Hello everyone! Happy Saturday. Two quick things I wanted to share with you all that I came upon while surfing the web this afternoon.
1.This video on French vs. American Girl Style. Having gone to France many times, this is SPOT ON. It’s hilarious.
2. This article. All about a fav place of mine. Meet the Chic French Visionary Behind Ladurée!
Life is so busy, y’all. It’s all about the rise and grind these days. I love it.
A little update: stressed is desserts spelled backwards so of course amongst the craziness of tests and soccer, I made time to bake some peanut butter kisses (see the recipe here)! Next up, my best friend, Keagan, came and visited Austin during her Fall Break! It was SO FUN having her in town. Emily, Keagan, and I went to Easy Tiger for an afternoon of hanging outside on their outdoor patio eating incredible German snacks and beers. It was so fun! And Easy Tiger has a couple ping pong tables so you best believe Keags and I got competitive at the ping of pong. On Sunday afternoon, Keagan, Sarah, and I decided to go to a pumpkin patch! I mean, how #cute and #fun are we? Ha. Keagan sadly had to go back to Tennessee the next morning but for the short time she was in town, it was so much lovely!
This past weekend was great! It was raining alllllll weekend but we made the most of it. Thursday evening I got dolled up in heels and a fancy dress for our Pi Phi/Theta semiformal. While I only went to the dinner (I had a test and game the next day), it was so fun seeing all my favorite sistas! On Friday night, Paige and I went to Sandy’s for a giant ice cream cone that was oh-so-delicious. If you’re in Austin, go to Sandys. You won’t regret it. Julia, Lindsey, Paige and I went to the football game on Saturday afternoon in the rain and while we only stayed for a little more than a quarter, it was filled with lots of laughs. No “fair-weather” fans here! That evening my mom came down to visit and come to my soccer games! On Saturday night my friends, my mama and I went to Hyde Park Grill for dinner! I couldn’t help but share this funny snapchat my friend Paige candidly took of us–“Divas United”….so that’s where my diva side comes from!! 🙂
Other than that, I’m staying incredibly busy with soccer–more on that later! My birthday is this Thursday (yea 22 what what) and senior night is this Friday!
xoxo
Life as a ginger can be hard sometimes. No matter how much sunscreen I put on, I always seem to get sunburned. I put it on every morning and understand the importance of protecting my forever pale skin. But, sunburns tend to follow me around…especially at soccer games. Last weekend in Austin, we went into double overtime in our game on Sunday afternoon against Arkansas Little Rock. We finished the game and I go inside and think, oh my face is just that red because I just played 120 minutes of a soccer game and am still sweating and hot. WRONG. My face was the color of a tomato because I was straight sunburned. Ugh. I even reapplied at halftime the the sun is relentless. Woe is me. My mom, being the fabulous woman she is, bought me all this Aloe Vera to put in my apartment because just knows stuff like this would happen. She. Knows. So, I lathered practically a handful on my face every 30 minutes to relieve the pain and help to avoid peeling. So it’s now Wednesday, my face has only a little red tent to it…I no longer look like I had a facial that went terribly wrong. #Progress So everyone go put on some sunscreen, it’s good for you!
Brinks
Hello Senior Year!!! I can’t believe I’m typing that. Weird but I love it. It’s been great thus far! Classes are good, friend are fabulous, soccer is fun. Went to California last weekend for game in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles (btw, I love California. Just needed to throw that out there) and I think Texas Soccer brought back the good weather. It’s been in the 70’s here in Austin, Texas the past couple of days and I feel like I need a jacket it’s so cold. Am I right or am I right?? Ha. Rewind a bit to bid day for Pi Beta Phi, we have the cutest new pledge class of lil angels and it was so fun being with all my #sistas! This past week was our first home football game and it was a blast! Like I mentioned, God provided us with some awesome weather (didn’t sweat to death…hallelujah) and a Texas Football WIN! Woohoo. Always a good day when football wins. HOOK ‘EM. More updates to come when fun stuff happens. But for now, mas picturas, mi favorita!
Y’ALL. I HAD THE BEST SUMMER OF MY LIFE THIS TIME AROUND. I got to intern for Nike. Yes. It was amazing. Nike has a corporate office in Dallas and I was their Consumer Brand Intern. I got to do so many amazing things, meet incredible people, and travel to really fun places. And my wardrobe definitely improved as well. You’ll see me reppin’ the swoosh all day everyday, but that’s nothing new! Ha. And all my new shoes? #Swaggy. But beyond the clothes, the best part about it all? I can say wholeheartedly, the people. My co-workers in the Dallas territory office are so friendly and open and just down-right awesome. Always willing to teach me new things and answer my questions. They even brought me to Beaverton, Oregon (Nike headquarters) and Chicago, Illinois for meetings…and fun stuff too! After this summer and my wonderful experience, it’s my goal to work for Nike after graduation. There, I said it. Such an amazing company with even cooler people. (Side Note: I’m a senior this year in college. LOL WHAT I FEEL LIKE A FRESHMAN?!!! Kidding, I own this place/queen of the campus. Kidding again. Just thankful to go to such an amazing university! More on that later, friends.)
