Cooking class in ATL {Preserving Place}

The other week we celebrated my friend Shelby's birthday in a fun and unique way...with a baking class/dinner party at Preserving Place in Midtown Atlanta. Shelby is an amazing baker, so it was a perfect idea for her birthday. I had heard of Preserving Place, but I'd never been so of course I was excited for this new adventure.

Here's a message from their website:

The Cooking School at Preserving Place offers customers the unique opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced and passionate players of Atlanta's food scene – including, of course, the canning expert herself, Martha McMillin – in a state of the art kitchen conveniently located at our Westside Provisions District.  

Our instructors hail from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and we are always looking to expand upon our course offerings, while regularly returning to “classics.”  We provide attendees with light refreshments and hors d’ouevres (or a more substantial meal with wine, depending on the course), and at the end of the class, we gather around our farm table to sample our creations.

Most importantly, though, students of the Cooking School at Preserving Place take home with them the knowledge and experience of exemplary food, drink, and entertaining.

Shelby set up the class with Preserving Place, but they also have a schedule online where you can sign up! We made lemon meringues and strawberry pavlovas...it was my first time making both. At the start of the class they serve light refreshments and you can BYOB. After the instructor reviews the recipe you get to work baking/cooking. We had so much fun dividing and conquering the work to make some sweet treats.

These were light, fluffy and addictive!

I got to help with the lemon meringue pie and turned out so gorgeous!!! And delicious.

Here's the table where we sat for dinner after the baking work was complete.

They served this delicious summer salad.

They also served a tomato heirloom salad, yum!

Here's a pic of my plate. I loved the purple potatoes, and other people said the steak was great too! 

Of course this would be a fun date night, but this also made for an awesome and interactive birthday dinner. The only things I really know how to bake are Pillsbury chocolate chip cookies, but this class was still enjoyable and doable for me!

A big thanks to our helpful and funny instructor, Sarah! 

See other places I eat in Atlanta.

My new room! {Hot pink and blue bedroom decor}

Ahhhhh! These past few weeks have been a rollercoaster, but things are falling into place and I'm so grateful for that. I just moved into my new place a few days ago, and I wanted to share the first phase of my bedroom decor. I've been planning this decor for months, and even shared my inspiration and this DIY project on the blog. Check out photos below, and if you have any questions please leave a comment or send me an email!

Before photo of my bedroom! So boring, but how amazing is that window? I have a beautiful view of Midtown Atlanta and I am too happy about it :)

Another view of my bedroom before decorating. The door on the left goes into my hallway and the door on the right (which I removed) is for my closet. I'll share photos of my closet redesign soon!

Here it is! My central color theme is black and white with hot pink, blue, and gold accents.

The front pillows are from Target, and are currently on sale -- get them before they're gone! The pink chair is the most amazing thing, and it's from World Market. The bed, white faux fur rug, and blue pillows are from IKEA.

I randomly spotted this hot pink extension cord in TJ Maxx and had to get it! Plus, it bends and wraps into whatever shape you want, so cool.

I ordered those gold prints from an Easy shop, and will probably order a few more soon!

This black chest was originally brown, and not so cute. But my parents helped me repaint it black to match my room.

The original desk that my mom found for me at Goodwill. Such a great find, it was in almost perfect condition. 

The before and after chest photos, side by side!

Check out this handmade wreath I made for under $7.00 thanks to the Dollar Store! I have one on my bathroom too that matches the decor. I just moved in a few days ago, but I already LOVE it! I can't wait to finish the rest of my room and bathroom & share.

Enjoy your 4th of July weekend :)

Eating in ATL {Ecco}

I have been to a few new restaurants in Atlanta recently, but have been slacking on taking photos to capture my experience. However, I recently dined at Ecco in Midtown Atlanta with my friend Jade. I've been wanting to go to Ecco for years, and finally got the chance so I just had to take a few photos at dinner and share my experience on my blog. Ecco is labeled as a "seasonal European Mediterranean Restaurant"

First of all, you have to start with the Fried Goat Cheese made with honey and black pepper. This dish is award-winning, and rightfully so. It's cheesy, a little sweet, and savory. I can't even put it into words you just have to order them and see!

Jade ordered one of their Wood-Fired Pizzas, yum!

And I had the Chitarra, a delicious vegetarian dish made with arugula, mascarpone, black pepper, and  pecorino. This is one of the best pastas I've ever had!

All of this was so, so good! It's definitely a perfect date spot or spot to celebrate a special occasion. 

Have you ever had fried goat cheese before? If not, why not!?

See other places I eat in Atlanta.

Recent healthy meals!

Hello! I wanted to share some of the healthy meals I've had recently. Eating clean or healthy for at least 2 meals a day has become part of my lifestyle, and I'm really grateful for that. I've lost about 5 pounds this summer, and now I'm really focusing on toning up and getting better at cardio workouts. See some of the meals I've been eating below!

Occasionally, I make my own sushi at home after attending this sushi class. One night, I made sushi with avocado and carrots inside. I also baked a few brussels sprouts as a side dish.

My mom baked carrots, peppers, and onions in the oven for 15-20 mins. and also made collard greens. I loved this healthy, delicious meal!

Recently, I've been baking my vegetables for a dinner side instead of just eating them raw. I love adding lemon, honey, and/or spices to raw veggies before letting them bake for 5-10 mins. In this dish, i baked broccoli, spinach, kale, and sweet onions.

Sometimes, I like a really clean/raw salad. I add as many veggies/fruits as possible and drizzle lemon juice and oil instead of a heavy salad dressing.

I made honey mustard and pineapple salmon on Mother's Day, so good!!!

Yum, I've had lots of brussels sprouts recently! Check out my favorite recipe here.

Then, I put one piece of tilapia on top of a bed of baby spinach! All I added was some lemon juice and honey and it was delicious!

On Earth Day, I went to one of my favorite healthy restaurants, True Food Kitchen, for a great meal!

This looks messy, but it was so good! Yellow rice, salmon, brussels sprouts, and raw baby kale.

See other healthy dishes here!

Updating bedroom decor {navy and pink decor}

Since the semester ended, I've been preparing for my upcoming move to a new place in Atlanta! I'm very excited for a fresh start and to switch up my room decor. See my current room decor below:

I've loved having black and white being the major theme with a navy blue accent. But for my next room, I'm going to add in some pink and gold accents. I've been slowly collecting items for my new room and doing a few DIY projects, including a really fun project with Mason jars! I got 3 Mason jars from a Goodwill Store (each under $1), and then spray painted them black. I will be using them as flower vases for pink, blue, and white flowers.

I LOVE how they turned out, and this was such a fun and easy project!

While I was spray painting, I also spray painted this old stool all black and I'm going to add a few more details to it before using it in my new place.

And here is one of the images that inspired my future room's new look!

Once I'm all moved in and finish decorating, I'll be sure to share photos!