Easter Sunday

Blouse: J. Crew; Skirt: J. Crew; Flats: Me Too;

Ring: Bvlgari c/o Mama Bigley; Bangle: Alexis Bittar

Don't mind the power cord, LV bag, suitcase, champagne (?!?!) that is gracing the background behind me. These photos were taken right after church and right before I threw on an apron and became a slave to my own cooking endeavors. Yesterday we had my dad's entire side of the family over for Easter, which was lovely. We substituted the egg hunt with an egg toss a few years ago since everyone is getting older (and probably annoyed that Bum kept finding the Golden Egg . . . however, this year, she actually won the egg toss. So go figure ;) Either way, this is what Daddy Bigley concocted up this year:

 

And I made two more items from the Pinterest world with the help of Bum and A. The brie bites were delicious, though we all agreed that it would be nice to roll the puff pastry a bit thinner in the future:

Follow the recipe here

For dessert, I made the most delectable thing I've tasted in a very very long time. These Salted Caramel Butter Bars were a huge hit and so incredibly rich that I could only eat HALF of one!

Follow the recipe here

I hope you all had a great weekend! I took today off so I'm still in Cali enjoying the sunshine :) I'm off to lunch with Ama and my brother so I'll check back in with ya'll tomorrow when I'm back in the rainy city ;)

Easter Saturday

Tank: Forever21; Skirt: Kische; Sandals: Steve Madden;

Necklace: Francesca's; Aviators: Ray-Ban; Bangle: Alexis Bittar; 

Bracelet: Juicy Couture; Clutch: Rebecca Minkoff

Room: Childhood

Today we celebrated Easter with my mom's side of the family. Yet again, there were more kids drinking beer than adults and a few more twenty-somethings and teens running around the yard in the quest for Easter eggs. And in case you're wondering, no, I did not wear the above outfit to Easter at Ama's. I wore this to coffee with BFF L this morning at the incredible Coffee Bean. Special thank you to Miss L for always humoring me and meeting me at CB ;) And, I did, in fact, get away with smuggling Jubelale to Cali. He has now been to three states in just 2 months! He's my little travel buddy. Didn't make a peep during the flight and currently enjoying the large playground that is my California home :)

Below are a few snapshots from today:

I made appetizers (pulled from Pinterest) that were a total hit!

Crostini with goat cheese, fig jam, basil, and prosciutto

Look who found the Golden Egg!

Cha-ching!

Mother-Daughter Photo Op

You're no stranger to this outfit, however it was the chosen one for Easter Saturday ;)

Hope the bunny hops your way tomorrow morning!

Superbowl Stuffing

So, even though I am not the most domestic of children, I do have my fair share of specialties that some family members love to drool over (myself included). For example, my stuffed mushrooms, which I only make once or twice a year for the holidays (and/or special occasions, such as Superbowl Sunday) are easy-peasy to make and absolutely delish! Because I appreciate my 18 22 (as of yesterday! woop, woop!) readers, I thought I would share the recipe with you :) You will need:

2 Philadelphia Cream Cheese squares (softened)

4-6 green onions (chopped)

1/2 lb. of bacon (cooked crispy & chopped)

2 cartons of medium-sized stuffing mushrooms

First:

Carve out the insides of the mushrooms with

a serrated spoon. Save the insides of the mushrooms

(NOT the stem!) in a separate bowl.

Second:

Mix together the cream cheese, bacon,

green onions, and mushroom insides

Third:

Stuff each mushroom just to the rim with the mixture

Lastly:

Place in the oven at 350 degrees and cook for about 12 minutes,

or until brown juice begins to form at the bottom of the baking dish.

Serve Immediately

Happy Superbowl and

YAY GIANTS!

Bonus = Bahamas + A Holiday Treat!

Well, we are officially headed to the Bahamas in February! Thanks to a lovely year-end bonus from my firm, I was able to purchase our flights to Florida today- woo who! Also, since I received quite the monetary Christmas gift from my firm, I'm considering spending it on a new "grown-up" camera. It would be wonderful to capture the colors of the island with something other than a Cool Pix digital.

Anyway, along with this news comes a favorite holiday treat recipe. You may have an NYE party to attend, or perhaps you're hosting a New Year's Day brunch? Either way, this delectable Almond Tea Bread is sure to make you the talk of whatever shindig you're attending! My mom only makes this at Christmas and we usually give it to people as gifts around the holidays. I have taken up this tradition since moving to Seattle and actually, it was the reason I purchased my pink Kitchen Aid handmixer in the first place :)

You will need the following:

Sugar, Flour, Baking Powder, Almond Extract, Vanilla Extract,

Poppyseeds, Butter Flavoring

Also, not shown, Orange Juice and Milk

First:

Cream together the following:

2 1/4 cups sugar; 3 eggs; 1 1/8 cup oil

Second:

In a separate bowl sift together the following:

3 cups flour; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Then . . .

Pour the contents from the flour mixture into the first bowl,

alternate pouring and mixing the flour mixture in with 1 1/2 cups milk

Then Add . . .

1 1/2 tblsp poppy seeds; 1 1/2 tsp almond extract;

1 1/2 tsp butter flavoring; 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

MIX WELL.

Lastly . . . .

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and pour the batter into small bread loaf pans.

The above recipe will make 1 large loaf and 2 small loafs or 4 small loafs.

Bake the bread for 50 minutes (or until golden brown)

Sometimes the bread is done before 50 minutes,

so be sure to stick a toothpick in the top prior to removing

from the oven to make sure it is cooked all the way.

While the bread is cooking . . . make the glaze that will go on top of the bread:

3/4 cup sugar; 1/4 cup orange juice; 1/2 tsp. almond extract;

1/2 tsp butter flavoring; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

When the bread is done . . . .

Let cool; Remove from pans and set on sheet of foil

When bread is still just slightly warm, glaze the with the orange juice mixture:

Use a marinade brush. Glaze the top and the four sides.

Wrap immediately in foil and place in freezer.

The bread will remain good as long as it is frozen. When ready to eat, take out

30-40 minutes prior to serving so it can defrost a bit.

 I hope you enjoy this treat as much

as my family has!