Happy Friday! This week flew by and I can't believe tomorrow is Saturday.  I am looking forward to having a really nice breakfast on my balcony with a good cup of coffee before it gets too hot outside.  Temps have been in the 100s and its just killer!

This summer I have really been on a big Paloma kick and I found this recipe the other day on Pinterest.  Can't wait to try it out!

This bathing suit is adorable and the perfect color pink!

One of my favorite bloggers Ashley from Ashley Booke Designs did a blog post this week about some weird recent purchase she as made on Amazon.  I was inspired to purchase this "weird item" from Amazon because, like her, I use them for so many things and get tired of having to wash it so I can continue to measure out ingredients for the recipe I am making.  Don't know why I didn't think of ordering more of these sooner!

I love adding scarfs to my handbags to add a little personality and pizzaz!

Under Armour is one of my favorite brands for athletic clothing and shoes.  I have never purchased a "lifestyle" shoe from them until last week when I picked up these cuties.  They are comfy and super cute with jeans and a t-shirt.

What are some of your favorite finds from the week?  Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great weekend!

A classic scarf can add a dose of color and polish to any look.  Scarfs are also such an easy way to dress up a neutral colored purse any time of year.

Here are three ways I accessorize with scarfs on my handbags to add a little pizzaz and personality!

The Perfect Bow - bows are my favorite embellishment and I love how they add the perfect amount of preppiness to any look!


The Classic Knot - simple and easy, this classic knot hangs effortlessly down the side of any sized handbag and adds a fun, happy-go-lucky feel.


The Twist - this one takes a little more effort to do, but I love how it completely changes the look of the handbag.  Depending on the size of the handle, the "twist" can lay completely flat or have more texture (as pictured).


Scarf // Handbag

Southern California has the best strawberries hands down.  Now I might be a little biased since I grew up here, but they are the freshest and most flavorful berries I have ever tasted.  And the past couple of weeks strawberries have been in abundance in the grocery store and I have been scooping them up left and right.

Over the weekend I had a craving for muffins and remembered that I had a carton of fresh strawberries in the fridge that I wanted to use.  After scrolling Pinterest for a couple of minutes, I came across this recipe for strawberry crumble muffins and knew they were going to be a winner!


These muffins are full of fresh strawberries and have the most delicious buttery streusel topping.  They are also so light, fluffy and moist that eating more than one isn't hard to do, well at least for me!

Strawberry Crumble Muffins
{yields: 16 muffins}

Muffins:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsps. Kosher salt
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries

Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake tins with 16 paper liners.  In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla bean paste and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and Kosher salt.  Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Make sure to stir after each addition until just combined as you don't want to over mix the batter.

Scoop about 1 to 2 tablespoons of muffin batter into the 16 muffin liners.  It might not seem like enough batter, but these little babies will rise!  Top evenly with the chopped strawberries.


To make the topping, use a small bowl and stir the flour and sugars until combined.  Then using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut the cold butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse sand.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the muffin cups and bake for 18 to 20 minutes and golden on top.  Remove the muffins from the tins and allow them to cool slightly before eating.

Enjoy!


Recipe from Girl Versus Dough.

Hello and happy Friday!  It's hard to believe that we are more than halfway through July...where has the time gone!?

I found this pair of super cute pineapple earrings on Amazon the other day and absolutely love them!  At only $6.99 they are a steal and perfect for summer.

I made this for dinner the other night and it is one of my go-to low carb recipes.  Jalapeno poppers are one of my favorite appetizers and I love that I can have something very similar for dinner!

These leopard print sunglasses are just adorable.

I'm pretty sure I need this dress in my closet asap...oh and this one and this one!

My steamer broke a few months ago and I have been on the hunt for a new one that I could use at home and take with me when I travel.  I found this one which is dual voltage, powerful and compact.  I am so happy to not have to pull out the ironing board anymore!

Okay, that's all I have for today.  Hope you have a great weekend!

I have thought really hard about making some major updates to my blog.  Sunflour Cottage Creations started as a fun creative outlet while I was in grad school and focused solely on my favorite thing to do which is bake!

Over the past year, I have wanted to share more facets of my life but felt that my "baking only blog" really didn't allow me to do so.  So this past weekend I made the big decision to rebrand my blog.


So here we are, welcome to Perfectly Katie Bear!  To sum it up, Perfectly Katie Bear is just a perfect, fun, well-rounded representation of me and everything I love!  There will still be weekly recipes, but also new fun content about beauty, travel, lifestyle, and home.  And you might be wondering about the name "Katie Bear"...it's my childhood nickname that has stuck with me throughout the years and I am still called it on the regular!


So I hope that you are just as excited as I am about the new changes and will follow along on this fun adventure!

TGIF guys, we made it!

If you are looking for a cute and fun summer read, pick up Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard.  It's the perfect pool read.

Not into reading by the pool?  Check out a list of my favorite podcasts here to listen to!

Love these blush pink shoes.  They are just too cute for summer!

If you missed my post earlier this week, check out this recipe for a super simple and delicious lemon pie!

