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I had the privilege of hosting mother's day brunch last weekend for my mom and dad, mother and father-in-law, Dylan's brother and sister-in-law, and a good friend, Jen. It is incredible to have such a gracious, loving family (thanks to amazing moms). It makes being together and entertaining such a joy. Not many people can say the perfect Sunday morning is spent with parents and in-laws.
Sunday morning was a blur of cleaning, cooking, and baking. Dylan and Jen were the best side-kicks and prepped and cleaned as I made a mess. I'd never cooked bacon before, and my mom stepped in to save the day sure it crisped <3
Here's the menu (thanks, Martha Stewart) and recipes for things that are worth making again:
- salad with salmon, goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes, & champagne vinaigrette
- asparagus and leek/spinach and feta quiche (substituted a 1/2 cup 1% milk to lighten the quiche a little. I could not tell a difference.)
- fresh raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries
- brown sugar-glazed apple-smoked bacon
- raspberry scones (added a tsp of lemon zest and a lemon glaze)
- white sangria, iced tea, OJ, coffee
Overall, it was a wonderful morning. Just before my parents headed back to Cincinnati, we walked along the Walhalla ravine, which is a beautiful, wooded oasis in the middle of Clintonville. It's Matilda's favorite walk with lots of squirrels, a creek, and gorgeous houses. Fingers crossed my parents might someday make Columbus home-base :)
The past two weeks have been packed full of lesson planning, achievement test preparation, parent conferences, staff meetings, and trips to the dog park. GORGEOUS weather made this past week feel even longer; I'm desperate for spring break. I spent today paging through a new library cookbook, The Flexitarian Table, stocking up on groceries, and now I'm super excited. I have spiced red onion marmalade bubbling away on the stove and am going to start the goat cheese frittata to accompany it. Pictures, recipe, and review coming soon.
I love pasta salad but I don't normally crave it in the winter. The sunny and 64 degree weather in Columbus today has my body confused, because I can't think of anything but spring cleaning and pasta salad.
A few weeks ago I was at Trader Joe's and found 1lb bags of multigrain fusilli for $.50. I'm not sure if that's the normal price, but I bought four bags because it was cheap, looked tasty, and 1 serving has 8g protein and 6g fiber. So in this recipe, I used Trader Giotto's Multigrain Fusilli with Flax. I also used the minced garlic from TJ's. I bought a jar recently and just love it. I've been using it in everything lately.
Fresh Herb and Lemon Pasta Salad
In a small bowl combine:
1 tbs chopped fresh mint
1 tbs chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
zest and juice from 1 lemon
In a large bowl combine the following and toss with the dresing:
1 lb cooked pasta, rinsed until cool, and drained
1 cup shredded zucchini, loosely packed
1 shredded carrot
1 chopped green onion
15 oz can chick peas, drained, rinsed
I ate a bowl of this at room temperature right after I made it and really enjoyed it, but I bet it would also be good warm or cold, too. I really threw together bits of what I had around, so the measurements are all estimates, but probably pretty close.
Overall, it was a wonderful morning. Just before my parents headed back to Cincinnati, we walked along the Walhalla ravine, which is a beautiful, wooded oasis in the middle of Clintonville. It's Matilda's favorite walk with lots of squirrels, a creek, and gorgeous houses. Fingers crossed my parents might someday make Columbus home-base :)
