Super delicious birthday cookies

A few months ago, I found out that Rachael Ray was coming to Birmingham, AL for a book-signing.  I was SO excited to hear this news, because I missed it when she was here last time.  I've been a big fan of Rachael for quite some time.  Her recipes are always easy to follow, and are packed with flavor.

If you haven't heard, she has an awesome new cookbook out, called Rachael Ray's Look + Cook.  It's FILLED with photographs of each dish...600 photos, to be exact.  As a food photographer, I really love this.  There are even photos of the preparation process, which is very helpful!  Cookbooks with a lot of pictures are always my favorite.  And it's always neat when cookbooks include photos of the prep...and not only the finished dish.  This would make the perfect Christmas gift for the foodie in your life (or for yourself!).




My wonderful hubby, Brad, came along with me tonight to meet Rachael.  I was lucky enough to get an early line number...I was #12!  Rachael greeted me with a big smile, and when I told her that I was a food blogger and photographer she lit up!  She shook my hand, and then she even opened the cookbook and started showing me different pictures and telling me about them.  She said that for most of the photos, it was just her and a photographer friend.  She'd make the dish, and the photographer would simply snap some photos.  She said that they did not spend much time styling each shot, and they tried to use only natural lighting.  Now, I was thrilled when she went into so much detail with me!!  I found the info she shared very interesting...especially the parts about natural lighting and not spending hours styling each photo...how refreshing!  Rachael was EXTREMELY nice, and I am so happy that I got to meet her!

I am thrilled to have a copy of this cookbook (especially an autographed copy!).  There are so many recipes that I cannot wait to try.  Without a doubt, it will keep me busy for a while.  I feel inspired already just by flipping through the book.  I'll definitely be blogging about every recipe that I try! 
Here's a link to her official website - www.rachaelray.com  

Friday:  The next day, I was in Montgomery for a business meeting, and my family met me there for a birthday lunch.  I was so happy to have the chance to see my Mom, Dad, Suzanne, Maranne, Blake and my Grandad.  My sweet sisters baked me this pretty cake.  I was so proud of Maranne - She whipped up some homemade marshmallow fondant (with the help of her boyfriend...thanks Blake!) for the first time.  This was her very first fondant covered cake, so I was so happy and excited to see it.  It was decorated with little rhinestones and a fondant flower.  Her inspiration was a Frenchie lace pattern. 

So, I just heard about something that sounds pretty awesome...The FIRST-EVER Birmingham Restaurant Week 2010.  Many of the best restaurants around town are participating and are offering special menus at discounted prices during the event.  Be sure to check it out...I know I'll be there!

www.bhamrestaurantweek.com.

Here's an excerpt from the website:

Bon Appetit, Birmingham!

"BRW 2010: September 17 – 25, 2010


Just a few days now until the start of the first ever Birmingham Restaurant Week. Are you ready to dine (and sip) your way around Birmingham?


Mark your calendars for Friday, September 17th through Saturday, September 25th, when more than 40 participating restaurants and bars in the downtown, Five Points South, Southside and surrounding areas of Birmingham will be offering signature lunch specials and three-course prix fixe dinner menus for a pittance ranging from just $10.10, to $20.10 to $30.10!


There’s never been any thing like it in Birmingham before!


This website was created to help you get every last bite of discounted deliciousness out of this nine day event. Check back often to see who’s serving what and when. Make sure you peruse participating restaurant menus – you can even book your table at participating restaurants!"

Guess What?!?

Thanks to my wonderful hubby, Sugar & Spice by Celeste will now be a lot easier for you to find!  I'm excited to announce that this blog has a new web address.  :-)

You can now find my blog at the following link:

www.sugarandspicebyceleste.com

Don't worry - The old blogspot link still works, too. 

Have a WONDERFUL Labor Day weekend!!!

Happy Monday everyone!

I wanted to share some more exciting news with you  - My first official restaurant review is being featured today over at Wade on Birmingham, as a part of his month-long series "Birmingham's Best Eats!"

