="square" ids="1000,1001,1002,1003,1004,1005,1006,1007,1008,1009,1010,1011,1012,1013,1014,1015,1016,1017,1018,1019,1020,1021,1022,1023,1024,1025,1026,1027,992"]
Call me biased, but Lauren and Chris' wedding day was perfect. After three days of cold rain, we awoke to a cloudless sky, 70 degrees and no pollen (a day later everything was yellow). The wedding celebration took place at Heartwood Hall in Rossville, Tennessee on Saturday, April 6. The bride and her party got dressed in the main house, which dates back to the Civil War. The groom and his party hung out in the guest house at the back of the property, and they seemed pretty happy with that arrangement! The wedding took place in the Four Seasons Garden at 5 p.m. in the evening. We posed for pictures before and after the ceremony in order to maximize the great light. All photos shown here where taken by the bride's father and one of her oldest friends. In total, our family took more than 1,500 photos and four hours of video throughout the day, so we'll be sharing some of those memories over the coming weeks. See if you don't agree that it was perfection... [gallery type="square" ids=",970,971,972,973,974,975,976,977,978,979,980,981,982,983,984,985,986,987,988,989,990,991,992"]