Cinco de Mayo is less than a month away! Truth be told, I feel like this holiday always sort of sneaks up on me and I inevitably wind up missing my perfectly good excuse to drown myself in chips and queso and fish bowl margaritas. Not this year y’all! I have so many fun Cinco de Mayo posts coming your way. To kick it all off we’re starting with my Mexican Street Corn. This is not only a fun Cinco de Mayo side dish but the perfect side kick to your grilled steaks and burgers.
Back with another table for two setting and this time it happened at my mom’s house! Remember the pretty Easter Table I did with her china? Well, I came across her wedding china in my china hunting frenzy and couldn’t make it work with the easter brunch table but knew I had to create something with those beautiful pale colors. Adding in a bit of colorful hydrangeas and setting myself up poolside fit the bill perfectly. Enjoy yall 🙂
Ok…so I’m a little delayed in getting this recipe to you guys and I get there’s no way you’re going to fit this into your already packed and hectic Easter weekend but here’s the truth – I totally had a FAIL on the first one! It happens y’all. This is my first time working with yeast and rising dough and sometimes it just takes practice. Good news is that while the first one didn’t turn out as pretty as I was hoping, it still tasted AMAZING and there was no complaining in this household when I said, “Well…we’re just going to try that one again!” And BAM. Not only did it turn out beautiful but I also was able to test some theories I had from my flaws on the first one that I can now share with you. So here we go, this yummy and beautiful Cinnamon Twist Wreath by Chatelaine.
We recently went to visit my parents and I learned two things: 1. flying with a toddler during their nap time is both stupid and one of the most stressful things ever (why did we think that would be ok again?) and 2. playing with my mom’s china is my grownup version of dress up. Literally within moments of recovering from the worst plane flight ever, I spotted my mom’s beautiful vintage china and said, “I’ll be doing an Easter brunch table setting. Cool?”
My mom introduced me to beer…bread. 🙂 Believe me…if there were a wine version I would’ve known about it (and she would’ve told me about it) WAY sooner than just a few months ago. But back to beer. Somewhere in the hustle and bustle of her busy life in Florida she told me about this here beer bread she made for…oh…I don’t know…book club? mahjong? bunko? Take your pick, she does them all – that Floridian social butterfly. Either way, the beer bread made its way into my inbox, my Pinterest and about every meal I can think to fit it into. What better time to share it than March? The month of shamrocks, leprechaun’s and BEER!
Brunch is definitely different with a kiddo. Those days of sleeping in until 11am, stumbling to our favorite brunch spot and indulging in bottomless mimosas are long gone. These days it’s more like rise and shine at 6:30, down our coffee, scarf some food down (I suggest Southwestern Breakfast Muffins :)) and then have our friends over to the house to indulge in the second breakfast of the day before putting the little one down for her nap so I can enjoy a couple mimosas. Ya…it’s definitely different but I gotta tell ya…I love my new style of brunching. Partly because I love being able to eat breakfast twice in one day but mostly because it allows me to stick to my 8pm bedtime…I am not ashamed.
I have a confession y’all…I hate bananas. Even more odd…I love making banana bread. Right? Such a contradiction. Here’s the deal: from a very young age I would complain to my parents that bananas made my mouth itch. However, this weird itching thing didn’t lend itself to showing up on an allergy test so my parents chalked it up to this little girl being her dramatic self and just not liking bananas. So be it. But I still stand by my complaint – bananas make my mouth itch and I will not eat them. As much as I personally despise the fruit…my little girl has given me a new appreciation for them. They’re natures easiest food – soft for the early eater, loaded with nutrients and no packaging required. And thanks to banana breads, I can always get the most out of my bananas without ever having to eat them. I’ll take it…just don’t make me eat it.
I know it’s not quite strawberry season just yet but nothing can stop Valentine’s Day from covering fruit in chocolate to convince everyone they’re getting a healthy goodie right? See …it’s not me…it’s that tricky Hallmark holiday, Valentine’s Day. Regardless, Trader Joe’s has my strawberries and I had an idea I just HAD to try. And now I just HAVE to share it with yall! I present to you…drumroll please…strawberry hearts!
LAST WEEK OF WHOLE30!! If you are scratching your head about what the heck Whole30 is check out It’s Not A Diet…It’s A Challenge. If you are scratching your head about why the extra exclamation point is needed let me explain. I am not only finally on the upswing of Whole30 (so many victories happening!) but also only one week away from a nice little celebratory cocktail after 30 days of NO ALCOHOL…and did I mention I had a toddler? Ya, I’m ready for a drink.
Fun, Yum & Frills 