Three Day Weekend!!!

(... is what I would be saying if I had last Friday off, but I didn't. I'm as disappointed as you are.)

There seems to be a serious correlation between my stress level and the amount of baking I do, and some Fridays you just need to celebrate with a cookie cake. Yes, that bad. 

If there's any correlation between rough days and the tastiness of treats, then this Funfetti Sugar Cookie Cake means the workday ranked somewhere in the Apocalypse/Armageddon range. And because we're not quitters, we had it with ice cream. 

I also spent a majority of this weekend with my cast iron grill pan. I love that thing more than I love naps. I've been grilling like a crazy person and it's so easy to clean! I use it probably every other day!  I made steak this weekend (and if you tell me that's too rare then we can't be friends. I'm serious.) with a tomato salad - aren't those tomatoes goooorge!?

And it needs to be mentioned that earlier in the week I met up with some my bakery peeps for dinner at Elevation Burger! Miss these guys!

And we stopped by The Meadows Original Frozen Custard for some SERIOUS custard. Most custard is just custard to me, but this is custard. I got the affogato - a dessert I've been craving every day since. I tried to recreate for lunch today (Yes, I ate ice cream for lunch. It's cool, I'm an adult.), but it's not the same. Do yourself a favor and find the nearest Meadow's and go there. Now. The affogato is a beautiful serving of custard with a shot of espresso poured over top - bitter and sweet, hot and cold. It. Is. Everything.

Which brings me to my next point...

I also joined the gym this weekend.

And that studio I'm trying to put together?

It's getting done! I went on multiple trips to Home Depot this weekend and have sparkly new tools to work with and am just waiting for the perfect opportunity to jump on a table and miter saw and I'll be in business! I picked up an awesome deal off of craigslist this weekend - a gorgeous easel and a bag full of barely used oil paints and brushes, so I'm hoping to score big on the saws too. Fingers crossed! But I'm hoping to be fully operational by the end of the month!

And on Sunday, I soba. This is my new favorite summer meal (and now a verb too, thanks to moi)! It's quick and easy to put together and is so refreshing! 

Pick up soba noodles, soba sauce (or make your OWN) and some sides. I like pickled radish. Boil the noodles for about 5 - 7 minutes, rinse with cold water until cooled, then put onto of bamboo sheet to drain and serve. In a small bowl, place a few pieces of ice and some scallion and top with sauce. To eat, just dip your cold noodles into the sauce and slurp!

Hope you had a great weekend!