hoppy easter!

oh, easter 2011...where do i start...with the 3 hour easter vigil we accidentally attended? nah.  with the flowers i 'stole' from the neighboring vacant house? no thanks.  with the zillion trips to every grocery store in the area? nope, i'm repressing that memory.  let's start from the very beginning, the very best place to start...

my mother-in-law had to have shoulder surgery a few weeks before easter so originally we were going to help with some cooking and have the holiday in nj.  as the surgery got closer it seemed like that plan was not going to fly...fast forward to a mid-afternoon gchat with my sister-in-law and wham, bam, thank you ma'am easter was moved to my little ol' house!  many people might've started pulling their hair out immediately, but not me, i was stoked!!  i didn't think there was any chance we'd be hosting a holiday anytime soon but i knew we could live up to the high standards that our parents have set in the years past.

i got started right away with menu planning.  thankfully i'm a borderline magazine hoarder so i consulted a few years worth of easter martha and bon appetit to get some ideas.

 and then the mess of lists began...

i love lists, can't live without them, especially for something that requires a whole lotta coordination.  at one point i think i had 5 lists going in various locations, organized chaos at it's best.  i've learned from the best and know that taking on a big dinner requires attention to each and every detail...so i read and reread my recipes and walked through everything in my head and on paper - down to which dishes i'd use - so when the day arrived we were busy but not stressed.  plus most of the work was done in advance so the kitchen was kept pretty clean throughout the day.

there was a great ham vs lamb debate and the decision maker came down to oven space.  if i made ham that would limit my options for sides, etc, since i only have one oven.  so i went the lamb route and sent it out to the grill for speed and oven space.

the only thing i didn't plan on was how many times i'd have to wash my darn food processor!  that appliance definitely paid for itself with all of the use it got on friday and saturday.  super thankful that i recently picked up a second set of measuring spoons from anthropologie...they make me smile :).

more easter deets tomorrow!

a little rhody easter

totally out of order of things i need to blog but i wanted to get these pictures up before it was june!

we spent easter in rhode island and it was a bit thrown together as nana was in the hospital until saturday (after over 20 days in that place, ick).  mz and i decided to do our best to keep easter going even though we weren't sure who could/would attend.  so thankful that i had blogged our easter recipes from last year because they were sure fire items that were easy to make and quite tasty!  mz grilled up the lamb, mom made some potatoes, i made a ricotta pie (didn't work quite as well as last year!) and heated a ham for good measure.

when it was all on the table it looked like we had been planning it all along...and we ended up filling the dining room with family and friends, which was very nice!

the rest of the weekend was spent driving around RI, making pasta and collecting sea glass down at nana's.  i also fell hard on the rocks...first time ever, must be because i'm so dang old now.  i'm obsessed with sea glass, always have been...luckily i had some great helpers on my treasure hunt!

click here for more pictures! 

little beach!

beavertail lighthouse

sister & CT

i got the kitchen aid pasta attachments for my bday and we've used them 4 or 5 times already, so in love!!  thanks to my awesome brother&sister-in-laws!!

hoppy easter - the menu

here's the final menu with my alterations and a bit of timing info.

• apps
• White Bean Dip - 
• I doubled the beans and parsley, added a touch extra oil and left the garlic as is...also used whole wheat pitas for the chips
• made this the morning of so the dip didn't separate too much, but think it would've held up okay a day in advance
• Aparagus & Gruyere Tart
• i doubled this for the 12 people but probably didn't need to
• shredded the cheese the day before and trimmed the asparagus early easter morning
• Cheese, crackers & olives.  

• non-alcoholic bevvie
• Strawberry, Lemon & Basil soda
• made a big batch of this the night before in the food processor and then served it in a little pitcher to mix yourself with seltzer
• main
• Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb
• didn't change anything here!
• Pea Salad
• turned out to not be my favorite, oh well.  i used frozen peas since i couldn't find a large quantity in any stores.  i omitted the dill - cuz i hate it.
• made the dressing the day before and cut the radishes the morning of
• Honey Glazed Carrots
• made the broth mixture and cut the carrots easter morning
• Artichoke, Leek & Potato Gratin
• based on the notes/reviews, i replaced the half&half with heavy cream (no brainer, more fat = more better ;-) ) and sautéed the leeks with butter instead of just steaming.
• shredded the cheese the night before, put everything together in the morning and popped it in the oven when the lamb went on the grill
• Corn Muffins & Bread
• mini-muffins made easter morning using Indian Head Cornmeal

everything above is just filler...now on to the REAL meal...