I picked up this adorable straw hat at Target the other day and am totally in love with it!

In my summer Fab Fit Fun box, I received a Foreo LUNA fofo facial cleansing brush and am really liking it.  The LUNA fofo analyzes your skin type and moisture level in each zone of your face and then creates a personalized skin profile that is sent to the Foreo app.  After about two weeks, I have noticed that I have had fewer breakouts and my skin is so much softer!

If you are looking for a new wallpaper for your iPhone or desktop, check our my "Downloads" section on the blog here!

I am planning on doing a little baking/recipe testing this weekend for the blog and possibly grabbing a nice latte at one of the bakeries across the street from my apartment, but other than that, I've got nothing which is kind of nice.  :)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Living and working in Los Angeles sure has its perks, but one of the biggest downfalls is traffic!  It is the WORST...like we were just voted for the sixth straight year for having the worlds worst traffic WORST!

So one might ask, what do you do while sitting in the worlds worst traffic?  And my response is to talk to your mom on the phone who lives on the east coast and/or listen to podcasts!  I love talking to my mom (hi mom!), but when she's busy or we get off the phone before I get to where I am going, I will go straight on to listening to my favorite podcasts.

There are so many good ones out there and I love how entertaining and informational they can be!  I listened to my first podcast back in 2015 and have been hooked ever since.  Here are some of my favorites:

1. Serial, Season 1: This was the first podcast that I ever listened to and was addicted to it!  If you like murder, mystery and a really good story, this is the podcast for you.  Season 2, not my jam...just couldn't get into it.

2. Gilmore Guys: Gilmore Girls is my utmost favorite TV show of all time.  And when I found out two guys started a podcast about my favorite show which had been off the air for over 7 years, I had to listen in.  Each episode Kevin and Demi (the hosts) discuss everything from the actors to the pop culture references, fashion and so on.  There were so many times while listening that I was practically in tears from laughing so hard at their comments!  I will say that the first couple of podcast episodes are lengthy as the guys are trying to find their stride, but once they get settled in around episode 5 its gold!

3. My Favorite Murder: A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine from work told me I had to listen to this podcast after I talked about my new Netflix true crime documentary binge, The Staircase.  The hosts, Karen and Georgia have a great sense of humor and make you feel like you are just hanging out with your girlfriends sharing true crime stories.  I am only a few episodes in but am really liking it so far!  Also, I'm kind of a true crime devotee so this is right up my alley.

4. How I Built This: It so interesting to find out the back stories of great inventors and entrepreneurs of really well-known brands.  Most episodes are roughly 30 minutes and I feel so inspired after listening to each one!  Also, Guy Raz is so easy to listen to and is a great interviewer.

I am always looking for new podcasts and two that are on my list to listen to are Dear John and Up & Vanished.  What are some of your favorites?

(FYI - some of the podcasts listed contain sensitive content and language.)

Whenever I get a new cookbook, I go directly to the dessert section and start tagging all the recipes I can't wait to make.  What can I say, desserts are my weakness!  And when I picked up a copy of Magnolia Table by Joanna Gaines a couple of weeks ago, I did as I always do and flipped right to the dessert section.  The first recipe I saw was her lemon pie and I was sold.

This pie is one of Joanna's favorite recipes and I can see why.  The combination of a buttery graham cracker crust with a refreshing filling and cool whipped cream work so well together.  This pie was so simple to make and did not disappoint!


Lemon pie is a perfect light and refreshing after-dinner treat and I am sure it will become a favorite with your family and friends.

Lemon Pie
{yield: 8 servings}

Pie Filling
Vegetable oil spray
1½ cups crushed graham crackers (about 27 squares)
⅓ cup granulated sugar
6 tbs. salted butter, melted
3 cups sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
⅔ cup fresh lemon juice (from 3 to 4 lemons)
Pinch of Kosher sea salt

Whipped Cream Topping
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbs. granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla bean paste or extract

Garnish
Lemon slices
Grated lemon zest
Mint sprigs

Start by preheating your over to 350 degrees and then lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate with vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers and ⅓ cup of granulated sugar.  Stir in the melted butter until well blended.  Press the graham cracker mix into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate until evenly covered.  Bake the pie shell until firm, about 8-9 minutes.

While the pie shell is setting up in the oven, use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat the condensed milk, egg yolks, lemon juice and pinch of Kosher salt on medium speed for 4 minutes.  Note: start the mixed on low and gradually go up the medium...otherwise you will have lemon pie filling all over your kitchen!

Pour the mixture into the baked pie shell and return to the oven.  Bake the pie for 10 minutes or until the center is set when the pan is gently nudged.

Cool the pie on a cooling rack for 30 minutes.  Then place the pie into the refrigerator until set, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.


Just before serving, make the whipped cream topping by using a stand up mixer with the whisk attachment.  Beat the heavy cream, granulated sugar and vanilla bean paste on high speed until the mixture is fluffy and holds a soft peak when you pull the beater out of the bowl.

Spread the cream onto the cooled pie and garnish with fresh lemon slices, some fresh lemon zest and a few sprigs of mint.