Two friends, miles apart, who love to bake!
I know, I know. I’m wayyyy behind on the popsicle bandwagon. I tried making some rum and coke popsicles last summer and had such high hopes! Until they didn’t set up (note to self…don’t try making popsicles so strong you can get drunk off them…) and they …
Aren’t these mini pie pans so cute?!? They were a gift from Grandma Vi and although she is technically not my grandma, I love her like one anyway. She sent them to me over a month ago and I know it’s a shame I haven’t used …
We were very excited and honored when Liz from Floating Kitchen nominated us for a Liebster Award! A Liebster Award is passed from one blogger to another, typically those who are “newer” bloggers, and it is a way for us to get to know each other and for our readers to get to know us. It’s kind of a “tag, you’re it!” kind of thing. We tell you a little about ourselves, answer the questions from Liz, nominate more bloggers, then ask them questions! It was so fun to learn more about Liz and have an excuse to snoop around Floating Kitchen a little more…I mean, can I live on a house boat please?? The timing was actually pretty perfect, because we just finished up our NEW “About Us” page, and figured we could tie the two together. So instead of a recipe today, you get to learn everything you ever wanted to know about us 🙂
Random facts about us
1. We always say we’ll workout when we’re together, but more often than not we end up spending hours at Starbucks instead.
2. We ran a half marathon together in San Francisco. We “forgot” what our time was, because it was so terrible.
3. Visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter together is on our friendship bucket list. We already went to a midnight premiere together.
4. We also wish Hogwarts was real and we could be best friends with Harry, Ron and Hermione.
5. The first time we met, we went gambling at an Indian Casino in Jackson with friends and almost got lost in the woods on the drive home.
6. It wouldn’t be unusual to find one (or both) of us listening to Christmas music in May.
7. New Year’s Eve 2012 was spent in Boise, Idaho. We thought by wearing tights under our dresses it would help us stay warm because it was only about 10 degrees.
8. We once attempted to compete in Trivia Night at a bar. We didn’t get a single question right.
9. The night before our half marathon, we stayed up eating popcorn and drinking wine while watching the Olympics.
10. We wish we had Samantha Brown’s job.
Questions from Liz
1. What is your favorite thing to cook?
Stephanie: As time-consuming as it is, I always love holiday baking. Sugar cookies, crinkle cookies, gingersnaps, truffles…I love it all!
Kelly: Chocolate chip cookies
2. What is the best meal you’ve ever had?
Stephanie: My dad is the best cook in the world. I absolutely love love love his smoked ribs and homemade macaroni and cheese. I could eat that every day!
Kelly: That’s hard! Idk if it’s the best meal I’ve had but my favorite thing that my mom makes is a chicken cheese casserole which is essentially macaroni cheese with chicken. Sounds simple but only my mom can make it just right and it’s a family favorite!
3. Which blogs do you follow regularly?
Stephanie & Kelly: There are so many good ones! Dessert for Two; Food, Faith, Fitness; The Law Student’s Wife; Girl Versus Dough; Simply Living…just to name a few!
4. What five words would you use to describe your blog?
Stephanie: Personable, honest, decadent, silly, relatable
Kelly: Happy, friendly, tasty, fun, personable
5. Which blog post are you the most proud of?
Stephanie: I think Angel Food Cake, because it was the recipe I was most intimidated by, and it turned out perfectly!
Kelly: Circus Animal Cookie Cupcakes because it was fun to frost and they were so tasty!
6. Are you a night owl or an early bird?
Stephanie: Night owl. Though I am turning into an old lady and am usually in bed by 10:30. However that doesn’t mean I’m any less grumpy in the mornings.
Kelly: Early bird
7. When is the last time you laughed so hard that it hurt?
Stephanie: Whenever I’m with my sister. The BF told me that when her and I get together “things get weird”…it’s what happens when you have a lifetime of inside jokes and memories!
Kelly: Camping with my family this weekend
8. What is the last book you read?
Stephanie: The last I read was The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling, and I’m currently reading This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Kelly: My Life in France by Julia Child— So good! Highly recommend it!
9. What song/artist do you listen to when you’re in need of a pick-me-up?
Stephanie: Girls by The 1975, One Headlight by The Wallflowers, Springsteen by Eric Church, Crash Into Me by Dave Matthews Band…super random, I know!
