Thursday, February 28, 2013

Is it spring yet?


Those tulips were the center-piece for my Oscar gathering on Sunday night. It wasn't anything too fancy, just laughing with a few friends, cringing at Seth MacFarlane, and eating lots of yummy food. The spread included chips and homemade salsa, chocolate covered strawberries, brie puff pastry with fruit, and a lovely warm shrimp dish on fresh bread. We decided that sometimes you just want to eat appetizers and snacks, not meals. And eat we did.

I had grand ideas for more themes related to the movies or the Oscars. I was even going to print out an  Oscar ballot, but we were out of printer ink. In the end, I landed on putting my tulips in a popcorn bowl. Festive, right? I guess I should have looked at Pinterest sooner than the day before! The tulips are still residing in the popcorn bowl four days later but I haven't the heart to move them into a different vase lest I disturb them and my touch of spring is gone. The husband and I are dreadfully tired of snow and can use any sign of spring we can get!

Aside from my tulips, I have a few springtime projects in the works for St. Patrick's Day and Easter that I will be sharing soon. How are you coping with the end of winter?

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Ellen

I have not done my weekly post on what in pop culture is making me happy. So, today is the day. No contest, Ellen, is making me happy on a nearly daily basis.

Stephen and I have started DVRing Ellen's show during the day while we are at work. When we sit down to relax at night, we cruise through her show. I love her opening monologue. It always makes me laugh and puts a smile on my face. Overall, there is just so much joy on the show.

Recently, Ellen has been featuring two young British girls with so much talent, Sophia Grace and Rosie. Check out them out in the video below. And if you need to smile and laugh, check out Ellen.



Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Soft Pretzel Bites

I haven't posted about any recipes in a while, so I will share my most recent food experiment. On Super Bowl Sunday I made soft pretzel bites, with the help of my mother-in-law. I had pinned the recipe on Pinterest and once I made a new year's resolution to bake more bread, I knew I had to try it.

I used this recipe. In its original incarnation, it is an Alton Brown recipe. It turned out deliciously! 

Keep in mind that adding baking soda to the water is necessary for boiling at not too high of a temperature, but it will make a mess of your stove top. Also, bake for a few extra minutes if you like the pretzels crispy. The cheese sauce, while a little intense to make, is made with all real ingredients and reheats like a dream if you want to make the sauce and reheat. Finally, it is a little tedious make all the "bites," but I don't know if a different size bite would work with the dough and/or recipe.

I apologize for not taking any pictures, but they were gone before the power went out in the Superdome!

For those of you keeping score at home, I have now baked 3 times with yeast! How are your 2013 resolutions going?

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Edith Piaf

Last night my friend Maria and I went out. We grabbed a lobster dinner at the public market and headed to Skylight Music's performance of Edith Piaf. Since the show, I have been thinking about the Edith Piaf, "La Vie En Rose," and all of the other captivating songs I heard. Take a listen.