Sausage Egg and Cheese Pastry Cups

Whip up a half dozen of these sausage, egg, and cheese pastry cups for breakfast or brunch!

I am no stranger to puff pastry. With that said, I have to share this new idea I discovered!

In fact, I often look for it when I need to whip up a quick dessert for a party or holiday. I enjoy using puff pastry to make strawberry and whipped cream treats for a refreshing summer dessert, and I've enjoyed baking cran-apple crispy pastry braids for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Not too long ago I saw these Egg, Bacon, and Ricotta Breakfast Cups my friend Chrisy from Homemade Hooplah made (click here to see her original recipe and idea on her blog), and I was inspired to try my own spin on it!

Since trying this technique I found on Chrisy's blog, I've begun experimenting with less sweet and more savory ingredients than I have baked with puff pastry in the past. These sausage, egg, and cheese pastry cups are a perfect example of that--breakfast sausage patties topped with melted cheese and a baked egg, wrapped in a warm and crispy pastry cup. So delicious! 

Our Mini Linky Party | Week 124

Happy Saturday!

Adam and I have been spending our week exploring around the valley and scoping out some new spots we have yet to visit! It's crazy to believe there are still so many places we have yet to discover even after living here for 5 years, but I'm constantly stumbling upon new things to do and unique destinations to visit!

Later this month, we'll be spending some time with family and we're both really looking forward to it! Living away from family can be tough, but it's always wonderful when everyone can get together and catch up. Adam's sister is getting married, so we're excited to help her celebrate this beautiful new chapter of her life! This weekend, I'm spending some much-needed time just relaxing (inside--because it's finally started to get hot outside again--and taking it easy before life gets hectic!)

Exploring Goldfield Ghost Town

Looking for a day trip idea just a short drive from Phoenix? Head to Goldfield Ghost Town!

Just 45 minutes east of downtown Phoenix, you can catch a glimpse of what life was like back in the 1890's here in the valley! Goldfield Ghost Town is known for its historic buildings and an illustration of Arizona's wild west--when you visit, it can feel like you've been transported back in time to the days of rowdy cowboys and rambunctious saloons! 

Today, the town of Goldfield stands as a restored replica of the original town from the late 19th century with a stunning backdrop of the Superstition Mountains. Its ghost town reputation comes directly from its history--it's said that Lost Dutchman's gold mine was depleted and the mine was no longer of any value, the town of Goldfield emptied out almost overnight leaving only a few prospectors behind. When you visit Goldfield today, you'll find a charming replica of what was once a booming town filled with multiple saloons, a general store, brewery, blacksmith shop, butcher, and a school for the families of this mining population.

During your visit to Goldfield Ghost Town, you can expect to see a street filled with authentic-looking buildings from the late 19th century, mine tours, eclectic wild west-inspired shops and restaurants, a saloon, and many people walking around in period costume often accompanied by horses and wagons (and if you're lucky, you'll stumble upon a lively gunslinger reenactment in the town square!) 

Weekend in Seattle Travel Guide

With only a weekend to see Seattle, we made the most of our trip by visiting these spots!

Last week, I surprised Adam with a trip to Seattle for his 30th birthday! 

Guys, I kept this secret for over a year! Honestly, I'm rather impressed and pleasantly surprised I was able to pull it off, but Adam really had no idea we were going and I was elated when he was so happy when he found out. We had a wonderful weekend in Seattle celebrating his birthday and welcoming this new decade with open arms--I wanted to kick off his 30s, since we are planning on devoting more time and energy toward traveling together more in the coming years!

With only a weekend to experience this new city, I sought out to create an itinerary to see and do the best tourist-focused activities in Seattle. Our next trip, because we both agreed we're already planning on coming back, we'll adventure to more spots off the beaten path. But we agreed that for anyone's first visit to Seattle, these spots are an absolute must!

Our Mini Linky Party | Week 123

Good morning!

This week, we celebrated Adam's 30th birthday in style! If you're not sure what I'm talking about, chances are you aren't following me on Snapchat yet and that's okay (but seriously, add me on Snapchat!) I'll be spending some time this weekend working on a blog post talking about everything we did this week for his birthday festivities, so if you're feeling left out right now know that you'll be in the loop very soon!

With Mother's Day this weekend, I have been enjoying going through all of the Mother's Day gift ideas that have been shared throughout this month at the weekly link party! There are so many wonderful gift basket and DIY ideas, which are great since a lot of these projects include common craft supplies most of us have in our homes already. And if a craft is out of the question, you can always make the mom in your life something special for breakfast or dinner--so many delicious spring-inspired recipes out there! Although I don't have any plans for Mother's Day this year, I hope all of you mommas out there have a special day!

7 Clam Recipes to Enjoy this Summer

Enjoy any one of these clam recipes this summer at your backyard BBQs or Sunday dinners!

Last week during my stay in Mexico, I enjoyed so many delicious seafood dishes! We stopped at a number of restaurants along the way, and I even shared my favorite restaurants in Puerto Peñasco on the blog. There was a variety of shrimp, mussels, flounder, and clam. Once I returned home, I started missing out on all of the fresh seafood but then I remembered I have a few more travels this summer coming up that bring me close to the ocean (where I can indulge myself in even more fresh seafood!) 

Even though I won't be around fresh seafood for most of the summer (darn you, desert!) I still enjoy looking at all of the decadent and savory clam recipes on Pinterest--which got me thinking, "why don't I share some clam recipes on the blog to get inspired for summer seafood?" Today, I'm sharing 7 clam recipes from some of my favorite food bloggers (including this classic cioppino recipe shown above from The Hungry Blue Bird blog--check out her recipe here!) as well as hosting a cash giveaway!

Exploring Puerto Peñasco and El Malecon

Enjoy the water, the weather, and the heart of downtown Puerto Peñasco at el malecon!

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of traveling to Puerto Peñasco for the very first time. Not only was this my first visit to Rocky Point, but it was also my first visit passing through the United States border into Mexico by car. Driving from our home in Phoenix to the beach in Puerto Peñasco took about 4 hours, no doubt, one of the shorter road trips we've taken this year. Just a short drive from our home, Puerto Peñasco really does feel like Arizona's beach!

When we arrived at our condominium where we were staying, we dropped off our things and began exploring the city. There is so much to do and see in Rocky Point that it felt like we hardly spent any time at our condo other than to sleep at night. We enjoyed a variety of awesome restaurants near downtown Puerto Peñasco and embraced local cuisine (my favorite new thing is paella--just saying!), caught a glimpse of the beauty of the shore from our sunset cruise around the harbor, and finally put some of our grade school Spanish to good use bartering for turquoise jewelry and authentic Mexican dresses at el malecon!

After spending a short week in Rocky Point, my favorite activity aside from enjoying the beach was exploring el malecon! There's so much to do, see, taste, and experience that I'm confident in saying you haven't truly been to Puerto Peñasco unless you've spent an hour or two exploring the boardwalk and shopping the local vendors.

Our Mini Linky Party | Week 122

Happy Saturday!

After an exciting week on a press trip down in Mexico, I'm happy to just kick back and relax at home this weekend! Since we left for Mexico last week, everything has felt so go-go-go and I am beyond ready for a weekend of taking it easy and going at my own pace. 

I'll be spending some time today catching up on work in the office later this afternoon, as well as preparing for our next trip later on for Adam's 30th birthday. The trip I'm organizing for Adam's birthday has been in the works for over a year, and it's a complete surprise! He knows he's going somewhere and he found out plane tickets are involved, but other than that he has no idea where we're going or what we're up to--exciting! Here's hoping I can keep the surprise up until his birthday arrives!