More often than not, I get asked about what I eat. Sometimes the question comes from ardent meat-eaters who can’t fathom going an entire day without consuming animal protein of some sort. Other days it’s simply from those who are serious about health, eating well and cutting out processed food from their daily routine. In both cases, I am by no means an expert, and I don’t intend to start blogging every meal I eat. However, I thought it might … Read More

{Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies}   {Molasses Crinkles} {Alfajores} {Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies} {Oatmeal and Golden Raisin Cookies} Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Madison

This weekend my grand plans for a weekend up in Minneapolis were sidelined by the cold I’ve been attempting to ward off for over two weeks. You see, I’m not all that good at accepting that I’m sick. Even when my throat is burning and my chest is heavy, I’ve been known to head for the gym. Seems as if exercise and good food aren’t the solution to everything. So instead of heading up north for a couple days of … Read More

Slowly but surely working my way back to blonde for our wedding! It’s not a glamourous process in the least bit, and a bit hard on my hair, too. But a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, right? Six months and counting! madison

Gosh I’ve missed you all! Over the past few days I’ve fallen off the face of the earth and into the hole known as family Christmas (all four of them!). In other news, I’m taking the entire week of to be with family and friends. I haven’t exercised in days, eaten a few too many sweets, and have yet to get out of pajamas this morning. Send help. And finally. I wish I had this recipe for Monster Cookies from … Read More

Since I got such positive responses about sharing wedding details as decisions are made, I have a few more specifics coming your way right…now! After plenty of searching, both in stores and online, and buying (following by returning) the wrong dresses, we finally purchased bridesmaid dresses! I say ‘finally’ but really, I think we are slightly ahead of the game. Sticking to a budget and knowing I wanted to stick to a neutral color palette made it a little more … Read More

This year has pretty much knocked me off my feet. Over the past twelve months my life has changed in such remarkable ways that it’s hard to remember what things were like at this time last December. There was a new relationship, a graduation from college and my first big-girl apartment. Falling in love while trying to figure out just what it was that I hoped to do with my life. No one really prepares you for how difficult it … Read More

I know it’s only the second day of December, but I can already feel that my holiday spirit is lagging a bit. Not getting to partake in tree decorating with my mom and my sad selection of Christmas music, paired with the fact that I don’t have any Christmas traditions of my own may have more than a little to do with my attitude.  So this morning, when I was catching up on a little blog-reading, I was inspired by … Read More

  Another weekend, another road trip. What a crazy Thanksgiving weekend it was! Joey and I traveled home to NW Iowa for Thanksgiving, then over to Chicago with my mom and Joey’s parents to watch his brother play for Bethel University in the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs. And on Sunday it was time to head back home. Bethel won. We had a wonderfully exhausting time. And I got to spend a lot of time with family and loved ones. … Read More

This past weekend I took a much needed (and very much enjoyed) long weekend. And how did I spend it? At the beach, of course! I don’t get to spend nearly as much time with my dad (or any of my family, for that matter!) as I would like to, so when I realized there were a few extra vacation days in my reserve, I took full advantage of some father-daughter bonding time. We spent three days at the beach, … Read More

Before anything else, I want to say a big thank you for your helpful and reassuring comments and e-mails about my blog identity crisis. Knowing I’m not the only person to have these feelings made me realize I don’t need to make a formal decision about where I want Espresso and Cream to go. Instead, I’m going to keep cooking and baking, and when other events seem post-worthy, they’ll make their way to these pages, too. Case in point….   … Read More

I’ve got a pile of clothes waiting to be folded, laundry running, dishes washing and a whole lot of packing to do before hitting I-80 tomorrow afternoon for a trip to Illinois (again!). But before I take off for a much needed three day weekend and break from technology, I’m going to fulfill a request from my mom at the beginning of the summer: a fun, light, summer salad. Well, it’s not exactly a salad, per say. It’s more of … Read More