What are you serving for Derby Day
Do you have your stylish chapeau
Will you whip up a pitcher of mint juleps
Or do you prefer cake?
Hereâs a Kentucky Derby tradition for you and your guests.
đ Kentucky Derby Bourbon Cake
Ingredients â Cake
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup bourbon
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
Ingredients â Glaze
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup bourbon
𼣠Directions
 1 â Mix the Batter
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Cream butter + sugars until fluffy (about 5 minutes).
Add eggs one at a time.
Combine buttermilk + bourbon in a separate bowl.
 2 â Bake
Alternate adding dry ingredients and bourbon mixture on low speed.
Finish mixing by hand.
Grease and flour a Bundt pan thoroughly.
Bake 40â45 minutes until golden and springy.
Melt glaze ingredients in a saucepan while it bakes
 3 â Glaze
Leave cake in the pan.
Poke holes with a skewer.
Pour 3/4 of the glaze over the warm cake and let it soak for 30 minutes.
Flip onto a plate and pour the remaining glaze over the top.
Serve with coffee or a mint julep.
I havenât made this cake yet, but itâs on my list.
If you give it a whirl for Derby Day, let me know how it turns out â I love hearing your kitchen victories and discoveries.
Spring is officially wedding season, and one of my favorite gift companies just added a whole batch of new weddingâthemed gift ideas. Think sweet, personalized keepsakes, photo gifts, and those thoughtful little touches that make a couple smile long after the big day.
If youâre shopping for a wedding, engagement, or anniversary â or you just love browsing pretty things â their new collection is worth a peek. Iâve linked their wedding gift section below so you can explore the latest designs.
Itâs a small way to support the blog, and I appreciate it more than you know.
If youâve been around here for a bit, you know I love sharing brands that make thoughtful gifting a little easier â and today I want to introduce you to GiftLABÂŽ, one of my newest partners.
GiftLABÂŽ is a leading provider of personalized gifts, specializing in custom photo items and those wonderfully quirky âfunny faceâ gifts that always get a laugh.
They create handcrafted, madeâtoâorder pieces that work for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, or any moment when you want something a little more meaningful than a generic gift card.
Their wedding collection is especially sweet this time of year, with keepsakes that feel personal without being fussy. If youâre shopping for a couple â or just browsing for inspiration â their designs are worth a peek.
Thank you to everyone who showered me with birthday wishes. Somehow, Iâve managed to make it to the threeâquarterâcentury mark. Seventyâfive. It looks ancient on paper, but honestly? Other than a few arthritic grumbles, I feel pretty darn good for an âold babe.â
What really gets me every year is how many people take the time to reach out. For 364 days, I wander around thinking Iâm just living my quiet little life. Then my birthday rolls inâusually accompanied by a norâeasterâand suddenly my inbox explodes like Iâm George Bailey in Itâs a Wonderful Life. I never realize how many lives Iâve brushed up against until that one day when everyone pops out of the woodwork. Itâs humbling, heartwarming, and a little overwhelming in the best way.
Enter Hawaii, Stage Left
This year, even Hawaii decided to join the celebration. And if youâve been following this space for any length of time, you already know I can wax poetic about Hawaii until someone gently pries the keyboard from my hands. Especially when it comes to my favorite diva of the Pacific: Kilauea.
My very first trip to the islands was to the Big Island, and I spent a full day exploring Hawaiâi Volcanoes National Park. I drove Chain of Craters Road, peered into the caldera from Volcano House, and saw my first plume of vog where lava met the sea. Kilauea was quiet that tripâtoo quietâbut I was hooked. I wanted to see an eruption with my own eyes.
Chasing the Elusive Eruption
Since then, Iâve lost count of how many times Iâve returned to Hawaii. Oahu? Check. Pearl Harbor? Absolutely. Maui? More times than I can count. The Big Island? A repeat favorite. Kauai? Not yetâbut hey, I may be 75, but Iâm not done adventuring.
Volcanoes National Park is always on my itinerary, and Iâve had some close calls. One year, Kilauea started huffing and puffing while I was on a park tour. Rangers and visitors lined up at the observatory, watching the lava lake glow as darkness fell. Little fountains teased us from the caldera. The excitement was electric.
And thenâbecause this is my lifeânothing big happened. My tour bus rolled away, Kilauea still grumbling but holding back. The next day, I flew home⌠and she blew her top while I was somewhere over the Pacific. I watched the eruption on the news, muttering âReally?â at the screen.
A Fiery Birthday Gift
Which brings me to this year. My birthday. My big 75. And what does Pele do? She sends me a present.
Episode 42 of Kilaueaâs eruption began at 1:50 p.m. HSTâon my birthday. High lava fountains shot into the sky, with bursts reaching 1,000 to 1,200 feet from the north vent and 800 to 1,000 feet from the south vent. A fullâblown, fiery celebration in my honor.
I may not have been there in person, but itâs the thought that counts. And honestly? As birthday surprises go, a volcanic eruption is hard to top.
What a spectacular way to kick off my next lap around the sun.
Need something heartfelt to say to your special someone this Valentineâs Day? Sometimes the perfect words are already out there, waiting to be borrowed. Here are a few romantic gems:
âYou are my heart, my life, my one and only thought.â âArthur Conan Doyle
âIn all the world, there is no heart for me like yours.â
âWhatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.â âEmily BrontĂŤ
âYou are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.â âE. E. Cummings
Iâm partial to that last one â itâs simple, poetic, and swoonâworthy â but you know your sweetheart best. Pick the one that will make their heart go pitterâpat.
Homemade Fudge for Valentineâs Day
Words are lovely, but chocolate? Chocolate seals the deal.
As many of you know, Iâm a caramelâandâpecan girl through and through. Iâm forever chasing the perfect âTurtleâ recipe, so instead of classic chocolate fudge, Iâm sharing a Caramel Turtle Fudge thatâs perfect for Valentineâs Day. Itâs rich, gooey, and guaranteed to win you some extra points.
This recipe comes courtesy of Dash of Sanity.
Caramel Pecan Turtle Fudge
Ooeyâgooey caramel layered between rich chocolate and sprinkled with chopped pecans â this fudge is a candy loverâs dream come true.
Ingredients
14 ounces caramel pieces (I use Kraft Caramels)
1 heaping tablespoon heavy cream (evaporated milk works too)
2 cups semiâsweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Instructions
Line a 9Ă9 or 8Ă8 baking dish with parchment or wax paper. If you donât have either, just grease the pan and set aside.
Combine unwrapped caramels and heavy cream in a microwaveâsafe bowl. Heat in 30âsecond intervals, stirring between each, until smooth.
In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and salt. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth.
Stir in pecans and vanilla.
Pour half the fudge mixture into your prepared pan.
Pour the caramel layer over the fudge.
Top with the remaining fudge and swirl gently with a knife.
Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until set.
A Sweet Finish
Once itâs firm, cut it into squares, tuck them into a pretty box, tie on a red ribbon, and pair with flowers and candlelight. Itâs simple, thoughtful, and delicious â the perfect Valentineâs Day gesture.
