I had something pretty close to the perfect morning this past weekend.
After a sumptuous pamper night and an early turn-in on Friday evening, I woke up bright and early on Saturday, ready to fully enjoy the day. I had a double espresso and a quick trip around the block with Luna, and then I grabbed my reusable shopping bags and my camera and stepped out into the balmy but beautiful summer in Old Town Alexandria.
When I moved up north from Alabama, I was expecting slightly milder summers. However, I was unpleasantly surprised to find it’s just as humid up here as it is down south! We’ve had a LOT of rain recently, so I was willing to let Mother Nature off the hook for the heat since she gave us blue skies and a slight breeze.
It’s about a 15 minute walk from my house to the Old Town farmers market, and I enjoy every second of it. Meandering down cobbled streets and past quaint door knockers is not a bad way to spend 15 minutes, if you ask me. There are a few landmarks I love, like the Christ Church cemetery and the kissing tree on Royal St., but I try to mix up my route to see more of the city I love.
Being peak summer, the peaches are out in full force at the farmers market. Who could say no to a few of these little beauties? I grabbed a fair few, popped them in my bag, and resisted the temptation to tuck in on my way back home.
After I had recovered in the glorious air conditioning and had a glass of water, I decided to do some baking! It’s been a while since I’ve put on the old baker’s apron, and it felt good to be covered in flour again. I decided to try out these peach upside-down mini cakes from Sweet and Savory by Shinee, topped with a homemade pecan crumble.
Pecan crumble:
-Mix together 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg.
-Pour in 4 tablespoons of melted butter and stir until combined.
These are sweet, but not overbearingly so. They are closer to muffins than cupcakes, and paired with some vanilla ice cream, they would be the bees knees!
After sharing a few with the kids next door, I put my feet up, turned on Midsommer Murders, and had a little rest with my cake before getting into the rest of my Saturday. Pretty perfect, if you ask me!
