To me, one of the most amazing things about newborns are the immense possibilities. When I photographed Adalae on Friday she was 8 days new to this world. I couldn’t help but think about what she would grow to look like, what her personality would be, who she would become. She was a very sleepy girl for most of our shoot but when those beautiful blue eyes opened and searched around, it was so incredible to watch!

I also designed the baby announcement below which is included complimentary with a newborn session! I designed it to coordinate with Adalae’s crib bumper which was made from a fun Urban Outfitters duvet cover. Love it!

Elisabeth and Matt, thank you for allowing me the honor of documenting your beautiful Adalae! Much love, Erica

We started the shoot in the Dixons beautiful home. Brittney has major talent in the interior decorating department, I’m way jealous! I’m so excited to see her put the finishing touches on Baby Will’s nursery!

I looove this time of year! Not only do the Dixon’s have the anticipation of Christmas but also of Baby William :) We celebrated the season with hot chocolate and a chubby bunny contest…

…It was a tie ;)

Then we ventured into the cold for some beautiful photos in the snow! Thank you two for being so brave. I am SO thrilled with how these came out. You both are beautiful inside and out. Will is going to be blessed to have you as his parents.

Brittney and Patrick, thank you so much for allowing me the honor of documenting this incredibly special time in your lives! I can’t wait to meet Baby Will!

Susie started off the day getting ready at The Maryland Inn in Annapolis. LOVED her dress! Also loved that there were plenty of champagne corks to do pretty ring shots on ;)

Susie and Jordan decided to do a first look so that they had plenty of time to do photos outside before the ceremony. This makes me so very happy :)

The day before the wedding I went location scouting and didn’t stop until I found the last remaining trees with beautiful fall foliage!

The groom and groomsmen are all Marines, I am so grateful to you all for your service! Also love the girl’s plum dresses, I might be biased since it was my wedding color too ;)

A dashing Marine and his beautiful bride, full of laughter :)

While we were taking photos, an adorable older couple came out of their house and gave Susie & Jordan a bottle of Processco to celebrate with. How sweet is that?!

Gorgeous couple. Gorgeous flowers.

This is my favorite of the whole day. Love is the most beautiful thing in the world.

The ceremony was held at Sacred Heart of Jesus in Baltimore, such a beautiful church.

Love this shot of Susie’s dad! I have no idea what was so funny, but I love his laugh!

Husband and Wife!!!

Susie & Jordan, it was such a pleasure to photograph your wedding day. Thank you for allowing me the honor to get to know you and to document the love you have for each other. Congratulations!!!

We started out the day at the Inn at Lambertville Station, shooting Penny’s beautiful Allure dress on a custom hanger with her new last name!

Penny is a graphic designer so naturally she designed their letter pressed wedding invitations, love them!

And check out her killer heals!

It’s great to be a bride with such creative and talented friends, one did hair and one did make-up. Both did a phenomenal job!

Enter the dashing groom, Michael!

This one on the left is my FAV from the day. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! As is Penny’s Preston Bailey bouquet!

The groom and his groomsmen. Yes you read that right ;) I love untraditional wedding parties! She adds a bit of beauty to this motley crew, don’t you think?

Dahlia’s of Pennington did the beautiful florals for the reception. And okay, maybe this one on the right is a tie for favorite :)

I love all the Thai traditions (and clothes!) that were incorporated in the wedding. How cute are the ring bearer and flower girl?!

I think the groomsmen were in just as much awe of Penny as Michael was ;)

Caautie-patootie!

After the American ceremony there was a Thai water ceremony in which friends and family poured water over Penny and Michael’s hand and wished them well.

It was so good go back at the mill and to document Penny and Michael’s love and commitment to each other. Thank you two for allowing me the honor!

We hung out in the apartment while Penny got dressed and then we headed over to Liberty State Park. Penny had already scouted it out in advance of us getting there and it was an amazing place for photos! We could see the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline, but we spent most of our time in this old train station. Loved it!

I know this photo is blown out, it was a test shot and the lighting situation wasn’t working. But I love it anyway :) Penny you are gorgeous!

Skyline photo: Favorite!!!

Penny changed into her traditional Thai wedding dress and we got a few photos at a park near her house. Isn’t she lovely?

Next up, Penny & Michael’s wedding at the Prallsville Mill!