I reviewed one of my favorite spots in Birmingham - Nabeel's Cafe & Market.

Here are some of the photos that I took of our food on the night of the review...Is your mouth watering yet?  ;-)

Please CLICK HERE to see the restaurant review in its entirety!

I was thrilled when Birmingham blogger, Wade Kwon, contacted me about a month-long feature he was doing on his website.  It was to be called "Birmingham's Best Eats," and he was looking for contributers to write articles, restaurant reviews and feature recipes.  I didn't think twice...Of COURSE I wanted to participate!

The first idea that came to mind was Julia's birthday...surprise, surprise.  I thought it would be perfect to write an article to celebrate what would have been her 98th birthday. 

The article was published this morning, over at Wade's website, "Wade on Birmingham."

Please visit THIS LINK to see my feature on Julia Child!!!

In the words of the beloved Julia, "Bon Appetit!"

I am so incredibly excited to announce that my little ole' food blog is currently being featured on The Cooking Channel's website.  You may even recognize the cover shot in the article...Yep...That's my Strawberry Tart that's featured!  :-)
Strawberry Tart Recipe

Take a look at the article here:
Kicking Off a Week of Julia Child

Julia Child's birthday would have been on August 15th, so The Cooking Channel is celebrating the culinary legend all week long.

If you've been a reader of my blog for a while,  you're well aware of the fact that Julia has been, and continues to be, such a huge inspiration to me.  Her cookbooks and TV shows continue to influence the way that I cook.  After reading her memoir, "My Life in France," I really began to relate to her.

Help me celebrate Julia this week by visiting The Cooking Channel, and maybe even by getting your dose of Julia at:  Julia Child on Sugar & Spice.

Of course, you can also expect a few more Julia surprises this week!  Stay tuned!!!

Happy Early Birthday, Julia!!!

Over the past couple of months, you may have noticed that I haven't been blogging quite as much as I usually do....I've missed it very much, however, I have a very good excuse!

I was thinking the other day, and I realized that I've never shared our wedding photography with you...my lovely food blogger friends.  So, I am very excited to share some of the photos from our latest wedding.  Brad and I both work as Associate Wedding Photographers for Jim Little Photography, in Birmingham, AL.  We've been blessed to have a very busy spring/summer wedding season this year, on top of our regular full time jobs!  The wedding business keeps us busy on the weekend, and my job at Armstrong Relocation (which I also love!) keeps me busy during the week. 

However, things just wouldn't be the same without finding time to cook a delicious meal for my hubby each night.  So, I've also got a lot of food blogging to catch up on, including a FABULOUS birthday cake that I made for my sisters...Stay tuned...That post is coming very, very soon!

Without further ado, I'd like to share some wedding photos from our last wedding.  Blake & Katina tied the knot on June 19th, with a gorgeous ceremony! 

If there is a wedding in your future, please visit us at:
www.jimlittlephotography.com.

We would LOVE to capture every moment of your special day!!!

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(That's my best attempt at a drumroll, by the way...haha)

I was absolutely thrilled when Earth Fare contacted me recently to give away a $50.00 gift card to their stores, in order to celebrate the opening of their new Huntsville, AL store.  It always makes me happy when I get a chance to offer my readers such a great prize!

You can check out the giveaway post HERE.

But, without further ado, I'm excited to announce the winner!  It was SO incredibly hard to pick a winning story out of the entries...There were so many wonderful entries, and you guys made it very difficult!

However, there was one story that I felt really stood out....

AND THE WINNER IS:  EatHealthyLiveWell!!!

Please e-mail me at UABblazer83@aol.com to claim your prize!

