BABE. Thank you for telling me about toasting nuts for baking recipes. It was totes key. I did it for the “rustic” carrot cake I baked for Easter yesterday, and it made all the difference. (And yes, I call anything that doesn’t look Instagram perfect “rustic.”)
Also, I haven’t forgotten that I said I’d share my go-to brownie recipe, but my pants have been feeling a wee big snug lately, and I want to bookend the recipe with new pictures of fresh brownies… But I have it on deck for this week, much to El Hub’s delight.
I made four Easter dishes yesterday — the carrot cake, roasted chicken and potatoes, corned beef and cabbage (which I made in the Instant Pot, and IT WAS A REVELATION), and roasted lemony asparagus and rice. 🙂
So that was the spread! I didn’t do a lot, but I ended up doing more than I anticipated. At first I thought I’d just do the roasted chicken and potatoes dish because it’s so easy, but then I thought, “What about dessert?” so then I added the carrot caked and the couple other things from there.
What was on your Easter menu? If it involved a baked potato, for some reason I really would have been down with that… LOL. Random food thought, but I’m really in the mood for a baked potato.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Everything looks amazing, Karen! We took the easy road and went to Ruby Tuesday’s for brunch! It was good!
Thanks, Rachel! I think brunch is *always* a good idea, especially on Easter (hey, if someone else can cook for you, DO IT!). What did you order? Did you go sweet or savory?
The last time I went to brunch was a couple weeks ago; my hubs and I found a yummy place just north of us that I’m itching to go back to. Mmm, pancakes…
They had a buffet with everything you could imagine! Plus their salad bar is yummy!
YUMMO! Funny thing about buffets is I never end up eating everything I wanna eat! I go in thinking that I’m going to conquer the universe and get down with all the stations but end up going to one or two. If you ever go to Vegas, you *have* to go to the Bellagio buffet. I went a few years ago and I still dream about that meal, LOL!
I know I always get full too fast! The only time I was in Vegas (to see Britney Spears!) we didn’t hit up any buffets and I regret it, I didn’t know it was such a thing there. Oh well, a reason to go again!
Yeah, I need to formulate a solid plan next time beforehand. Seriously! Eating a buffet is like shopping at Sephora. You can’t just go in willy nilly grabbing whatever strikes your fancy. I gotta go for the stuff that I never make at home, like massive king crab legs and whatnot.
The Bellagio buffet is $$$ but it was worth every penny. Definitely put that on your to do list!
BTW, I saw Britney in the early 2000s when she came to the Bay Area. It was the show where she danced with the snake on stage and it was really good.
Isn’t toasting nuts before using them in a recipe the best trick? It deepens their flavor so nicely. I’d be super proud of creating a spread like that – all your dishes look delicious. A great testament to your cooking and baking skills!
We didn’t go for baked potatoes for Easter, or anything really; my hubby and I are on a fast. But that didn’t keep me out of the kitchen. I baked up a chocolate cake with a caramel filling and sea salt on top, as well as a recipe for what is basically the love child between a bar cookie and a Twix (shortbread cookie crust, caramel filling, chocolate ganache on top) – it is sometimes called millionaire’s shortbread or a caramel slice. I gather its roots are Scottish. All I know is it is awesome-sauce and pretty easy to boot! These were for a co-worker’s retirement party, and seemed to go over great. Then again, our lab as a whole is always down for gobbling up anything that happens to be left out for more than a few minutes…
Hi Suz,
Ahh, your co-workers are gonna want seconds or thirds of that cake and the cookies! I totally would (and I wouldn’t have any shame going back for more, haha). What kind of work do you do in your lab?
BTW, I know you’re a Trader Joe’s beauty product fan, so I just had to let you know that there are rumors the Rose Oil hand cream is coming back in May for Mother’s Day!
Thanks for the tip on the hand cream! If/when it does re-appear, then I can hoard some that hub-man won’t be tempted to steal…heehee!
In the hospital lab my work is $#!t. No really, I have to test poo, at least sometimes, depending on the bench assignments. We do other testing too – hematology, coagulation, chemistry, urinalysis, molecular, blood banking… such appetizing topics for a Tuesday morning, no?
I will have to try the one in the blue tube that he likes so much. I need to see what if the hype is real, LOL!
And… poop on a Tuesday morning. Now you’re speaking my language. No seriously, I talk and think about it multiple times a day because of the baby. 🙂 #momlife
How long have you been at that lab? Do you like your job? When I first got out of school I interviewed for a few lab jobs but in the ended up going a different route. If I was still in science I’d definitely be one of those people with bedazzled goggles though.