Butternut Squash Soup

2 medium butternut squash
1 apple
4 tbs butter
2 medium onions
1 ½ tsp curry powder
4 tbs flour
Pinch of ground nutmeg
3 tsp better than bouillon paste, or 3 vegetable stock cubes
3 c boiling water
2 c milk
1 ½ tsp salt

Cut the squash in half long ways, scoop out the seeds, and discard them (or you can clean them and bake them with a little salt or seasoning for a snack!). Put the squash cut side down in a 9×13” baking pan with an inch of water and bake at 400º F for about an hour, or until soft enough to scoop out the insides.

Wait a little to start this next part since the squash takes a while to cook. (Insert time-lapse music here…)

Peel, core and chop the apple. Peel the onions and chop roughly. In a large pot on medium heat melt the butter and then sauté the chopped onions. Add the curry powder. Add the apple and cook until apples and onions are soft. Add the flour and nutmeg and fry lightly. After it has cooled or while using an oven mitt, scoop the squash out of its skin and into the pot.

Dissolve the vegetable stock in the boiling water. Add the stock, milk, and salt, to the squash mixture. Once everything is warm, ladle the soup in batches into a blender and purée until smooth. Once the batch is done pour it into a large mixing bowl until everything in the pot has been puréed. Return the soup to the pot to keep it hot.

Serving suggestions: I like to pair this soup with fresh buttered bread, slices of a good cheese like havarti dill, and some apple or pear slices. You can serve a side salad with goat cheese, apple or pear slices, pecans, craisins, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Or you can simply sprinkle goat cheese on top of the already creamy soup for added luxury ;) Enjoy!

One morning Jaime asked me if I wanted to go out for breakfast or make iced chai, cardamom pancakes with cashew cream and strawberries, and a curried egg scramble. Um, I don’t know how that line up sounds to you, but it sounded nothing short of amazing to me. And it was.

Iced Chai, individual serving

1/2 tsp whole cloves
1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
1 tsp cardamom seeds
1 tsp black tea leaves
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 c water
ice
milk

Grind first 3 spices with mortal and pestle.
Combine spices in saucepan with tealeaves, cinnamon and water.
Bring to a boil. Steep for 3 minutes. Add 1 tsp honey.
Pour through a strainer over ice. Fill the glass the rest of the way with milk.

Cardamom Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour (can be mix of whole wheat & white)
3 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c whole milk
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tbsp melted butter, plus more for the griddle
1 scant tbs ground cardamom

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet.
Fry up on hot buttered griddle.

Cashew Cream

3/4 c cashews
1/4 c rose water
1/2 c water

Combine cashews and rose water in food processor. Add water a little at a time for desired constancy.
Top pancakes with cashew cream and fresh strawberries.

Curried Egg Scramble

4 eggs
1/2 cold water
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp evoo
1/2 c onion, diced
1/2 c spinach, fresh or frozen
fresh cilantro for garnish

Combine eggs, water, curry, salt. Wisk.
Heat oil in pan. Sauté onions. Add spinach. Cook.
Add eggs. Continue to cook until eggs are done.
Garnish generously with cilantro.

Nothing short of amazing. I’m actually surprised Jaime could refrain from devouring it while I took this photo ;)

Double Chocolate Layer Cake, from Gourmet

3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee (Don’t be alarmed, your cake won’t taste like coffee – it enhances the flavor of the chocolate)
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line bottoms of pans with rounds of parchement paper. (I used a spring-form pan so I just closed the pan with the paper inserted, see below.) Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour. (I only had one pan so I estimated what half the batter looked like.)

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove parchment paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Creamy Vanilla Frosting, More from Magnolia

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a medium-size saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk until smooth. Place over medium heat and, stirring constantly, cook until the mixture becomes very thick and begins to bubble, 10-15 minutes. Cover with waxed paper placed directly on the surface and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, on the medium high speed of an electric mixer, beat the butter for 3 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating continuously for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat well. Add the cooled milk mixture, and continue to beat on the medium high speed for 5 minutes, until very smooth and noticeably whiter in color. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes (no less and no longer—set a timer!). Use immediately.

Then you frost the cake and cover the counter, floor, and cake with sprinkles. Light the candles. Sing Happy Birthday in your bestest loudest off key voice. Give your hubby a kiss and tell him you are thankful he was born :)