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The first of my best friends got married this past weekend and it was everything I hoped it could be and more. Let me point out that I didn’t realize how emotional weddings could be when you're a part of the bridal party. It was like every milestone I experience — I started crying. When we picked out the “something borrowed, something blue,” I cried. Putting on the dress, I cried. Her mom buttoning the dress, cried. The actual ceremony, I just cried. I love my best friend, but goodness — I was tired of crying! AND thank goodness for my waterproof Mally mascara, without which I might have ruined all of the wedding pictures.

The church and ceremony looked like they fell out of a fall designer catalog.  Would you look at these pictures? The church was lit by one glowing chandelier (one day I hope to own one in my home just like it) and multiple candles in the windows. It was the kind of lighting in your dreams. The reception was antique chic. Multiple sets of china lined the tables that looked like it could have come out of your grandmother’s collection. Aside from the bride and groom, the cake table stole the show! Instead of doing one cake, my best friend did four cakes —coconut, cheesecake, chocolate, and a Funfetti cake. They couldn’t decide which one they liked best, so they chose four smaller ones. To die for! Weddings are always a great time to catch up with your friends and this weekend I got to spend time with a few of my best friends, reminisce, and laugh about old times. I wonder who's going to be next in the group to get hitched?

So, I’ve been cooking up a storm in my kitchen, and by that I mean it seems like I’m running the dishwasher every night. Here’s what this week’s Monday night dinner was:

Carrot and Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. carrots
1 butter potato
1 yellow cooking onion
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
32 oz. vegetable broth

Directions:

Over medium heat, sauté garlic and chopped onion for five minutes in 1/2 a cup of vegetable broth. Dice all veggies and put them into soup pot along with ginger.  Bring to a boil and cook until veggies are tender. Puree soup and serve with a dollop of low-fat sour cream and chives.

Apple and cheddar salad kit I picked up from the store and:

Fall Pork Chops

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 of a Fuji apple
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
Pepper to taste
Pork chops

Directions:

Cut up the apple and combine ingredients together. Sear pork chops over medium heat to seal in flavor. Place in baking pan, then spoon fruit over pork chops add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of chicken broth. Cook for 25 minutes on 350F. 

Here’s my Steal Deal. Bethlehem Lights Battery-operated Holiday Snowmen Couple, H193300. I really love to decorate especially for end of fall, early-winter holidays. However, sometimes it's hard for me to find subtle pieces that don’t make me look like I'm waltzing in a winter wonderland. Christmas is definitely a hard one for me because my house is more decorated with colors we see in the fall months. I picked out these little snowmen because they were something I could put on the bar in my kitchen that don’t take up too much space in my already shoebox of a home, and I feel like I can keep them up for the entire duration of winter. Let me know what you think of them.

Lastly, so happy to be returning to AM Style with Leah Williams after two weeks off! I love talking about fashion, makeup, and accessories, so when I miss a week I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do. If you haven’t already, stop by Saturday morning from 8 to 10 a.m. ET and chat with us. It’s a great crowd. 

Talk to you next time,

—Courtney