Check out her entry here:

"EatHealthyLiveWell said...
You know what's really weird? When your whole body shakes uncontrollably for no apparent reason. That's what's been going on with me since last June - my muscles jerk and convulse as if I'm having a seizure except I'm fully aware of my surroundings. Sometimes it only lasts for 15 minutes, but it's gone for as long as 3 hours nonstop. There's also heartburn, nausea, hot flashes, skipped menstrual cycles, and dizziness. After 8 doctors and numerous tests, I'm still a mystery. To try to help myself, I've completely overhauled my lifestyle by exercising and changing my eating habits. Rather than poptarts, Lean Cuisines, and Bird's Eye Voila meals, I now eat organic fruit smoothies, salads, natural sandwiches on Food for Life bread, and lots of dinners from scratch.


In September, the muscle spasms occurred 3-4 times a week. Now they occur about once a month. The other symptoms are less severe as well. So while the doctors haven't officially diagnosed me, I know I'm at least on the way to recovery. However, after so many doctor bills (and the salary of a teacher's aide), the $50 gift card would be a big help in buying the natural, organic foods that I know my body needs.


Thanks for offering the giveaway! EarthFare is my favorite grocery store to shop at :) I especially love their weekly boot patrol challenges since I'm still working on cleaning out my cupboards of unhealthy items."

Again, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who took the time to enter this giveaway!  Stay tuned for additional giveaways in the future!  :-)

On a recent business trip o Huntington, WV, I was having a wonderful lunch with some clients at a favorite local restaurant near Marshall University's campus.  It was a beautiful day, and the food that we were enjoying was scrumptious!  Of course, my food blog and passion for all things related came up during our conversation, so they started telling me about something that celebrity chef Jamie Oliver was doing in town...And about his store that was located less than a block away.  I was intrigued, and they suggested that we walk down to the store after lunch.  I was pumped!

The next thing I know, we're walking down the street and I stop cold in my tracks.  "Are my eyes playing tricks on me?" I was wondering...I thought that I saw Ryan Seacrest....Surely, that couldn't be him, in the middle of Huntington, WV of all places!  But sure enough, there was a flurry of news anchors and camera men near him, and as we walked closer I realized that it really was him.  He was super nice!  He stood and talked with us for several minutes, telling us about the program and how excited he was about it.  He happens to be the Executive Producer of the TV show, and he had just flown into town to see how things were going.  He was happy to snap a few photos with us. 


Anyways, hopefully you've had a chance to catch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on ABC network.  He truly is making a huge difference and I admire what he is doing.  The season finale aired tonight...It's actually recording right as we speak onto my trusty DVR.  I'm not sure what I'd do without that thing!  The show has been a joy to watch all season.  And now, Chef Oliver needs our help!  Please take just a few seconds to sign Jamie's petition at THIS LINK.  It seriously only takes a few seconds to help make a difference. 

You can read up on exactly what Jamie has been up to and what YOU can do to get involved at: 

JAMIE OLIVER'S FOOD REVOLUTION

SIGN THE PETITION

"If you care about the health of your children and the food they eat, please sign this petition now."   With Jamie's help, we CAN help make our nation a healthier place to live!

Economic times are tough. We all know that. And, Earth Fare, the healthy supermarket, seems to know that too. Have you been to their stores? If so, you would know that they are always trying to make healthy eating affordable, easy and delicious! Seriously - have you tried their homemade, all-natural chocolate chip cookies - if not, it is .99 cents of deliciousness! Well, in celebration of the opening of their new Huntsville, AL store on May 12th, Earth Fare gave me a $50.00 gift card to give away! Yeah, very cool. They just said, hey Celeste...Give this away for us!

So, now, we want you to tell us why you deserve or just plain want this gift card. We've all got stories. You may have a family of four to feed on a tight budget. You may have lost your job recently and just need some extra help. You may be a cookie lover or organic food nut! Or, perhaps for whatever reason, you've never tried a healthy food store and just want to see what it's like! Give us your best reason, and we'll consider it for the prize.

The best story gets the card. So, ready, set, and get writing. Post your reason in the comments below today!  Before entering, be sure to check THIS LINK to see if there's an Earth Fare store near you!

You only have until Friday, May 7th to get your entry in.  Good Luck!!!


Photos courtesy of http://www.earthfare.com/