Journey to Jager: Picture Perfect

Another item off the list: Engagement photos, check!

Yesterday we met with our wedding photographers—the fantastic Kevin and Julia of Holding & Co.—for our engagement photos. Despite the nerves leading up to the experience, Matt and I had a blast. Kevin and Julia made it very easy to be our goofy, silly selves. In fact, they are a lot like us: shared love of classic architecture, industrial loft spaces, and they also know the joys and woes of Jeved Management and living in a Packing House ;)

Leading up to the shoot was a little stressful at times, on my end at least. In natural Beth style, I waited to find an outfit right before the shoot. On Sunday, the day before the engagement photos, my goddess of a mother accompanied me as we scoured the Brea mall for a dress to match Matt's shirt. Good news is we found the dress, and got to know the Brea mall in a more intimate fashion (we didn't find the dress until the very last store). Funny how you never have a problem finding something until you actually need it. Whoops! All that matters though is that the dress was found. I was so happy. And so relieved.

Some of the stress returned when the day of the shoot dawned nice and... gloomy. Where are you, California sunshine!? However, it actually ended up working in our favor. As it turns out, the daylight lingers a little longer on dreary days. Go figure. We ended up shooting until about 8:30 p.m. Of what I got a sneak peak of, the photos are fantastic! I can't wait to see them.

[Cheers]

We continued the celebration with a special date night dinner after the shoot. Matt and I indulged in ALL of the things we love at Eureka: booze, burgers, and truffle fries galore. We began with a cocktail to cheers the night (a Moscow Mule for Matt and a martini for me) and shared a new burger option that had us at "bone marrow butter."

[Observe]

I think that is probably all that needs to be said. The burger itself was very simply with a poppy seed bun and crisp onion. The butter was ridiculous, rich and flavorful. Even though we were stuffed (more Matt than I because there is ALWAYS room for dessert), Matt acquiesced to my pleas and we ordered a Butterscotch Pudding, one of my all time favorite desserts. The buttery mousse melts in your mouth and is drizzled in caramel, sprinkled with sea salt, and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. Pure ecstasy.

Prior to this decadent meal, in preparation for the shoot, I tried to keep my carb cravings at bay. One of my go-to recipes when I want something that feels indulgent without the extra guilt is a twist on How Sweet Eat's sweet corn cake eggs benedict.

[A glorious mess]

I sub the flour for oats, the regular milk for almond milk, and it works great! An additional twist: bbq sauce. Lots o lots of bbq.

Cutting into the poached egg and smothering the cake in yolk, bbq, and avocado, is a pretty spiritual experience I highly recommend. It's also very easy to make:

Ingredients for corn cake:

-1/2 cup rolled oats -1/3 cup finely ground cornmeal -1/2 teaspoon baking soda -1/4 teaspoon salt -1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper -3/4 cups cooked sweet corn kernels -2 garlic cloves, minced -1 large egg -1/2 cup milk -1 tablespoons olive oil (I used coconut)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, salt and pepper. Add the corn, peppers, shallots and garlic to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

2. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a spoon until just combined.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil. Use a 1/3 cup measure and scoop corn cake batter into the oil, leaving about an inch in between each corn cake. Cook until the cakes begin to set and bubble on the top, about 3 to 4 minutes. Gently flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the corn cakes with a spatula.

4. Top with a fried or poached egg and add toppings of choice. In the above, I added fajita vegetables from Trader Joe's, avocado, and applewood smoked bacon bbq sauce from Sprouts Farmers Market.

And without further ado...

Countdown to the Big Day: 256 Days

Sleep: Great! No recent wedding nightmares. Was fortunate to get pretty good sleep leading up the shoot (thanks, Fitbit, for keeping me accountable).

Best Moment of the Week: Meeting our photographers and the engagement shoot itself! And love the fact that we made the day into a giant date night for Matt and I :) Really important to enjoy these moments together.

Currently on my Mind: Can't wait to see the photos!!

What I am Looking Forward to this Week: A bit of "down time" :)

Emotions: Happy and excited.