Kelly: Stand in Awe by Jeremy Riddle
10. What is the best vacation you’ve ever taken?
Stephanie: Every summer as kids our family would go camping in Long Beach, Washington. It’s definitely not the warmest beach in the world (in the 70’s if you’re lucky, probably windy, maybe rainy) but I loved it. The smell of salt water still brings back childhood memories and I feel like I’m at home.
Kelly: The Beach House in Aptos, CA. Every year we go for a week with my family (aunts, uncles, cousins). It’s the best vacation and some of my favorite childhood memories.
11. What did you want to be when you grew up (and are you currently doing it?)
Stephanie: I changed my mind a lot as a child, but veterinarian was probably what I was hooked on for the longest. Sometimes I’m still not sure why I didn’t pursue that? Currently I’m an Ultrasound Technologist, which I love, but most days I like animals more than people!
Kelly: I always wanted to be an elementary school teacher (not anymore!) but I am currently a Program Coordinator for a Non-profit in Sacramento.
Nominations
1. Hannah & Suruchi – Simply Living Blog
2. Ashley – The Wine Stain
3. Jules – Sprinkled With Jules
4. Maci – The Thoughtful Plate
5. Anisa, Ash & Tegan – The Macadames
6. Elise – Elise Marie Goes on a Shopping Spree
7. Shannon – Much. Most. Darling.
8. Gretchen & Shelley – Two Healthy Kitchens
9. Annie – Maebells
10. Beth – The Contented Baker
Our questions for the nominees:
1. What made you decide to start this blog?
2. How did you choose your blog name?
3. What blogs do you follow regularly?
4. What is your favorite food to eat?
5. What is your favorite food to make?
6. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
7. What is your dream job?
8. Do you have any siblings? If so, where are they living and what are they doing?
9. What is your favorite holiday?
10. What would be the 3 things you would take with you on a deserted island?
Thanks again Liz for the nomination! We hope you had fun learning a little more about us, and in case you want even more behind the scenes of LDB, be sure to check out our newly updated About Us page! Happy Monday, friends!
-Kelly and Steph
Guys, I finally made banana cream pie! When I lived in LA, my friends and I would sometimes go to this whole in wall pie place called The Apple Pan. It’s a tiny old-fashioned burger joint with only one giant U-shaped bar for seating and …
Making jam sounds like a very labor intensive and scary process, better left to Laura Ingalls Wilder and cute little old ladies…am I right? WRONG! At least for freezer jam. It is so amazingly easy!! No more making excuses. You need to make this. This was my …
Happy Monday! Today I am going to take you on a tour of my hometown: Elk Grove, California! Steph and I were approached by this awesome company called RelayRides to highlight the gems in our hometowns. RelayRides is a ride share program. So if you wanted to fly into Sacramento International Airport and drive to Elk Grove for the weekend, because after this post you will, you can rent a car from individuals who list their cars to rent. It’s a really awesome travel tool and one that I will definitely be using in the future! For more information on RelayRides, check out their website here!
Elk Grove is located just south of Sacramento, the Capitol of California. Sidenote, just like Boise (check out Steph’s hometown gems here!), Sacramento is also the City of Trees. Anyway, Elk Grove, in the beginning, was a rural community and elements of that are still present. For one, my high school mascot is the Thundering Herd and we had cows and pigs. I loved growing up in Elk Grove and I always loved coming back home, as evidence by the fact that I am currently back home! It’s very comforting to know that wherever I go next, Elk Grove will always be home and I’m excited to share with you some of my favorite gems of my hometown 🙂
Baguettes Deli
Baguettes is hands down my favorite lunch spot in Elk Grove! It’s even been voted as one of Sacramento’s Best so apparently a lot of other people agree too! They make the most delicious chicken salad sandwich. I seriously crave it, it’s that good! And their bread… Oh. My. Gosh. I could literally eat an entire baguette from Baguettes. I am a bread/carb lover and this is the best bread I’ve had by far! The picture below on the left shows their Warriorz salad- a bed of greens topped with chopped bacon and tri-tip and a drizzle of bbq sauce with an apple cider dressing. The picture on the right is their tri-tip sandwich with homemade flour tortilla chips and salsa. Everything they make there is so good that writing this right now is making me staving thinking about it!