I love how you have no fear of getting REAL! Cleaning up poop, be it from baby bottoms or litter boxes, just changes your life somehow. So many variations in terms of color, consistency, frequency, bouquet… not to mention placement on the rug outside of one’s litter box (I’m lookin’ at you, LB…).
I’ve been at this job (a mid-late 30’s career change) for about 3-1/2 years – I got a co-op position there as a student while I was completing my MLT program, and they were kind enough to keep me when I graduated and took the certification exam. The people are wonderful, but sometimes the workload can get a little nuts! We’re in the middle of a big reconstruction project that should wrap up by September, but until then, everything is in a state of constant upheaval. Once we get our automated line, we’re hoping it will streamline a lot of processes – fingers crossed!
Most of our peeps are less about the glitter and more about having pockets full of a rainbow’s worth of Sharpies and putting googly eyes and moustaches on everything, but with your bedazzled goggles and feline flicks you would be the fly-est lab tech EVER!
Yes, it changes you completely! Vomit? Poop? No biggie. It’s just something we all do. Both El Hub and I are constantly talking about the state of poop of both the little animals that live with us. Poop tells us when Tabs is acting out and when Connor needs to have a green smoothie… It’s the silent communicator in our household, OMG!
How cool that you were able to get a position right out the gates, that’s awesome. Also cool that you like your co-workers, because really that’s everything. Work is so much better when you’ve got a good environment! Do you ever use beauty products on the job? I know that sounds kind of random, but I read a few articles a while back about scientists who use beauty products like clear nail polish and whatnot for slides, and then leave reviews on Amazon. It was hilarious!
P.S. The metallic Sharpies are the best. 🙂
Everything looks delicious. And I love your serving dishes!
Thanks, Kristen. 🙂 I got them from Marshall’s and HomeGoods; I can’t remember the brand but they had a sticker on them that said “Made in Italy.” Or was it Made in Portugal? Gah, coffee hasn’t kicked in yet. I read somewhere a long time ago that one of the simplest ways to build a collection of dishes is to keep them all white. That way you can get different styles but have the look overall still appear cohesive. One day I would like to add some white plates and mugs too!
I hope you’re having a lovely Tuesday so far. It’s quiet here (baby’s not up yet) so I’m enjoying the time to get stuff done. What’s the plan for today?
I agree about the white dishes! We bought the Opal Innocence Carved by Lenox collection at Bed Bath & Beyond and I love them. It makes it super easy to switch up the napkins and dining table decor for the different holidays.
Just lots of work for me today! And lots of coffee to get through this rainy day.
Ooh, nice. I don’t have any Lenox pieces yet! I’m kind of a dish hoarder so I’m into this stuff. How has the porcelain held up?
I think eventually I’m going to invest in some bone china. One of these days!
Speaking of coffee, I need to get another cup…
I really like it! It’s not as delicate as I thought it would be, so you don’t feel like you’re constantly going to chip the plates. And it’s dishwasher safe, which is always a plus!
I have some porcelain plates and they chip pretty easily (El Hub is like a bull in a china shop), which is why I’ve been hesitant to buy higher-end porcelain. I’ve read that Lenox has some very sturdy pieces though!
Ya, dishwasher safe is always a huge plus. You know what I want? BROILER SAFE. I wanna be able to put those bad boys in the oven.
That carrot cake looks luscious and perfectly instagramable. Glad all your food turned out well. As for salt, the late Judy Rogers (owner of Zuni Cafe in SF) used to say, salt early (at least a day or two ahead) and salt generously. Granted I don’t salt quite as generously as she believed in, but I do salt early.
I’m still having a hard time getting back on CA time. Didn’t wake up Sunday until after 10. Dear Daughter came on down and we drew and painted together. Dear Hubs had the idea that instead of me cooking we’d go to In-N-Out for dinner, except they were closed on Sunday. So we went to a local French bistro and then to the local Italian gelato place for dessert.
Yay you have an Instant Pot too! 😀 That thing is DA BOMB! I actually feel enthusiastic about cooking now whenever I am going to make something in my IP. I love to eat; I’m less excited about preparing the food to eat LOL. 😀
For Easter, we baked spiral-sliced ham (the Costco brand one which is from Niman Ranch) with homemade honey thyme glaze from a recipe from the Simply Recipes site along with some yams. Then I made spicy Bangin’ Brussel Sprouts (it has Asian style sauce and bacon!) in the Instant Pot from Pressure Luck Recipes.
Your carrot cake is lovely! 🙂