Woah. I know, I know…I’ve been MIA. But the good news, I’m here now. I’m writing, loving life, and smiling and laughing A LOT. All good things.
This past May, I went to (1) Barcelona, Spain, (2) Nice, France (and the French Riviera), (3) Amsterdam and (4) London with my friend Glory! It was so much fun. Amsterdam definitely ranks up there as one of my favorite European cities. But my goodness, I just love Europe in general: the food, the people, the food, the atmosphere, the food…all so lovely. But enough words, here’s the good stuff: pics!
Barcelona and Montserrat, Spain
Nice, France and the French Riviera (Cannes, Monte Carlo, Monaco, and Eze)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
London, England
xoxo,
Brinks
As you already know, “Brinkley” is quite a unique name. As such, my name isn’t printed on any of the touristy keychains in the airports, it’s not on any coffee mug, and it’s definitely not on one of the customizable Coke Cans….UNTIL NOW. Ha! You’re probably thinking, there’s no way. Well friends, dreams do come true.
Last weekend, a couple friends and I went to a UT Baseball game and at the game there was a Coca Cola food truck! At the food truck, I typed in my name on a little computer screen and 5 seconds later a customized Coca Cola can popped out! My smile has never been bigger. Finally, something with my name on it! SO HAPPY. 
It was a Sunday afternoon and Emily tells me she wants to bake something. Something instantly comes to mind: Tarte au Citron avec des framboises. Or, a lemon tart with raspberries! I kid you not, I had a dream about this tart the night before so I knew I needed to make it. (Side note: yes, I do dream about baking things… I know, I know, it’s a bit crazy but I can’t help it when inspiration comes!)
Lemon curd is one of Emily and my’s favorite things in the whole wide world so when I mentioned making a flaky pie crust filled with lemon curd topped with raspberries, she was in. 100% in. So we headed to Central Market to get some groceries and then an afternoon of baking began!
Warning: This tart has multiple steps but trust me when I say it’s so worth it. The lemon curd is tart while the raspberries provide a bit of sweetness and the crust is flaky and buttery. My mouth is watering!
Pie Crust:
Ingredients
6 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cup very cold vegetable shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
How To: Dice the butter into cubes and put it to the refrigerator to stay chilled. In an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl. Once combined, add the butter and shortening and mix until the butter is the size of peas. With the mixer running, add the ice water an keep mixing until a dough ball begins to form. Once formed, dump onto a floured surface and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
When ready to bake the dough, take the dough out of the refrigerator and roll the piece on a well-floured board into a circle using a floured rolling pin. Make sure to continually move the dough in a circle so it won’t stick to the rolling surface. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. This recipe only makes one crust since there is no top crust to this tart. In the case you are making a pie, double the recipe for two crusts. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the pie crust begins to lightly brown on the edges. Once cooked, let the crust completely cool before topping with lemon curd.
Lemon Curd:
Ingredients
3 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
4 eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
How To: Remove the zest of 3 lemons. Chop the zest with a knife until very fine. In an electric mixer, add the sugar and zest and mix until combined. To this mixture, add the room temperature butter and mix for 2-3 minutes until creamed together. After this, add the eggs one at a time. Then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until fully combined.
Pour the mixture into a saucepan and slowly cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and allow to fully cool before pouring over the baked pie crust. Also, lick the spoon and bowl. Waste nothing…lemon curd is like gold. It’s the good stuff.
Putting it all Together: To put everything together, take the cooled pie crust and pour over the cooled lemon curd. Top with raspberries and BAM. You’ve got yourself a French and fancy dessert.
xo, Brinkles Sprinkles
These cookies are just an update on the classic shortbread cookie! I dipped them in white chocolate and used a yellow dot of almond bark (you can buy these dots in all different colors at your local craft or baking store) and called it a daisy! I think they turned out pretty cute, don’t you agree? Here’s the recipe I use, it’s so easy!
xo, Brinkles Sprinkles
1. The most satisfying things to happen to food. So soothing.
2. I wish I had handwriting and calligraphy skills like this guy! #goals
3. Cinderella Slippers in real life…is this a dream??
4. Things sassy people wish everyone else understand. [Disclaimer: one of my friends may or may not have sent this to me as a joke, what is she trying to say?! 🙂 ]
5. Need to make this chocolate pie ASAP. It looks divine.
6. How cute is my pup, Tex? [P.S. Follow me on Instagram, y’all!]
7. On my short list of restaurants to try in Austin: Josephine House.
8. How CUTE is this Kate Spade dress? Love it. [Name that movie: “Florals for Spring? Groundbreaking.”…….Devil Wears Prada DUH! My fav!]
9. Did you see my GoPro video from my mom and I’s recent trip to Paris?!
the brinks 