Tiger’s Yogurt
I am a frozen yogurt fiend. I’m not kidding, I absolutely love frozen yogurt. I even created a Facebook group (many years ago!) called Fro-yo eaters unite! Yes, I am slightly embarrassed by that but hey, I love frozen yogurt! My all-time favorite yogurt place is Tiger’s Yogurt. It’s nothing fancy and it’s not self-serve like all the new yogurt places popping up but it’s truly the best and creamiest frozen yogurt. We used to go there all the time when I was younger and eat yogurt and play at a tiny table that was also a pac-man game. I started going again a lot in high school and have never stopped since. I go there so often that the sweet old man who owns the place questions when I don’t get my usual of a child’s size Oreo yogurt with rainbow sprinkles!
Nugget Market
The Nugget is Elk Grove’s version of Whole Foods. Just walking into the store makes me feel healthier and that I know what I am doing with my life. It’s the only place in Elk Grove to get the frozen Acai that I use for my favorite smoothie and their desserts are out of this world! Yes, I have gone to the Nugget just for dessert. I have also gone just for lunch. They have a great sandwich counter, delicious pizza by the slice, a salad bar and so much more. Their produce is always fresh and honestly, the inside is so trendy that I feel cool when I shop there. You would too, trust me!
Elk Grove Park
Elk Grove is home to Elk Grove Regional Park and it holds a special place in my heart. Elk Grove park backs up to Elk Grove High School, my Alma Mater, and I used to run everyday in the park during cross county season. They have since put in a path around the park and running around the entire perimeter is 2 miles. Not to brag, but that was our warm-up. Not to embarrass myself, but sometimes that was all I could manage. Elk Grove park is full of trees, baseball diamonds and a giant pond. The park hosts the annual Western Festival and the Harvest Festival. Both are as awesome as they sound, although I have only been to each once. This sounds weird, but I even love the smell of the park. When I think of Fall, I think of the smell of Elk Grove park and it makes me smile 🙂
Thanks for letting me share a piece of my hometown with you today! Check out more RelayRides hometown gems on their Pinterest board.
-Kelly
Disclaimer: RelayRides is sponsoring the Hometown Hidden Gems series and approached Long Distance Baking to write this post. However, all content and opinions are our own.
Just a quick question here: how many of you can find Idaho on a map? (And no, Idaho is not Iowa. And yes, people have asked me that). Kelly and I love to travel and share our vacations with you all, but over the next …
Guys, I debated whether or not to post this. I mean, nobody wants to highlight a failure or showcase a bad idea. But in the spirit of blog transparency and to show that just because you have a baking blog doesn’t mean you always get …
I love breakfast just as much as the next person, maybe even more. Give me some eggs, toast and hash browns and I’m good to go. And there has to be hash browns. I really don’t love cooking breakfast though, especially not for just one person. It makes such a mess! There’s a pan for the eggs, the cutting board for veggies, the cookie sheet for hash browns…ok maybe it really isn’t that many dishes. But first thing in the morning that is too much for me to handle! So I need something easier.
I know lots of people who loooove their smoothies for breakfast. Aren’t there even smoothie diets or cleanses or something? I’m sure they taste delicious, but I need something more substantial. Whenever I try to be healthy and make a smoothie as a breakfast substitute I end up hungry a few hours later. What good does that do??
This is the first smoothie I’ve made that gets me through the morning without needing an extra snack. I think it’s the oatmeal that curbs the cravings, although it could be the peanut butter. Or the chia. Or really anything. I have no idea, I just know it works!
I like to use frozen bananas because A) I always have them on hand (unless I’m making banana muffins) and B) I don’t need to use ice! If I plan ahead I will peel and slice the banana before freezing, which makes using them in smoothies super easy. Most of the time though I will just slice the banana while it is frozen, peel still on, then peel each individual slice. Still easy! If you don’t have frozen bananas don’t worry, just pop a few ice cubes in there.
I found this picture on my camera today, I didn’t know the bf had taken it! If you’re curious what working a full-time (non-blogging) job + attempting to develop/bake/shoot/edit/post recipes regularly looks like…this is it. Cut off tees, no makeup and hair that probably hasn’t been washed in three days. The honest truth. (Also, please ignore the 1990’s slam dunk champions poster in the background…)
Happy Monday everyone! P.S. Did you hear the news?? In addition to our personal Pinterest accounts (here and here) we decided LDB needed a pinterest of its own! Make sure to follow along!!
~Stephanie
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Smoothie
Happy 4th of July!! I often wonder when reading about the American Revolution and the early years of our country (I do this fairly often), what our Founding Fathers would think of America today. Do you think that too or am I just nerding out on …