The bridal shower and bachelorette party extravaganza weekend earlier this month went swimmingly, thanks for asking. Cooking and recipes went smoothly with the exception of some mini-blueberry galettes. My own personal #pinterestfail was saved by quick thinking and a little ingenuity aka a replacement angelfood cake from the bakery served with fresh strawberries. A quick shot of the prep for one app above – I was running around so much I swear all the others were blurry!

And now, the actual big day is here we’re back out to Chicago this weekend for my sister-in-law’s wedding! Since once again I am abandoning you for the Midwest I’ll offer a few items for your reading enjoyment….

Reading Material:
This is a few weeks old, but still relevant since when is good advice ever stale? New York Magazine has collected 25 pearls of wisdom from some famous ladies.

Congratulations to Chef Jacques Pepin on receiving the first Julia Child Award! (via The Washington Post)

I love the way the authors of “Fictitious Dishes” have sought to bring famous meals described in literature to life.

A fantastic list of ideas from Town and Country for desserts featuring gloriously sweet pineapple. This one in particular is living in my dreams, so please pretend to be surprised when it shows up on the blog later, okay?

Oh, Pinterest. You never cease (or is it fail?) to be inspiring, but recreating the fabulous [hand-dyed napkins/decorated cookies/reclaimed bookshelf] just ends in tears. Refinery 29 clearly gets it with their Five Phases of a Pinterest Fail.