• DESSERTS!!  it took a lot of will power to narrow down to just 4...if it were a three day weekend i would've made more...and handed out stretch pants to all guests.
• Chocolate Pot de Creme

• my mom makes these often and they are phenom.  it doesn't really count as a dessert, it's more like a side...you have to have a taste with whatever other dessert you choose.  i can't imagine eating a 5oz portion, 5 bites can do me in.  i doubled the recipe (used ghirardelli chocolate) and served them in votives that i found at bed bath and beyond for $0.99.
• made them friday night.  whenever you make them...because you should, for whatever reason so put it on your calendar...be sure to make one extra because it's pure torture pouring out the perfect portions for your party and not eating one the minute they're ready.
• Coconut Key Lime Pie

• had to use bottled key lime juice but it was delicious!
• made the crust friday night, the pie & toasted coconut on saturday, topped with whipped cream sunday
• Raspberry Rhubarb Crostata

• this crust was tasty but a little tough to work with...worth it though!!
• made the crust friday night and the crostata first thing sunday morning
• Ricotta Pie with Pasta Frolla

• this was a recipe from a family friend that i received at my RI bridal shower.  i used vanilla extract in the pie and orange zest in the crust (instead of lemon - omitted the vanilla in the crust).  
• leave a comment if you want the pie recipe!

in my book, whipped cream really should be it's own dessert.  i could've eaten this entire bowl.

of course i only took pictures of the desserts...and of course i had to try all of them...and therefore of course i felt like i was going to vom all day on monday.

and i was way too excited to take a good picture.  oops!

30/30: Day 9 + My Mom Rocks!

Quick...jump in your internet time machine....


okay so remember easter? well i woke up to a fantastic easter basket placed outside my bedroom door!  yep, i might be 28 but E.Bunny still knows where to find me.  in the basket were these cool kicks...

i wore these today with a very cute matching hair ribbon...

but the picture that included my face looked like i was cranky enough to eat someone

...Rrrrooooarrrr!

uhm wait, so it wasn't this exact pair in my basket, but a pair very similar....which i then exchanged in my mom's room which looked a little more like an LLBean warehouse.  i kid you not when i say that my mom bought these shoes in 5 different colors/patterns and in at least 5 different sizes!  the amount of boxes that came pouring out of the multiple closets would've made a palatial fort for any small child...or tiny 28 year old, don't tempt me!  


Why would one person buyout the entire store? well because they were on sale silly!  AND because she gets free shipping...AND because she got gift cards for spending a certain amount...AND because she would hate to have her girls go home empty handed (take 2 pairs she said!)...AND because she's a rockstar.  obvi!

isn't she the best?! xo!

30/30: Day 4

The sun is shining on this beautiful Easter Day!  And it's my baby sister's birthday...just like me, she always acts her age :). The Easter Bunny gave her those awesome ears which she wore ALL DAY long.  best accessory.  ever.

I decided to go for the 'i'm a 12 year old at the beach' look...

Gap silver flip-flops.  K got a new camera for her bday so me & the husband were pretending to be pretty people :).    

hoppy easter - the family

no holiday would be complete without pictures of the decorations and the honored guests!  it was so nice to have such a big crowd together under one roof!

found these little chicks for $1 at christmas tree shop and (kinda creepily) scattered them throughout the house! 

thanks for the apron nana!

grill master!

30/30: Day 2

Hooray for Friday!!


AND I'm on vacation today, holler! :)  Up in Rhode Island for the long weekend.  Helping my parents clean out their flooded basement, meeting my cousin's new baby boy and finally eating meat on Easter! 


Wearing a new pair of flip-flops even though it's not really warm enough for my toes to bask in the sun.

Tommy Hilfiger flops that I got from DSW with a coupon so I think i paid under $5 for them...don't you just love a bargain?!!  Oh and that's my fab sister Kara.  She's the bees knees :)


So I hear that in Hawaii they call flip-flops slippers!  Too funny.

5 minute blog post.

lots going on here this week/past weekend, but i have zero time to put together a proper post...so this is going to be a whirlwind of shoddy pictures and fragmented sentences (how is that any different than usual? don't know)...

finally found a suitable frame for my awesome artshark prints and gave them a good home:

it's hanging out in the entry way near my eiffel tower (what, you don't have one of these in your house? weird).  if i wasn't so lazy, i would've changed my lens so you could see the entire foyer, but read the title...we're going for speed here, so just stop by if you want to check it out ;-)

now all i need are two red umbrellas and an umbrella stand to complete the look.  you might think i'm joking, but i'm quite serious.  almost bought a $130 pagoda umbrella but then decided that was crossing the line - especially since i'd need two (and who knew linen's n things was still in business?).  

oh look...super cheap bulbs i bought/planted in the fall from christmas tree shop are blooming, yay...

and lastly our benches got some much needed love and paint this weekend....

and that, my friends, is all she wrote...until after easter.  adios!